One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 156 Peace is Nuclear Peace

How should we view Queen Otohime?

Roman felt it was hard to say.

It's not fair to simply label her as the Virgin Mary. Don't misunderstand, in Roman's mind, the Virgin Mary is not a derogatory term.

Because Otohime wasn't without desires either.

She advocates for harmonious coexistence between humans and mermaids, also for the future of the mermaid race, so that they can live openly on land without fear, and truly see everything in the world, with a wider world to explore.

However, her frail body became an obstacle.

In other words, Queen Otohime's claims lacked sufficient strength to support them, but because of her noble status, her claims would force others to accept them, which is the troublesome part.

But perhaps I can help her out.

Whether it would work or not, Roman wasn't sure. After all, centuries of estrangement couldn't be erased overnight, but she could open a door and bring about change.

"Ah, people are coming, and it seems there are even more soldiers."

"Some important person must have arrived."

"The one leading the group should be that blonde mermaid woman, right? Is she a member of the mermaid royal family?"

Roman: "She is Queen Otohime, so everyone should behave properly."

Otohime is a goldfish mermaid with long, wavy golden hair and lake-blue eyes. Her hair is neatly combed to one side with a round hair clip, and she wears an orange robe covered with white ribbons, making her look ethereal.

In short, she was dignified and elegant, clearly a woman of high status. If nothing unexpected happens, she will then ask about their identities with an air of authority, displaying her composure, and eventually reach a consensus.

Although they had never eaten pork, they had at least seen pigs run, and the four of them figured that what was to come would be just like that.

The four initially accepted the princess's identity, until they witnessed Princess Otohime rushing towards them at a frantic speed and falling down.

"Ouch, that hurts!" Otohime cried out in pain.

"Medical team, quickly treat Princess Otohime's injuries, and be careful of her belly!" the Minister of the Right shouted urgently.

"Oh no, this is terrible! His right hand is comminuted fractured."

"What are we going to do?!"

"Your Highness, please hold on, don't faint."

"Quickly apply a bandage, yes, be gentle, the princess is not well."

……

The utter chaos left the four of them dumbfounded.

Sly: "Are you kidding me? A fall and you get a comminuted fracture?"

Gran: "My body is so fragile. It's just a fracture, how come I feel like I'm about to die?"

LaVine: "I just find it noisy."

Patch: "This guy's a weakling."

Roman almost agreed with the opinions of the four people above, but she wasn't one to judge by appearances alone.

Queen Otohime's willpower is absolutely inversely proportional to her physical condition. At this moment, she is refusing treatment and is being helped towards Luo and his party.

"Thank you so much, guests who have traveled from afar on land. We are very grateful for your help to our people." Although her hand was still sore, Otohime did not show any disrespect to Roman.

"Your Highness, we're too close. They're pirates too," the Right Minister whispered a warning, but it naturally didn't escape Roman's ears.

“Your Highness, there’s no need to thank us. We’re just returning your people. The men behind us are my men: Sly, Gran, Raven, and Patch. We are marines, not pirates. Please don’t be afraid. This ship is loot we’ve seized from pirates.” Roman tried his best to express his goodwill.

"Your Highness, be careful, they are from the navy," the Right Minister whispered again.

Roman: "..."

That makes sense, after all, they seem to be a country protected by pirates.

"In short, I came here to make a deal with you, so please don't worry that I have any bad intentions. I think you can sense that." Lying is pointless in front of Otohime, who can see right through people; honesty is the first step to cooperation.

"Young navy man, do you also know my views?"

Through her own abilities, Otohime discovered that Roman agreed with her beliefs and even longed for them.

“Your Highness, I understand your views, and I have my own ideas as well. We can cooperate. If you would like, would you like to discuss it with me?”

Two tears rolled down the princess's cheeks.

"Your Highness, are you alright? You're pregnant! What happened?" Seeing Princess Otohime's tears, the Minister of the Right, who had been trying to remain calm, finally broke down in confusion again.

But this time, Otohime didn't cry out; instead, she excitedly hugged Roman into her arms.

"I'm so happy, thank you for your support. If you don't mind, please come to the palace."

“Your Highness, how can we allow humans to come to the palace? If we really have to invite them, we can only invite…” The Minister of the Right originally wanted to blurt out Whitebeard, but he stopped himself when he thought of the other party’s identity as a Marine.

"Minister of the Right, please believe me, this child has no ill intentions, I can see that." Princess Otohime's voice trembled slightly with excitement, but it was firmer than ever before.

Under the Queen's firm insistence, the Right Minister and the soldiers gave in.

In the current timeline, Tiger is still alive, and the "blood donation incident" that would cause conflict in later generations has not yet occurred. Although the relationship between merfolk and humans is not good, it has not deteriorated as it will in the future.

"I say, sir, how did you manage to fool the princess? You just said you supported her, and she let you into the palace?" Patch seemed completely bewildered. In his opinion, someone like him who didn't consider himself particularly smart wouldn't easily believe what others said.

"Her Observation Haki is exceptionally strong; if you lie, she will expose you instantly. However, if you are sincere, she will accept you."

"Is it really that amazing?"

“You’ll see how formidable that princess is in the future. Judging people by their appearance will only lead to trouble sooner or later. I hope you remember that I’m the first one to fall into that trap. Also, behave yourselves here. If you go crazy here, I’ll really drive you insane.” Roman once again showed his “kind” smile.

None of the four are easy to get along with. Now that they've moved to a new place, I wonder if they'll be able to behave themselves.

Especially Patch, who is the most restless.

Appropriate intimidation is still necessary.

After hearing this, Patch fell silent.

But Roman quickly changed his tone: "Don't worry, I won't let you get bored. Just watch my look, and when it's time to strike, I'll make my move and let you have your fill."

“Didn’t you just say you came to seek peace?” Sly wasn’t as blindly happy as Patch, because she always felt that Roman seemed to have ulterior motives.

"The truth lies in seeking peace with cannons."

So, they are still too young.