Meeting Idols [Kahana]

[long2]

Jean tapped the pommel of his katana, patiently waiting as he stood upon the docks of Micqueot. It wasn't unusual to see him around the docks, but right now he wasn't here on patrol. Accompanied by a group of five Marines, each armed with rifles and cutlasses, he was waiting for someone's arrival. He remained stone-faced as he watched the seas. He could already see the ship coming towards Micqueot. A Marine Battleship straight from Headquarters. They had been informed a week or two prior that a Marine Admiral was to be making a visit to the island, no doubt for an inspection. This was a very big moment for the Marines of the island, but particularly for the Marine Captain, Jean Chevalier.

The Admirals of the Marines were to him as Heroes were to people. He held an unmatched respect for them. Having been raised a Marine his whole life, how could he not be? They were the ones who upheld Justice. They were the Marines all Marines should strive to be. They were the Marines Jean wanted to be. The Marine Admiral visiting the island was Yellow Cicada. He had heard about her, but only small bits of information. He'd seen pictures of her, but knew little else of her beyond her records of service as a Marine. Her name was Kahana Megami, but he knew little else of her personal details. It didn't matter much though, because quite soon he would be meeting with her in person.

"The time, Lieutenant," he spoke, calling upon one of the Marines behind him. The Marine pulled out a watch and told him it was 11:57am. Almost noon. He watched quietly, his gray eyes observing as the Marine Battleship came into view. It was far more vastly huge than he'd first anticipated, almost like a Galleon in size. Perhaps larger, even. It was pristine and neat, as though new. To a Pirate its presence would be a harbinger of doom. To Jean, however, it was a symbol of the pure might of the Marine's Justice. Watching as Marines upon the deck began to lower a gangplank for people to walk on and off the ship, Jean waited patiently. The ship was now docked and the gangplank was being lowered. In a few moments, Yellow Cicada would be standing before him.

[Kahana Magami]

Kahana Magami, the yellow cicada, she was a woman who had risen to one of the highest marine ranks at a young age. She believed that Law and Order were of the highest importance and those who brought chaos to the world were some of the lowest. Yet there were some lower. Those who used the law for evil or those who were meant to uphold it but still broke it. Corrupt marines really grinded her gears. That was why she was happy to inspect marine bases. She would make sure no corruption was occuring and if it was...well it wouldn't be for very long.

She stood silently on the prow of the ship. Timing was normally the one part of her that was unordered, but in this case she had made her subordinates make sure she would be here on time and ready. Yet it seemed her usual lateness would take some sort of place. The ship was supposed to arrive at noon precisely. However, it arrived at 12:02. A full two minutes late. Not as bad as her normal lateness, but still irritating.

She was pleased to see that there was a small group of marines waiting. That was the proper protocol and it was good to see it being followed. The gangways of the ship were lowered and her marines began to walk down it, but she did not. Instead she leapt off and landed perfectly. The breeze caused her justice jacket to flutter slightly, but not too much. She had landed exactly in between two lines of marines, one to her left, one to her right. After a brief glance at the marines she noted who seemed to be the ranking officer. If her memory served her correctly his name was Jean Chevalier. A captain and a cyborg.

"Captain Chevalier. I am Admiral Magami." she stated formally with a faint smile on her features. She was not normally this formal, but protocol dictated that she needed to be. "It is good to see that protocol is being followed." That was part of Law and Law was part of Order. It was part of who she was. "Lead the way Captain." She turned to her marines who were lined up and at attention. "I will return as soon as my inspection is done. I expect the ship to be ready for departure. Dismissed"[/gold]

The marines all saluted and returned to the ship to prepare for departure. Of course, that wouldn't be for a while, but still it took time.

[long2]

Rather than walk down the gangplank normally, the Marine Admiral took to the air, jumping off of the deck and landing on the docks before him. The others briefly paused in awe, but once the Marine Captain gave the palm-inward salute, they too saluted the Marine Admiral. It was only proper etiquette to do so for your superiors, after all. Not to mention the fact that Captain Chevalier would make them starve for dinner if they didn't, but that wasn't to be unexpected of the Marine Captain. He was a tough leader, that was certain. As they saluted, the Marine Admiral introduced herself - Kahana Magami. So far she seemed pleased with how smoothly things were going - everything was precise. Jean would ensure everything would remain that way.

"Of course, Admiral Kisemi," he spoke, lowering his salute before turning to face his men. The five armed Marines before him lowered their salutes as he began to give them orders. "I want to on my right, two on my left and one holding the rear. Take your positions," he told them sternly. Quickly and without hesitation the group did as he asked, with two stepping to the left of the Captain and the Admiral and two stepping to the right. The last positioned himself at the back, behind the group as the Captain turned to the Marine Admiral. "My apologies, Admiral Kisemi, if this seems excessive. However, it is proper protocol that a VIP are given their own escort".

Turning back forwards, the blond Marine Captain began to lead the group. They moved as one, with their steps in time with one another. They progressed straight through the heart of the town, heading down the main road. People watched as they passed through. Some recognized the Marine Admiral. Others simply guessed that, if she was being escorted by the Captain, she must have been very important. Patrolling Marines that saw the group would stop and salute as the Marine Admiral passed them. Continuing to head up the northwestern slope of the island, the Marine Base was coming into view. A large structure quite reminiscent of a castle, with cannons mounted and ready for use should they be necessary. The base had once indeed been a castle, long before, until the Royal Family of Micqueot had died off with no direct relatives and the castle passed into the hands of the World Government.

"Work is rotated between two groups. At all times, one group takes on patrol work, one group handles maintenance work and the last group usually spends the days training. Every week the groups switch. Some of the less combat-oriented Marines, however, are usually put to administrative work, or work in communications. Do you have any questions, Admiral Kisemi?" the Marine Captain spoke, gazing back to the Marine Admiral before they headed inside the Marine Base.

[Kahana Magami]

Kahana remained silent for most of the talk and the walk. Her iridescent green eyes, which were insectoid in appearance, flickered about taking in everything of their surroundings. This part was not too important. It was the base that was important. However, it was interesting to note civilian reaction to marines. None of them seemed scared at such a large amount of marines marching through, particularly a high rank as most had correctly assumed her to be. That was a good sign. It meant it was unlikely that the marines were bullying the residents. Either that or they had been instructed to act like this, but she doubted this very much. She had some proof to doubt this theory of acting as well. Her kenbunshoku haki was quite advanced and it detected no hidden hostility or resentment. It detected no sign of lies. They would all have to be very skilled to hide from her haki.

"It is good to see protocol being observed so dilligently Captain." she stated as he asked her if she had any questions. She'd been almost silent since then. "I assume these two groups are divided into smaller groups who would be on shifts thus allowing for some to rest or train whilst others work. Of course, the shifts would have to be rotated so the same marines aren't always on night duty. Is my assumption correct?"

It was a big assumption, but unless it was done as such it would be impossible for the marines to function as most would be tired or irritated. Most marines were human and most went armed. Humans seemed to resort to law breaking more when they were irritated and tired. It was not a good combination.

"I have no further questions. Lead the way Captain." she stated. If this were a less formal occasions she might make some enquries about him being a cyborg and a few other things of that nature and if time and/or situation permitted she might slip in a question or two, but for now she would stick to protocol.

[long2]

"Of course, Admiral Kisemi" he answered quickly, not hesitating in the slightest. "Though we run a strict regimen, we make sure not to overwork the groups. Exhausted Marines would just be crushed under the heel of Pirate invaders in the event of an attack," he remarked, explaining further. He couldn't take risks like that - even if it had been a long time since he felt exhaustion, he remembered what it was like. Unfortunately, not everyone could be gifted with Cyborg implants like he was. Although in his case, it was less a gift and more a necessity. He'd practically given up his life once for the Marines and the World Government.

"We'll proceed to the inner courtyard," he spoke, turning forwards as he began to walk up to the large doors of the Marine Base. With little effort, his mechanical limbs pressed against the heavy doors and pushed them open. Immediately inside was the courtyard, which led right to the main building on the far side of the courtyard. But within the courtyard itself were dozens of Marines in neat and orderly rows practicing kata with wooden swords, swinging furiously. As the doors shoot behind the last of the group, the Marine Captain paused to speak. "Men, salute," he spoke in a voice that was just loud enough for the men to hear. One by one they all turned towards the group, stopping their training for a moment to raise their hands to give the palm-inward salute to the Admiral.

"We train the men out in the courtyard for close combat. Underground, we possess a shooting range for the men to practice their marksmanship skills. We try to keep the men well-rounded, so that they're prepared for all situations," he told her, informing her of the training regimen. In the meantime, the men had now returned to practicing their kata as one, swinging their wooden swords with sharp focus. The Captain was not a man you slacked off around.

[Kahana Magami]

She merely nodded at his response. It was what she had expected. Interesting that someone who had been a cyborg for a while would still remember such things as exhaustion. It was very good that he seemed to have some empathy towards his crew. That was ideal. Without empathy the commander became distant and the crew became resentful. It was not a good combination. However, that was not the issue.

She raised an eyebrow slightly at the feat of strength. Even for a cyborg it was quite impressive to be able to push such a heavy door open without any effort. Very impressive indeed. However, she didn't comment on it, but merely listened to his explanation of the training regime. It seemed balance was his method for development. A good idea, but she did have a comment on it.

Without hesitation her eyes scanned the ranks of the marines. Her haki was still active and she saw no sign of annoyance from the training marines, nor resentment and not a single lie was being uttered.

"I assume actual combat practise is also done and not just katas?" she said with a quizzical tone. It was fine knowing the technique and practising them like this, but they needed to be used in combat. Combat rarely had rules like katas. They needed to experiment and find their own methods of dealing with situations. Still, knowing the basics was a good starting point. "You say you keep your training balanced so everyone is well rounded, but do you take their innate talents into account?" She scanned the ranks and indicated a marine with a gesture of her hand. "That man is a good example. His form on these kata's is almost flawless. Unless he is as good with guns I would personally have him focus on his swordsmanship and have marksmanship as a secondary skill" She thought for a moment and then spoke again. It might seem that she was imposing her ideas on him and that was not the case. It was merely an opinion.

"You are free to train your men how you see fit, providing it does not break the rules of the marines. I am merely offering an opinion."

[long2]

"Of course, Admiral Kisemi. After practicing kata, we usually have the men assemble into groups of two and engage in sparring matches. There is a rule against sparring with the same person in two training sessions in a row, so that we can prevent the men from falling into a routine. They need to be able to fight many different kinds of opponents with many different habits," the Marine Captain spoke, watching as the men and women continued to swing their wooden swords. Another Lieutenant walked around the group, correcting the men or women who slackened or performed their movements incorrectly. It was a necessity for there to be a couple of people assigned as tutors - Captain Chevalier couldn't be out there training them all the time.

The Marine Admiral was sharp. She had to be, of course. You didn't become a Marine Admiral by being an idiot. Nor did you live long, for that matter. She was quick to question the training methods, pointing out the specialties of the individual Marines. The Marine Captain had thought about this beforehand. Back when he was first put in charge of these headquarters to make sure that everything ran smoothly, he'd been focusing on how best to handle training schedules. Training was too important to simply throw aside, but he needed plenty of men at all times working. The Marine Base couldn't just abandon operations one day a week to do training. No, he'd tried to find a system that could maximize the efforts of training without disrupting the system.

"To answer your question, Admiral Kisemi, there is a... Certain degree of flexibility regarding how the Marines train themselves," he began, before looking back to the rather insectoid eyes of the Marine Admiral. "Recruits who show greater talent for one aspect of training are allowed to focus more on that skill and hone it. However, they have to operate under certain parameters. A Marine, for example, cannot use all the time he should be using for marksmanship honing his swordsmanship. In case of emergency, we need all Marines to be at least somewhat well-rounded. If the main cannoneers cannot perform their duty, whether because of injury or otherwise, other Marines will need to pick up the slack".

His mind thought briefly of the invasion where he had lost his limbs.

"For the most part, the training schedule remains the same for everyone," he informed her, before looking back to the doors that would lead into the base. "Shall we continue to the shooting range?".

[Kahana Magami]

Again, she did not detect a lie. It seemed he was either very skilled at lying or was actually telling the truth. She liked to believe the later, purely because she didn't like to doubt people without reason. If he was telling the truth than so far she had nothing to complain about. It seemed his training scheme was efficient and probably effective.

"It sounds like you have training under control. However, I would indeed like to inspect your shooting range." she said formally. She'd noted a feeling of pain come from him as he mentioned about cannons and their users. If her memory served her correctly his reason for being cybernetic was due to being hit by a cannon or something like that. So it was understandable that it would bring up painful memories.

She allowed him to lead the way, all the while observing everything with her haki and her insectoid green eyes. Everything seemed to be clean and of a high standard. It was probably one of the most well kept marine bases she'd inspected. It rivaled her own ship in terms of efficiency.

"So far I am quite impressed Captain."

[long2]

"Of course, Admiral Kisemi," he responded, turning and beginning to walk with the group towards a door. He imagined that the Admiral was no doubt somewhat aware of his status as a Cyborg. An Admiral would have access to such information, after all. It was slightly more debatable if she was aware of his... Training, but it mattered little. He was acutely aware of his momentary lapse as he relived the memory in his mind. He'd quickly refocused thanks to the mental conditioning of his training, but nevertheless it was difficult to forget when your limbs were torn off. He'd fought and slain Pirate after Pirate, waiting for the Vice Admiral in charge of the base to return with reinforcements. Needless to say, they were a bit slow.

"Thank you very much, Admiral Kisemi. I have high standards when it comes to discipline," he told her. That was how he was taught, after all. Always holding himself to high standards, as well as others. When he first arrived, he felt the base was far too lax. They weren't terrible by most people's standards - particularly for a base not located in the Grand Line, where the bigger, more important bases lied - but it was nevertheless a sight that disgusted him. So he worked his way up the ranks and made people work like they'd never before. He was a strict man. A disciplined man. As if to show how disciplined his men were, before he even stopped in front of the door a pair of Marines pulled the doors open, allowing the group to pass through. Heading to the left and down a hall, the group would eventually come across a staircase.

Traveling down the staircase into a deep basement, they eventually came to a large, underground room almost as vast as the grounds of the base itself. On one side of the room were rows divided by narrow walls that stretched far back, with targets hung at the very end of each row. On another side of the room was a much wider range for shooting, but with targets that moved across the room, occasionally popping up and down. Several Marines could be seen firing their rifles at targets, aiming as precisely as possible. Boxes of ammunition were stacked on shelves, to be handed out to Marines when they entered the shooting range. Stopping, the Marine Captain turned back to the insectoid Admiral, his eyes sharp and focused as ever.

"As you can see, we've ordered equipment straight from HQ to allow our men to practice shooting moving targets. Fortunately, this base is rather well funded for a location outside of the Grand Line, allowing us to afford maintenance for the machinery," he informed the Admiral, awaiting her response.

[Kahana Magami]

She was quite impressed by his training facility. It was more advanced then most she had seen. It was actually more advanced then her own, but then again hers was aboard a ship. Well, aboard several ships. The fact he had managed to secure the funding and equipment for such a facility was very impressive.

"It is extremely impressive that you have managed to secure such funding. Your base is not exactly in a location that would merit it. However, we do need strong bases outside of the grand line." she said calmly. Micqueot was a strange place to have such a well funded based. Perhaps it was because the base itself did not require much funding to set up with the whole castle being here beforehand. It had been a very well built structure that didn't need much change to become a base. "If we stop them in the blues before they become big then it will make things easier for us in the grand line."

She observed the way it was set up. It was ideal. It didn't need much else to improve it. Here she didn't feel she could put in much comment. She closed her eyes for a moment and then with a swift motion threw a ball of light at one of the targets causing it to explode with a force similar to TNT. She hadn't even opened her eyes. Using her haki she had identified where the men were targeting and targeted the same. Haki had so many advantages. Men turned around surprised looking at her. She smiled slightly as she opened her eyes and looked at the Captain.

"The issue with just target practise like this is that you are fighting in an environment that isn't quite natural. Distractions are not an issue, whereas in a real situation they are." she said calmly and then told the men to go back to what they were doing. "How do you deal with that?"

[long2]

"Thank you very much, Admiral Kisemi. You are correct - under normal circumstances, this base would not be able to secure the funding for this facility. However," he began, looking back to the Admiral. "Our accountants are very efficient with our budget, and the presence of the castle before the base was established also helped to cut costs. On the rare occasion where money is a problem, however, I usually cover the costs myself with my wages," he informed her. He wasn't lying, either. Jean was many things - strict, cruel and even somewhat bloodthirsty - but he took the upkeep of the base very seriously. He was dedicated to the Marines through and through. If it warranted it, he'd pay out of his own pocket. It wasn't as if he was spending much of it on food, after all.

He nodded in agreement as the Admiral pointed out how important it was to stop Pirates in the four Blues before they got to the Grand Line. He was well aware of what kinds of danger lay in the Grand Line and how the Pirates who survived there were often the toughest there was. He wanted to establish a very firm Marine control over the North Blue. It wasn't enough to just keep it relatively safe. He wanted to ensure that no Pirate could so much as rest easy so long as they sailed in the North Blue. He'd turn this Blue into a Pirates' Graveyard if he had to. In fact, that was pretty much exactly what he wanted. He was snapped from his thoughts as a ray of light shot past him, crashing into one of the targets. He watched, impressed before turning back to the Admiral who only now opened her eyes. If it was proof of anything, it was proof of just how skilled an Admiral was.

"Unfortunately, these training facilities can only teach and prepare Marines so that they can aim accurately. Replicating the chaos of the battlefield is not so easily done, even in the greatest training facilities. However," he spoke again, gesturing above. "At least twice a month, recruits who train in both the shooting ranges and swordsmanship are brought out and divided into groups to engage in mock battles using wooden swords and paint bullets. In addition to replicating the conditions of battle, these mock battles also provide one other useful form of training - Strategic Training. Unfortunately, holding these mock battles more than twice a week is... Expensive. Marine HQ is not going to fund a base located in the North Blue much more than what we currently earn for funding,".

[Kahana Magami]

"It is not perfect, but it is better than I expected. Most base leaders seem to feel that providing they work well in the training room they will be fine in real battles." Kahana replied. She was very impressed. Not only with his training methods, but with his dedication. He used his own wages to help fund the base? That was beyond impressive. Even she didn't do that and she was an admiral. It hadn't occurred to her. However, perhaps it could be something she could do in the future in order to improve the facilities aboard her ship and perhaps start work towards more ships. With that she turned and left the room beckoning him to follow, but requesting for the other marines to return to their duties.

"I have private matters I wish to discuss with the Captain." she said and once the two were alone she looked at him. "I am throughly impressed with your work Captain. My visit was supposed to only be a day, but I believe to fully assess this base I will need to see examples of all of its drills and functions. With your permission I will remain at Micqueot for a full week." It was strange for an Admiral to ask permission of a lower rank to do anything, but she felt it was polite. Officially, she was only meant to remain for a single day and he would not likely have anticipated her staying longer. Therefore she would allow him the choice of refusing her.
"In order to fully assess your abilities as a leader I will be putting some of my men under your command for my stay. They will be trained by you like all of your men and will report to me only at the end of our stay. I will also arrange mock naval battle in order to test the abilities of your men at sea as well. I will also want to test groups of your men, groups you will decide, each day in combat against myself. I will not use my full power of course, but I want to see how well they can combat a superhuman and a devil fruit user" He had the choice, but refusing her would not be in his, nor his men, nor his bases best interests though she would not let him know that except with a slight hint.


"There will be no negatives should you decline this extra inspection, but there will also be no positives." she said as a final note. It was all up to him. "If you agree then I will return to my ship now to decide who will be joining your ranks for the time being." The positives he could possibly gain would be a promotion of one or perhaps two ranks depending on how well he did. This promotion would be based on his training methods and she would make sure his retinue was increased. However, not all of the men would be permanent, but would be trainees to be sent onto other bases. That was how impressed she was. If he did secure that then his base would receive more funding and he would have larger wages to aid his task.

[long2]

Jean remained silent as the Admiral told the others to leave them on their own. He was content to stand there and simply listen as he was spoken to, taking in her words as she spoke of the facilities around the base. Although nothing in his expression betrayed Jean's thoughts, he couldn't help but take some pride and satisfaction in knowing that he had not only caught the attention of an Admiral, but had done so well as to impress her. His pride as a Marine felt inflated, much like it had all those years ago when he'd impressed his instructors in his training to become a Marine. They'd trained him since he was a small child to be a Marine. His goal and purpose was the Marine's Justice. He didn't try to pander, but at the same time took pride in being looked upon well by the organization's top brass.

"You would not even require my permission, but nevertheless I approve. We are more than willing to make provisions for your stay. If you require, we can set aside accommodations for your stay as well, unless you would rather stay aboard your own ship," the Marine Captain replied cooly, brushing a blonde lock of hair away from his face. "I can have groups of my own men arranged for combat training against yourself. As for your men, I am sure I can find accommodations for their stay as well," he responded simply, addressing her points. The fact she was willing to go to this effort in her inspection of the base was not merely a sign of her wanting to be thorough, but a sign he had sufficiently impressed her. Admiral Kisemi's message was simply to try and impress her even more.

He'd have to make sure the men were in their best form for the coming week, of course. He'd also have to arrange the men into groups based on their strengths and weaknesses. Not a difficult task, considering his supervision of their training regimen. Well-balanced teams would be ideal, though perhaps at the same time it would do better to arrange specialized teams. He'd have to think long and hard about it overnight.

[Kahana Magami]

"I may not require it, but as you were not expecting me to stay longer I feel it is only polite. The niceties must be observed." she replied and then considered what to do in regards to his offer. It would be silly for her to go back and forth between the ship and same for the men she would be placing under his command. But it would be foolish for her entire complement to take residence, even for such a short time at the base. Yes, her and the troops would stay, whilst the rest would remain. "The men who I will be placing under your command and myself will remain at your base, the rest of my men will remain aboard the ship. "

She focused and her mouth moved, but no sound seemed to come out. However, she had used the power of her devil fruit to send a message to her ship. Her voice would speak as if out of a loud speaker ordering ten of her men to come to the base where they would be assigned to help assess the captain's training methods. The rest were instructed to obey the second in command who would give them shore leave in rotation.

"My men have been alerted and will be here soon. I will continue to observe your men until they arrive." she said calmly without explaining how her men knew their orders without her seeming to speak to them. With that she returned to the shooting gallery and stood almost silently observing. The men here were very skilled, some rivaling her own men or surpassing them. It would be interesting to see how much her men improved.

[long2]

"Understood, Admiral Kisemi," he responded with a curt nod. Though something akin to pride welled up inside his chest, his face remained a stone slate, betraying no emotion. It was all well and good to be able to get the Admiral's attention like this, but he knew that that alone meant nothing. Unless he could show the Admiral the extent of his talents and surpass her expectations, this opportunity would be completely wasted. The cyborg brushed some of his blond locks to one side as he thought about the week ahead of him. Ten of her men would serve under him for the time being. He'd have to push them to improve much like he would his own men. His fingers rapped against the handle of his Tetsujin.

"If you will excuse me, Admiral Kisemi, I shall head upstairs to meet with your men at the front gates," he told the Admiral, raising his hand in a palm-inward salute towards her. Once satisfied in showing his respect for the higher authority, the Marine Captain turned and began to head back up the stairs. Staying in place wasn't good for him. He disliked it anyway - he always needed to be doing something, whether it was patrolling, training or fighting. He needed to be active. Relaxing made him feel, ironically, tense. But more than just that, a part of him simply felt... Ecstatic. Enthusiastic. Motivated. He was anticipating the week ahead like it was the first challenge in a long time. He always took his work with the utmost seriousness, but this was the first time in a while he truly felt alive.

He didn't even think of it in terms of a potential promotion. The thought that, if sufficiently impressed, the Marine Admiral might promote him to a higher rank never crossed his mind. He wasn't concerned with just earning rank - he just wanted to show his devotion to the World Government, to the Marines and most importantly to Justice. He'd been raised to do so, after all - it wasn't the most important thing to him so much as it was the only thing to him. All else was irrelevant.