[Voice, Action for the Straw Hats]

[seakingbait]

[Keimi stands on the deck of the ship, a small tanto in her hand. In front of her is a mannequin, reinforced with leather. She grips it tight, bringing the blade above her head and, eyes shut tight, she swings it downward.

And misses by a mile.

She falls, but catches herself on the mannequin. With the assistance of a bubble, she is back on her tail. This time, she won't miss. The same stance, the same shut eyes, and with another swing, she sticks the blade into the mannequin's shoulder.

And when her eyes open to see what she has done, she gasps, releasing the blade's hilt and falling onto her rear in terror.]

----

[Later in the day, after she's cleaned up her mess, she takes to her journal.]

What... kind of weapon do you use... if you don't really want to hurt someone?

Comments

[seakingbait]

I know, I just don't want to hurt them any more than I have to.

[yourotherleft]

[and this is why he wasn't sure he could teach her to fight]

There's a reason unskilled fighters tend to maim and kill. It takes great skill to be able to hold yourself back to the right amount.

[seakingbait]

And I'm about as unskilled as it gets.

[She sighs, starting to feel as if she'd be useless forever.]

I don't want to make anyone go through dying. Even if they come back, I'd never wish it on anyone.

[yourotherleft]

I wasn't thinking of you, Keimi.

Death isn't something to take lightly, whether you're the one taking the life or the one offering yours up. I don't blame you for that.

[seakingbait]

[She nods.]

I was worried I'd look weak, wanting to fight without hurting people.

[yourotherleft]

[it might not be his way, but he does understand]

Is it weak to turn the path of a bullet or cannonball instead of taking the hit and surviving it? Because the strongest swordsman in the world makes that choice, and nobody calls him weak for it.

If that's what you want, then you're going to have to work hard to be skilled enough to be able to make the choice how hard to hit somebody. In that case, maybe blades aren't right for you after all.

[seakingbait]

I think you're right.

[She turns and looks at the tanto, still stuck in the mannequin's shoulder.]

But what else can I use?

[yourotherleft]

[scratches his chin thoughtfully]

Let's see. Would you rather get up close to your opponent or stay further back?

[seakingbait]

I don't really know. I thought getting close was what you did in a fight.

[yourotherleft]

Not always. Look at Usopp, he's a sniper. We call that ranged fighting.

But if your aim isn't good, shooting isn't the way either. Longer pole weapons are good for a middle range - you're still not up in the other guy's face, like when the cook kicks people.

[seakingbait]

Usopp-chin is really fast. I'm not sure I could do what he does, on land.

Brady-chin said a pole is good for knocking people out. That's better than killing, right?

[yourotherleft]

Oh, yeah, it is. I've seen Nami knock out guys three times her size with her staff, before she started using it for the weather stuff. That might be a good idea for you.

[seakingbait]

I don't want Nami-chin to think I'm copying her.

[She had already had to talk with Nami about whether or not she was meant to replace her as navigator.]

[yourotherleft]

It's not like that. I mean, Brook's a swordsman, I'm a swordsman, but we don't copy each other. We have completely different fighting styles.

[seakingbait]

I guess that's true.

So, where do I start?

[yourotherleft]

You need a pole, first, I think.

...maybe we can take apart the mop?

[because then nobody has to sweep the floor...]

[seakingbait]

I'll go get one. Be right back!

[And up she gets, and with a bubble, she's off to the kitchen.]

[yourotherleft]

[he hangs out to wait, leaning on the railing. So if the Merrily gets dirty and nobody can sweep or mop the decks, it's all Zoro's fault.]

[seakingbait]

[Do we really only have one mop in the entirety of this huge ship? Don't answer that.

Keimi arrives a few minutes later, the mop's wooden handle in her hand.]

Okay. Now what?

[yourotherleft]

Uh.

[that is a very good question. Zoro faces her, looks over the pole, and then shrugs]

Try to hit me.

[seakingbait]

Oh, um...

[She grips the "staff" in both hands and... sort of swings it at his arm?]

[yourotherleft]

[Poor Keimi. Lazily raises his arm to let it hit him in a safe spot, but doesn't try to disarm her or anything. He actually knows what he's doing.]

Try to find your balance.

[he has no idea how to advice a mermaid how to find a good stance on her tail, so Zoro's intention is to let her swing at him until she can do it comfortably, in her own way.]

[seakingbait]

[The thing about a mermaid's tail is that it's always a balancing act. Yes, it's all muscle, but without a second one to steady yourself, you're always one wrong move from falling over. It can be exhausting to stay on it for long periods of time, and Keimi likes to avoid the back pain it causes. Because let's pretend that's the only reason she has back pain.

Still, she does her best to lean forward into some kind of stance.]

How's this?

[yourotherleft]

You tell me. [such a good teacher he is. Not.] Slide your hands a little farther apart on the pole, and then see if it's easy to swing it from your stance.

[Free invitation to whack Zoro!]

[seakingbait]

[She takes his advice, but it feels a bit strange holding her arms so far apart.

This time, she swings for his shoulder.]