A gentle breeze blew through the clearing, the newly formed branches began to sway in rhythm. Hiro chose his moment and let loose a devastating blow. His fist rocketed forward, smashing into  the tree. Wood splinters littered the air. Roots began to show immediately as they were pulled from their resting places. The towering tree did not fall from the blow. It had withstood the attack but just barely, its heftier and older roots were still clinging to life. Hiro took a step back to investigate the outcome; the tree still stood, but it was now leaning at a near 45 degree angle. He couldn't help but grow frustrated, not because he'd failed to fell the tree, but because he knew his rematch wouldn't be settled with strength alone.

It took half an hour to right the tree and bury its roots, he didn't care to find another punching bag. He didn't have the luxury of trying to learn a new style. So he decided his own style would have to suffice. I just need to change the way I come at a situation. He kicked off this training session with a bang in order to release the pent up frustration he'd accumulated over the past few days. Now it was time to start in earnest, his rematch would begin tomorrow and he didn't want to have any regrets, no matter the outcome. His fists flew with an equal rhythm. First he'd throw a few jabs with his right hand and then with his left. He was as fast as usual but he his blows had no substance. Hiro was polishing his defensive probing technique. If he couldn't find an opening, he'd have to make one.

Probing an opponent that couldn't attack nor defend itself wasn't going to help him, so instead he focused on the speed and placement as well as his ability to interpret them. He'd become so engrossed in his task that he didn't realize it when the sun began to set. He didn't feel any more confident than when he began earlier that day; but there was no time to doubt himself. I need to rest up...tomorrow is the big day. He rushed over to the mess hall, ignoring the gnawing at the back of his mind. He'd joined the marines hoping he'd be able to acquire the strength to defeat his brother, and yet here he was unable to defeat what appeared to be a frail old man. The thought occupied him completely even as he stuffed soup and bread into his mouth. The boisterous atmosphere in the mess hall was unable to capture his attention.

As soon as he'd finished eating Hiro ran back to the barracks, pushing himself all the way. He jumped over crates, sidestepped marines at the last possible second, and even took a few shortcuts that involved acrobatics. The feeling that he would lose again seemed only to drive him further past what he was. After taking a quick shower, he was in bed. The young ensign spent a few minutes gathering his doubts and fears together. He knew what he was capable of now and perhaps that was what Mr. Miyagi intended to teach him. Hiro fell into a deep slumber before he had a chance to continue that train of thought.

Hiro woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go. Unfortunately for his bunkmate he woke up well before the break of dawn. Hiro dressed himself and left the other ensign grumbling about his beauty sleep. He made a stop by the mess hall and greeted the marines posted there. They had begun the arduous task of cooking breakfast for countless marines. "Good morning, fellas! I'd stay and wait but I've gotta be at the dojo." he said cheerily. One of the marines cutting up fruits tossed Hiro an apple. "G'luck, kid. You're gonna need it." the marine replied gruffly. Hiro would have given that more thought prior to his encounter with Mr. Miyagi, but now he was sure of himself. If I doubt myself who will believe in me?

The apple was devoured en route to the dojo. He scaled the stairs carefully, anticipating his upcoming bout, but found the doors to be sealed. It was to be expected, the sun had yet to rise and the base had just started to come to life. He sat down on the stairs and looked off into the horizon. "At least I'll be able to see the sunrise." he mused. He stuck his hands out in front of him, examining them closely. Although only a few days had passed he felt as if he'd changed. He was stronger and faster than before. But there was more to it than that. He'd spent his whole life thinking the strongest man in the world had been his father. He'd known ever since he'd left his island that that wasn't true. Before he met Mr. Miyagi his goal had been to get strong enough to beat his brother. Now he knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself until he'd reached the limit of his potential...and then blew past it. He stared off into the distance, awaiting the sun rise and his quiet teacher.

Off in the horizon a shadow crept closer. Hiro squinted his eyes in order to get a better look at the person but to no avail. It was only when he noticed the cane that he knew who it was. The old man drew closer and began to prod Hiro's body with his cane. After a few awkward moments Mr. Miyagi continued past him and began to open the dojo. "I see you've finished..come then." The old man disappeared inside with Hiro following soon after.

Mr. Miyagi directed him towards a low set table and motioned for him to sit. Hiro quickly made his way across the dojo and sat down. Mr. Miyagi began brew a pot of tea. Hiro wondered how a man of his age was able to make such delicate movements. Mr. Miyagi didn't speak until after he relished that first sip of tea. "I set prisoners from Impel Down against one of the other ensigns. I promised them freedom if they could defeat him." Miyagi took another sip of tea before speaking. "Seems word spread and there are more eager participants on their way, you'll have a tough fight. They'll be here in a few hours...I suggest you ready yourself." Mr. Miyagi waved him away as he spoke, gesturing towards the workout machinery.

Hiro made his way over to the treadmill and began to jog. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! Was this even legal? Being sent to Impel Down is seen as a death sentence. And yet here he was preparing to fight hardened criminals who were relishing a chance for freedom. The young ensign upped the speed setting and continued to think.

He didn't have enough time to do anything meaningful, so Hiro focused on warming up his muscles. After half an hour at the highest setting Hiro jumped off. He began to stretch his entire body, making sure to pay extra attention to his legs. He took in his surroundings, looking for something else to do before his nerves frayed. His eyes lit up as he spotted a weathered speed bag. How did he not see it before! He made his way over and began to strike at the bag, building up momentum. The bag was lumpy from years of use but it was perfect. The young ensign started off slowly, allowing his body to waken itself up. As the minutes passed his speed increased dramatically.

He struck that bag until the sound of it recoiling against the backboard became background noise. Hiro switched up his attacks, redirecting his punches every once in a while. While not as effective or quick as his regular straight these types of punches could allow him to catch his foes off-guard, maybe they'd even land. Before he even knew it, the time flew by and the doors to the dojo were thrown open. A surly marine entered followed by 4 prisoners. Their chains slid across the hardwood floor, drowning out the voice of the marine who led them. The marine turned his head ever so slightly. That was all it took to stop the prisoners in their tracks. Whoever this man was, they certainly feared him. "I've brought the scum you request, Miyagi." the man spoke quietly. He unlocked their restraints before facing Mr. Miyagi. "their fate lies in your hands." He turned to towards Hiro, his eyes a piercing shade of green. Hiro met his eyes and saluted, hoping to make a good impression.

The older marine dropped the restraints and tossed the key at Hiro before leaving the dojo in a hurry. Mr. Miyagi rubbed his hands together, removing the crumbs from his breakfast. "Delicious. You know what goes well with a good meal? A nice, long nap. You should probably dodge that." He yawned as he spoke, all the while slowly making his way to his room and shutting the door. Hiro swiveled his body around to his opponents. He barely saw the chain flick through the air in time, ducking below it slightly. His foes appeared to be from all walks of life. Two of the prisoners approached him slowly, testing to see how he would respond. One was clearly unaccustomed to fighting with his hands, opting to instead wield one of the chains that had restrained him earlier. That one stood back and waited to see an opening. The last prisoner was the brawniest of the bunch, his muscles rippled. Hiro knew the man was a martial artist, he would be the most dangerous of the bunch.

Before he knew it, the two prisoners broke off into a desperate run. One jumped high while the other switched to Hiro's flank. The young marine waited until the prisoner in front of him showed his cards; a powerful kick was sent his way. Hiro was just about to grab his leg when he saw a reflection headed his way. Thinking quickly, he ducked low and rolled underneath the airborne man. The chain caught the prisoner unaware, slamming him to the side several meters away. Hiro didn't escape unscathed, the prisoner behind him lunged forward, hitting him with a kick that sent him sprawling.

Thanks to his domineering older brother, Hiro spent tons of time recovering from brutal attacks such as that one. He used his momentum to roll to his feet, and turned to deflect a strong right hook. There was no time to think about where to strike or who to strike. Hiro punished the overzealous prisoner with a punch to his gut. The man recoiled from the blow and received a second helping for his sign of weakness. He crumpled to his knees, clearly needing a chance to recover. Hiro moved past him, towards the prisoner with the steel chain., hoping to use this chance to thin the herd.

Somehow during the course of this short fight, the prisoners spread apart. He was out of the chain wielding prisoners range, but he would have to enter it eventually. He knew that he couldn't continue to fight effectively unless he took out the only enemy using ranged attacks. Hiro dashed towards his foe with frightening speed. The prisoner whipped the chain around in a frenzy, lashing out with a horizontal strike as soon as Hiro was within range. The young marine hopped up, clearing the chain by the skin of his teeth. Hiro knew that there was no way for the prisoner to continue his momentum. He had wanted to get far away from the fight, which meant he'd inadvertently gotten too close to the wall. The next attack would take a few seconds to come. In that time he closed the distance, throwing out a fake right hook.

The punch flew by harmlessly just in front of the prisoner's face. Hiro would have smirked if he could have seen the look of relief on his face. His body continued forward, twisting as it did so. Hiro swiveled his hip around, hopping slightly off of the ground. What followed after was a powerful roundhouse kick. The blow struck the prisoner on the left side of his stomach, causing him to be sent hurtling towards the training equipment. Hiro took a moment to regain his balance and assess the situation. The man he'd just struck appeared to have smashed his head against one of the machines, the blood seeping out of his head was proof.

The buff prisoner finally took notice, taking several long strides towards him. He glared at the other two prisoners, lifting them both to their feet and standing alongside them. It appeared that Hiro had been wrong, why would an Impel Down prisoner have a shred of honor? The young marine decided it was time for some trickery. He'd been on the offensive for most of the time. He'd let them think he was going to test his luck once more. Hiro rushed the trio, making sure not to run anywhere near full speed in case he needed to make a course alteration. But then something unexpected happened; the burly prisoner grabbed one of the others and threw him. Hiro dodged deftly, taking a quick look back to make sure it wasn't part of some ruse. That would turn out to be a mistake. As soon as he turned his head back, he faced the other prisoner who was now also airborne. Hiro juked out of the way in time but his momentum had been entirely lost. He didn't even have time to see the blow that knocked all the air out of his lungs.

The young marine slid back several meters, his vision blurring slightly. The altercation left him gasping for air and his opponent sure of his victory. The hulking prisoner looked as if he was about to run at him but Hiro's vision recovered before he could start. Hiro regained his composure faster than he'd anticipated. He was still breathing heavily but he'd be able to fend off whatever attack the prisoner initially had in mind. Out of nowhere the remaining prisoner jumped on Hiro's back, using the chain as a garrote. Hiro clawed at his neck, his fingers grasping the heavy links. He bent forward and pulled on the chain with all his might, causing the would be assassin to fall face first.

Hiro stomped on the fallen prisoner's head. He and the remaining prisoner watched as the man briefly convulsed in attempt to hang onto life. Hiro couldn't help but feel dirty. These men deserved a fate worse than death but taking a life made him feel as if he was on the same perverse path his brother took. He knew this would have to end quickly, he wouldn't be able to outlast his opponent. These were men that used each other just to get a clear shot at him. There was no telling what would happen if he fought on conventional terms. The man that stood before him had the body of a pugilist, he wouldn't go down without a fight. The young marine inched forward at the same time as his foe. It was time to see if Hiro could successfully create an opening.

His foe struck first, throwing a few jabs aimed at his head. Hiro deflected the blows with ease, prodding at the prisoner's defenses with a few of his one. This exchange continued without end, with either side testing to see who would open up first. The speed at which they engaged each other gradually increased. Hiro was soon on the defensive, the prisoner was pressing him backwards with increasing strength. Though he was able to fend off most of the attacks, a few slipped by. To his credit, Hiro maintained his stance and balance. He could start to see a pattern in the man's assault. He favored his right side more than his left. It didn't take long for him to begin to anticipate his fists, brushing them aside as they came.

This only served to anger the criminal. He shoved the young marine back and let loose a guttural roar, anger painted on his face and blood lust in his eyes. Hiro had seen this look before on the face of his brother. It wasn't pleasant to stare down but it meant that his battle got a bit more complicated. On one hand his opponent was getting sloppier in his rage, causing him to leave more gaps in his defense. On the other hand it meant getting struck again would mean his death. The man began to pound his chest and look around. He walked to the side and lifted up Mr. Miyagi's tea table. Within seconds it was airborne and flying towards Hiro. Without thinking the young marine caught the leg of the table and tossed it gently aside, all the while keeping tabs on the raging beast in front of him.

With the furniture safely out of harm's way, Hiro focused his efforts on the task before him. The prisoner didn't give him a chance to approach as he lunged towards him. Hiro hopped to the side, avoiding an overhead attack, but the onslaught continued. The criminal was moving without rest, launching one leaping attack after another. Hiro could only continue to dodge. He noticed that the man wasn't even bothering to defend himself, he just continued to throw punch after punch. Hiro should have been feeling tired by now, he had never been in such an intense situation before. He attributed this newfound stamina to his brief, but intense training regimen.

The prisoner switched up his tactics at the last possible moment, twisting his body in a very familiar way. He launched a roundhouse kick at the young marine hopping to earn his freedom right there and then. Hiro saw the tell tale signs a split second earlier. He brought his hands up to block the blow and jumped, allowing the momentum of the kick to send him out of range. As soon as he landed he rubbed his elbows, hoping to shake off the pain. He wondered how Mr. Miyagi could sleep through all this noise. Would he really allow him to die? In the end it didn't matter, he was the only person who could answer that. He had grand plans for his life, he wouldn't fall here. He couldn't take one more hit like that and he knew it, luckily for him he'd figured out how to end this battle.

Hiro backed away from the man, hoping that his action would make it appear as if he was afraid. The prisoner took the bait, grinning from ear to ear. He cracked his knuckles, "Nowhere to run, boy." he whispered. Hiro could barely contain his excitement. To add to the realism he recoiled upon making contact with the wall. His foe began to approach him slowly. Hiro brought his right arm back and stuck his left hand forward, assuming a familiar stance. Every muscle fiber in his upper body coiled with anticipation. Hiro darted forward with an intensity that surprised even himself. He took a low running stance as he approached. The prisoner took a second to register what was happening, fooled by his overconfidence. He took a step forward as the young marine came in range and sweeped low with his left leg.

The kick would have landed if Hiro didn't notice something earlier. The prisoner was quite strong and would probably have matched him toe to toe in a proper match, but he obviously didn't place as much importance on running. In short, he skipped leg day. Hiro smashed down onto his foes leg as it neared. The lack of strength and endurance training cause the prisoner's leg to lose altitude. His body began to topple and turn as he lost his balance.

Not letting the chance escape him, Hiro squeezed his fist as he neared the criminal. His upper body twisted, adding its rotational force to his punch. Hiro's feet touched the ground a second before his fist made contact. The blow struck the prisoner in his side, sending him into the dojo doors. The wooden frame exploded outwards on impact, blossoming open towards the outside. Hiro fought to maintain his balance as he slide backwards from the force of the impact. A blunt object prodded his back and held firm, stopping his movement. "I really liked the woodwork on those doors." Mr. Miyagi said, stifling a yawn mid-sentence.

Hiro stood and turned to face his teacher. He was short of breath, covered in bruises, and was pretty sure one of his ribs was cracked. "I know now." he said, taking a breath between words. He was in no shape to take on his teacher, he needed to further work on himself. Hiro bowed before Mr. Miyagi, hoping he'd moved quickly enough to hide the tears welling in his eyes. "Please..teach me!" he said, his voice wobbly. Hiro's own training over the past 15 years had been subdued, it was only enough to maintain his current level. He was never going to be the head of the family, so what was the point of pushing himself. Ever since that fateful night he'd regretted not pushing himself harder, going past what was safe and comfortable. Even after being accepted as a marine he didn't change his ways, he had been so certain that he would learn in actual combat. In these past few days Hiro threw off the shroud of complacency that he'd worn all his life. So what if he wasn't the first born, so what if he didn't get a place in his family, he still had dreams. It was at that moment a forgotten memory drifted to the surface.

When Hiro was younger his father used to regale him with tales about the Grand Line. How it was a place of mystery, wonder, and was mostly unexplored. He remembered what he'd told his father one of those times; I'm gonna explore that place. Lost in his own memories and thoughts, Hiro didn't feel the cane that prodded his shoulder before pushing him upright.

"I'm too old to teach you anything, you'll have to do the teaching yourself. Now that you've taken off those shackles holding you down, I think its not too late to join the other ensign on a task I've sent him on." Mr. Miyagi said.

The old man made his way to the low set table and began to brew a pot of tea before he spoke again. What he described next seemed to be fiction; a wondrous hidden place, filled with exotic treasures and guarded by monsters. Hiro couldn't believe what he was hearing and yet he didn't think Mr. Miyagi would lie to him.

"While I can't give you a posting as I did with Linedwell, I can give you the chance to tag along so that you can gain experience and the chance at a devil fruit." Mr. Miyagi mused, pouring himself a cup of tea. "I'm certain I left two but who knows, maybe the monsters ate them both!" He laughed wholeheartedly. "Linedwell left quite some time ago, so I will give you some money for the sea train. Travel to Sandy Island and find Linedwell before he departs."

Hiro wiped the tears away from his eyes, and bowed once more. "Thank you, Sensei!" he shouted. Hiro held his bow for a few moments before breaking off into a sprint. He had to collect his things and leave immediately if he was to take part in this adventure. The excitement dulled the aches and pains he'd earned, leaving them as an afterthought in the back of his mind. Hiro quickly packed his clothes and belongings, leaving Marineford as soon as possible. He didn't have a moment to spare, otherwise Linedwell would get to have all the fun!

-Exit-