These are thoughts
"These are conversations"
And these are story teller
Hello my beloved readers, this fic has reached 1000 views! To celebrate, here is a chapter and a new cover. Enjoy everyone. PS: I wish I own One Piece, but my luck sucks, so I don't own it.
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When I first became a martial artist, I immediately notice that the School had a strange belt system. It goes from white, gray, striped gray, striped black, black, and then white striped black.
You learned everything basic in white belt. From the correct stands, blocks, dodges, to punches and kicks. Then you level up to gray, where you learn to observe and react to your surroundings, a.k.a. being a walking target for everyone in the Dojo to ambush. After that, you get to choose a weapon that you like and stick with it forever. And then things get weird.
You see, in the Daigenso School of martial art, they teaches four different styles of martial art. Each style is represented by a different color. Getting your first stipe means no more ambushes. However, you have to stick to that specific style until you are good enough to teach it to other newcomers. Then you pick the second style and repeat the process.
Once you can teach all four styles, your belt change to black with stripes. This is the time where you get to focus on mastering the styles you have learned. You get to take off the stripe that represents the style that you have mastered.
The completely black belts signify the status of a master. They go on to find the right combination of the style into one that fits them, the ultimate, the final, the true style. Those who have found their true styles are known as grand masters. Only three grand masters currently exist in the world.
Anyway, as suggested by the School's name, which means "Great Elements", the four styles are named after elements.
There's the "Gentle Wave", whose stripes are blue. They focus on redirecting the attacks and aim for fatal points. Their attacks might not carry much power or strength but damn if it doesn't hurt.
The next style is the "Gracious Wind" and green stripes. This style is mainly about dodging and hitting so fast their opponent can't counter. They're normally finished before you can execute your first move.
Third style is called the "Raging Flame", of course, red stripes. Like its name implied, this style forgo most technique in exchange for power. I've seen students of this style broke through concrete walls, with their heads!
And finally there's the "Steady Earth" style with the yellow stripes. Unlike the other style, this one focus is on defense. They take the attack head on, stop then cold, and only counter. Though with the way they take on freaking cannonballs, I'd say they're training Iron Body.
It took me a whole day to learn the School's rules and regulations. But I did get to meet the masters. Most of the striped black and above left on training journeys, so there are only five masters in the Dojo. One head for each style and Kenichi-sensei (Shishou make him feels old). Kenichi-sensei is one of the only True masters, the other two left long ago. One is traveling and sent mails back once in a while. The other simply vanished.
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Thanks to my father starting me early, I was able to pass the white belt test within the first month of training. And then the gray belt test within the next year. I think they let me pass because of how I kneed people when I'm surprised with the exception of my dad and Reina, who always mange to sneak up on me.
They handed me the belt and let me to the weapon storage. There were weapons of every kind. I tried out the sword, the axe, the dagger and so many weapons. Both I know and don't. I spent the whole day in the storage but couldn't find anything that feels right. Giving up, I decided to go with the dagger. However, just as I was about to pick up the dagger, something caught my eyes. Buried deep under the pile of old and used weapons were a pair of gauntlets. I picked them up and examined them. They were in perfect condition. I put them on and try them out. It felt natural, like they were meant to be mine. So I chose gauntlets as my weapon.
After choosing my weapon I had to return to the Dojo the next day due to it being midnight when I was done. This time I had to decide my next lessons.
Normally, children at my age stay as gray and get a white stripe to avoid ambushes. After all, who would expect a six year old to be able to figure out which style is best for them?
I said no to that.
This is the time where my brain can learn the most. There is no chance in hell am I going to pass it up.
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I picked "Gently Wave as my first style.
As a Wave student, I spent the majority of my time learning the locations of points on a body. Mostly where it hurts the most when hit, which angle to push to dislocate a joint… and other incredibly nasty stuffs.
I also had to learn how to read the opponents' movements and the path of their attacks.
We use a human size wooden doll for practice. You have to hit certain points on the doll that the instructor tell you to. Otherwise, you get attack by the doll. And you're only allowed to redirect the attack, no blocking or dodging.
The bruise I had has bruises when the day was done. Well it was great motivation.
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It was pretty funny teaching a bunch of marine in the body of a ten year old. Kenichi-sensei said that I was supposed to be able to choose my second style when I was nine but the adults wouldn't let me because I was too young. So when he found out able it, he put his foot down.
The second style I chose was "Raging Flame". Since this is his main style, Kenichi-sensei decided to mentor me himself. His training added with my dad's made my progress speed up, majorly.
The first thing that Kenichi-sensei told me was a poem of some sort. He claimed it was the style's motto:
When face with a foe
Let them feel your soul
The fire that it hold
AND BURN
Sensei screamed out that last line and crackles like a maniac. I think I found out why he chose Flame as his main style. He's a pyromaniac.
The training I had to do includes punching sandbags with weights on my arms, pushups while another student sit on me (they're all older than twenty mind you), climb the freaking marine base with only one hand, and other ridiculous sounding exercises.
My muscle burned like it's on fire. And I think I found the reason why some students refer to the style as the "Burning Hell". OW! MUSCLE PAIN!
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I chose my third style when I was twelve. It makes me wonder how I'm getting so strong so fast. Thinking for a bit, I came to the conclusion that either I'm a genius of sort now, or being reborn really helped me out, OR Kenichi-sensei and dad is really good at training others. This also made me question the routines I've been doing.
Since my dad told me to leave Earth for later, I decided to get the green stripe instead. The instructor told me on the first day that the way to succeed is to be like the wind. You move according to the opponents' move, flow around it like wind flowing around objects.
With all the running I've been doing since I was a child, coupled with the lesson on reading movements from Wave, and the hellish training I did with Flame, I blazed through this style. I've been really fast since I was a child, and getting faster. I can tell where the attack will be to dodge them. And with the strength I have in my arms I can hit incredibly fast. The tricky part was that I have to exchange power for speed. And hitting so fast make you lose accuracy.
The training for this style is pretty fun. We had to hit targets that were thrown at us.
It was fun until Kenichi-sensei joined the fray. Then it was nuts. Targets were flying from everywhere, people were flying too (from being hit), and I was in the middle of it all.
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After two years, I finally got my last stripe. Dad said he wanted me to be at least twenty before I start "Steady Earth" but I grew so fast.
At the age of fourteen, I was already taller than my mom. Considering how tall my dad was, it's safe to assume that I'm going to be quite tall when I grow up. Although it the fact that my chest has not developed at all was a bit weird. I got my hair from mom, bright red, and eyes from dad, storm gray. They were both very pretty but annoying. Everyone kept mistaking me for a guy, and the girls from other villages kept sending me fan letters. The guys' hysterical laughter and the girls' giggling that I hear everywhere did not help at all.
Anyway, turns out, dad is the head of the Earth. If the way all dad physically can't feel pain anymore is any indication, this style is going to be a lot of a pain.
And I was right. Although all the training I've done so far increased my pain tolerance, the exercises hurts like getting run over by a truck. Repeatedly.
I had to endurance training. A.k.a. stand in the same spot while they pelt balls at me. We had to "take it like a man", as they put it. The balls will later on change into rocks, boulders and other hard objects. Thankfully, they don't use bullets for this exercise. It's used for block training only.
Block training is similar to the endurance one. Except that we're allow to use our chosen weapons to block the projectiles.
Although the training for Earth is very harsh and painful, I just can't help but fall in love with it. The aspect of being able to protect my important people was something that pulled me in. And at risk of being cliché (I live in a fishing village), the first time I saw demonstrations of this style, I was "hook, line, and sinker".
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Me: And that's it for this chapter.
Ryuki: Good job. Almost 1800 words.
Me: Heh. Thank you.
Ryuki: Now, the announcement.
Me: Oh, right! Ahem. My beloved reader, I've decided to use this little corner for Q&A. I really enjoy reading the reviews and will read them no matter how many there are.
Ryuki: So, if there is something that anyone wants to know, Haru will answer them here or in the story itself.
Me: Yup. That's it. Good day everyone.