Sabaody Archipelago VII

The Jolly Roger that Ban and Akane had made was a big fox skull with red fur. The eyes were the same as those of a fox as well as the ears. As the design didn't look all that nice with the nine tails surrounding it, those were left out. A simple and to the point flag, just like she wanted it.

(A/N: What a bummer that it is a simple one huh? Too bad I am not that creative with Jolly Roger designs, so if someone knows a better one [With picture if possible] I will surely change it in the future, when the flag is improved.)

As the new crew members had been shown around, what followed was to see what they could do. If they lacked something they could learn, so there wasn't any real problem if they didn't know how to fight.

Standing outside a few miles away from their ship, Akane let Ban handle the sparring matches.

The ones who were up first were the fishman brothers.

As both Asher and Duke didn't have any weapons, they had been procured from the storage. The weapons weren't that strong or durable, showing signs of wear. Luckily this was a sparring match and not a real fight.

Duke had equiped one of the broadswords, while Asher had grabbed a pair of guns. He grabbed a few handfulls of ammunition, loading the gun and testing out its mechanisms.

Then both sides were ready and waiting for the other to move.

The first one to begin was Asher, who was shooting towards Ban. Duke took his chance as he ran forward with sword in hand.

Seeing the two took the initiative, Ban grinned, running forward and clashing with Duke. Both the broadsword and Courechouse clashed, emitting sparks when they met. Then in the openings Ban showed, Asher would take aim and shoot.

The battle lasted for a short while, enough to let Asher and Duke showcase their armed and unarmed battlestyles. Halfway through the spar, they both were unarmed, making them fight hand to hand. They showcased good technique that was only used by the fishmen, as well as shooting water bullets from their arms.

At the end the winner was still Ban.

Asher and Duke were lying panting on the ground as they stared at the bubbles drifting in the air.

"Strong. He is so strong. How strong would the captain be?"

Asher muttered as he glanced at his brother.

"She must be strong as well. It was the right choice to follow them. We can get stronger in their crew."

Duke replied as both didn't even try to get up. They were too exhausted.

"Alright~ Who's next? I'm itching to move about."

Ban hummed, stretching his limbs, as if he hadn't moved about enough yet.

"Then I'll go."

Soren said, stepping forward to face Ban.

"Hoh, a challenger had appeared."

Ban replied, motioning for Soren to make his move.

Not being polite at all, Soren rushed forward, already showcasing his speed which was thrice that of the fishmen brothers.

On his paws, elektricity was sparkling as he swiped at Ban, dodging Courechouse every time it inched towards his body.

"Haha, a better opponent than the brothers. Now let's pick up the pace~"

Ban chuckled as his speed doubled, making it harder for Soren to dodge all of the attacks. This didn't mean he couldn't react to them, as he once or twice managed to graze Ban's body.

When that happened, Ban just smirked as the electricity shocked him. But that was all, it did nothing to stop him or detain him from beating the shit out of Soren. The end result was the same as the fishmen brothers. A clear view of the blue sky.

"What about you, Mero. Can you fight?"

Akane asked, looking questioningly at Mero, who could barely even walk on her own on land.

"I can't fight, but I can learn."

Mero replied full of confidence, especially when she glanced at Shinobu.

"Alright then. Are there other things you guys are good at besides fighting?"

The fishmen brothers kept quiet, with the only ones to speak up were Soren and Mero.

"I can repair ships, as well as build them"

Soren replied as he regained a bit of his breath and sat upright.

"And I can sing and play the instruments. I can also talk to fish and breath underwater. Swimming is also a speciality of the merfolk, as we are the fastest in the water."

The two fishmen nodded at Mero's comment, showing she was speaking true.

"Alright then. Soren will be the shipwright of our ship. I'll think about the others later if you still want to join after we reach Fishmen island."

They all nodded.

"Combat practices will be done when we are traveling. Mero will be taught how to shoot, as she isn't suited for using swords or any other close melee weapons. She can be taught how to use weapons under water, but that will be done by the fishmen brothers. There will also be daily haki training, as well as other topics you might want to learn, such as cooking, medical knowledge or other things. Am I clear?"

""""Yes!""""

"Good, then you four stay near the ship our disguise yourselves. Slave trade is rampant in this place, as all of you have known. It would be bad if you are captured again."

The former slaves looks at each other, knowing what Akane said was true. They had experienced it for themselves after all.

"We'll stay on the ship. We've seen enough of this place."

Soren said, speaking for the rest as well.

Akane nodded, motioning for Ban to follow her.

Both she and Ban were going out again, letting Shinobu and Lafitte decided for themselves on what they wanted to do.

Shinobu looked at the two leaving backs and glanced at the new additions of the crew.

"My~ Let's start with the lessons shall we? I can't wait to teach you about Haki~"

The four of them felt a shiver down their backs, though Mero looked only in worship at the dazzling smile of Shinobu. Ah, how she wanted to be as merciless as Shinobu. Then she wouldn't have to worry about being helpless again.

While Shinobu led the four on deck to start their training, Lafitte had already disappeared, returning to his information gathering.