Intermezzo: Master and Apprentices

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #1

The Professor was sitting silently in the corner of small restaurant that was located in coastal village on the Dawn Island as a part of the Goa Kingdom. He was waiting, which became much more frequent occurrence, since chance pushed him into leading large, semi-criminal organization. He was drinking his tea peacefully, ignoring the fearful looks that other customers were giving him. Just a few weeks ago, he would be concerned, afraid maybe, of the possibility, that their fear will transform into hatred or aggression, but not anymore. Now, he couldn´t care less.

Of course, despite everything that happened since the Python´s tournament, neither him or M.A.R.I. became particularly famous. Chances were, that no one in that room knew who he was, yet they were afraid as even these simple fishermen could feel that something about him wasn´t right. There was something cold, detached and dangerous in his eyes, something terrifying that was giving them chill.

“Be patient.”

Said Gabriel to Beast, incredibly large female malamute, that was lying right next to his table, with a large beef bone across her front paws, looking at him with a mixture of boredom and impatience.

“We came early, he still have time.”

In response to his words, she tilted her head to the right.

“Woof...”

There was no understanding in that sound, but rather bored resignation, as she went back to gnawing her new toy.

“Hopefully.”
He added for himself, sipping once again from his cup. It was weird feeling, being suddenly responsible no only for himself, but also for the lives of almost fifty other men and women, who flocked to him and the original group of martial artists, that joined his cause. Sometime he even wondered how could he adjust so quickly to this new reality. How could he accept this responsibility, when just a few short weeks ago all he wanted was to go on adventurous vacation before returning to his work on Toroa University. And why was it so easy sending these people on dangerous missions that could very easily cost them their lives. Thoughts like that were appearing quickly and suddenly and disappearing in the same manner. After all, he knew the answer. He knew it since he tried to kill Namkhai back on the sends of Katsumoto´s arena. He knew it and came to a terms with it.

[Kami-Gaz]

A day of free practice… That’s what today was for Rakka, he had to figure out his signature move… that was the task he was given by his Sensei. Now what was that going to be? He had learned the basics of land-based Fishman Karate with some ease, given his devil fruit ability. That was great, now Rakka could punch shockwaves that rippled in the air with a pulse of his oil. The young man still needed work on reading the flow and moving like water but that should come as he crafts a signature move.

The entire morning after awaking in the Ayoki family house Rakka had gone to practice on a patch of forgotten land, mastering the Cottonmouth Strike by this point. He had a few other moves planned out for his Oil Baron style… they just needed work, refinement as his master had put it. That lead him to this moment. The young man walking through the seaside town, looking for inspiration, looking for anything that could spark that thought that could build his signature move.

The rippling and crashing waves of the sea was always a good one to look at but after a while it only made the off-duty marine need to pee. All of that rushing and flowing water, the sounds of it crashing against the port and sea wall as boats bobbed up and down in the bay was just too much for the young man to bare. It caused Rakka to head to the closest café, a peculiar looking place with a man radiating a ominous aura and his really really big and really really fully dog… that dog must be pet.

It was a quick excursion into the bathroom, a purchase of a burger and fries then he rushed out to the table with the man and his really big dog that needed attention. As he stopped by the table Rakka tipped his white Stetson to the man as a way to initiate greeting. “Hello Sir, Can I pet your dog?” He asked innocently, letting his gaze drift to the fluffy pup with a gleam of amazement in his eye. Rakka had never been given the chance to have a pet and had always wanted one… just getting to see and pet such a fine and loyal beast made him so happy.

[Mai Kobayashi]

"Uweh! You are all out of donuts!? No No no, that is a joke... right...?"

A small bit of commotion was happening at the front of the restaurant, someone oblivious enough not to notice the brooding blanket of tension that had gripped the moods of so many of its patrons. The source of this commotion? A very tall figure dressed in so strange a garb it was immediately obvious they were a foreigner.

Standing just over 9 feet tall was... judging by the sound of the high-pitched excitable voice, a rather young woman. She was dressed in a set of navy-colored Uwagi and Hakama tied together with a simple piece of rope around the waist. A long Haori is worn across the shoulders the way most naval officers wear their coats though the obvious embellishments THOSE entail were clearly missing. A large straw Amigasa sat atop her head and a navy blue scarf was tied across the bottom of her face to further obscure her appearance.

Despite that rather obscured appearance, it didn't exactly seem like this stranger was shy or soft-spoken. Rather the opposite, they were being loud, boisterous, and clearly upset at the lack of donuts available to buy!

"I-I'm sorry... Miss? W-were all out... I do have bagels?"

The poor clerk dealing with this women obvious seemed a little flustered, either trying very hard not to look her in the eyes or just genuinely flustered they were unable to provide the requested service~

"Hmm.. that bagel thing.. What is that?"

The stranger brought their hand up towards the scarf covering their face, even their hand obscured by the garment's long sleeve. The woman seemed to be weighing her options and questioningly hooked in on the bagel that was offered her. Clearly, she was as foreign to these parts as she looked, if she did not even know what a bagel was!

"Uhm.. so.. It's like bread that's shaped like a donut? But it's savory and you can put all kinds of toppings on there...? Do you really not know what a bagel is?"

The clerk still wasn't quite looking the woman in the eye as they made an effort to explain the essence of a bagel to an excitable and slightly boisterous but mostly just enthused customer. So why was the clerk acting so apprehensive towards her? Well other's in the store couldn't see her face could they?

"Well... I'm a foreigner, neh? No no... this bagel thing... what you are saying is, it's a savory donut? And I can put anything I want on it?"

She boldly declared what everyone watching could easily deduce, she was defiantly not native to the goa kingdom. Normally she wouldn't go around in a stifling getup like this either but... Well, let's just say that a recent experience of being run out of town while actually completely innocent of any wrongdoing, other than being a Fishman, had given her a new appreciation for how narrow-minded humans could be. Warranted or not by past events as it might have been...

"I suppose so... but we have a special for the salmon, cream cheese, and lettuce bagel for 200 Beli?"

The store clerk was all too happy to be able to turn and point out the sign above the counter that in chalk read the special of the day. A veritable steal to be sure and one that the large Fishman could barely believe. That was cheaper than the donuts they listed on the sign but didn't have even!

"So let me get this straight... You have a salty donut with cheese and fish?! Sold, I'll have ten!"

The sudden gleam in yellow eyes that only the clerk could see made them jump slightly back but whatever they were expecting didn't come. Well, she wasn't going to hit anyone to begin with. She was just hungry! Though even more rattled was the poor clerk by the number of bagels she ordered... this woman was ALONE right?!

"T-ten?"
"No! Make it twenty! That's like.. 4000 Beli, right? Ahh and I'll have some green tea, three cups! You can keep the change! I did some good business this week!"

Before they could recover from the initial shock, she brazenly doubled her order and with a webbed hand put down a bill of 10.000 Beli on the counter. The clerk visibly seemed relieved. Ahh... it wasn't so much that she was a Fishman that had them riled up then, they had seen the 6 foot long sword hanging from her waist as well and assumed that she was not going to pay for her food. That made a lot more sense!

"Yes! Uhm... then... please sit down then... I'll bring your order out as soon as it's done."

Well then soothing their worries was easy right! A bit of generosity was all it took to suddenly get a lot more enthusiastic service, even if the clerk hastily took the money away she didn't put it much mind and instead turned around to look over the other patrons in the restaurant. Her yellow eyes sunken back in the shadow cast by her large straw hat lingering for a moment on the elephant in the room.

"I'll do that! Anywhere is fine right?"

She cheerfully and casually queried if it was alright to sit wherever and the clerk straightened up before giving a positive reply. really, a little money changing hands also changed the dynamic so easily. Humans were quaint, weren't they?

"Yes... I will remember... your face."
"Uh-na-na-na-na-nah! It's not like there are many faces like it here, fine, I'll wait!

A loud boisterous laugh followed that statement, she had no doubt about that. In this place that face stood out after all. But nothing quite as much as the action she took next. She approached Gabriel's table brazenly, giving a momentary look of curiosity towards the dog before pointing at one of the tables.

"Ossan, you look strong! Is this seat taken?

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #2

Someone was coming. A young man, barely an adult, carrying a large plate with a hamburger and fries was heading to his table. From the way, he moved it was obvious that he had at least some experience with martial arts, but as far as Gabriel knew, he wasn't one of his people. That wasn't really surprising as in these dangerous times many people practiced one form of combat art or another yet, recent experiences taught him to be cautious towards strangers. So, his face only relaxed, after the stranger asked if he could pet Beast.
"Yes, just watch out for…"
He couldn't even finish his sentence, as the wet nose of his dog twitched, catching the smell of food in her vicinity. A split of a second later, she lunged forward, grabbing the burger in her mouth, only to swiftly disappear in her hiding place behind Gabriel's chair to munch on her prey.
"Beast! You little...how many times should I tell you that you can not steal food from people? Bad dog!"
He reached behind, grabbing her for the skin on the backside of her neck.
"Spit it out! Spit it out!"
The professor ordered, however his angered voice had the exact opposite effect as the oversized puppy started chewing even faster, swiftly swallowing what was left from the burger.
"You little…"
Professor Moon sighed releasing his grip.
"I am sorry, she is still a puppy, so self-control is a concept completely foreign to her. Wait, I'll buy you another one…"
Gabriel waved on the waiter while frowning on the gluttonous furball, that was lying on the floor, trying to look as innocent as possible, while slowly wagging her tail from side to side.
Faster than he was however the incredibly tall woman armed with katana, that made her way towards a nearby table, asking if she can sit there.
The professor looked at her, then shifting his attention on Rakka and back on her. Female fishman armed with sword and boy skilled in martial arts, all suddenly interested in him. What was the chance? He thought about it for a second, before shaking his head.
"No, it's free."
After all, if someone sent them, good for him as all he would have to do would be keeping alive until them Myra or Isaac would get the information he needed from them. Far more easier than chasing ghosts the way he was doing it right now.

[Kami-Gaz]

The off-duty marine in his Black T-shirt beamed in amazement as the tall man agreed to let him pet the dog. He was leaning closer as the man started to give a warning about something when the maw of the void leapt from the floor and consumed the burger and most of his fries in a singular snap of its massive jaws. As it vanished Rakka did his best to rebalance his pitifully empty plate and watched with wide yes… That was his lunch, swiped like it was just a snack by the beast.

“Whoa!” He exclaimed before placing the plate on the man’s table as he told the puppy off for being a food thief. That dog was still just a puppy? At that size?! Amazing! As he left the plate he shifted over to kneel by the pup that was feigning its innocence with its big sad eyes and a slowly shifting tail that swept the dust from the floor in big poofs. It truly was a big puppy.

“No, it’s okay! I don’t min….d” He said being cut off entirely by a fishwoman who both spoke over him and ignored his existence… Now that genuinely was a bit more annoying than having his food pilfered by a puppy with self-control issues. He let out a soft sigh then brought his smile back up to the people around the table. He was kneeling down a bit to run his fingers through the fluff of the malamutes amazing fur, patting the thick muscle that came from this breed.

He looked up, taking in large sword of the woman and remembering her words… The man did look strong but that wasn’t Rakka’s place to judge. “What’s her name?” He asked kindly. “I’m Rakka By the way. Rakka Hoshiko. I’m here to learn fishman Karate so I’m on a break from work while I pick that up.” The off-duty marine stated, flicking his Stetson off of his head to dangle behind his back from the string that was around his neck. It was only polite to show his young face and vibrant blue eyes to the people he was going to converse with properly.

“What about yourselves?“ He asked before shifting his gaze from the Friend he didn’t know the name of to the stranger Fish woman who had imposed herself on the situation.

[Mai Kobayashi]

Shiromi gave a nod when she was told that the seat was free for the taking, Pulling the chair away from the table and sitting down only for a small-sized human to appear out of nowhere. No, I mean, she probably should have noticed the extra plate of food but by the time she did the skit-like commotion following the dog stealing his burger was already unfolding. Never the less she jumped out of the chair she had just parked her rear into with a look of complete surprise on her face. Was she just dense or...

"GEH! W-where did you come from!? Amazing, are you a Ninja!? That's it, neh? A Ninja! Ninja!"

No, that was totally it, a 100% certified dimwitted Idiot. She had sparkles in her eyes and her fists were balled up, trembling in excitement. It was a Ninja, no doubt it was a ninja, a ninja right!? A complete Idiot, who it seemed had very little insight on what a ninja was supposed to be other than the usual stereotype off stealthy it seemed. When she finally caught up to the fact that he was talking to her she blinked twice, awkwardly looking between Gabriel fighting his dog for the scraps of what remained of the burger and the boy who introduced himself as Rakka. For a moment she just looked dumbfounded before slowly settling back into the chair she had claimed while rubbing her forehead.

"No no wait.. Rakka. You aren't a Ninja. You were just hiding behind the dog monster so I couldn't see you right. Clever, too clever..."

She stroked her chin with a smug smile plastered across her face, her row of sharp teeth on full display, as well as the denseness of her head. No, dense or Idiot didn't even cover it. This woman wasn't just drawing her own weird conclusions, she was skipping several deductive steps and leaping past the edge of reason into complete delusions.

"Ufufu... The scary Ossan isn't the only amazing one here after all. I just didn't notice you because you aren't scowling like you are about to murder everyone in the shop."

Well, her idiocy aside, it seemed she was at least perceptive about some things. Though maybe it was more that the atmosphere in the restaurant was so rotten not even an idiot could deny it. Even so, she narrowed her yellow eyes and looked at Gabriel through her eyelashes. a normal person's eyebrows might have been furrowed but the lack of them on her face just made it easy to misinterpret her expression of cheek as some sort of underhanded challenge.

"Ossan, do something about that scary expression on your face. Everyone here is terrified of it.. or maybe it's the Dog monster... I have a hard time telling what frightens humans... Well, Well, anyway! just smile, smile!"

Her eyes passed between Professor Moon and his oversized puppy before she put her fingers in the corners of her mouth, pushing them up and contorting her already unsetting smile into a twisted, toothy, gum-filled grin that couldn't really qualify as a 'smile' anymore...

"No... wait... again. You. Rakka-bo. Did you just say you are here to learn Fishman Karate...?"

For a moment she continued that stupid expression before snapping her fingers and her eyes likewise snapping her attention back onto Rakka as his words finally made it through her thick skull and she realized what he was saying. She had never met this boy, he had no clue she'd be here. He couldn't have come for her.. besides he was somehow already at this table. You could almost see the gears turning in her head. Gears that lead her to completely the wrong assumptions.

"...From this Ossan...?"

She turned her eyes back on Gabriel, stroking her chin thoughtfully until her pupils suddenly narrowed in a reaction of shock. She slammed both her hand palms on the table, rose halfway out of the chair once more, and with a trembling finger of a webbed hand pointed at Gabriel as she observed him with stunned disbelief.

"Geh!? You were a Fishman Ossan!? I didn't even notice!? How cunning! You must be one of those rumored, super rare, Human Faced Fish Fishman!?"

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #3

“No, they don´t work together.”
The Professor concluded silently as he watched the expressions of both Rakka and that girl. Truth to be told, he wasn´t the best when it came to judge people and their reaction, but this two were so genuine that they would have to be the best actors in the ocean to fake it out.

“Beast...”
He answered that boy´s question without much interest as he was watching, with narrowed eyes, the talkative fishwoman, ignoring her remarks about him being scarry. Something about her...something about her face seemed to be...very punchable. That was strange, as Gabriel was usually gentleman who wouldn´t strike woman outside of self defense, but something on her face….Koda...of course. He suddenly realized from where all this unexplained hostility was coming from. Her pointy teeth and garrulous nature were remaining him of that traitorous, back stabbing, good for nothing, soon to be dead CP agent he met few weeks ago. Well, that was explaining it.

Meanwhile, as her master was dealing with his groundless need to punch Shiromi in the face, Beast rolled to her back, exposing her belly for a belly rub from Rakka, assuming that she was forgiven for her previous misbehavior.

“You can call me Gabriel.”

Professor Moon said suddenly as if he remembered Rakka´s question a bit too late.

“And no, I am not fishmen nor I know Fishman Karate, although I beat one user of this style few weeks ago.”

His voice became distant as he suddenly remembered his first real duel to death. Back then he and Myra fought against some fishmen over her birthday gift on some unnamed piece of rock in West Blue. And although it happened only month or so ago, for Gabriel it was like if few centuries passed. It were definitely much easier and simpler time back then.

“Speaking of which.”
He looked at Rakka and for moment his stern expression was replaced by genuine interest of someone who spent almost two decades studying different styles of combat.

“You don´t look like Fishman either, so how is it possible to learn their art. I always assumed it´s impossible for us humans. Was I wrong?”

Back in days he read volumes about this ancient style of Karate native to the Fishman Island and while he owned even several books and scrolls detailing it´s techniques, he never really try to master them simply because he thought it would be impossible task for human as him. However if he was wrong, it would open whole new realm of possibilities not just for him, but for M.A.R.I. as whole.

[Kami-Gaz]

Rakka watched as the accusations of being a ninja flew at him, whilst he held his trademark smile his eyes were flat… while he himself was not the smartest in day-to-day activities and on the social front he was a damn sight more with it than this Fish woman was. “I-… Was stood here the whole time.” He noted softly before hearing the name of the big beast of a dog being told to him… it was simply called beast? That was no name for a beautiful animal like this! Whilst it was imposing and helped sell a menacing air the dog itself seemed just like a big fluff ball.

“Well Beast is a big puppy.” He said softly to the big girl as he gave in and gave her the belly rubs she was demanding of the young man. Rakka kneeled down and started with soft rubs that turned into scritches and then a full-on assault of all three to ensure this oversized puppy had the best experience. “Who’s a good girl?” He asked beast with a chuckle. “Who’s a good girl despite stealing my food?” The Stetson wearing man asked, again.

He kept this up in many variations until he heard his name being mentioned by the ditzy fish woman. She was questioning if he was learning it from Gabriel? No, he was not, but before he could finish his belly rub assault he was beaten to that answer by ominous man with the nasty aura. That was good, it allowed Rakka to finish up his belly rubs on Beast properly. He son stopped to stand up tall, rather proud of the feat of making such a big puppy his new friend.

“Oh… I kind of cheat.” Rakka said with a nervous smile, one hand moving to scratch the back of his neck and the other outstretching over an empty glass. “I ate the Yuu Yuu No Mi, I can produce oil.” He said before demonstrating the ability on his hand, producing a thin layer of oil then letting it pool into a large droplet and then letting that drop fall into the empty glass. “I’m an Oil Man.”

With a proud smile Rakka stood taller and grinned. “I have gotten the basics; well, they aren’t basics because I can’t learn the underwater techniques but I grasped the basics of the advanced land-based techniques…” The young man spoke with a hint of embarrassment to his words and a big bright smile that could even banish the menacing aura of Gabriel around him. Everything he said was true.

“My Sensei has be thinking up a signature move I can use, something real snazzy… but I am a bit stumped.”

[Mai Kobayashi]

"Heh, so your not huh?"

For a moment the Fishman stared long and hard at Gabriel, squinting her eyes as they lingered on the man suspiciously. Clearly, she was looking for signs of his secret Fishman heritage before shrugging her shoulders and tapping her fingers on the table. He was probably telling the truth, he didn't look like a Fishman one bit after all. Outside of being a little scary that is... as she decided on this truth for herself, she looked between the two rather interestingly quaint men that she had found herself in conversation with. Their discussion about the intricacies of martial technique would have usually gone straight over her head, or at least she would have pretended it did. It was a complex and sensitive subject after all... but she had a certain sense that this discussion could lead to something worth sticking around for...

"Hmm, this is why you humans are so amusing~"

A soft chuckle escaped from between her lips. Well, every now and again doing something less than half-assed might be refreshing too! She stopped drumming her fingers on the table, letting her hand rest flat on the surface instead as she turned her yellow eyes on the man who had called himself Gabriel. She could have used his name, but he was already nicknamed now. There was no taking back shortcuts once they were made!

"Ossan, You said you don't think people can use Fishman karate when they are not Fishmen right? But you also said you beat a Fishman karate user just a few weeks ago."

She raised up the palms of both hands in an animated shrug as a hint of a grin curled the corners of her lips.

"That means you are already in some ways stronger than a creature that has 10 times the muscle power of an average human, right?. A large part of moving water the way we do is pure physical power, another part is nothing but technique and skill and the tiniest fraction is instinct."

She raised up a finger each time she counted off one of the parts she considered necessary for doing Fishman Karate. Well, she could only do a little bit herself... there really WAS more to it than just raw strength but mostly it was that! Ohh and finned hands clearly helped. Well... they would probably be fine without those right? I mean most humans could still learn to swim without those too... Probably it was the same... yeah probably...

"Truth is a lot of my Kin like to say we are physically superior creatures to you. But I think they are just scared. The world's strongest people... look at a list of them and how many of them are humans and how many are Fishman? well, to begin with, the fact you can have half Fishman and half Human kids speaks volumes about the fact we are really just a regional offshoot of humans right? "

Well, there really weren't that many, but then most of that list was devil fruit users. How much being human still had to do with that strength was questionable in itself...

"At the same time, despite how much of the world is ocean and how much is land, humans and their various offshoots still outnumber us hundreds of times. That tells me that as species from an evolutionary standpoint we are either much younger or a lot less successful. The reason a lot of Fishman might like to believe we are inherently stronger is that we are scared. We have a lot of bad history involving being oppressed and enslaved right? "

It was a surprisingly mature thought, considering its source... but then she had had a looooot of time to consider and reconsider her points on this matter. Even complete carefree idiots do have a past after all. She tugged subconsciously on the sleeve of her clothing, as if trying to cover up something that was already completely obscured by the thick layer of garments she did not usually wear...

"Assuming we are naturally stronger at least gives them a little bit of peace of mind, but it's kind of a lie. Muscle power isn't all there is to strength and a human's frightening adaptability lets those determined enough smash that barrier of strength with sheer determination. I at least think that is why you are strong. If there is any truth to it being hard to learn, it's probably that so many people aren't strong enough to do it right? But if you get past that barrier of averageness It's probably not something humans can't do. Strength and technique are both things you can acquire and the remaining difference you just have to make up for with that hard work and determination."

She looked for a moment between the two before settling her eyes on Rakka and making the "ok" gesture with her fingers. What exactly she approved of or what she meant was for a total idiot to know and others to guess, however...

"Hmm, the Devil's fruit huh? Trying to use the power of the sea when the sea hates you is bold I'll give you that. But cheat is the right word there. If you can't actually manipulate water and can't use any of the underwater techniques may be the reason you are having trouble coming up with a special move is that you are trying to do Fishman Karate when you are actually doing something that just resembles it? Rather than trying to conform to fit that style, shouldn't you make that style fit your strengths? Embrace your unique points and all that..."

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #4

Gabriel was silently watching Rakka playing with Beast, who was sweeping the floor with her wagging tail. This was a rare sight. Usually, people were simply too afraid to approach her or tried it to appease him, but this boy seemed to genuinely like her. That won him some extra points with Gabriel. However, every fun has to end sooner or later and so in the end Rakka stopped petting her so he could explain his abilities, together with a visual demonstration. Not that Beast would like that.
"Woof!"
She protested, still wagging her tail while rolling from side to side to lure her personal belly rubbing human back. When it failed, she simply rolled back on her feet and started hunting his hand, trying to catch it with her teeth playfully.
"Careful with that, she is chewing on cannonballs for fun."
The Professor warned Rakka about the possible dangers, earning her annoyed gaze, almost as that furball understood him. A second later, however, she was poking Rakka with her wet nose and hunting for his hand again, with her tail wagging.
Other than that, however, Gabriel didn't interfere with the debate as frankly speaking he didn't have much to say as for someone who was spending so much time and energy to look dumb, she said plenty of insightful things. That made him think how well she would do as a member of M.A.R.I.
"Well said"
Gabriel commented on her words with a gentle smile.
"Although you should be perhaps more careful when speaking your mind. There are people both among humans and fishmen, who would gladly slice your throat for it."
He nodded on two young men behind her backs who were, up until now, trying to murder Shiromi with their angry glares, but now we'ree doing everything they could to look elsewhere.
"Anyway…"
Professor Moon turned back on Rakka.
"The girl is right. The point of Martial Arts is to help you to grow into your strongest self, not the other way around. So if you are struggling perhaps you just need to learn a bit more about yourself. Go through the basic moves, see what sits right with you, or even better find someone strong to fight with. After all, true warriors are always born on the battlefield."
As if he suddenly remembered something, Gabriel looked on his hands. They were still stained from blood. That kind only he could see.

[Kami-Gaz]

The young Rakka heard the warning from Gabriel and nodded with a smile. “I’ll be careful, Sir.” He spoke respectfully as he returned to kneel down and run his now oil free hand over her large head and then scratch behind the ears. He was going to speak more as he petted the large Beast called Beast, the only issue was that the Fish Woman, who had still not shared her name had started to speak. She had started to speak and was not showing any intention of stopping any time soon!

With a soft sigh, the young marine returned to his new duty. One that required the utmost care and attention. The taming of Beast via the method of pets and belly rubs. He saw the massive teeth on the large dog but didn’t pay them any heed, he had seen jaguars prowling the jungles of Karate Island that had teeth nearly this big and they turned out to be just as friendly with the right scratch behind the ear and offering of meat. Before he put it on the campfire.

Time seemed to shift and change, the next thing Rakka knew the dog would be on its back with him giving the highest tier of belly rubs to the dog that was kicking her hind leg out. That was shattered when the droning on had shifted to use the term devil fruit, addressing him as it was incredibly rare to be an eater of the cursed fruits of power. Her next few statements rung true, instead of trying to fit into a style he could never hope to truly learn he should bend that style to something of his own creation.

Then Gabriel joined in and offered his thoughts on the young man’s conundrum. Find out more about himself? That… sounded profound and great… but the Marine had no idea how he would do that. The other suggestion about fighting a strong opponent worked though… he had a flash of memories to the captain of the Red Card Pirates, how he out manoeuvred and beat Rakka.

The young man looked up from his petting and belly rubs, slowing down as he thought for a moment. “Find out more about myself…” He muttered; how would he do that? Maybe sparring with someone. “Mr Gabriel, would you mind Sparring with me? You seem to know a whole lot about fighting and martial arts… I think I could learn a lot from you.” Rakka said before quickly standing up right and offering a bow to the man, as he learned from his home island.

He stood upright and quickly returned to give his new fluffy overlord the belly rubs she deserved; it was just rude to ignore such a beautiful dog. “And you, Miss, thank you for the nudge. You can come and watch too?” Rakka asked, looking up to the fish woman. It was evident he was recovering from some injuries, bandages poked out from beneath the short sleeves on his t-shirt and he still had healing cuts and scrapes on his face. If there was one thing, Rakka was determined to grow.

[Mai Kobayashi]

"Ho, they would like to slice my throat?"

The Fishman pushed the brim of her wide conical straw hat up with the tip of her thumb, causing it to slide off the back of her head and hang down her back by the string now caught around her neck. She leaned backward in her chair so far that she was halfway hanging over the chairs' backrest and staring at the two men behind her in an upside-down sort of manner. Her bright sea-green hair fell straight down towards the ground, pulled down by gravity but her bright yellow eyes with inhumanly narrowed pupils stared over the two men intently. Even though they were the ones who seemed upside down from her perspective.

"These two? Hmm~ Why? All I said was good things too. "

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, even as the two men were still attempting to avoid looking anywhere but at the Fishman that was blatantly staring at them with an unblinking gaze. Even though her attention was elsewhere, she still raised her hand with her thumb upwards towards Gabriel's general direction to show she absolutely agreed with his take on the topic of martial arts, though how much of the nuance actually got through was questionable by itself...

"Pardon the intrusion miss, but I have your order here."

When the familiar voice and the clatter of a plate caught her attention, she instantly sat up straight only to see the clerk that had taken her order delivering a massive plate full of cream cheese and salmon bagels and several cups of tea which were neatly set out in front of the Fishman with a bright smile. Apparently, a generous tip did wonders for people's opinions of you. Well if that was was enough to change opinions once, maybe it would work again?

"Ahh, The food is here huh? good, good that is just in time! Miss waitress, bring the boys sitting behind us a bottle of sake, my treat. I apparently said something thoughtless again."

She carelessly pulled another bill worth 2000 beli from somewhere within the confines of her Uwagi as she offered a rather pointed smile now that her scarf had settled slightly further down after that little leaning act. The extremely sharp, pointy-toothed smile elicited a slight shudder but the bill disappeared from her hand as if by magic. Apparently, when it came to money the shady origin of where it had been conjured from didn't matter at all. With a swift bow, the young woman excused herself from the table to go fetch the bottle of alcohol.

While Rakka busied himself with his new canine friend and asked the dangerous-looking old man to spar with him, those pointed teeth made short work of several bagels and an entire cup of hot tea. The speed at which the large woman devoured the tiny little dough rings was rather remarkable and she swallowed several mouthfuls of food in a single gulp before casually waving her hand in agreeance at the boy.

"Hmm~ Sure why not. If you two are going to fight I'll stay and watch. It sounds like fun."

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #5

Why would they want to kill her indeed. For someone who could talk so deeply about martial arts this girl was truly naive. Or perhaps she was only very good in pretending it, the martial artist couldn´t tell and frankly didn´t even care.

Instead, he was watching the young man, Rakka, who fell for Beast´s trap, slowly turning into belly rubbing servitor of her spoiled will.

“Hmmm, yes why not. There is a backyard behind the inn. It´s small, but big enough for short sparring.”

The professor grumbled, before accepting his request. Actually there wasn´t much to think about. Rakka seemed to be polite, with real interest in martial arts and the ability of his Devil Fruit seemed to be similar to the one used by Mustang. And since he was hunting this traitor it could be beneficial for him to test his skills against Rakka and his oil too.

His train of thoughts was interrupted, when a waiter arrived to their table, with the fishwoman order. Gabriel gently raised his eyebrows when he noticed the amount of bagels she ordered.

“Don´t even think about it.”
He warned Beast who, smelling a food rolled back on her feet, getting herself ready for another eat and run attack.

“Wooo...”
The large malamute silently protested and changed her strategy. Instead of stealing, she sat down, with head bowed, using the saddest puppy eyes imaginable against Shiromi.

“Speaking of which…
Professor Moon stopped the waiter before he could leave.

“Please bring another burger to this young man. Not now, let´s say in half an hour? He will need some energy. And put it on my tab please.”

As the waiter nodded and headed to different table, Gabriel got up on his feet, turning to Shiromi, who expressed her desire to watch their sparring match.

“By the way why don´t you join us too? You look like a competent fighter yourself and three way fight can add a healthy element of unpredictability to it.”

[Kami-Gaz]

The young man stopped rubbing the tubby of the massive dog to look at Gabriel as he accepted his request to spar and cracked a big smile. He even had a space in mind of where it could be done that was out of the way, perfect. “Do you have a spare change of clothes? Oil tends to ruin what it sticks to.” The Stetson owner said as he stood tall, leaving Beast as she rolled onto her feet to prepare to snag the food that was being placed by the fish woman… who still had not shared her name!

He watched as Beast was told of and forced to change her tactic and chuckled to himself. A pet dog would be amazing… it is a shame Marines of his rank were not permitted much beyond their basic kit and a few personal affects to be kept near their bunks. He managed to get away with his hat because of his mum pulling strings to get it allowed. He had to rise in the ranks so he could be allowed more freedoms that come with being an officer, uniform customisations, better equipment’s and food from the commissariat… private quarters…pets! That was the cushy dream.

The young man was snapped back to reality when Gabriel ordered him another burger, putting it on his own tab. He didn’t have to at all! That was such a kind gesture from the elder man… well that was it Rakka had to make sure the Sparring match was going to be unforgettable. As he opened his mouth the unnamed fish woman was invited to join them, to make it unpredictable. Okay, now this was going to be really fun.

“Do you want me to go all out? Because you will both need new clothes at the end.” Rakka noted, standing straight so his shoulders were broad and his muscles popped just right to be a bit more imposing. “We’re going to need some buckets of sand and a shovel to clean up too.” This had become a fact of his life now… whenever he trained he had to spend time cleaning up.

[Mai Kobayashi]

"Uh-na-na-na-na-nah~"

The Fishman girl let out a hearty laugh that earned her several angry stares from several other patrons, including the two who just now had a bottle of sake brought to their table. Well, just a bottle of booze wasn't gonna soften their opinions huh...? That said, that waitress sure was working hard today wasn't she? Having taken that order of Gabriel's in stride, she was already back with the booze... how diligent! Still... ordering ahead for half an hour into the future? How silly... Why would you take all the fun off anticipation out of waiting for your food like that?! Shiromi just didn't get it.

"You want me to join you? I'm flattered, Ossan, but I'll pass on that one. I'll just watch."

She waved her hand dismissively, her webbed fingers on full display as she shook her head in tandem. That sounded like way too much effort to her. Besides, she got up from her chair and ran a hand through her hair before picking up the sheathed odachi and sliding it in between her waistband and her hip with an absentminded seeming callousness, though there was no way she was fooling the eyes or more precisely the ears of a practiced martial artist. Not a single sound issued from the blade as it was handled, not the sound of it tapping the walls of its scabbard nor the rattling of any of its fittings.

"A sword is not a toy, it's the part of my arm that exists to slice through things. If I were to draw this blade, I'd have no choice but to act all serious and try to cut you two for real, neh?"

For a mere moment, there was a light, a small glimmer in the corner of her eyes but then she leaned down one hand palm on the table and picked up another bagel, and nearly swallowed the bite she took without even chewing as she pointed with it towards Gabriel and chuckled.

"And every part of my body is telling me that you are the type of predator I shouldn't pick a fight with, Ossan. In the ocean knowing when you're outmatched is the only way to survive and you smell more dangerous than a Sea-King. I'll definitely pass, pass! As for you, Rakka-bo. I can't cut through oil any more than I can cut water, that match-up is too disadvantageous for me. "

She righted herself, winked towards the young man, and shrugged her shoulders in an amused sort of manner as she picked up the plate of bagels and the two remaining cups of tea in her one free hand as she stuffed the remaining half a bagel into her mouth and turned around to walk towards the door, giving a simple wave over her shoulder.

"Besides, I'm still in the middle of eating. Ahh~ Miss. I'll be taking this plate and these cups outside. I'll bring em back after~"

She took one more bagel off the plate with her now free hand, holding it by her side and waving it up and down enticingly towards a certain puppy dog eyed... well puppy, telling her to come and get it.

"Well, hurry it up if you are going. Me and the doggie will leave you behind if you just sit there. "