One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 118 You just unleashed your ultimate move on me!

Vice Admiral Sakazuki, a notorious iron-blooded monster in the Navy, is ruthless, impartial, and decisive in his actions.

Admittedly, such leadership can be oppressive, but Roman also has to admit that the team led by Sakazuki is the most disciplined in Marineford, and possibly one of the strongest in the city.

Moreover, her increasingly improved writing skills were inseparable from Sakazuki's strictness. She respected Sakazuki, but not much. She also had her grievances; for example, when he was nitpicking, she wished she could just step forward and give him a good scolding so she could have some peace and quiet.

"Lieutenant General Sakazuki, do you have any ideas about the candidate for the base commander of G8 Fortress?" Looking at an urgent document, Roman immediately rescued it from a sea of ​​documents.

The G8 fortress on the Grand Line is not very useful due to its awkward terrain, but it has still been preserved.

She remembered the people who used to guard this place...

“Write Jonathan; he’s the most suitable candidate.” Sakazuki said this and immediately buried himself in his work.

Jonathan, an old friend of Sakazuki, is mild-mannered, cunning, and has his own set of moral principles.

Although still puzzled as to why the two could become friends, Roman decided to abandon his pointless thinking and put Jonathan's name into the document.

However, Sakazuki seemed rather quiet today; he didn't get angry or exude any terrifying aura.

This made Roman quite uncomfortable.

While a quiet atmosphere is a good thing during work hours, this overly bland atmosphere prevented Roman's domineering nature from being suppressed, and naturally hindered his growth.

This feeling is like the heartache and helplessness of suddenly losing a part-time job with a decent hourly wage.

This also left Roman somewhat puzzled. A person's personality doesn't change overnight; such an abnormality could only be due to something strange.

Roman used his Observation Haki to sense Sakazuki's emotions. Surprisingly, Sakazuki was calm, but his thoughts seemed a bit chaotic, indicating that he was not only engrossed in his work but also thinking about other things.

Sakazuki recalls...

“You said you hoped that Sylvie Roman would be willing to join your ranks.” Jonathan said, cutting a steak with a knife as he fed it to himself.

"Hmm," Sakazuki simply replied.

However, Jonathan didn't mind Sakazuki's cold reaction. Compared to others, Sakazuki's attitude towards him was already quite mild: "It really surprised me. I've seen that kid before. I think he was recruited. Don't you always dislike that kind of background?"

"She's good enough, her character seems acceptable, and most importantly, although she's a child, she's very enthusiastic about her work," Sakassky commented.

"That's rare. Few people can be praised like that by you. But aside from General Sengoku, it seems that Vice Admiral Kuzan also values ​​her highly. I personally think that General Sengoku would probably prefer to hand her over to Kuzan." Jonathan continued to cut the beef with his knife, while silently feeling sorry for Roman. Poor kid, he had to work at five in the morning, getting up earlier than the chickens.

“That’s why I came to ask you,” Sakazuki finally revealed his purpose.

Although Sakazuki prefers to solve problems with his fists most of the time, that doesn't mean he doesn't use his brain. He can also seek help from others when appropriate.

"Why don't we try to persuade the Warring States general?"

"If it were useful, I wouldn't have come to you." Sakazuki had actually submitted his application more than once, but Sengoku had rejected it every time. He had heard that Borsalino had done the same. That lazy guy probably wanted Lieutenant Roman as his deputy so that he could slack off more easily.

"This is a bit tricky. The important thing is the Sengoku general's wishes. Since Lieutenant Roman is a promising talent, then according to the Sengoku general's policies, he naturally hopes that she can have a more comprehensive development. In this respect, you are indeed more suitable than Lieutenant General Kuzan. But you forgot one thing: the premise for a genius to play to her strengths is that she has to live. If she follows you, I think it's a bit of a doubt whether she can live to adulthood." After saying that, Jonathan couldn't help but laugh.

However, seeing Sakazuki's increasingly grim expression, Jonathan stopped laughing. After all, even his old friend couldn't handle Sakazuki's anger.

"She has this talent, so naturally she should make use of it."

“That’s right, that makes sense, but that goes against Mr. Sengoku’s original intention. Mr. Sengoku’s first consideration is her safety, and you, Sakazuki, do not meet that condition. And the troublesome thing is that I don’t think you will change your mind. At least I’m sure you, Sakazuki, will absolutely not back down, right?”

“Of course,” Sakazuki nodded in affirmation.

"The key lies in Lieutenant Roman's own wishes. Admiral Sengoku won't leave Marineford easily, which means Lieutenant Roman won't stay under his command for long. So sooner or later, he'll have to be transferred out. The most likely candidate is you, Kuzan, or Lieutenant General Borsalino. But we've also analyzed that Admiral Sengoku's initial choice was Kuzan, and Kuzan is willing. Furthermore, you and Lieutenant General Kuzan don't have a good relationship, so it's almost impossible to reach a private personnel transfer agreement..."

“You’ve only analyzed the difficulties of this matter. What I want to hear are solutions and results.” Sakazuki’s patience had clearly run out.

"Alright, don't be so angry, Sakazuki. As I said, the key is Lieutenant Roman's own wishes. Based on your understanding of Kuzan, if Roman takes the initiative to ask to be transferred to your team, then Lieutenant General Kuzan would find it hard to disagree."

“That’s right.” Sakazuki thought for a moment and then affirmed.

"Actually, the solution is very simple: make Lieutenant Roman completely convinced of your abilities. However, I don't think that's going to work. If she's still willing to follow you after you started making her go to work at five in the morning, it just means that there might still be something wrong with her head, which doesn't match the rumors that she's very smart."

Sakazuki: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻，e=( o｀w′)ノ.

“But…” Jonathan suddenly changed the subject, “These are all normal situations. There are many unexpected factors in this world that can disrupt the original plan. That’s where Sakazuki’s decision comes in. Personally, I really don’t want to use this kind of tactic…”

what! ! !

It was a bit sudden.

Roman paused for three seconds after seeing the document Sakazuki handed her, then carefully read through it.

Good grief, you actually gave me a big one right away.