One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 147 Envy Strikes

"Speaking of which, where is our young commander? He inexplicably said he would take us to the New World to broaden our horizons, but as soon as we arrived on the island, he mysteriously disappeared. Where did he go?" It was Gran who spoke. After being shocked by the photos Roman brought, she chose to quit smoking and drinking and also regulated her sleep schedule. Now her complexion was much better.

"Why worry about her? She's not someone who's easy to kill anyway. Given that officer's position, it wouldn't be surprising if he were watching our performance from the shadows. Speaking of which, the pirates of the New World are quite capable, but they're still no match for me," Patch said, dusting himself off.

“Indeed, that’s very much in line with her style, manipulating everything we do from the shadows. But whatever, I’ll just pretend I don’t know.” Raven leaned lazily against a tree. Encouraged by Roman, he had indeed become a little more diligent, but when his superior wasn’t around, he absolutely didn’t mind slacking off.

Slay, unusually, remained silent, because he always felt that their superior was just using them as an excuse.

If a superior discloses everything to his subordinates, it only shows that he or she is brainless. A sensible subordinate should know what his or her superior wants to do.

Syl Roman is exceptionally talented and has a bright future. She is currently being arranged by the Sengoku General, who is known for his wisdom and strategy, while Commander Roman has always disliked meaningless matters.

Sly was more convinced that Roman was using their cover to have a legitimate opportunity to get out and then settle some other matters.

If Roman knew, he would surely admire Sly's intelligence; she had indeed used the pretext of training her four subordinates to handle her own private affairs.

For example, giving gifts (and paying child support).

Roman, having finished his business, is rushing back.

The reason she was able to quickly escape Simone's sight was actually quite simple: she jumped directly into the water and used the most traditional method—swimming.

Swimming in the New World is a technical skill, and it was quite a challenge for Roman himself.

However, after experiencing Garp's punches, she felt that swimming in the New World wasn't so bad after all.

Now that she was debt-free and carefree, Roman felt great. She thought she could fly a few more swords and if any foolish pirates appeared, she could stretch her muscles.

Wait, it can't be the Emperor of the Sea, or I'll really kill myself.

But an unexpected person suddenly appeared in Roman's line of sight, and this person made Roman feel like he wanted to suffocate in the water.

Jorah Mihawk. His signature ghost boat, his iconic Western aristocratic style clothing, and his top hat.

Calm down. Some time has passed since that duel. I used my life to return to my original state and changed the details of my face. People who see me every day won't notice, but if the time since we met has been measured in years, it will be a bit difficult for them to recognize me.

She had grown more than ten centimeters taller than before, and her temperament was more mature. The baby fat on her face had disappeared, and she had transitioned from looking like a cute, chubby doll to a young girl. Mihawk probably wouldn't recognize her at first glance.

At most, I feel like a weirdo swimming in a new world.

However, what made Roman uneasy was that Mihawk's hawk-like eyes were constantly watching her.

This made Roman feel uneasy, and then...

"Long time no see, Sig."

Oh no, I was recognized after all.

Now that he had been recognized, Roman didn't bother to disguise himself anymore and used Moonwalk to teleport directly to Mihawk's ship.

"I didn't expect you to recognize me."

"A swordsman will never forget the excellent swordsmen he has fought. To me, each of you has a different aura."

Okay, okay, everyone here is so talented, right?

If I get conjunctivitis, you will all be to blame.

"But you seem to have changed your knife. Did you lose?"

"I don't have the habit of using only one knife like you do. I can switch to another knife whenever I like."

Mihawk looked disapproving upon hearing this; he couldn't understand how a swordsman could abandon his comrade.

"Is it strange? I became stronger not because I took that sword, but because I was already very strong. If one can become an excellent swordsman without a famous sword, then I am also a special legend." Roman didn't care at all how shocking his words were, after all, it seemed extremely rebellious compared to tradition.

Although Mihawk still couldn't agree, that wasn't his main focus.

"Did you impersonate me?"

"Yes."

"for what?"

"You don't think that attacking a naval recruit is something we'll just do by putting a bounty on you, do you? Although the method may sound bad, it's my duty as a naval officer to eliminate any forces that might threaten the navy if I have the opportunity."

Mihawk listened without commenting.

"However, I know you are an excellent swordsman. Although you did make a mistake, I don't want to completely push you to the opposite side. There is still room for maneuver in the matter of you being labeled a pirate, but you still refused to become a Shichibukai, which is a pity." Roman mixed truth and lies in an attempt to increase his credibility.

"No wonder I received an invitation from the Seven Warlords of the Sea; it seems you were the one who helped."

"Not entirely. There are still people in the Navy who think highly of you. I just gave them a push. So, if I were to ask you this time, would you be willing to join?"

Seeing the girl's question, Mihawk fell into thought for the first time.

Joining the Navy or the pirates would be a troublesome affair for him; he pursued the supreme way of the sword and didn't actually want to get involved in factional conflicts. However…

"You're not going through a special period right now, are you?"

"Hey, hey, hey, you don't mean to...?" Roman knew what Mihawk was up to as soon as he heard that.

“You were swimming in the sea just now, so I don’t think you should be too weak.”

"Ah, you're really crazy!!" Roman tried his best not to look directly into Mihawk's eyes; making eye contact with such eyes was a difficult test in itself.

However, for Mihawk, who was already intrigued, Roman's reaction was exactly what he had predicted.

So he directly drew Night.

Does this guy really want to play for real?

He was just afraid of trouble, but if it were a sword fight on the open sea, Roman was really not afraid of Mihawk.

"Are you prepared for a second boat repair? Or are you prepared to swim back alone?"

Sure enough, Mihawk's hand holding the knife froze for a moment.