One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 210 You have excellent taste!

The force was as heavy as a mountain, and when the flying squirrel's right hand holding the knife trembled uncontrollably as it received the attack.

The fine beads of sweat on his forehead showed that he was struggling to resist and was constantly panting heavily.

But the other person's expression was frighteningly relaxed, with an air of unwavering confidence and nonchalance in their eyes.

Then, in the next second, with lightning speed, the other person pressed the tip of the knife against his throat.

The outcome is decided.

"I lost." The flying squirrel smiled helplessly.

This was followed by thunderous applause.

The audience included not only naval soldiers but also fishmen, all of whom were in high spirits and thoroughly enjoyed the show.

"Thank you for your hard work, Major General." Roman then sheathed his sword and helped the flying squirrel up.

This is a duel between Roman and the flying squirrel.

Or to put it more accurately, this was an exhibition match between the two of them, of course, with the purpose of generating buzz for the recruitment campaign.

It's often said that outsiders watch the spectacle, while insiders understand the intricacies.

Roman plans to combine the two, including crisp movements, but also adding more elaborate and visually appealing ones.

In short, we strive for a balance between performance and entertainment value.

"I'm fine, but is this really okay?"

The flying squirrel crouched down and quietly asked Roman.

It's no wonder the flying squirrel had such questions, because Roman's recruitment event was set up like a stage play, with a special venue built for it.

Before coming down, she also purchased a batch of ingredients, which the navy then sold in small shops and stalls.

They even put human children's toys over there.

The flying squirrel felt that this didn't seem like a recruitment event, but rather a celebration.

"But you see there are a lot of people, right? This is a long-term policy. What we seek is not just military strength, but harmonious coexistence in the Fishman Kingdom. That is the most important thing."

“That makes sense…” The flying squirrel nodded, indicating his agreement, and he himself did indeed quite like the atmosphere.

Even though he had heard the rumors many times, Squirrel still found Sylvester Roman to be an incredible person after actually meeting him.

On the day she joined the Navy, she defeated Onigumo (a big mistake), then defeated Gecko Moria (a small mistake), found scientific samples for the Science Department, graduated first in the training camp, was personally received by Admiral Sengoku, and served as Sakazuki's second-in-command. She made outstanding contributions in the defense of the fortress. What's even more unexpected is that she has now made initial contributions such as opening up a bridge of relations with the Fish-Men.

Unfortunately, due to her age, all her contributions could not be made public in order to protect her, and even the flying squirrel himself did not know the full extent of them.

However, this content was enough to make the flying squirrel feel ashamed.

He had been in the navy for over a decade and had seen his share of strange things, but the fact that a girl less than half his age was older than him still made him feel a little heartbroken and powerless.

This brings us to his contemporary, Kuzan, who is also incredibly talented, but compared to the kid in front of him, Kuzan is a step behind.

"But are you really not going to use your own contribution to get a better weapon?" the flying squirrel asked kindly.

What she found strange was that Roman, as a swordsman, didn't seem to be particularly interested in famous swords. In fact, most swordsmen would cherish their swords as if they were companions, and in extreme cases, the destruction of the sword would mean death.

But Roman never seemed to care about his knife; he had a different knife in his hand almost every time he saw her.

"No need. Swords are just a medium for me. You might find it hard to understand, but to me, they are simply tools to unleash my power. It's often difficult for the power within my body to directly affect other objects. After all, my physical body isn't exactly invincible right now. That's why I use weapons as a medium to unleash my power, or more precisely, to defend against direct attacks from enemies. Besides, most people are afraid of sharp weapons, so whether I have a famous sword or not is really unimportant to me," Roman explained slowly.

"You really have a lot of ideas." The flying squirrel was a little surprised; he finally understood what Roman meant.

Roman's choice to use a knife was not based on her acceptance of her identity as a swordsman, but rather on the fact that swords are deadly weapons to others. It was not a matter of love for swords, but rather on suitability.

how to say?

This mature choice, made without genuine passion, was a bit hard for the flying squirrel to accept for a while.

Because this doesn't seem to match Roman's actual age.

"But don't you dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman?" To be honest, the flying squirrel does have this dream, but it seems like a distant dream.

"If that's the case, you might as well just say you want to become the strongest in the world. If you only become the best swordsman in the world, you'll still get defeated, right? You can't just say that only those who defeat you with a sword count, but those who defeat you with their bare hands don't. That would seem so unimpressive." Roman analyzed the situation very calmly.

Well, you know what, you really do have a point.

Even the flying squirrel couldn't help but nod, but then, seemingly realizing he had lost his composure, he coughed a few times in a serious manner.

“It seems you’re really suited to be a negotiator.” The flying squirrel wanted to say something encouraging, but he saw Roman shake his head.

That's not good.

"why?"

"Because negotiators don't rely on what they have. If I really want to be a negotiator, the highest level is when I can take the stage and the direction of the negotiation flows into my hands. I can achieve my goal without even having to say a word. That would make me a top-notch negotiator."

Their ideas are terrifying.

Even the flying squirrel couldn't help but take a few steps back.

However, he could almost see Roman's future growth.

"I think that in ten years, your name will be known all over the sea. Even now, you have already shown me that possibility."

"You think so highly of me? Even Garp, the hero of the Navy, only became widely known after arresting Roger." (The fact that Rocks existed has been erased; only a small number of people know about it. Most people believe that Garp became a Navy hero because he was compared to Roger, not because Garp and Roger defeated Rocks together.)

"How should I put it? If it were you, it wouldn't be surprising what you say, what you do, or what status you achieve in the future. That's just my feeling." Although the content was a bit dry, the flying squirrel was truly full of sincerity.

It seems that Major General Flying Squirrel needs to add another advantage.

Very discerning.

Roman added inwardly.