One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 166 Pieces That Fill You Up

Once a door is opened for anything, the channels will naturally expand as the situation improves.

What Roman has to do is plant this seed.

She had carefully considered what she had those four people do.

Although Gran has a bad temper, she would never hit children. She also wants to let a group of children help soothe her bad temper. So she lets Gran interact with children, and their pure hearts, untainted by the distractions of the outside world, are a good way to influence them.

Don't underestimate children. Queen Otohime was able to stick to her principles for many years because of the support of her children.

Compared to adults, children are more innocent and curious about humans.

This positive effect should be publicized.

Raven was extremely lazy, so Roman specifically made him do street sweeping work to cure his laziness.

Environmental protection work often starts in the early morning, making it perfect for dealing with LaVine.

Patch has a bad personality and bad morals, so let him do something moral through his actions. It will also help him relieve his excess energy.

Otherwise, it's not good to be constantly talking about fighting.

As for Sly, he is the most meticulous and thoughtful guy. It would be a waste of his talent not to do some criminal investigation work. Hopefully, he can understand that people can cooperate with each other.

I can say that I have made the most of my resources.

Everything needs a foundation; a single spark can easily turn into a raging fire if we don't realize it.

Moreover, her confidence stemmed from the attitudes of the Queen and the King.

Although the two remained silent, the fact that they had prepared several luxurious and comfortable rooms in the palace was a tacit statement of their stance.

The implication seems to be a bit euphemistic.

Princess Otohime was always excited, asking all sorts of questions.

Her body is fragile; even a fall could cause injury, and she could even break a bone. The open sea is an even more dangerous environment for her, but she remains determined to explore a wider world—not for herself, but for the future of many more children.

This persistence is perhaps the reason why she possesses such powerful Observation Haki.

But...

It must be said that the fish-men's food is quite good.

The fish, raised thousands of miles below sea level, have exceptionally high-quality flesh, showing no signs of pollution, and their natural deliciousness has been brought to its fullest potential.

"I remember that fish-men should also be able to eat fish, right?" Roman placed a plate of fish in front of the guest and beamed with a warm smile.

Mermaids almost never eat fish, but fish is definitely on their menu.

"I apologize for the sudden visit," the visitor replied politely.

"Ah Long should be recovered by now. I'm so sorry, I should have controlled my strength. But I believe that going all out is a sign of respect for your opponent. I hope you can understand, Jinbe."

That's right, the person sitting next to Roman is Jinbe, the adorable blue robot cat.

"It's alright. Since it's just a friendly spar, getting injured is inevitable."

“I’m glad you think that way. So, Jinbe, what brings you here? You didn’t come all this way just for idle chatter, did you?” Roman decided to get straight to the point. Roman had expected this man to come looking for her; she had caused quite a stir on Fishman Island these past few days, essentially “forcing” him to make a decision as soon as possible.

When asked about this, Jinbe didn't bother to hide it anymore, "You're against the trade of fish-men, aren't you?"

"Of course, this is an extremely heinous thing among humans, but light and shadow are interdependent, and such things are at least impossible to prevent at present."

For example, directly above Fishman Island is the famous "Population Auction House".

Ironically, the naval headquarters and the Sabaody Archipelago were practically neighbors, with naval forces even stationed on the island, yet the naval headquarters stood by and watched as slave ships and auctions took place.

That's because of the Celestial Dragons. Although it's not quite appropriate for her to say it, those guys are indeed a scourge on the world. They act recklessly because they think they're the bloodline of the creator, but the World Government and the Navy are their support. Under the protection of these two powerful forces, no one can control the Celestial Dragons.

"What I'm trying to say is that humans aren't targeting you fish-men and mermaids. In fact, the slave ships enslave everyone equally. You should be able to understand this situation, right? After all, this isn't something that can be accomplished by human involvement alone."

Roman astutely hit the nail on the head.

That's right, it's an undeniable fact that people of the same kind on Fishman Island participated in the trafficking of their own kind, and it's not something that can be solved by blaming everything on humans.

"So, if the fish-men join the Navy, will they receive greater protection?"

"To be honest, it's hard to say. The most direct protection is for those who join the navy. I can't give you a better promise on a larger scale," Roman said "sincerely."

"but……"

“You can give me time,” Roman said with a meaningful smile.

"What do you mean?" Jinbe frowned.

Do you think I have talent?

"You're very strong," Jinbe said sincerely. Even disregarding his age, Roman's fighting ability was considerable, a fact Jinbe observed directly.

"And I'm still very young. As long as nothing unexpected happens in the future, I will reach my peak. Do you believe me?"

Jinbe could only nod in agreement to this obvious fact.

"The navy is a systematic organization, so there are many things to consider, but one thing will never change, and that is the unwavering pursuit of overwhelming strength."

If you have strength, people will naturally support you. With people supporting you, you will naturally gain influence, and this will gradually evolve into power. This is a logical problem that is easy to think about, and Jinbe agreed.

After all, he grew up in the dog-eat-dog world of Fishman Street, and A-Long respected him because he was quite strong and could easily overpower him.

"So are you willing to take a gamble on me, on my infinite potential?" Roman smiled and extended his hand to Jinbe.

This is a political cooperation.

The navy, empowered by fishmen, will become even stronger, and Roman, who facilitated this, will gain more power.

In exchange, she will protect Fishman Island.

However, this will take time to prove.

It can't be considered a completely equal transaction, but nothing is accomplished overnight. It will take a long time to completely resolve the Fishman Island issue, and it will be even more difficult to handle it properly.

So it all depends on whether Jinbe will come and shake her hand.

"So what's your answer this time, Jinbe?"