Dojo
Few days later...
The ship had finally arrived at Fish-Man island, Ray wasn't really able to sleep much during the journey despite the Sea King dragging the ship. Some brave Sea Kings had a go at his ship regardless so he had to keep watch all day.
To rouse less attention, Ray put away his Marine coat and suit. Instead he wore a set of casual black t-shirt and shorts, as well as some flip flops. Honestly, Ray looked like a regular guy, no one would be guess his identity.
Ray then ordered his subordinates to explore if they wanted, as long as they stayed out of troubles, he assumed they'd be here for a while.
Moments later, Ray could be seen strolling around Fish-Man island, contrasting from his casual look, he was constantly getting stares directed towards him. A mix of disgust, fear and curiosity could be felt by Ray.
'How sad, their hate for humans is quite deep although justified' thought Ray. The only times Fishmen interacted with humans was either pirates attempting to raid the island or Celestial dragons trying to enslave them.
Fishmen and Merfolk have often been on the receiving end of discrimination, oppression and cruelty for generations.
They hate humans because, ultimately they were the ones who forced them underwater and sell them as slaves. The humans however, hate them because of their strange appearances.
"You're not wanted here... human!" said a bystander, hate filled within his eyes.
Another bystander simply spat below Ray's feet.
Now usually, Ray would have knocked them out but he ignored them this time. He couldn't blame them, they were isolated from the rest of the world and were educated as kids about what was right or wrong.
This development of hate was ultimately due to the Celestial Dragons and filthy pirates.
Not bothering to ask for directions, Ray simply located the Fish-Man Karate Dojo through his Observation Haki.
'Now, convincing them to teach me might be tricky' thought Ray, using Soru, he headed directly towards the dojo.
Moments later...
Ray was sat in front of 3 large men, all significant larger than Ray himself who stood at 7'2. One of them being Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords, who Ray recognized, as for the other two, he guessed they were instructors at the Dojo.
Unlike the locals, these 3 held no hate towards humans in their heart, an odd group.
Jinbe was a large blue whale shark fish-man. He had a stocky build similar to that of a sumo wrestler and a face that's commonly associated with various Japanese demons such as the oni.
He also possesses two tusk-like conical lower fangs associated with Oni as well; the rest of his teeth from the upper and lower rows are pretty much the same, albeit much smaller.
"Hmm, Jinbe doesn't he look a little familiar?" asked one of the instructors.
"Indeed, I'm not sure what a Vice Admiral is doing here" answered Jinbe, as one of the Seven Warlords, it would be strange if he didn't recognize powerful figures in the New World.
The two instructors looked a little shocked before inspecting Ray and slowly nodding.
"Nice to meet you all, I'm Ray" introduced Ray with a smile.
"What's your purpose in visiting our dojo, Vice Admiral?" asked Jinbe with a slight smile.
"You see, I heard that this dojo teaches the famous Fish-Man Karate, so I took a vacation and came here" replied Ray truthfully.
"A human wishes to learn our martial art?" asked an instructor in intrigue.
"Although it's not impossible, Fish-Man Karate was initially invented for Fishmen, so it's harder for humans to master it" said Jinbe
"I understand, but there's no harm in trying" replied Ray
"All right, I'll teach you myself" said Jinbe
"Thank you, Jinbe, I owe you one"
"No need, this is a dojo after all, people are free to come and learn"
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3 months later...
Fish-Man Karate is a style that mainly revolves around striking techniques. According to Jinbe, the secret of Fish-Man Karate is mastery of the water in the user's direct vicinity.
The sea itself is a Fish-Man Karate user's most effective and powerful weapon, and in addition to actual water, users of Fish-Man Karate can utilize the moisture in the air and even the water inside of people's bodies.
While stronger in the water, Fish-Man Karate can still be deadly on land, as one can use it to make the moisture in the air carry the force of their strikes to their target, meaning the user can still land a blow on their enemy without needing to make physical contact.
Additionally, because every creature has a high percentage of water in their body, the users of Fish-Man Karate are able to drastically increase the damage caused by their blows via the force of the impact traveling through the water within the opponent's body.
This enables them to battle opponents that are usually highly resistant or immune to blunt force blows.
Although, both Fish-Man Karate and Rokuogan produced shockwaves, the way they worked was inherently different.
Ray spent the first month trying to grasp the basics of the martial art; as Ray already possessed insane physical capabilities, it was much easier for him to grasp it.
Throughout next few months, Ray kept sparring with Jinbe. Truthfully, Ray wasn't bothered about the secret techniques that Jinbe possessed, he had his own after all.
What he truly wanted to achieve was the combination of both Fish-Man Karate and his own techniques. If he couldn't, then it would provide very little boosts to his strength.
Learning the basics of the martial art itself wasn't overly difficult, but implementing it to his own style was proving to be challenging.
"You really are dedicated, Ray" complemented Jinbe, Ray had been training non stop since his first day, he learned quick for a human but it seemed he wasn't satisfied.
"Hah, it's frustrating when you can't make progress Jinbe, the only thing I can do is simply work harder" replied Ray, sweating profusely from his body.
"Why do you seek strength, Ray?" asked Jinbe suddenly, throughout these past few months, they had gotten a little closer.
"In a world where scum roam free and the nobles themselves gather slaves... is it not obvious?"
Continuing, Ray said, "With all due respect Jinbe, but if the Fishmen were strong enough, the celestial dragons wouldn't dare take your people as slaves"
"Despite possessing greater innate physical gifts, why is it that humans still rule the world?" questioned Ray.
Jinbe remained silent, unable to answer as he knew Ray was correct. After that brief chat, Ray cleaned himself up and prepared to leave.
"Jinbe, I appreciate your help, if you get into any trouble, let me know" announced Ray.
"It's okay, despite what the locals think, you're always welcome here my friend" said Jinbe as he gave Ray a hug.
As they said their goodbyes, Ray went back to his Marine Ship where his men were and departed from Fish-Man island. He hadn't really explored as he felt the locals were uncomfortable being near him but it was a useful trip.
Properly implementing Fish-Man Karate would most likely take a few more years, his mastery of the fighting style wasn't at a desired level.
'Now, it's time I head back to Marineford' thought Ray, as he put his Marine uniform back on for the first time in months.
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