One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 135 Searching for Enemies in the Void, Testing Each Other

"Lieutenant Roman, no, Major Roman, you've done it again!"

The sarcastic Lieutenant General Borsalino suddenly appeared in front of Roman, and his usual greasy tone made Roman feel nauseous and hypocritical.

However, Roman still revealed an even more hypocritical smile: "No, it's all just luck."

"People who always say they're lucky are often the most dangerous."

"The guy who always says others are scary might be a scary monster himself."

The two were playing a very new game of conversation, and although the person with deeper meaning was right next to them, they were both "searching for an enemy in the void."

After Roman returned to Marineford from G5 Fortress, he was promoted two ranks to become a major.

This is a point that even the notoriously demanding Sakazuki agrees with.

Roman's contributions at the G5 fortress were mainly twofold.

First, they discovered that the pirates had planted spies in the fortress.

Secondly, it made an indelible contribution to the success of the offensive and defensive battles.

The details of all these achievements were written into the report by Onigumo.

Sakazuki's use of pairing two people who are at odds is also evident here, as this often makes the content more objective.

Roman wrote the report on Ghost Spider's contributions.

It's essentially a check and balance.

Although he was annoyed by Roman's "meddling," he was quite open-minded in the face of such a great achievement and had no objection to Roman's promotion.

When Kuzan learned of Roman's promotion and saw her in a black suit and Justice Coat, he said with a touch of pride, "You look so cool."

She would have been happier if Borsalino hadn't spoken to her so sarcastically.

Borsalino is an unfathomable fellow, but also a clever one.

The reason he repeatedly made things difficult for himself was because he didn't trust himself.

Shouldn't we also put dispelling this doubt on the agenda?

No, the time isn't right yet.

We still need to work harder to learn how to return life.

"Speaking of which, you seem to have grown up a lot." Borsalino quickly moved on from what he had said before, his attitude changing swiftly.

"That's right." She's currently going through puberty and her height has increased dramatically, already exceeding 1.7 meters and heading towards 1.75 meters, but she still can't compare to the three-meter-tall lieutenant general in front of her.

"You're so young, your future is limitless."

A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken has ulterior motives.

If this were truly taken as a compliment, Roman would probably have fallen into Borsalino's clutches long ago.

"I wonder if your knowledge and insight come from your mother or your father?"

Oh ho, you're using this trick?

"Just talent," Roman replied with a forced smile.

"Is that so? Well, your parents really did raise an outstanding daughter. To have achieved so much at such a young age, they must be quite famous in their region." Borsalino continued to probe.

They really haven't given up their wicked intentions.

"Vice Admiral Borsalino, you are the infamous 'Monster Vice Admiral' of the Navy, possessing strength that is unmatched by others. Is it because your parents are so famous?"

Although it was a bit shameless for Roman, who could be associated with the theory of bloodline, to say such things, she didn't mind being even more shameless if it could dampen Borsalino's arrogance.

Sure enough, this left Borsalino speechless.

Roman, however, was clearly not going to let this opportunity slip by: "Does it have to be that the parents are outstanding in order to have outstanding children? I know the wisdom of Admiral Sengoku, the prestige of Vice Admiral Garp, and the talent of Vice Admiral Tsuru, because of their own abilities, not because they have outstanding parents. They are outstanding in themselves. Mr. Borsalino, as a vice admiral, how can you..."

Admittedly, outstanding parents are more likely to have outstanding children, but it's wrong of Borsalino to use that to dismiss other possibilities, especially since he himself is a special case.

This is really bad.

Borsalino already knew that she had to be very careful when talking to Roman, because she could always escalate the topic to a level that was not relevant to the main point, and it was also easy for her to turn the tables on him.

Even Borsalino had to raise the white flag.

"It seems that what I said just now was indeed inappropriate." A little afraid that Roman might say something shocking, Borsalino admitted his mistake first.

Seeing that Borsalino had surrendered, Roman revealed a satisfied smile.

But she also understood that this was nothing more than gaining an advantage through verbal sparring.

Borsalino was willing to bow down to Roman not because of her eloquence.

The real reason is that Roman truly has potential and is valued by Sengoku, Zephyr, and Kuzan.

Therefore, Roman can use this advantage to slightly provoke Lieutenant General Borsalino.

Although it didn't sound good, Roman felt no pressure at all.

She didn't go too far. Which high-ranking person would dare say they haven't relied on their talent and appreciation to do things that are not in line with their status?

Kuzan is used to skip work, Borsalino is used to slack off, Sakazuki is used to roast people, and Garp is used to criticize the Celestial Dragons.

Compared to that, did she go too far?

Not excessive (in my opinion).

“But I’m really curious, where exactly can you be trained? You seem to be able to do anything…” Borsalino began to make a final effort.

"No one is omnipotent. Even gods have their limits. If my existence has really impacted you, you might as well read more books?"

There are countless geniuses in the world, and it is impossible for all the outstanding talents to be included in the navy's network.

Is he mocking his own lack of knowledge?

Although I should be angry, I seem unable to even feel angry in front of her.

Sylvie Roman is very talented, has a strong personality, and is very perceptive.

She presents different faces to different people and knows their boundaries, trying her best not to cross them.

But there was always something off about her, something Borsalino couldn't quite put his finger on.

First, he had to admit that Roman was special.

And what she says is always very unique.

Although you don't gain any advantage from talking to her, you always feel that what she says makes a lot of sense.

What an amazing guy.

Having someone like that in the Navy is a blessing or a curse, but it'll probably be interesting.

Borsalino, who ate the Glint-Glint Fruit, had been bored for a long time. If something in his life could actually add some fun, he could ignore it as long as it wasn't excessive.

So, Miss Roman, please continue with your plans.

Don't let me know you really have ulterior motives.

Otherwise, I'm not sure what I might do.