One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 76 Risk Avoidance: Focus on Survival

The two dark green teacups were now shrouded in a light mist. The fine tea leaves unfurled in the boiling tea like blooming flowers, slowly floating upwards to create a beautiful scene. Hmm, it's a good omen.

A pair of large hands picked up the delicate teacup, moistened the throat, and then the mellow taste spread on the tip of the tongue, while the elegant aroma lingered in the bright room.

Those who know their stuff will naturally recognize this as a rare and high-quality tea, which suggests that the people in the room at this moment are all people of high status and power.

"Her potential is indeed quite strong. Judging from the traces of her fight with that Mihawk, her strength is already mature enough. At least she can stand alone without much problem. It is no exaggeration to say that she will probably be a monster even stronger than Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino in the future. After all, judging from her current state, destroying a small island is almost no problem."

"It seems our navy has really struck gold this time." Sengoku revealed a long-lost smile. Although he usually had to maintain the demeanor of an admiral and not smile, he didn't need to care too much about such things in front of his old friend.

Having personally trained these three monsters, Zephyr held a high degree of confidence in Roman's strength. This was clearly not just empty talk, but a genuine belief, which was undoubtedly good news for both Sengoku and the Navy.

"And it's quite remarkable. If she were alone, she could have escaped quickly, but she knew the other trainees were no match for Mihawk. For their safety, she told them to leave quickly and stayed behind to deal with that guy. It's hard to imagine, considering she's just a child. Although we don't know her past, she has nothing to be ashamed of regarding justice," Zephyr said earnestly.

More than strength, Zephyr values ​​character, and Roman's actions truly demonstrate her pure heart, which makes Zephyr very satisfied with her. Now, he really likes Roman.

"It seems Rosinante's assessment was correct. There's no need to worry about loyalty anymore. She'll be following Kuzan from now on. While it's not the best choice, it's better than staying with Sakazuki and Borsalino." Although he belongs to the hawks, Sengoku obviously doesn't want Roman to develop an overly extreme personality. Kuzan's environment isn't perfect, but it's the best of a bad bunch.

Sengoku would bet that if Roman were handed over to Sakazuki, he would take her to the New World tomorrow to attack those big pirates with bounties over 500 million. It's too dangerous. Sakazuki wouldn't give Roman any special treatment just because she's a genius. On the contrary, in order to force out her potential to the maximum, he would just throw her into a dangerous battlefield. That's something Sakazuki is capable of doing.

"Well, following Kuzan is at least better than following Borsalino, although I can't stand that kid's lazy attitude either." Zeffa was fairly satisfied with Roman's fate.

Zephyr was willing to bet that if Roman were handed over to Borsalino, the saying "Physical skills don't matter, but you must use your Devil Fruit power well" would probably be etched into Roman's mind, which would be utterly absurd. Zephyr didn't want to see Roman suddenly declare that he wanted to abandon swordsmanship and instead pursue a powerful Devil Fruit.

"Actually, I've been thinking about whether to let her graduate early, since all she lacks is time to grow." Under normal circumstances, Roman's strength is enough to be a general-level officer, but without military merit, it's obviously difficult to convince the masses. But at least she won't have to stay in the training camp anymore. The life in the training camp has been of limited help to her. Roman and the other trainees are simply not in the same league.

Sengoku casually picked up a senbei (rice cracker) and said, "Although I'd like to agree, it's not the right time yet. That little girl is just a budding talent. If she gets hurt in the process, it would be a terrible loss for the Marine Headquarters. Letting her graduate early would be too conspicuous. Pirates have been eyeing us all along, and if her information gets leaked, it would be dangerous for her."

That's right. No matter how powerful Syl Roman is, she is still an undeveloped genius, just like Hawkeye Mihawk. Although they have unlimited potential and good combat power, they have not yet reached their peak. Real high-level combat power is still a threat to them. If they are not careful, they will be crushed to pieces.

Therefore, Roman always believed that Mihawk's behavior of seeking out sword duels all over the world was like "dancing on a tightrope." Although according to the established path, he was like a chosen one, he was also bearing enormous risks.

Unable to predict the future, the Warring States period still preferred the safest growth path. While other growth paths offered greater returns, they also carried higher risks, and the Warring States period was unwilling to take that gamble.

Before leaving, Rosinante paid special attention to Roman and even asked him to take good care of him, so Sengoku had to be careful about Roman's affairs.

"However, we should still ask her opinion. Although we can certainly arrange a better and safer route for her, her wishes are the most important thing."

Having dealt with young people and children for over a decade, Zeffa clearly cares deeply about their mental well-being. Aside from Borsalino, he respects the words and thoughts of his other students and rarely criticizes them. If it weren't for student safety concerns, he would prefer to be a caring mentor rather than a tyrannical one.

"Although I've heard that the General Staff speaks highly of her, it's still hard to imagine that a child of this age could have such mature opinions. I still maintain my original idea: even if we really need to ask for her opinion, it will have to be later. After all, it's not such a critical moment right now." After thinking for a while, Sengoku made what he considered to be the more advantageous choice.

Upon hearing this, Zephyr stopped insisting. Since the admiral, who held real power, had already made up his mind, there was nothing more he could say.

Although the officers at the Navy Headquarters still regarded him as an admiral, Zephyr no longer considered himself an admiral. Now he was just the chief instructor in charge of training new students, and he did everything for the sake of his students. He left the troublesome politics and the future development of the Navy to Sengoku, that old guy, to worry about. He only needed to do his job well.