scavenging around the forest area was nothing more then a nice walk around home to Mea, being from a island full of forests, animals and lakes, and Mea loved to just explore new areas and find new things that were interesting to her and find more medical herbs to use in medicine, while discovering more herbs and interesting plants that could be used for antidotes, medicines or drugs. following a basic trail was far too boring for her tastes, so Mea choose to take the fun route by swinging around the trees, having a smile on her face before going towards the town to explore that too. "i wounder if this town has any medical herbs or actual medical books i can get. i would really like to buy a ice cream or two. i am sooo hungry. books first... maybe. i am really hungry. food first then books." Mea said as she would climb down the last tree she got on and gone into town, eating a fair amount of cherries and strawberries along the way to a book store.

If there was one way for Elise to describe her opinion about this island, then the term 'paradise' might had qualified perfectly. While the island seemed to be lacking in hills or dense forests that could conceal adventures, the population made it more than worthy for her to stay. The Karate Island, like the name suggested was an island famous for its large amount of martial arts practitioners, and alongside the friendly demeanor of the farmers her aunt had considered it the perfect location for Elise to start her journey. There was no need for her to fear any consequences from her past as a slave, for her stay among the people had proven that the marines were generally considered to be disliked.

Of course she did feel a bit lonely, having spend nearly thirteen whole years alongside Margaret's crew the fact she was now on her own was almost akin to when a teenager decided to leave the home they had been raised in. Still, the thought seemed to stir something inside her, for a hand reached toward the hairpin that kept her hair nicely tied into a ponytail. It was a memento of her mother, a mother she had never known.

It was difficult to admit, but in Elise's eyes she had no place to call home. She had lived most of her childhood in the slave pens alongside her father and the fellow slaves, and while Margaret and her crew were almost like family... it still didn't truly feel like home to her.

If only her father had lived to see the day, the day she was walking, free from chains and with no master to claim ownership over her future. No, she would be the one to decide her own future, create her own destiny with those two hands. It was for that reason she had decided to train alongside the martial arts masters of Karate Island, in the hope of honing her skills.

"Hajime!"

One of the teachers declared the start signal of the match, causing Elise's eyes to narrow into a focused gaze upon her opponent. The person in question was a tall man, around her own age wearing the type of garb most students wore: a dogi. He was swift, undeniably so but he was still within her ability to perceive his movements. The initial opening strike went to him, a swift jab being aimed toward her chest, but to the man's surprise a solid sidestep allowed her to slide past the man's arm, a swift sideways spin with her body allowing her arms to lock down onto the man's upper-arm and before he could recover from the surprise she locked her arm under his shoulder and with a solid pull tossed the man over her shoulder.

It was an effective basic throwing technique she had learned during her stay on the island, and although the man was tossed several paces forwards it merely caused him to fall onto the ground, regaining his footing a moment later.

"Not a bad throw Elise, but you need to learn to finish your opponent."

One of the masters, an elderly man looked with a stern gaze at her.

"Understood Sensei!"

A brief nod was made by the woman, a curt response while she watched the man move in for a second attack. Obviously he was going to be aware of her throwing attempts, so she would need to think of something new. A technique that wouldn't simply throw an enemy, but actually harm them in the process, hopefully rendering them defenseless. A series of jabs followed, some of them being nimbly dodged while other struck her shoulders and arms. Each strike that landed told her the man had some considerable strength in his muscles, but perhaps she could turn that strength against him!

When her opponent lashed with a sideways sweep of his leg Elise seemed to had been hit by the strike, reeling backwards as she seemed to stagger, but this moment of opportunity had unknowingly been used as a feint by her. This was made clear when the man's attempt to throw a punch at her was suddenly intercepted by Elise's arms wrapping around his shoulder and waist and with a sudden forceful pull throw him not only over her, but a agile flip allowed her to land on top of the man's body.

"Good, keep that position for a moment you two."

Elise blinked in surprise at one of the teachers's command, and while the two of them observed the tutor approaching the dueling pair the words that followed caused her to frown while thinking deeply.

"Your style specializes in defensive counter-attacks Elise, but not all opponents will be intimidated with a failed attack. This throw just now helped you establish a dominant position on your opponent. I'd like you to invent a finishing strike for this attack. By the way, did you realize you just carried out a Hikikomi Gaeshi?"

The dumbfound look on the woman's face caused the man to laugh briefly before he continued.

"Thought so, anyway memorize those motions, and by tomorrow I'd like you to think of a way to actually inflict harm onto your opponent after placing them in a lock. That's all for today my students."

Elise nodded her head firmly, helping her opponent get back up and after a brief bow made her way back to one of the villages. Little did she know at that time that as she was returning to one of her favorite stores in the village, a bookstore that housed a lot of the materials she tended to read in her spare time, and while wiping the sweat from her face with a towel she had borrowed from the dojo the young woman caught sight of an unfamiliar figure.

"Don't think I seen her around the island before..."

It wasn't that difficult to memorize everyone with the small population the island had, roughly around 300 people, and most of them were martial art practitioners or farmers, and this girl didn't really hold the feeling of the latter... Perhaps a tourist?

"Excuse me, are you lost by any chance? I overheard you mumbling about food, but I doubt you'd find the books in this store to satisfy your appetite."

Mea, being curious as always, would stare at the girl that just talked to her about finding a book to satisfy her appetite and would giggle slightly at the what she thought the girl meant. "hehehe... your funny. i had some food just now and i was just going into the shop to find some medical books to help me develop my skills. you see, i am a doctor and i am just... starting out on my journey to become the worlds best doctor, but i need medical books so then i can reference herbs and other medical plants so then i can use them in my medicine. oh, my name is Mea Kurosaki, and i am a part of a crew. what is your name, miss and are you a part of any organization or are you a pirate? " Mea asked in a curious tone, never once letting her eyes leave the girls, and having a smile on her face to show she was very cheerful and carefree at times.

A doctor at such a young age? That was quite an accomplishment in Elise's eyes. So far most doctors she had met before seemed to had been older, perhaps hardened by years of experience and wisdom. Then again, people did often say that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. She smiled calmly in return, replying in the usual friendly demeanor she tended to display.

"That's quite a wonderful goal you have Mea, I'll hope you succeed."

When the question behind her name was raised, and the rather carefree question whether she belonged to any organization or was a pirate Elise couldn't help but take a short pause before responding. It was a natural thing to be slightly worried about, in the end Margaret told her not to mention her involvement with the Revolutionists to anyone, and it seemed to be a bad idea to mention her past as one of the symbolic remnants of the first pirate war. In the end slavery was still considered a normal thing by many, and who knew what would happen if people learned she was a liberated slave.

"My name is Elise, it's a pleasure to meet you Mea. On terms of organizations I don't really belong to any groups or factions. I'm more or less a adventurer or explorer of trade."

She smiled briefly, a skillful attempt to conceal her deception and while stepping past the girl into the bookstore she scooped a small book from one of the shelves, making a light wave at the shopkeeper who recognized her right away.

"The call for adventure is an alluring one to me. Not only does it allow me to see all sorts of wonderful sights that this world has to offer, but it also grants me an opportunity to find answers that often can't be found in books. My greatest passions are martial arts and history, so I'd love nothing more than to stumble onto the ruins of an ancient civilization, or read about some famous myths."

She turned back toward Mea, gesturing with her hand at the book she had just drawn and upon flipping its front toward the girl explained with a grin.

"It's one of the reasons why I'm on Karate island right now. There are some fascinating stories about this place. For example the legend of the Ryuujin. Stories say that a powerful martial arts master existed that had such a strong grip that his bare hands could tear through steel! While other parts of the legend are more outlandish and describe him as a man who shares the qualities of a mystical beast, I been looking for the source of this myth. If this Ryuujin master exists I would love to learn the secrets of his martial arts style someday."

Placing the book back on the shelf she pondered back about Mea's earlier goal. The girl wanted to find some medical books, but she wasn't certain where one would find those. Perhaps the shopkeeper would know? In the end there were plenty of books about herbs and the like...

Mea, being the obvious honest person that she was, was a little bit less confident about telling Elise that she was a pirate but she would try to anyway. "I am a Pirate, Elise. though i don't fight, i still have Devil fruit powers. does that make me a bad girl to you, Miss Elise? if not, then i thank you. if so... i am greatly sorry. one more thing, if you hate me, i understand. i am a pirate so that is understandable, but if you don't.. then i am happy. umm... can we still buy some medicinal books? i don't want to fight. i am not allowed to. oh, cool, new edition of the latest medicinal book. i need to get this!!!" Mea said at first in a scared tone but near the end in a sweet and honest tone, as she would go over to the large section on medicine and herbs books.

Speaking about some startling revelations! Not only did Mea suddenly start talking about possessing some type of mysterious power that might had been associated with the term 'Devil Fruit'. However, the secret that seemed more important to Mea, and one that she seemingly was a bit concerned about revealing was her status as a pirate. It was understandable that the girl was worried, in the end the response a pirate could receive could be quite different depending on the person and location one was at. Elise's hand raised itself lightly, seemingly a bit higher than the level Mea's head might had been at, when without any warning she tried to gently pet the girl's head, replying in a gentle tone that carried the same time of comforting kindness an elder sister might had shown.

"I don't believe that being a pirate makes you a bad girl Mea. A person is judged by their deeds, not by their status or origins. There are plenty of pirates in the world, and each crew might have a different code than the others they follow."

She paused for a moment, thinking back about a book she had once read about that special type of seafarer. Quoting the text she read at that time, albeit rephrasing it with her own words the young woman continued her response.

"Pirates aren't inherently evil beings. A lot of them simply are labeled pirates because they desire the freedom to create their own code to follow. Their own set of laws to obey, but above all: they are simply adventurous souls who desire the chance to decide their own future. In the end in my opinion pirates can often be more reasonable and just than the corruption I seen from the government, and the Marines who blindly follow their commands like lapdogs."

With a little grin Elise finally withdrawn her hand, whether she had been given the chance to pet the girl's head or not, and after Mea's attention turned back toward the books the young woman gestured toward a nearby shelf that was a few steps away from Mea's location.

"If you're going on an adventure you'd need to find the right books to bring with you Mea. For example if you'd travel around South Blue you'd likely want a book that teaches you about the fauna and flora of the region. This doesn't simply help you when you are looking for herbs or similar materials for medicine, but you might even recognize what island you're on if that island has some exclusive materials. Aside from that I'd recommend getting this book."

She gestured toward a specific book on one of the middle shelves, explaining with a smile.

"The doctor of my aunt's crew often told me about those books. This one in particular 'The Blue Disease clues' is a book that records most known diseases of the various Blues, their symptoms and treatment suggestions. Unfortunately I'm not a doctor so the medical terms tend to go over my head."

She smiled bashfully at her comment, but tried to swiftly change the subject to something else.

"But you don't have to worry about me hating you Mea. As far as I care you have done nothing worthy of being hated. Well, unless you rob children of their candy and elderly people of their walking canes, but then rather than a proper fight I'd think just some scolding would work. Nevertheless, you caught my curiosity with something you said earlier... What is this devil fruit you talked about? I haven't read about such things before."

after getting patted and having the recommendation of the book from Elise's aunt, Mea would smile and happily answer her question, if the guy that came in didn't interrupt her. ".... Elise, a devil fruit is a fruit that gives you powers but takes away your ability to swim. if you eat one and enter the sea, you can't swim and you will die if your head is covered in water. now, mister... why did you intend to interrupt us? it is not polite to interrupt us ladies unless you intend to be a lady. Te-hehe... want me to make you into one? it wouldn't take that long, just a little injection and it will be done. you don't want to mess with little me, do you sir? i am the Horu horu no mi devil fruit user, and i will mess up your hormones if you don't give me a good reason. " Mea said in a vicious tone towards the new comer, yet a calm tone towards Elise, making her fingers into syringes ready to inject the guy with any hormone she felt was gonna make a good reaction and a good amount of fun to use.

Talking about a startling change of demeanor. The previously sweet and innocent sounding Mea had suddenly shown a rather vicious little side to her. Although it was cute in a certain way, the sight of the pirate girl's hands turning into syringe-like appendages caused the woman's eyes to widen in surprise. Was this the power of the devil fruit? She called it the Horu Horu no Mi fruit, and was clearly too eager to reveal her abilities. The power to manipulate a person's hormones certainly was a potent ability, especially in the hands of a doctor.

"Mea, gloating with your powers like that is the same type of thing those 'bad people' I spoke about earlier would do. Surely you don't want to become known as someone who abuses their power for something petty like having a conversation interrupted? We could easily continue our conversation, whether with that man's company or somewhere private with just us two if you'd prefer that."

Her tone while soft and gentle did hold a certain scolding tone toward it, yet she didn't seem to be displaying any sense of anger or fear at Mea's change in attitude. Still, the man's arrival did happen to be right around a peculiar subject.

"I assume that your interest was primarily drawn by the conversation about those unique fruits that Mea was so sweet to explain to me? I'd admit it would be a source of interest for any adventurous person. Still... Mea, you shouldn't reveal your ability so easily. Did you know there is a certain saying among martial arts practitioners?"

She paused for a moment, raising a finger to her chin while trying to recall the saying she was thinking of.

"The element of surprise can often be the decisive factor in a battle. When you go on adventures you'll often find dangerous situations that might demand you to fight to protect yourself or those you care for. The less people know about your skills, the more likely your chances are to catch someone off-guard. For that reason you should try to only reveal your abilities to those you can trust, like friends? In the end it would be sad for a sweet girl like yourself to get in troubles because everyone around the Blues knows about your gift."

She smiled briefly, hoping that Mea would understand her explanation when finally she turned her focus back toward the new arrival.

"But that's enough nagging from me~ So what brings you here sir? Sightseeing, or perhaps you're visiting one of the many dojo in hope to learn the secrets of the Karate Island masters?"

That wouldn't be a surprise, in the end everyone knew from the name alone already that Karate Island's treasures were mostly found in the secrets and teachings of the various martial art styles that were taught on the island. It was the very reason she was here in the first place.

[lax of activity, Exit]