One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 42 Naval Roman and Freeman Roman have no relation.

Like a speeding flying sword, Onigumo's body quickly broke free of control, crashing directly into a large tree behind him, then tumbling through the air, followed by a huge cloud of smoke.

Roman judged that he was injured, but definitely still capable of fighting.

Because of their terrifying vitality, many people in this world are defeated not because they are injured and lose their fighting ability, but because they are exhausted and defeated.

Because she frequently practices her domineering aura, she is well aware that using it is extremely physically demanding.

Take Katakuri as an example. His Observation Haki is at its peak, but the corresponding drawback is the massive loss of stamina.

The domineering aura demands an exceptionally high level of physical strength.

The little incident just now left Roman a bit tired.

From a purely technical standpoint, Onigumo is superior to Smoothie, but that's only when comparing them to the 15-year-old Smoothie, while Onigumo is now in his mid-twenties.

But he was already the strongest person I had ever met.

If he were willing to dodge, the fight would likely have gone on for much longer, but determining a winner is not the goal.

"It should be ready by now, right?" Roman asked gently, looking at Val beside him.

Before Val could answer, Ghost Spider stood up in a disheveled state. In fact, apart from being covered in dust, he was hardly injured.

As expected of a Rear Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, he must have wrapped himself in his hair in the air to avoid maximum damage.

"I roughly know what you're thinking, but I have no ill intentions, so that's enough, isn't it? We didn't start this fight to determine a winner, did we?" Roman replied with a smile.

The saying goes, "One doesn't hit a smiling face," but after hearing this, Onigumo's face darkened even more, and he let out a "humph" from his nose.

He wanted to say something more, but Val shook his head.

"I never imagined a child could be so amazing."

"Now that you've taught me a lesson, can we head to Marine Headquarters?"

Roman emphasized the word "lesson," implying a veiled criticism, and the satire was particularly biting. These feelings struck Onigumo's pride directly.

"A mere girl, actually..." However, he managed to hold back.

Tell me your name.

"Anyway, we'll become colleagues, you'll find out then, won't you?" Roman clearly didn't intend to tell the truth.

Anyway, she was in the right. Although Onigumo was just following tradition to teach the people who had been recruited a lesson, to let them know that there are always people more capable than themselves, and that this might also be what the higher-ups wanted.

But if she ends up being taught a lesson instead of a lesson, then it's no longer Roman's problem.

Although it's not 100%, based on the previous exchange, Roman is 70% confident of defeating Onigumo. The remaining 20% ​​depends on her trading injuries, and the last 10% depends on her successful escape.

When it comes to escaping, Roman is even more experienced, and this is also her tactic against Smoothie.

She was not as strong as Simuji, but if she was agile enough to dodge, Simuji couldn't do anything to her.

"Arrogant!" Ghost Spider roared.

“Incompetent,” Roman retorted softly.

While one should show respect to superiors, Roman hasn't officially registered yet, so she's not considered part of the navy. As for the reckoning after joining...

Nonsense!!! What does what Free Agent Roman did have to do with my Navy Roman?

Seeing that the conflict between the two was escalating, Val began to act as a peacemaker.

"Admiral Onigumo, according to the superiors, a preliminary sparring session is sufficient. Afterwards, I need to take Syl Roman to headquarters to rest, since she has already been at sea for quite some time."

That's a well-chosen statement. The two of them avoided offending each other, turning their previous minor conflict into a friendly exchange. It also served as a response to Onigumo's question and expressed a small amount of concern for her.

He appears upright, but is surprisingly eloquent.

Well, that's normal, after all, it's a bureaucratic system.

If you don't want to end up like some white-haired guy, being thrown into the weakest sea to gather dust, then being able to talk can still avoid a lot of trouble.

This isn't flattery; it's speaking flexibly and doing things practically.

Oni Spider stared at Roman for a long time, seemingly trying to memorize her face, before leaving in a huff.

"Please don't mind, the Rear Admiral is a bit impatient, and although he can be a bit extreme, in a chaotic sea, a navy with this trait is necessary." Val began to comfort Roman.

After all, Onigumo is no pushover; even among the hawks, he's one of the most extreme.

"Come to think of it, I probably wouldn't work for him." Suddenly, Roman remembered something and became a little anxious.

I was too hasty just now, and I was only concerned with having a good time talking.

However, Onigumo's murderous aura kept her on edge. After all, he was a major general in the headquarters, so Roman naturally didn't dare to be careless and went all out to fight back, including with her mouth.

She's naturally sweet-talking in her normal state, but she's also sharp-tongued in battle.

It's fine if he's a superior, but if he's Roman's direct superior, then Roman is in trouble.

"If Major General Onigumo has suppressed you, then you should be his subordinate. After all, Major General Onigumo values ​​merit and has always wanted powerful subordinates."

"I see." Roman was relieved.

Since Onigumo failed to suppress her, then he must not be her direct superior. So what if he offended her? Everyone has a few political enemies.

Besides, he'd be too ashamed to argue with a teenage girl.

After figuring out the ins and outs, Roman felt more at ease.

"Then please continue to lead the way for me." Her smile was sweet, and her words were polite, a stark contrast to her previous confrontational demeanor with Onigumo.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Val would have just thought of her as an ordinary girl next door.

If my opponent were her, I would probably lose miserably.

"Are you a swordsman?" Val started chatting with Roman. After all, they weren't even in a superior-subordinate relationship yet, so they could chat freely.

"Yes."

"Then the Navy is the right choice for you. We have many famous swords here. If you perform well in the future, you may even be able to get a supreme great sword."

Roman nodded obediently. She didn't care much about the famous knife, but it was obviously not the right time to say it.

"So, who in the Navy Headquarters is skilled with a knife?"

"Speaking of which, the most powerful one should be Vice Admiral Borsalino. Although it's not his major, his Devil Fruit ability, physical skills, swordsmanship, and Haki are all top-notch. He can be called a well-rounded all-rounder. However, he's a bit..." Waal didn't finish his sentence.

After all, he believed that it was extremely impolite to speak ill of one's superiors.

"A bit lazy, huh?" Roman silently finished speaking to himself.