One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 171 The capable should do more work

Roman had only been in the Navy for a total of two years, but he had already been promoted to colonel.

This achievement is quite remarkable even within the context of the navy's 800-year history.

Even Kuzan's promotion speed was far behind Roman's.

The saying goes, "When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

After Roman was promoted, her four subordinates who accompanied her to Fishman Island were all promoted to majors, which could be considered a reward for them.

Sengoku was quite surprised by Roman's great achievement of recruiting soldiers on Fishman Island. Although he tacitly approved of Roman's actions, he did not have high expectations for this matter, considering that the royal family members of Fishman Island did not even participate in the World Conference.

But Roman actually did it.

It is a good thing for the Navy to have new races join its ranks and become a vital force.

Therefore, in order for this policy to continue, Roman and Sengoku discussed the issue of the ownership of these fish-man warriors.

Roman was inclined to recruit Kuzan's team.

After all, Kuzan is a relatively tolerant person with a high degree of inclusiveness, and he doesn't have a strong sense of hierarchy. Although he's a bit lazy, it's not a big problem.

Moreover, the ripple effect that these fish-man soldiers and mermaid ladies can generate in the future is considerable.

If Fishman Island continues to recruit soldiers in the future, then Kuzan's team will be the first choice.

This effect, on a smaller scale, increases Kuzan's influence in the military; on a larger scale, it increases the influence of the dove faction.

In this way, you will also gain a lot of benefits.

The more powerful Kuzan becomes, the higher her status will rise.

In the future, Kuzan will remember his contributions, and perhaps he can live as freely as Garp in the Marine Headquarters.

Of course, you can think that way, but you can't say it like that, since that reason is too blatant.

It's like revealing your entire purpose.

So Roman decided to put on a more respectable front and make his words sound more righteous.

Therefore, Roman adopted an official stance.

A force like the Fishman Navy, which has the potential to grow in value and represents racial reconciliation, needs a leader with significant influence; ordinary naval officers are certainly not suitable. However, this person should also have a mild temperament, as they still carry political weight and cannot be entirely considered part of the navy, at least not now; they need to be given some special consideration.

At the same time, the team they belong to should be relatively more humane, so that these alien races and humans can get along better.

Every sentence, though never mentioning Kuzan, is related to Kuzan.

At times like these, you can simply steer your thinking from the Warring States period toward Kuzan's perspective.

As a cunning old fox from Marineford, Sengoku naturally saw through Roman's little scheme, but he also agreed with Roman's remarks.

Indeed, a navy with some influence is needed to command these fish-men and mermaids, while also having an open mind.

But Kuzan...

In response, the Warring States period indicated that he needed to consider the matter further.

Upon hearing this, Roman said no more.

Everything that needed to be done has been done; as for the outcome, all that remains is to wait. If the result is not what he hoped for, then Roman will simply have to accept it.

……

Although the affiliation of these fish-men and mermaids has not yet been decided, the supporting facilities have already begun to be built.

Because fish-people and ordinary humans have different lifestyles, Marineford has shown its generosity and wealth by providing them with the necessary infrastructure.

If you want future returns, then initial investment is essential.

The Warring States period may have understood this principle well, which is why they were so clear and unambiguous when issuing these instructions.

Morgans, having somehow obtained the information, extensively reported on the fact that fishmen were beginning to join the Navy, speculating whether this marked the beginning of a closer relationship between Fishman Island and the World Government, or whether it held even greater political significance.

The public opinion generated by the World Economic Newspaper quickly began to ferment, and most ordinary people found it unbelievable.

"Fishmen joined the Navy? Aren't they monsters?"

"I don't know, so we misunderstood before?"

"If they were monsters, the Navy wouldn't accept them, would they?"

"Let's wait and see. Doesn't the Navy already have pirates joining their ranks?"

"The Navy can still be trusted, right? Since they've let the fishmen join their ranks, maybe they're not so scary after all. My grandfather, who became a scholar, told me that it's not a problem to transfuse fishman blood into humans; they and we share the same origin."

……

As public opinion continued to ferment, similar discussions spread all over the world.

Some were curious, some were disdainful, some watched and observed, and some were fearful.

Finally, even the Five Elders of Mary Geoise were alerted.

The Five Elders readily agreed to the Navy's invitation for the fish-men to join, and commended the Navy Headquarters.

While the addition of fishmen to the Navy might strengthen its future power, considering that they have just weakened the Navy's strength, some uplifting news is needed to restore the Navy's prestige.

Whether there is doubt or confusion, the navy needs some new actions to show the world that they have plenty of manpower sources and reserves.

But no matter how politically significant this matter may be, it is irrelevant to Roman at this moment.

Before she fully matured, she should not appear in the outside world and be exposed to too much. Of course, this was indeed a bit unfair to her. After all, although Roman was young, it was no exaggeration to say that he had made outstanding contributions. Therefore, the Warring States gave her a lot of other compensation.

The thick wad of bills in her hand was a testament to the sincerity of the Warring States period.

Perhaps because of the "compensation" demanded after the battle with Lucci, Sengoku had figured out Roman's little hobbies, so this time Sengoku directly gave Roman a considerable bonus.

Without needing to say much, she was very satisfied with this sincerity. In any case, it was much more meaningful than verbal praise.

Moreover, she herself is extremely reluctant to be exposed in such a highly dangerous situation.

Although she was subtly altering her appearance by sacrificing her life, she would never forget that the best course of action was to live prudently and be cautious.

Meanwhile, Sengoku was still struggling with his decision. He had just asked Kuzan to sound him out, but before he could finish speaking, Kuzan, like Garp, fell asleep, which infuriated Sengoku.

No, if we really let Kuzan handle it entirely, I'm afraid it will all go wrong.

If this incident causes the fishmen to misunderstand the Navy, then the Navy will lose all face.

Therefore, we need to think of a more appropriate solution.

At that moment, Sengoku thought of the power to control someone he held firmly in his hands.

As the saying goes, the capable are often burdened with more work; you'll still have to work hard.