One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 146 Robbery: I'm here to give a gift!

The tea party of the Sea Queen Charlotte Linlin is about to begin.

This capricious middle-aged woman has started sending out her invitations again, and the guests who receive the envelopes are either flustered, worried that the old lady will go crazy at the tea party, or happy and complacent, thinking that they have finally caught the queen's eye.

The owner of a high-class merchant ship also received an invitation from the Queen. The ship's owner was named Alda Simone, the eldest daughter of the president of the Alda Merchant Guild. She had recently taken over the position of president from her father. On the very day she took over, Big Mom's invitation arrived, which made her extremely excited. She was in the jewelry business, but in the New World, it was difficult to do business without the backing of a pirate. Therefore, she tried every means to build a good relationship with Charlotte Linlin.

However, although the woman was greedy, she preferred delicious desserts to exquisite jewelry. So the businesswoman spent a lot of money to cultivate relationships, and finally, she received an invitation to the woman's tea party.

This fact thrilled her. Yes, it was a dangerous tea party, but the world is full of dangers. There's no such thing as making a lot of money without taking any risks.

Simone felt that deep down he was an ambitious person who was unwilling to settle for mediocrity.

If she can't accomplish something truly remarkable, what's the point of inheriting the chamber of commerce?

Just as he was filled with hope for the future, Simone keenly sensed strange noises coming from inside the room.

A rat? You're kidding!!!

The materials used on this luxury merchant ship all reflect its high quality; even basic hygiene standards are impeccable, not to mention the best rooms on the ship.

Could someone be in the room? She suddenly had a bad feeling.

Her room was very large, with plenty of hiding places: ivory-white wardrobes, behind light blue curtains, and inside the dressing table cabinets.

Such thoughts sent chills down Simone's spine, but she wisely kept quiet and tried to act as naturally as possible, intending to open the door and walk out as if nothing had happened.

She had already decided that once she went out, she would immediately let the guards in.

However, she was too late; a hand had somehow covered her mouth.

……

"How much money do you want? I'll give you anything I can if you let me go." Realizing his life might be in danger, Simone quickly composed himself and began to ask the kidnapper for his terms.

"You're wrong, I'm not here to rob you."

Surprisingly young. Judging from the voice, is it a woman?

Is this ship heading to Whole Cake Island?

"Yes." Is he also going to see Charlotte Linlin?

“That’s great, please don’t be nervous. I don’t intend to take anything from you. On the contrary, I’m here to give a gift, and you can give it to Charlotte as your own gift money.”

Should I give a gift?

Simone thought he was hallucinating for a moment, but to his surprise, the other party slowly loosened his restraints and gave him a money bag.

The sheer amount made her eyes widen in disbelief.

There are still people like this in the world, risking their lives to board merchant ships, not to rob or kidnap, but simply to give gifts.

It was at this moment that Simone was able to see the person who had arrived.

He wasn't very tall, was dressed entirely in black, and wore a mask that covered his entire face.

"I'd be so grateful if you could help me with that, but I'm curious, how did you find out about me?"

The person who came was Roman. She hadn't planned to reveal her true intentions so soon, but who knew that after Simone entered the room, her heartbeat kept getting louder and she had the intention to leave the room, forcing her to act ahead of time.

If ordinary people could detect my stealth skills, then all those years of training would have been for nothing.

So it's highly likely that this woman has something special about her.

“I can’t really explain it. Since I was little, my five senses have been stronger than most people’s. I can also judge other people’s intentions. Because of this, my father said that I should be very suitable to be a businesswoman.” After seeing that the other party did not have obvious hostility, Simone also spoke the truth. She had thought about running away, but her intuition told her that she would not succeed. If she stayed honestly, the probability of safety was very high.

Comparing yourself to others will always make you miserable.

Upon hearing this, how could Roman not realize that the woman in front of him was very likely born with Observation Haki?

If this talent were truly trained, it would be no less than, if not stronger than, Katakuri's.

However, perhaps to balance the differences brought about by talent, in the original work, people who have natural Observation Haki are limited in strength due to their status, constitution, and personality. The most typical example is Queen Otohime, whose Observation Haki can also affect the minds of others. If she hadn't been physically weak and died young, how could the Fish-Men have been so frustrated?

“You have a great talent,” Roman said sincerely.

Then she prepared to leave, which put Simone at ease. She didn't intend to pursue the matter further. Merchants aren't so short-sighted; as long as one's life is saved, everything can start over.

"By the way, you're a jewelry merchant, right? Putting everything else aside, everything you're wearing is top-quality!"

Simone's attire can be described as "a woman of extravagant wealth," complete with exquisitely designed hair accessories, necklaces, earrings, brooches, rings, bracelets, and anklets, all adorned with precious jewels.

If Simone were normally being robbed, he would have readily removed his jewelry upon hearing this, but it seems that wasn't what the robber meant.

Do you sell pearls?

"Yes, there are pearls, but as you probably know, they're very common and don't make you a lot of money." After all, the world is vast, and pearls are just an affordable accessory. Anyone with a little money can buy a pearl necklace and pearl earrings.

"I suggest you sell it."

"Selling pearls?"

"I'm not selling pearls, but face masks made from pearl powder. Consider it my apology to you, since I rudely barged into your room and startled you. Of course, this is just my personal opinion; whether you want to hear it or not is your choice." With that, Roman opened the door and left.

Simone hurriedly chased after him, but Roman was nowhere to be seen. There was only the boundless sea and the blue sky. On the deck, the employees were working as usual, and everything was as peaceful as ever. If it weren't for the bag of money still being there, Simone would have thought he was dreaming.

What a strange person, coming here just to give away money? But is it really possible they're selling pearl powder face masks?

Simone murmured to himself, thinking of what the mysterious girl had said.