24 months after the end of the campaign

"Professor, how come your hair is so long?"

"Professor, how did you meet Mistress Hemlock?"

"Professor, where is the owl guy?"

"Professor, when did you get so fucking old?"

A piece of chalk flew through the air at lightning speed. The sound of it whistling through the air was deafening. It flew straight ahead and just grazed the target.

"Doxie! Shut up!" William yelled, exhausted and angry. Doxie chuckled, threw her hands behind her head, and kicked her feet back.

William closed his eyes and counted to ten in his head. He pinched the bridge between his nose and eyes and sighed. The room was hot and stuffy. He peeked his eyes open and glanced at his audience. Fifty children sat in desks that had been moved into the training room the day before. The children ranged in age from seven to seventeen, a less-than-ideal situation for the best teacher. William was not a good teacher; he wasn't a teacher at all. William had never gone to school; it was a miracle he was taught how to read and write by the boss when he was around and by the nuns at the churches in whatever towns he was working at. Bless Hemlock's heart. She brought any poor kid without a home or life and put them into the orphanage.

The candles had subsequently morphed into a type of academy. Several students have left to study to become doctors, writers, and architects in the last two years. This occurred partially because of Humphrey's meticulously crafted curriculum and the teachers he had found across the Grandline. Institutions didn't recognize the base as a school, but if students could pass the entrance exams, they could go anywhere. Not all became academics; some left to be fishermen, shipwrights, shop owners, landscapers, or anything they wanted. Having a stable upbringing helped them even if their studies didn't matter. Some even became mercenaries for the Candles, much to Hemlock's horror. A ban on hiring past students was lifted after William spent weeks convincing her it wasn't indoctrination or coercion. The shift meant William wasn't as needed to handle the mercenary load. It also meant that he would be required for the occasional professor role. He didn't want to. Humphrey begged on his hands and knees, and after that failed, he asked Hemlock to convince him. That also failed, so Doxie was enlisted to get him to do it. That worked, and it was effortless. A simple, 'Well good, it's not like you could teach them anything.' was enough for him to march right into Hemlock's office and book him.

"Ok, as I was trying to say, my name is William D. Chapston, and I will be your instructor today."

"Teacher! Can I use the restroom?" Doxie said. She had raised her hand but hadn't bothered waiting for him to call her.

"Go," William said quickly. Doxie jumped out of her seat and left.

"Professor!" an overly eager student said, standing up. "My name is Angelica Crostet! I look forward to your guidance." She spoke in a booming tone and bowed when she addressed him. She was probably 13 years old and blond. William gave her an awkward smile and nodded.

A student raised their hand, and William nodded at them.

"Professor. Why didn't you let us get our school supplies?" the boy asked. He was probably 15 and was missing his left eye. William cleared his throat and turned around to finish writing the plan's start on the chalkboard. He croaked as he realized he had chucked his chalk at Doxie. His face went red as he shuffled over and picked it up. He walked back as the students snickered at him. He started to write. He wrote a large S when he heard a familiar voice.

"Instructor!"

William peeked over his shoulder to see Doxie sitting at her spot, drinking from a glass of pineapple juice.

"Restroom?" She asked sweetly. He just nodded and let her casually stroll out.

He finished writing on the board and faced the students.

"We will be learning self-defense training!" William said confidently. The room erupted into hushed whispers; excitement and anxiety fused.

"The Eight Flames are a transportation organization-"

"I think you mean transformative," Doxie said, drinking from an ale pint with a straw; it was most likely pineapple juice. William sighed and started to count to ten again.

"Educator!"

William's eyes shot open, and they alone moved to see Doxie finishing the pint with loud slurping noises, "Restroom."

He wordlessly pointed at the door, and Doxie pushed out her chair loudly and confidently strutted out of the room. Every student in the room watched her leave and, in one motion, turned to William. His face was suddenly calm.

"Well then, as I was saying, the candles may be a greater way to help you guys achieve a better life, but we are also a mercenary group." He chirped, though his face didn't match the words, "We will always work hard to keep you safe, but in case of any sort of revenge attack, you'll need to hold your own."

"Professor. Should we all be doing this at the same time?" A young boy asked. He was probably nine. He had thick glasses on and brown hair in a bowl cut.

"Well, kid, if a crew does attack a base, trust me, they won't send their kindergarten division after you guys."

The kid's eyes widened as he sat back down.

"You guys need to be ready to fight anyone in the rare case it happens. It could be against someone as young as 13 or as old as-"

"As old as William!" Doxie called out. The class erupted into laughter. William's face focused on Doxie, who shrugged. She had a wooden barrel beside her with a long bendy straw jutting from the top. She shrugged and then raised her hand.

"Faculty member! May I-"

"No!" William snapped. Doxie looked hurt but couldn't keep a straight face anymore, so she laughed. William rolled his eyes. He pointed at two people in the room and motioned for them to come up. The two he had selected were a boy with dark blue hair and a baseball cap. He was probably 16 years old. The other was a girl around 12 years old. She was much shorter and skinnier than the boy. He directed them to face each other.

"Now. Imagine this guy is from a pirate crew mad we killed their captain some years back. He got through and snuck in, and he just spotted you."

The girl nodded.

"What do you do?" He asked her.

"Oh, um…I get ready to fight?" She asked. William gave her an encouraging nod.

"Where would you hit him first? If I remember correctly, all of you have knives you must carry at all times."

The girl nodded and pulled out a small pocketknife from her skirt pocket. William inspected it. It was a silver and white retractable pocketknife with a five-inch blade. He felt its weight and checked its sharpness. It wasn't the worst thing for self-defense.

"Okay, pretend it's open and show mow how you would act." He motioned for the guy to make his move. They stood a foot apart, and he raised his arms slowly. The girl thrust the closed knife into his ribs gently and then looked at William. He looked at them with a hand on his chin.

"Terrible," he muttered. The girl's face dropped.

"Okay, your form isn't horrible, but your target is way off." He grabbed the sash over his shoulder, held the kilt to his sword, and swung it out. He removed the sword with the sheath from the belt and leaned it over his shoulder with one hand. He used the end of the sheath to point in between the boy's legs.

"Always aim for there if you have a shot."

The class erupted into snickering from the younger students and confusion from the older ones.

"I guarantee you that making your opponent feel like they want to die will be more viable than killing them."

"Uh, professor, where did you get your credentials?" a young, chubby blond boy asked. William knew him. His name was Mustard, and he occasionally tried to make some money by playing poker against Doxie.

"I don't know." William said with a pause, "The streets, I guess."

"Our Biology professor is a retired Surgeon from the Drum kingdom."

"I've heard of that place; I hear their oven-roasted reindeer is delicious."

A silence filled the room as the students stared at him.

"Well, so what? He's a surgeon, and I was a Yonkou. Seems pretty comparable if we're just talking about credentials."

"That's hardly a qualification."

"Mustard! Thank you for volunteering." William said with his eyes closed and with a wide smile. Mustard's smile quickly vanished as he realized what bear he had poked.

"Go get him, Mustard! Easy!" Doxie said, kicking the back of his chair with her leg. Mustard turned to look at her, pleading for any assistance. Doxie pretended she didn't see him and slurped her pineapple juice as loudly as possible.

"Mustard!" William barked. He jumped and quickly darted to the front of the room with the other two.

"Now, I'm a bad guy who came onto the ship. You guys heard me come to this floor, and you have thirty seconds before I find you. Come up with a strategy and try it out."

The three of them looked at each other as William counted loudly while looking away. They quickly huddled together and whispered aggressively. When William reached thirty, he threw his sword out of the sheath and placed it on the floor. He grabbed the sheath from the bottom so that it could act as a makeshift wooden sword. The three kids charged at him when they saw him. The boy with the baseball cap had grabbed a club from the crate by the desks, and the girl had her knife in hand, this time with the blade out. She was going low, and he held the club over his head to strike from above. It's not a bad strategy for two people of differing sizes. William ran at them as well, a twisted smile on his face. As the girl swung the blade, he somersaulted over her without breaking a sweat. The boy was caught off guard but turned the club several times at William. William effortlessly parried each strike. He smacked his hand with the sheath, and the boy sharply sucked in air and dropped the club. William stepped to the side to avoid getting stabbed in the back, and as the girl stumbled past him, he lightly kicked her in the back so she would knock down the boy.

"Mustard! Now!" She yelled. Nothing happened. William thought it was a trick and prepared himself. But nothing happened. They turned and saw Mustard running away, leaving the pistol he was supposed to use on the floor as he dashed. William used Shuffle and appeared right in front of him; Mustard shrieked. William pressed the sheath against his neck and forced him on his back, where he was pinned down.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Mustard screamed. William was unamused. He was about to admonish the boy when he saw a wooden club fly at him. He tilted his head to the side so it narrowly missed. The boy in the cap looked frustrated, and before he could go back for another swing, he saw Mustard's body fly at him. He frantically dropped the club and caught him, though it sent him off his feet and under a table. The girl charged at him, knife aimed straight at him. She surprised him, though, by throwing it at him instead. He dodged and looked as she picked up the club and attempted to swing it at him. Unfortunately, she wasn't strong enough to put any real power behind it, and he could quickly knock it out of her hands. She panicked as she stood in front of him with no weapon. William chuckled and plopped his hand on top of her head.

"Great job, kiddos." He said. He jumped to his feet and walked to the board.

"What's your name?" He asked the girl.

"Taran."

William wrote her name on the board. He wrote a ten and slash over it.

"Taran, you moved well. You stayed low and tried to sneak attack me several times. Smart! The plan was your idea, and you took advantage of the surroundings to attack."

He wrote an eight over the ten.

"Small point reductions for misjudging the improvised weapon but overall, extremely strong."

"Boy-"

"My name is Elijah."

William quickly wrote his name down, spelling it wrong. He wrote nine out of ten under it and looked at him.

"Great job. You followed the plan and swooped in to save Mustard. Grow a little muscle, and you'll save everyone."

"Mustard. Mustard. Mustard."

William sadly wrote a five with an exaggeratedly large dash under it and placed a ten underneath. Mustard's eyes shot open when he saw it.

"You abandoned the plan and ran away. If you're alone, always run, but when you made a plan with your comrades, you can't just fuck around and leave them out to dry like that."

"I was following the plan! Right, guys!?"

He looked at the others desperately. They looked at each other awkwardly and nodded hesitantly. William's eyes darted from one face to another, and he sighed. He erased the five and quickly wrote down a four. Mustard cried.

"Listen, guys, this is life and death; I'm going to try convincing Hemlock to give you pistols, so for now, grab a gun from the crate and make your way behind the blackboard. Everyone shuffled out of the seats and moved to get a firearm, except for Doxie and Mustard. Mustard was quietly crying and muttering about his grade point average. Doxie was still drinking her juice from the barrel.

"Cheer up, Mustard. Don't let William scare you; he's not tough."

"Tough enough to take on Blue Blood." He shot back.

"I mean, technically, Ragnar took out Blue Blood."

"Technically, you're already a self-defense expert, so you shouldn't be here."

"Hemlock asked me to look after you to ensure you didn't curse in front of the kids."

"Well, the mission failed. You are dismissed now, " he said, crossing his arms. Doxie stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and nodded happily. She moved towards the box, pulled out a pistol, and walked over to the rest of the group. William sighed.

The group could have been better with pistols. William watched them all take turns missing the targets for a few minutes before bringing the targets closer by a few feet.

"Now, watch this," William said. He pulled his pistol from the holster and shot each target once in the forehead. "See?"

The group all looked at him in awe, but none nodded. William was satisfied with the reaction and motioned for them to hurry up and try again. Twenty minutes resulted in slightly better results. Seven shots hit the targets; three were even kill shots. William tapped his foot and scanned the crowd.

"Time to move in a different direction."

He dug in the box and pulled out a sword, a cutlass like the one he used to wield. He tossed it to one of the students, who dropped his pistol to catch it. When the pistol hit the floor, it went off and almost hit a younger kid in the foot. William held out the sheath of his sword in his offhand and motioned for the kid to attack him. He charged at him with both hands clutching the sword; he swung at his head.

"Not bad, but a short blade like that combined with your height, a lower strike would have been better," William said as he immediately blocked the swing. The kid unleashed a sea of unorganized and haphazard slashes at William, who had no difficulty stopping them. William closed the distance, swung the sheath harder than usual to disorientate the boy, and pushed him back with his other hand. The push sent the boy off his feet, and he flew back, dropping the blade as he fell and hitting his knee. He lay on the floor, clutching his knee and cursing.

"Good show, who's next?" William said. No one one volunteered. The smaller kids tried to hide behind the larger ones, and the larger ones tried their hardest to avoid eye contact. Doxie raised her hand and walked forward. She picked up the sword and held it out. William readied himself. She ran at him, throwing a few daggers at him; as she ran, William dodged out of the way effortlessly and kept his eyes trained on her. She threw a pouch, and before she could dodge it, it exploded with a cloud of powder that made his eyes watery and made him start sneezing. Doxie chuckled as she lunged at him to stab him with the dagger. Before she could pierce him, she felt a sharp pain in her ribs that took her off her feet. William had predicted her move and swung at her. She cursed and grabbed her side.

"The fuck?! You have observation Haki, Bruv?! You have been holding out on me?" She growled.

"That old move? You'll find I don't need my eyes to see you when you come at me like that!" He said in a cocky way between sneezes. Doxie scowled and threw her sword away, instead grabbing two large daggers from her belt. William lunged at her again, his nose clear from the powder. The two embarked on an epic clash of blades. The class had difficulty following as William and Doxie jumped from table to table and chair to chair. William would parry many blows from her right hand while trying to dodge swings from her left. Doxie would throw seemingly endless knives at him whenever he tried to create distance.

He had just leaped back to another table when he saw a few more knives coming at him. He had anticipated it this time and used a chair to block them. He threw the chair at Doxie, who dropped it to get under the table. She tried to rest for a second before she had to roll out of the way as William had shattered that table in half with a kick from the top. Doxie threw more blades at him, and he jumped from chair to chair. He jumped and landed on the blackboard; Doxie was behind him. They exchanged blows, mostly William swinging his much longer sheath as she blocked with her daggers. He went low and hit her in the shin. She cursed and let down her arms. He charged forward and pushed her from the top of the chalkboard, and she landed on a table. She was about to get up when a poke to the head with the end of the sheath stopped her.

"You're dead," William said, breathing a little heavy. The crowd was utterly captivated, and then they erupted into cheers. They swarmed Doxie, patted her back, and congratulated her for being so strong.

"If this were real, I would have whooped this waste man." She said, grinning as everyone laughed and nodded.

"Holding back?!" William exclaimed, "I didn't even have my sword!"

"Details, details." She waved her hand at him, "The mighty Yonkou can't even beat a fifteen-year-old girl, sad days."

William's face went red; if it was from rage or embarrassment, no one was quite sure.

"Doxie, honey, how nice." A voice rang out from the entrance. Everyone turned to see Hemlock standing there. She wore her usual outfit but had her hair tied into two braids. She walked forward and smiled warmly at all the students. Hemlock grabbed a little vial from her belt and threw it at William; he caught it and looked at her, confused. He drank it and suddenly felt a surge of energy come over him. He felt much lighter, and his breathing instantly started calming down. His heartbeat was coming back to reasonable levels.

"An antidote, darling." She said slyly. "That poison on your blades has been real useful, Doxie?"

Doxie coughed and tugged her collar awkwardly, nodding.

"Charming story about poisoned weapons. We would get a low-potency venom for your knives, but we decided against it because of Doxie. The poor girl, she cut herself by accident with a paralyzing poison-laced knife; the little devil was on the floor frozen for hours."

Everyone looked at Doxie; her face was red, and she looked like she was trying to think of a pointed remark to shoot back. A silence lingered, a silence that was desperate to be filled with laughter but wasn't because Doxie's eyes darted around the crowd with her hands on her knives. A quiet snickering was heard. Doxie and everyone else's eyes darted to the side to see who it was. Mustard was covering his mouth and laughing.

"So that's funny?" Doxie asked so quietly that it was almost lost on the group. Mustard froze as he realized his mistake. He was going to say something when suddenly Hemlock spoke:

"Class dismissed."

There was a brief second of calm before Mustard ran, Doxie right on his tail. The class clamored after them, begging for mercy on behalf of Mustard. Hemlock and William watched them leave.

"Well, that was a disaster," William grumbled.

"I don't know, it could have been worse."

"How?"

Hemlock paused, thinking, "I don't know, but I'm sure it could have been."

William plopped down on a chair and groaned loudly.

"Please don't tell me I have to do this again." He said. Hemlock walked over and sat on his lap.

"I think you look very dapper when you're teaching." She said into his ear.

"Please answer my question."

"I'm serious, what? Seeing you command the room like that, I've never seen such a handsome man before."

"But none of them respected me."

"Oh hush, Doxie will come with me next time. A little practice, and you can show all Humphrey's friends up."

"I have nothing against them; they're trained and good at this. I don't know how to deal with kids."

"A little practice and you'll be the greatest teacher here; I just know it."

"Why don't you just do it?"

"And miss seeing my man in action? Baby, I wouldn't dream of it."

"You can't get me that easily; I know you sent Doxie to get me to this the first time."

"You're so smart." Hemlock purred into his ear, "Come on, sensei, I think I'm up for some after-school lessons."

"Eww, gross, " he said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "In this context, you'd be a child, you know?"

"I've been held back a few dozen times."

William shuttered.

"You prude." She said, changing her position to straddle him, resting her hands on his shoulders. William reflexively put his hands on her hips.

"Mr. Chapston, as the headmistress of this school, I believe a long talk about your teaching methods is in order." She whispered into his ear.

"What are you guys doing?" a voice asked from the entranceway. They both jerked their heads to the side and saw a child standing there.

"Umm, Tarrison, what are you doing?" Hemlock asked, so frozen in shock that she hadn't gotten off William's lap.

"Why are you sitting on his lap?"

"You know it's rude to answer a question with another question, " Hemlock said, sounding like she had just said it as a reflex.

"Kid, um, I'm just uhh, checking her hair for lice," William said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, It's easier for me to undo her braids from here."

"Oh, ok." The kid said and left, disinterested now. William let out a sigh of relief.

"Now, let's just hope he doesn't everyone." He said.

"What are we doing?" Hemlock said, shaking her head. William extended his neck to kiss her jawline, and she whipped around to look at him. She looked truly shocked that he would continue like nothing was wrong.

"You're not even going to close the door!?"

"Nah, I think it'll be fine."

"Will it?"

She got off his lap and undid her braids as she walked out. William stood up and quickly followed her.

"My room or yours?" He asked as she reached her. She turned around and looked at him, annoyed.

"Mine." She said pouting.

"Promise me you won't let the snakes out of the herbarium in the morning this time; Noodle almost choked me out last time."

"Shut up, professor. We still have much to do for the trip, and if he wakes you up, I'll keep him around."

William groaned loudly, but he didn't say anything. He just followed her to her room to enjoy the evening.