One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 38 Their Incompatibility with Normality

The Navy, the largest armed organization in the One Piece world, has stood like a lion for 800 years. As an official organization, they have the most complete talent selection system, the most efficient administrative structure, the most advanced weaponry, and the strongest combat power.

Over time, the Navy's influence has spread throughout the Grand Line and the four seas. Although the New World has been divided up by pirates, the Navy has also tried to infiltrate the New World with its influence.

Putting everything else aside, the navy, as a large armed organization, is a rare normal force, at least their leader is normal.

The emperors of the sea are, in some ways, all unique and eccentric figures.

Whitebeard, hailed as the strongest man, is constantly busy recognizing sons and daughters.

Kaido, who claims to be the strongest creature, spends all his time figuring out how to commit suicide.

The woman, who is said to have the strongest talent, is busy having children every year.

However, the Navy seems to be a different kind of normal person. They think about how to deal with pirates, devise tactics, and train talents every day. They are diligent and hardworking, and can be called model workers.

Therefore, even though the forces of justice did not perform as well as expected in the Great Pirate Era, they were still the strongest organization, and even the Emperors of the Sea could not easily challenge their authority.

Although some insiders mock the Navy as nothing more than the World Government's high-level henchmen, or insultingly refer to it as gatekeeper hellhounds, the Navy is essentially a breath of fresh air, and its image is much more glorious than that of the evil World Government.

The reason why the navy is restricted by the World Government is not only because the World Government itself has hidden strength, but also because the navy is supported by the World Government, since the navy does not have an independent source of income.

Therefore, the two are still in a relatively "peaceful" state. In addition, after the Age of Exploration, pirates ran rampant, the focus of the conflict shifted, and Kong, as the Fleet Admiral, is also a seasoned veteran. The Navy and the World Government are now in a rare "honeymoon period".

However, Roman couldn't say how long this situation would last.

Having discussed the macro-level naval history, let's now talk about Roman's current situation.

The navy has numerous bases, divided into the Four Seas Branch, the Grand Line Branch, and the Marine Headquarters Marineford, with their importance increasing in that order.

The naval strength of the Shikai Branch cannot compare with that of the Grand Line and the Navy Headquarters.

For example, if a lieutenant colonel from Wales needs to go to headquarters to report for duty, his rank will automatically drop by three levels. In other words, his strength is equivalent to that of a lieutenant at headquarters, and the highest rank that can be given to the Four Seas Branch is a colonel.

The naval ranks of the branches of the Grand Line are just as prestigious as those of the main naval ranks, with the highest rank being Vice Admiral.

As for the Marine Headquarters, it's a gathering place for monsters, and it's full of people, from the Fleet Admiral down to the Private First Class, you'll have a chance to see them all.

As for naval ranks, they are also a closely hierarchical system.

The most common ordinary marines are divided into three ranks: Private Third Class (new recruit), Private Second Class, and Private First Class. This rank of navy has strict uniform requirements, down to the way buttons are fastened and the wearing of the naval cap, and they are also required to participate in intensive training activities.

The junior officers most closely associated with ordinary naval personnel are: Corporal (lower rank), Sergeant (second rank), and Sergeant Major (senior rank). Naval officers at this rank are allowed to wear civilian clothes, as long as they don't wear skull and crossbones flag attire; they are generally free to do so and do not need to participate in intensive training.

The ranks of officers who can be considered to have formally entered the power class are: Warrant Officer, Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, and Captain.

Officers of this rank can wear the coat of justice, and their strength has already been initially recognized.

The ranks above that include major, lieutenant colonel, senior colonel, brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general, and marshal.

This rank of officer is almost always accompanied by a justice cape and a suit.

Although it's a little embarrassing to say this, Roman thinks he's quite handsome. At least compared to the unconventional style of Whole Cake Island, the navy uniform is more in line with the tastes of ordinary people.

After discussing military ranks, let's talk about how Roman joined the army.

Global conscription and voluntary enlistment are two basic methods. They share the characteristics of being organized, having a large number of participants, varying quality, and being large in scale.

If there's a difference, it's that global conscription is an emergency mobilization by the navy due to manpower shortages, while voluntary enlistment is an annual recruitment drive. The latter is more universally applicable than the former.

However, Roman joined the Navy through a special invitation, which can also be called "recruiting." As mentioned earlier, most of them were bounty hunters operating in the gray area, or even street thugs and gang members.

Compared to the uneven quality of those recruited worldwide and those who voluntarily enlist, those specially invited to join the navy almost always possess considerable strength or exceptional talent.

Actually, joining the navy wasn't that difficult, because the world was in chaos and the lives of ordinary people were hard to guarantee. Being pale, thin, and malnourished was the norm.

Therefore, as long as the body is not disabled and the physical fitness is basically up to standard, the navy will almost always accept them.

Even if you can't become a regular navy officer, you can still be a janitor, since warships need people to clean them and clothes need people to wash them.

However, the navy that was specially "recruited" does not have a strength problem, but other problems are also emerging, namely loyalty and management issues.

These people have been moving around outside of various forces for years and have their own set of rules for doing things. Even if they are temporarily attracted by the benefits promised by the Navy, they may not be truly yearning for justice.

The younger ones are often too arrogant because of their strength, and are often troublemakers in the team. They are usually difficult for their superiors to control, since most of them are skilled in killing techniques and are ruthless. They can easily take on ten people at once.

However, this does not mean that specially invited naval personnel are unpopular; in fact, they are quite sought after.

The reason is that they hardly need to undergo any training to fight pirates directly; after all, that used to be their daily routine.

When it comes to killing pirates, they have an advantage and are more professional than the disciplined marines.

If you are confident in their abilities and believe you can control them, then you can certainly recruit them as subordinates.

Especially for naval officers who urgently need to make achievements, the existence of such people is like a pillow coming to their sleep.

Therefore, there is a special welcoming ceremony for people like them.

However, Roman, who was sitting on the warship, was unaware of this. At that moment, she was hurriedly putting on her marine uniform, fixing her messy hair, and even taking off her eye veil.

Roman's plan was simple: entering the navy wouldn't mean being granted a rank directly; she would have to start from the bottom. So, knowing the military discipline from her previous life, she thoroughly tidied herself up according to the "Naval Uniform Regulations."

After all, ordinary marines have no individuality to speak of, and if they want to wear strange clothes, they're just asking for a beating.

Roman enjoys challenges, but she is still wary of challenging authority. After all, her identity is still a concern, and it wouldn't be good to attract too much attention.

A conventional and well-behaved outfit shouldn't be too eye-catching.