One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 193 We are all striving for our future

"Well, since he's a child, he should make sure he gets enough nutrition. I heard you're quite ill, so this is on me." Kuzan's tone was as lazy as ever, but Roman could tell that he genuinely cared about him.

Rumors always get more and more outrageous.

She admitted to having anxiety disorder, but after the rumors intensified, she suffered a mental breakdown, relapsed old injuries, and was seriously ill, seemingly on the verge of death.

Kuzan, who didn't care about outside news to begin with, was shocked to hear that Roman was about to die after he returned.

"I really didn't expect you to believe such unreliable rumors." Roman couldn't help but laugh at Kuzan's gullibility.

Looking at the table laden with delicious food, Roman felt a pang of unease.

To test whether he had gained trust, he designed Kuzan to take on a bunch of hard jobs in the New World. Although the decision was made by Sengoku, he was the one who built the ladder for Sengoku.

Since my conscience is troubled, I should... remember to remind myself to strike the wooden fish when I get back, and do some good deeds.

However, before striking the wooden fish, Roman's playful side was aroused.

"However, the rumors I've heard are unreliable. They say that when you first joined the Navy, you always followed Vice Admiral Garp and kept saying how handsome he was. That doesn't suit your image at all." Roman revealed a perfect smile.

"This..." It's not a rumor after all. Every great person has a dark history they'd rather not talk about when they achieve success.

At this point, Kuzan could only bite the bullet and say, "Rumors are always exaggerated."

Seeing the somewhat embarrassed Kuzan, Roman finally felt satisfied.

In terms of dealing with him, suppressing Kuzan is much easier than dealing with Sakazuki.

However, the usually lazy Kuzan reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end when facing Sakazuki.

Although Roman still wanted to dig into the dark history of this important figure, he didn't forget to tell Kuzan about today's discovery.

"Did you read today's newspaper? It's about the news that soldiers from a kingdom were kidnapped by pirates and were all killed by them."

Kuzan looked somewhat bewildered.

He was so tired at New World that he hadn't read the newspapers for several days, let alone today's.

"It was indeed a painful experience, but..."

“But it shouldn’t have been pirates who did it,” Roman said quietly, expressing his thoughts.

Kuzan's expression changed from lazy to serious. He even had the urge to cover Roman's mouth, because he seemed to have guessed that what Roman was about to say was definitely not something that could be shouted out loud.

"It was the CP organization that did it," Roman said in a low voice.

More accurately, it was Rob Lucci who made the move.

As the future leader of CP9, Lucci is indeed ruthless, almost as ruthless as her.

"Although the reports say they died at the hands of pirates, I can tell that their wounds were all inflicted by one person, and it was the Six Powers of the Navy. Besides the Navy, only the CP can skillfully use the Six Powers of the Navy. Do you think my guess is correct?"

"You haven't even seen the scene with your own eyes, yet you dare to say that based solely on pictures?" Kuzan could only marvel at Roman's audacity.

Her statements are bolder than before.

This time, she wasn't just criticizing the Navy, but the World Government, a behemoth, because compared to the Navy, the CP organization is much closer to the government, practically a direct subordinate of the World Government.

"Since you know about the existence of CP, you must understand what they represent, right?" Kuzan felt a headache coming on. His subordinate seemed to be incredibly audacious, and quite outspoken in front of him, almost as much as Garp. No, at least she had some sense of propriety, albeit a little lacking.

"The pictures aren't really important, Vice Admiral Kuzan. Whether you've seen the scene or not isn't that important either, because I've seen it in many other places. Have you forgotten my past experiences as a wanderer? Evil is something that follows you everywhere, not just pirates, but also the Navy and the World Government. I may not be old enough, but my experience doesn't lie."

"Are you going through a rebellious phase?" Kuzan felt his head throb even more, but strangely, he felt an inexplicable urge to agree with Roman's words. Because even if he didn't want to admit it, he knew very well that he harbored resentment towards the World Government.

“But I feel you’ve already agreed with me. And I feel you’re just dissatisfied with the government!” Roman looked at Kuzan with his wise eyes, trying to see the emotions hidden beneath Kuzan’s surface.

Kuzan: "..."

No, can you read minds?

“If you want to deny what I say, you should rebuke me sternly and then convey to me the absolute principle that orders are absolute, that hesitation leads to defeat, and that you are too indecisive. That would only prove that I am right,” Roman pressed on again.

Goodness, I'm being taught how to be a boss by my subordinates.

Kuzan gave up struggling and began to follow Roman's lead: "What do you want to do?"

Since there's no way to resist, it's better to just ask her what she's up to. Roman always makes quite a stir when she does something, and this time probably won't be any different.

"I just have an idea, would you like to hear it? It might be a milestone that opens up a new era of development for the navy."

I really don't want to hear it.

Despite thinking this, Kuzan nodded earnestly.

Looking at Kuzan, Roman revealed a triumphant smile.

……

East China Sea.

The sun was shining, the sea was calm, and the temperature was just right—a perfect day for a sea voyage.

Here lies a peaceful village. Because of its remote location, it enjoys an enviable tranquility in the East Blue, where pirates are already rare, and even the air is filled with a sense of peace.

A young man was sitting listlessly on the shore. To be honest, although the weather was nice, he didn't know what to do.

He has a wife and son, and his life is happy and stable. He should be living a good life, but for some reason, whenever he sees the sea, he always feels a surge of emotion.

The world is so big, and he really wants to see it. It must be a magical world.

However, what gradually came into view was a pirate ship.

The skull and crossbones flag is a very conspicuous symbol, and its appearance often signifies a tragedy.

Are we going to go into the village?

No, thinking this, the young man took out his gun and aimed it at the pirate ship.

But just as he was about to pull the trigger, a loud sound came from the pirate ship.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, we meant no harm. We just wanted to replenish our resources because we've been having banquets for so long and haven't had any food. By the way, to be frank, we're here to see you too, because we heard you're the best sniper around here. So, Yasopp, how about hop on my ship and join me on an adventure?"

Looking at Yasopp, Shanks flashed his most hearty smile.