One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 58 Whose advice should we listen to?

The Naval Staff brings together the brightest minds in the Navy. They determine policy, are responsible for strategy, formulate plans, and then adapt to changing circumstances.

However, the situation on the battlefield can change in an instant, and without personally participating in the battle, one can never know how complex the situation will be in the next second.

Roman understood perfectly well that if plans conflicted with reality, reality would only slap him hard in the face.

Especially given the special circumstances on the Grand Line.

"The weather along the Grand Line is extremely unpredictable. It's common for the sky to be clear one moment and then thunder and lightning the next. So, in such a dangerous and complex stormy weather, if you encounter a vicious pirate, what would be your first choice as the person in charge?"

Eppeli Cullen, a lieutenant in the General Staff, may not be particularly capable, but that doesn't matter. He doesn't rely on brute force for his livelihood. Many people may think that staff officers are not as good as scientists in the Science Department, but Cullen can only say that everyone has their own expertise.

Inventions and good tactics have little to do with each other; it's just that the two people are smart in different ways.

As a member of the staff, it's a good thing to occasionally leave the room full of blueprints and plans to give a few lectures.

Because of Lieutenant General Tsuru's reputation, the General Staff's position, while not unparalleled, was certainly worthy of respect.

Roman, sitting below the podium, started to get creative.

Encountering pirates at sea during a thunderstorm?

Thunderstorms mean that basic weapons such as cannons and flintlock muskets are almost useless, so conventional methods used at medium and long ranges are almost ineffective, and forced shelling is more likely to result in accidental discharge.

If it were me, I would use a slashing attack. The stronger my swordsmanship, the greater the power and penetration of the slash. "I've traveled across the ocean to see you" is no joke.

If there are Devil Fruit users on the ship, they can launch attacks based on the characteristics of the fruits.

A master of the Six Powers can also use Moonwalk to change location and head straight for the pirate crew.

Although it is a relatively troublesome situation, there are actually many solutions.

But is this problem really that simple?

Roman began to ponder Karen's purpose in setting the questions.

But while Roman was still thinking, people below had already begun to offer their answers in twos and threes.

It was basically as Roman had expected, but Karen's subtle expression made the respondent feel that he might have been wrong.

Suddenly struck by a brilliant idea, Roman said, "I should ask my navigator first."

"Hmm? Little guy, was that your answer just now? Can you tell me why you answered that way?" Karen asked with interest.

"Because the weather is complex and changeable, it is difficult for non-professionals to judge the subsequent weather changes. It is necessary for a professional navigator to judge whether the pursuit is feasible. At the same time, it is also necessary for him to correctly command everyone in the rainstorm and get out of danger. After all, the conflict with the pirates has not yet begun, and I need to be responsible for my own team members in dangerous environments."

How did you know it was crucial?

"Because you were the one who first designated my identity, I am the person in charge. Compared to pirates who suddenly appeared out of the plan, I am first and foremost responsible for everyone on my ship."

“Very good, I am satisfied with your answer. As the person in charge of the warship, your orders are absolute. Even the navigator on board cannot easily refute your orders. Changing orders frequently will only lead to a worse situation in a chaotic environment, so you need to stay clear-headed.”

"Please don't think I'm exaggerating. Although warship manufacturing technology is gradually improving, we still encounter situations where ships capsize or get caught in whirlpools due to the unpredictable weather on the Grand Line. Every year, our navy loses thousands of sailors because of these strange weather conditions. Although we have assigned professional navigators to almost every warship, they often lose their composure in emergencies. Therefore, I hope..."

“Lieutenant Eppelli Cullen’s words this morning were all nonsense; don’t listen to them…”

An Yu Farmer is an extremely beautiful woman. She looks incredibly sexy smoking a cigarette. Faced with her alluring beauty, even a bad habit like smoking in class seems extremely tempting. She is also a member of the staff and a captain in the Navy Headquarters.

With just her opening sentence, she dealt Roman a heavy blow, a blow no less powerful than Karp's punch. After all, her notebook was filled with summaries of what she had learned from Karen's lecture, but Farmor declared from the start that she had written down a bunch of nonsense.

"The Navy's primary duty is to eliminate pirates. The moment you become a Navy officer, you should be prepared to die. If you encounter pirates, you should fight as long as you still have the ability to fight. Our General Staff exists only to make this result even better."

"Of course, although the navy is the hegemon of the sea, it is certain that there will be wins and losses on the battlefield. Even our navy, with its many heroes, cannot escape temporary defeats."

So I'll tell you a case from many years ago. At that time, a famous pirate crew attacked one of our branch naval bases. Most of them were Devil Fruit users, and their combat power was immense. The naval base at that time had no chance of defeating them, so they chose to be captured and then guard the base.

“Excuse me, Captain Farmor, I don’t quite understand what you mean. If we’re captured, how are we supposed to protect the base? Or are those pirates more humane and just let us go when we see someone surrender?” A cadet raised his hand.

His question is the question everyone has.

However, Roman had a bad feeling. These staff officers wouldn't say a word more than necessary when they were giving lectures, and every condition they gave was full of hidden meaning.

"Betting on the enemy's goodwill? Unless I'm insane?" Farmor gave a sarcastic smile.

"While their counterattack may not be universally applicable, the process of turning defeat into victory was spectacular. Want to know how they did it?"

"A human bomb?"

"What's your name?"

“Syl Roman”.

"Karen mentioned you to me after class, saying you're a smart little guy. I didn't believe him at first, but you seem pretty good. So your answer is that they killed the enemy by blowing them up in a mutual destruction manner?"

"No, their goal is not people, but the ship. So they choose to be captured. Only by getting on the ship can they have a chance. If the ship is destroyed, those with abilities at sea will almost certainly die."

Roman had a profound understanding of just how resilient life is in this world.

"That's right, they were quite clever. So we only lost 125 ordinary soldiers to take down 11 pirates with special abilities, laying the foundation for the victory in the defensive battle. Their sacrifice was extremely great and glorious."

Roman listened silently, then opened his notebook again and silently wrote:

When faced with a greater cause, humanity is disregarded.