One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 204 Propaganda and Organization in Dafeng

Although Haku is quite strong, he is a gentle-natured fish-man.

Unlike the bullies of Fishman Street who are orphans, Haku has a normal family, a happy life as a fish, and is able to take up a position in the royal palace at a young age. It is conceivable that his future is bright.

However, since such a fish-man is willing to abandon his previous life, join the revolutionary army, and participate in such a major rebellion, Roman's conclusion is...

The revolutionary army's propaganda is quite good! High marks to the propaganda department!!

"Haku, is that you? Judging from your attire, you must be a royal soldier. What do you need me for?"

Haku's sudden visit surprised not only Roman but also Finnie, the maid who took care of him.

"I just want to talk to you."

Want to chat?

The emotional fluctuations are a bit strange; it's hard to tell if they're genuine or not.

However, considering Haku's connections with the Revolutionary Army, it's highly likely that his visit was influenced by them.

"Oh, I'd love to hear that, Fini. Could you please prepare some desserts? I never get tired of merfolk desserts."

"Oh, okay." Fini hurriedly left.

"Just say what you want to say. I can tell you want to talk to me alone," Roman said, taking the initiative.

Very perceptive.

This is Haku's assessment of Roman.

He remembered Ivankov's instructions to him.

"Even if she looks like a sweetheart, we must not be careless. Regardless of whether the recruitment of your fishmen was her idea, the fact that she was sent here to carry out this mission means that she is not an ordinary person in many ways."

That's what Ivankov said, which means he needs to be cautious.

“Thank you for understanding. I’m just curious, since the relationship between Fishman Island and humans has never been very harmonious, why would the Navy want to recruit soldiers from Fishman Island?” Haku tried to control his words.

I understand now. This question is actually a veiled inquiry: did the plan to recruit soldiers for Fishman Island originate from the Navy's high command, or did they themselves get involved?

Although Roman understood the implication, she didn't intend to respond.

She focused on Haku's other remarks.

"All this time? Do you know how long the relationship between Fishman Island and humans has been deteriorating?" Roman began to take the initiative.

"What?" Haku was a little confused about Roman's meaning.

"Although it may seem like a long time to you, there were periods when humans and fish-men, as well as fish-men themselves, were on friendly terms. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any books about you fish-men and mermaids on land, and we wouldn't know that our blood can be transfused. Long, long ago, humans invited you to live on land, but they failed. And almost 200 years ago, no, to be precise, in the year 1320 of the Sea Calendar, the Fish-Man King at that time established diplomatic relations with the World Government, and the royal family of that country could attend the World Conference."

"You mean..." Haku understood a little, but not quite.

"The current situation limits our perspective because there are many conflicts between Mermaid Island and the human race. Therefore, people conditionally believe that there is no room for contact between humans and merfolk. However, looking at this period in history, it is just a cycle. There will always be periods of harmony and periods of hostility between two countries. In fact, from a historical point of view, this is normal. And now we are just starting a new cycle, so there is no need to make a fuss," Roman explained gently.

Oh, I understand. So...

No, what I really want to know is who started this whole thing. There's no need to escalate the topic to this level.

Having accepted revolutionary ideas and being someone Ivankov could confidently send out, Haku quickly realized that if things continued this way, Roman would likely completely dominate the conversation.

What a blunder! This navy officer, though young, is quite eloquent and has the air of an intellectual.

If we accept this view, there is a high probability that she was involved in the matter.

Even if she isn't, her level must be quite good, otherwise she wouldn't be involved in such political matters.

“I just didn’t expect humans, no, you would change your attitude at this time,” Haku explained.

"Racial integration is an inevitable trend. We have no direct interests involved. For you, both land and sea are places to live. You just yearn for the sunlight and the vast world. If that's the case, why not lend a helping hand? This world belongs to everyone. It is not the private property of any one species or organization. If you are high and mighty, you will eventually be brought down from your pedestal."

The same idea as that of the revolutionary army as described by Ivankov.

Haku also sensed a hint of revolution in Roman's brief words.

The World Government considers the Celestial Dragons to be everything; they are the masters of this world and claim to be of the bloodline of the world's creator, thus looking down on all living beings.

As a result, countless evil consequences have been created.

After learning about the evil deeds of the World Government, Haku came to agree with the Revolutionary Army's ideals and began searching for like-minded partners among the Fish-Men.

Anyone with certain qualifications is someone you can try to win over.

Judging from her appearance, if she joined the revolutionary army, she would probably become a very important figure.

But she's a Marine, so she'll probably side with the World Government.

Although, according to them, the Navy is much better than the World Government, they are ultimately on the same side.

“Your idea is good, but I’ve heard that the reality is not like that.”

"I can't refute that, after all, the world government has done a lot of bad things, and I'd like to criticize that too."

Ugh?

Is this something a navy officer like you can say?

Haku was stunned.

This behavior is similar to, or even more serious than, criticizing the royal family of the merfolk, after all, the World Government calls itself the master of the world.

"There are quite a few voices in the Navy that have this kind of complaint. Don't be surprised. Just like your relationship, the World Government and the Navy also have their so-called 'honeymoon period' and 'cold period.' We also have our own contradictions. To be honest, I also really dislike the World Government."

"I understand."

"Just tell them that."

"what?"

"What I mean is, you can just say that to the person who asked you to come here."

In an instant, Haku lost control and knocked over the good tea on the coffee table.

His heart was pounding uncontrollably.

At that moment, Roman simply looked at him with a smile.

However, in Haku's eyes, her gentle smile seemed to conceal endless coldness, making Haku shudder.