Pairing Sanji against Mister Five and Nami against Miss Valentine had been a bit of a gamble, but Brynlee believed in her friends. Plus, they wouldn't get any stronger if they stuck to opponents literally tailor-made for them. And, since she could fully focus on them, she figured nothing could actually go wrong right now.

"What's your game here, Bryn?"

She glanced to Zoro, who was sitting on some debris, cleaning one of his swords. She could tell he was itching to join in but was also curious enough about her intentions not to – yet.

"Sanji is an excellent fighter, but he's used to hitting hard and people falling right after. If he can't get close enough, he's at a serious disadvantage. And, frankly, he sucks at evasive maneuvers. As you can see, his opponent is the opposite – he excels at long-distance and every single snot-shot packs a serious punch. So, Sanji will need to put in some work in order to beat him, unlike most foes he's faced in the past."

"Huh. And Nami?"

"She's used to fighting bigger and stronger opponents. She's been learning to master Fishman Karate for years, now – managed to earn her twenty-ninth black belt right before we left, in fact. But she's hesitant in going all out, still doubts at the very last second. Her opponent, Miss Valentine, possesses a Devil Fruit capable of altering her own weight – she's extremely agile and fast, and a single blow from her risks taking Nami down. So, Nami needs to think quickly and act decisively in order to beat her."

"And me?"

Brynlee blinked, glancing back to Zoro. "Pardon?"

"You're pretty good at this. So, what do you think I need to work on?"

She paused, thinking it over. Zoro was a disciplined and dedicated learner. He already used every opportunity to grow and further his mastery of the three-swords style. Unlike Sanji and Nami, it was a little harder to see anything he needed to improve upon that he wasn't already working toward.

"… learn to loosen up a little."

"Aah? What's that supposed to mean?"

She grinned. "You're too principled. I sincerely respect your sense of honor, but also… you're a pirate. If you're not ready to break a couple of rules, it kinda defeats the point, you know? There's no harm in fighting dirty from time to time." He scoffed, honestly seeming a little disappointed, but she forged on. "The opponents we will face in the future… some will fight honorably, others will not. And if you cannot learn to adapt, then it will either mean your death, or ours."

A bigger explosion suddenly echoed, shaking the ground a bit. Reporting her attention to the fight, Brynlee was pleased to see that Sanji was finally getting the hang of it – he was managing just enough force to kick the explosives back, while maintaining just enough gentleness that they wouldn't explode right in his face. And those he couldn't kick away, he avoided, until he was close enough to finally take his opponent down.

A little further away, Nami seemingly had enough of getting thrown around in the dirt, and she started delivering some serious blows of her own. While fast, Miss Valentine wasn't exactly a hand-to-hand combat expert – the moment Nami managed to corner her, she was done for. In a matter of seconds, Nami managed to knock her right through a wall, effectively ending the fight.

"Good job, guys!" Brynlee congratulated, sincerely proud. "You were amazing out there!"

"I'm gonna have so many bruises…" whined Nami, collapsing in her friend's open arms.

"I need a shower," stated plainly Sanji.

Nami shot him an annoyed look. "Me first! You didn't even get dirty!"

"Two words: Explosive. Snot."

"… Take your time," relented Nami, slightly backing away.

Brynlee glanced back toward Zoro, a bit curious since he hadn't said anything in answer to the advice she'd offered. He seemed pensive, so there was that. With Sanji and Nami winning their respective fights, he probably granted a little more credit to Brynlee's analyzing skills than he initially did.

And now, it's about time the crew officially met Vivi, isn't it?

Any further combat scenes (in the immediate future, at the very least) will be pretty much written in a similar way. There will be focus on key elements, but not many details about the fighting itself.

Toddles~