One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 57 Let whoever wants to take this punch take it.

The bones in his arm were already numb, and the increasing impact put immense pressure on his body. His skin, flesh, and bones seemed to be being brutally torn apart by a pair of large hands. His messy black hair began to flutter in the wind due to the shockwave, and his face was scratched by the rubble kicked up by the blade. Blood rushed to his throat, and he could only desperately swallow it down.

However, her hands were probably more seriously injured than her body, on the verge of fractures. But despite the powerful impact, the greatsword she held remained undamaged, as its powerful aura was attached to the weapon, ensuring that Roman was not harmed by the even more powerful fist.

The ground had cracked, and there was nowhere left to stand.

Fortunately, the momentum finally weakened, and Roman was able to counterattack... damn it! He immediately took three steps back, panting heavily, while trying his best to suppress the churning in his stomach.

She managed to take the second punch.

"Hahaha, what an amazing brat! He actually managed to block the second punch!" Garp laughed heartily as he withdrew his fist.

That's right, Garp came to the training camp to train Roman again. After all, even without using his full strength, there aren't many young people who can withstand his punches, let alone children.

Roman had no desire to listen anymore. She was in excruciating pain all over her body. No wonder she was called "Iron Fist" Garp. Just the contact of his fist was enough to cause her excruciating pain. If he had actually punched her, she would have been bedridden for at least a month without Armament Haki to defend herself.

Although the blade was intact, the domineering aura attached to it had been dissipated, and the "black blade" regained its luster.

Garp's domineering presence surpassed Zephyr's; she managed to block two attacks, which was more than enough for her body.

"Lieutenant General Garp, you are truly amazing, but I hope you can stop now. I simply cannot withstand the third punch." Sensing danger, Roman hurriedly raised the white flag.

"Young people should be more active, that's how I taught my son."

No wonder your son is rebellious too.

"Garp, that's enough. Roman is exhausted. You should use your energy to wipe out the pirates." Fortunately, Zephyr stopped him in time, saving Roman's life.

This finally relieved Roman. The training camp was not like the battlefield. If she encountered someone with Garp's strength, she would definitely try to escape or avoid the attacks as much as possible. But here, she had to stand there and take the beating.

“Your talent is truly exceptional. Keeping you in the training camp might not be as helpful as being on the battlefield. However, you are too young, and there is still some time before you set sail. Why don’t you go to the General Staff Headquarters to learn a bit?” Zephyr offered a new suggestion.

If this were a game, it would be equivalent to unlocking a new map.

The Naval Staff Department, dominated by Vice Admiral He, primarily focuses on military testing and military theory; or, to put it more bluntly, it's a school for improving the academic level of naval officers.

As a military officer, literacy is certainly the most basic requirement. As one's rank increases, the number of subordinates will gradually increase, and one may even have their own warship. Therefore, one must know a little about troop deployment and troop management.

Although the initial intention was good, most of the navy, except for those who were specifically assigned to the staff, were unable to integrate tactics. Their first reaction when encountering pirates was to fire cannons, but they often missed, and then it turned into a melee.

The General Staff, on the other hand, focused too much on intellectual pursuits and lacked sufficient strength, resulting in very few combat engagements.

In short, those with brains often lack ability, and those with ability are often not very smart.

Therefore, naval forces like Sengoku and Tsuru, who can both deal damage and employ effective strategies, are invaluable. The larger the battle, the greater their impact.

As for the three future admirals, Akainu is so busy he'd like to be in two places at once, Kizaru is busy slacking off, and Aokiji is busy sleeping.

In short, I have no time, no interest, and no energy.

Therefore, although all three were at the peak of their combat power, their control over the situation, analysis of the battle, and use of strategies were actually quite limited, at least not as good as those of the Warring States period.

Although Sakazuki executed the divide-and-conquer strategy during the Marineford War, the decision was made by Sengoku. His persuasive language immediately revealed to Whitebeard who the mastermind was.

If Sengoku hadn't worried about Garp betraying him and had instead chosen to engage in a full-scale war, the Whitebeard Pirates might have been able to hold out for even less time.

Although as a shonen anime, it intentionally downplays the importance of strategy, once you delve deeper into it, Roman naturally doesn't think that having superhuman strength means being truly invincible.

Wisdom is also a great asset. Even if you're not smart, you can't be without people around you who know how to use stratagems.

The main mentors of the Charlotte family's strategists are Perospero and Montor. The principle is not to put all your eggs in one basket. In the event of war, if one of them is already in battle, the other will be responsible for commanding the overall situation. Although Roman has also learned a little, she is not involved in it much. Her main focus is on strength.

"May I?"

She was quite interested in the Navy's renowned General Staff, and of course, the pain all over her body was urging her to accept this wise choice as soon as possible.

"I'll talk to Tsuru later. Every navy officer can learn this, although it's a bit early for you who are still a cadet."

"Hahaha, really impressive, these young people nowadays..." Garp started laughing again.

"Alas, it's a bit of a pity, Roman, you might not be able to taste my beloved Iron Fist for a while."

Hehe, I'm so happy, anyone who wants to try it can.

Ever since Garp arrived, she's not only been beaten by Zeff, but also subjected to Iron Fist. If she doesn't leave soon, she'll lose her life.

Why doesn't this naval hero go out to fight pirates? Why does he have so much free time and no official duties, just wandering around headquarters and even coming to the training camp?

Take away her good fortune; her days in the training camp were either exhausting like a dog or she was beaten and bruised all over. It would have been better to send her to the battlefield sooner.

"Actually, Vice Admiral Garp shouldn't feel regretful. Smoker from our training camp is actually quite resilient. He's also a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. If he could be trained by you, it would definitely be of great benefit to his strength." Anyway, he can't be the only one taking this punch.

Thank me, Smoker. If you want to go up against Luffy, you need to increase your strength.

I did all this for you.

Smoker, who was still on the other side of the training camp, felt unwell all over, as if a great disaster was about to befall him.

"Really? His name is Smoker. I understand." Garp stretched his muscles and then walked deeper into the training camp.

What followed was the most painful period of Smoker's 17-year life.