With a crack, Santiago's hand struck the tree trunk. There was a brief pause, before he drew back his fist and repeated the action. With each impact he grimaced a little. He'd taken off his leather gloves, hanging them and his coat on an overhanging branch, so he was bare chested. Though that was the norm most of the time anyway.

His knuckles were raw already, the skin was borderline breaking. It was difficult to tell if the damage to the skin was a result of the rough bark, or the force he was putting behind his punches. He was keeping it simple to start, hardening his hands, making sure they wouldn't break when they hit another person or object. Which they would. When he couldn't say, though he'd caught wind of a few rumours circulating between some of the islands in the south. He was keeping his ears to the ground. But he'd need to be ready to make his entrance to the world stage.

In his internal daydreaming, he lost focus on the task in hand, and caught thee tree at a bad angle. There was a pause at he stared at the bloodstained bark. His teeth gritted
"Ouch" he managed. He withdrew the hand and shook it a little to try and get some feeling back in it. Every so often stopping, to lick some of the blood off of his knuckles.

244 total wordcount

If there was one thing that every great hero or villain shared, then it was the fact that they all had a humble beginning. In the end people often believed that true power wasn't obtained at birth, but obtained through hard work. It was a saying the First Brother of the Ryuujin no Budo dojo was fond of using, and on this particular day Elise had been given permission to train outside the dojo. Her hands had been covered by a pair of simple gloves, the type that weren't thick enough to hinder her motions, yet strong enough to provide some minor protection from the recoil of her attacks. In the end a martial arts fighter who relied on hand to hand combat often found themselves forced to hone their bodies into hardened weapons.

It was rather embarrassing to admit that she was not exactly the type of person one might imagine as a martial arts fighter. Not only did she retain a rather feminine figure, but her hands also seemed less inclined to get that rough skin that one might expect a person to have after fighting day in day out.

She was at least fortunate enough to get Master Ryuujin to allow her to borrow one of those 'enhanced training dolls', wooden contraptions that were humanoid in build but were pretty much just sentient target dummies.

She had just found a rather pleasant secluded sport somewhere at the outskirts of a village when she had turned toward the target dummy and nodded her head lightly. The master had programmed it already beforehand, so it would require only need to be given the right phrase to be activated.

"Hajime!"

The target dummy stirred to life, its wooden arm punching toward her in a rather swift motion, and yet Elise was more than capable of perceiving its speed, the palm of her hand raised to intercept the blow, and yet at the same time she couldn't help but cringe slightly as she felt the wood slam onto her hand. It wasn't enough to break it, but the back and forth of punches and deflections had caused her hands to sting a little, and then she struck a counter-offensive.

A nimble step sideways allowed her to grapple the dummy's arm, locking it down over her shoulder before she brutally tossed the poor humanoid log toward a nearby tree. Initially that wouldn't have been a problem, if not for the fact the throw had some unexpected force behind it that led the tree to crack under the weight of the blow, and possibly tumble forwards toward the direction a man had been at!

"Watch out!"

Exclaiming her warning with a hint of distress in her voice Elise hurried toward the tree, hoping that it didn't fall onto the man's body, when finally she turned her glance toward the target dummy, that to her misfortune had pretty much been broken to pieces.

"I'm really sorry about that, I didn't imagine my throw would carry that amount of force. Are you alright? Didn't hurt yourself--- wait you're bleeding?"

Oh gods, did she seriously just injure a stranger during her training exercises? That certainly would cause her a lot of troubles if her master learned about that. Then again, the stranger did seem alive, so perhaps she was just a bit too worried? A closer cursory gaze over his hands and arms seemed to suggest the man was not one of the farmers. No, those trained muscles and the torn skin on his hands seemed to suggest he had been training also, likely against that tree that she had trashed... Smiling sheepishly the girl raised her gloved hand and spoke in a cheerful tone.

"The name is Elise, one of the students of the Ryuujin no Budo (Way of the Dragon King). I hope you'll be able to forgive me for destroying your training partner, but since I lost mine also in the 'accident'... How about we'll get a more interesting replacement? I haven't seen you on the island before, and judging from those hands of yours you might find a living opponent more suitable for your level of expertise."

Hoping to make the man forget about the tree she had most likely ruined, she genuinely prayed that he wouldn't be that upset about her messing up his training. Still, with the tree and the training dummy having gone into oblivion it might had been a blessing in disguise!

----
(761 total word count)

-Elise obtained the Title: Tree feller

The call came a split second before the projectile. He recoiled as he saw it sailing towards him. The articulated form shattered against the tree and caused the trunk to split, sending it toppling towards him
"Oh come on" he grunted. He sighed and sidestepped the falling tree, watching as two days of work hit the ground with an almighty crash. He'd held back to harden his hands, now he'd have to pick another (sturdier tree). He turned as if to leave, before a blonde girl ran over to him. She commented on his bleeding hand, he looked down absently
"It's fine" he smiled warmly "it was bleeding before" she introduced herself as Elise, and he bowed slightly in way of greeting. The girl was spitting out her words so fast it was clear she was fairly shocked by the whole tree being knocked over.

"It'd be nice to have a sparring partner that hits back for a change, just let me grab my..." he trailed off as he looked down at the felled tree, and the sleeve poking out from beneath it. "OH MY GOD! MY COAT!" Hie eyes almost bulged out their sockets as he fell to his knees. The coat had been a gift from his uncle, Gregori Kellen and had marked the start of Santiago's Pirate career. The Space for the Jolly Rodger was still blank.

After a few seconds of shock that his coat had been crushed, Santiago reached down and hooked both hands beneath the tree's trunk. With a grunt, he lifted it off of the ground and gave it a firm push, causing it to roll a few feet away and free his coat.
"Thank god! It's ok" he pulled it close to his chest, hastily examining the stitching. True enough it was fairly worn and battered from years of being worn, but that didn't mean he wanted it damaged any faster. He folded the now safe coat and put it to one side, before pulling on his fingerless gloves. He did his best to stop his blood from boiling as a result of his treasure's treatment. Instead he took up a fighting stance.
"Name's Santiago Kellen, your move Elise."

Total wordcount 641

To provide her with the opening move was a clever idea of Santiago, not only would it give him a potential opportunity to read her movements, but there was also the fact that Elise had always been more of a defensive fighter. She specialized in dodging or blocking attacks and then retaliating in force. Nevertheless, perhaps this was a great method for her to learn to carry out some offensive strategies.

If there was one thing that was noticeable when Elise raised her hands upwards, her elbows bend lightly and her hands opening and closing into fists then it was likely the fact that she was like one might had assumed a martial artist. No weapon on sight aside from her body, and her stance seemed to show no particular openings on first sight.

Surprisingly enough she did accept the invitation for the first attack, a swift forwards lunge being made, a simple but nimble sweep of her leg being pursued by an forwards punch in the hope of breaking his defense, or at least force a reaction. Still, there was something odd about her attack. While it might had been a accurate attack it didn't seem to hold any killing intent, the way it was aimed toward his chest shown she didn't particularly aim for any weak spot.

If Santiago had been perceptive enough he'd likely be able to deduct the true nature of her attack: A taunt. For if he tried to defend he would have found the attack to be lacking in strength, as if she was preserving her stamina. Still, for what possible reason could she have been delivering such an attack? Overconfidence, or perhaps she was underestimating him? Or maybe she was holding back out of concern for his injuries... No, there might had been an entirely different reason at play here.

"Seems that jacket is precious to you... A memento?"

She idly asked him while they exchanged blows, recalling her own memento: a hairpin that was holding up her hair into a ponytail currently. It had been the only physical reminder she had of the existence of the mother she never knew, in the end the woman had died shortly after her birth.

Still, she was looking forward to see whether she could succeed into pulling Santiago into playing on the palm of her hand. In the end a battle wasn't merely a exchange of skills, often it involved a mental challenge of wits, and if she wanted to properly improve her skills she would need to force her opponent to give her his best shot.

Still, what type of style did Santiago possess? Judging from his knuckles she was expecting a style akin to boxing, something that employed the hands a long, especially the knuckles, if that was indeed the case things would become interesting... For if he did try to punch toward her attacks or her body he would notice she was quick to pull back her arms, as if she was preparing for something...

----
Attempted to provoke a counter attack from Santiago by doing a leg sweep to open his defenses and a feinted punch toward his chest.
(WC: 507
Total WC: 1268)

The leg sweep was easily avoided, lifting his dominant (left) foot allowed the sweep to miss its mark. The strike was aimed for his chest, but was at a manageable speed, this was a spar after all so there was no real intent to maim or injure. He loosened his shoulders and allowed himself to lean backwards, making it so that his torso was horizontal, allowing the punch to pass over him. For the sake of balance he planted one of his hands on the ground behind him as he fell backwards, and kicked off with his one foot on the ground. As he flipped backwards, he kicked out with his left foot, aiming for Elise's left thigh.

The result was one fluid motion, a backflip with a left footed kick, aiming to stagger the opponent, or at least cause them to lose their balance should it make contact. Once on his feet again, Santiago moved into a more loose stance, rocking his body from side to side slightly, bouncing gently. This sort of stance meant it would be easier to react to incoming punches and kicks, all he had to do was go with the flow.

"It's more than treasure." he replied, allowing himself a cocky smirk "It's been to every blue, the grand line and the new world, now I've got to do the same." He started circling, maintaining the same loose stance and movements.
"Forgot to ask, you're not a marine are you? Probably shouldn't be this brazen with the whole Pirate thing, but a bit late now. I've not got a bounty on me if you are, so there's no need to make this unpleasant."

934 total wordcount

How curious, to think that the first attack made by her opponent was a kick rather than a punch. While her attacks seemed to had miss their target, the kick that had been aimed at her left thigh would have been a difficult one to avoid. Then again, perhaps she didn't even intend to avoid such an attack, for the young woman's footing seemed to shift lightly, seemingly strengthening the defensive properties of her stance, and when the kick struck it would have been akin to kicking a wall. Certainly, the impact might had not been as painful as the one a person might feel when they tried to strike a wall, but it still held the same type of resilience compared to a wall of stone. Her body barely stirred under the pressure of the kick, but unfortunately when she was able to properly retaliate, her hand attempting to reach for Santiago's foot, he had already been able to pull back.

However, their conversation soon returned toward the subject of the jacket, causing her to chuckle playfully at the revelation that the jacket had been across all the blues and even the famous Grand Line. Of course she had heard stories about the Grand Line, the extremely dangerous region where countless treasures waited to be uncovered. The dream of every pirate and adventurer alike, and of course the new world that laid beyond it.

"Seems like you got an adventurous jacket with you then, it's sad I'm not able to ask it to tell one of the tales it experienced during its stay on the Grand Line."

While Santiago had shifted into a more loose stance Elise herself seemed to had remained on the same spot, a hand making a mocking come-hinter motion to show him that she awaited his attack, and while she continued to shift her angle to make sure he wouldn't try to attack her from behind the young woman waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.

It was clear to her that just mindlessly throwing one attack after another wouldn't work against an opponent like this, in the end she would need to create an opening and then exploit it if she wanted to succeed. Perhaps she would even be capable of provoking the man into giving her an opportunity to use one of her techniques.

"A Marine? I'd rather wear a skimpy bikini outfit and bath in a barrel filled with a octopus Fishman's oil than to be one of those lapdogs of the World Government. To ignore the evil and corruption their superiors do, it's almost as bad as openly joining them."

Her tone seemed a bit darker, and when she mentioned the world government there was a clear hint of spitefulness in her tone. However, just as quickly at it had appeared, the colder tone disappeared again as she smiled calmly.

"So you don't have to worry about that. I met quite a few pirates recently, albeit I'm not one of your kin. Consider me more of a wanderer, or perhaps an adventurer."

Now to wait for the chance she needed...

----
Elise defended from the kick by strengthening her footing and is now provoking Santiago into an offensive.

WC: 532
Total WC: 1800

Santiago smirked when she confirmed she wasn't a marine, to be fair it was fairly clear, the question was more for comedic effect than out of legitimate absent-mindedness.

His kick had done little to shake her, or set her off balance. His eye flitted across her body, didn't seem as though she was stocky enough to just shrug it off, so it must have been a concious block. How fast could she go though. He formed the chain in his head, before lunging forward to execute.

Santiago dropped low and spun, kicking out with his right foot (aiming for the shins) once a half rotation had been achieved, he sprung upwards and kicked out with his left towards Elise's head. Twisting as he dropped backwards, he planted both hands on the ground and started spinning, kicking out with both legs like a sawblade. He aimed three strikes for her chest then sprung backwards, moving two feet away from her and lining up. He clenched his fists and lunged forwards, throwing a right hook at close range.

The goal was to offset her with the onslaught, and at least land a few blows. He was holding back on his key martial arts techniques, no need to show his full hand yet, they were also outwardly violent and had a higher likelihood to injure, more so than simple kicks and punches. No, those he was reserving for someone he actually had to hurt.

If Elise wasn't a pirate, or a marine, did that mean she was a revolutionary? Considering the manner in which she spoke about the world government it seemed a likely option. The real question was where did she place in it all.She was certainly strong, he'd seen that in the destruction of the tree and what he gathered to be a sparring dummy. His loose stance hadn't phased her, nor had his apparent change in fighting style, it all just rolled off her back. The effect of confidence.

Predicting a harsh retaliation, Santiago tensed his muscles, and threw a second punch, a left handed uppercut, hopefully that would push her away a little and make things easier to avoid or take later on.

1306 Total Wordcount

If there was one thing that Santiago truly surprised her with, then it was likely the sheer speed that he executed his chain of attacks with. The first kick that was aimed toward her head was narrowly avoided when she pulled her upper-body backwards, yet the motion forced her to defend against the two spinning kicks that followed. Her arms were lifted just in time to shield her chest from the blow, each kick grinding her feet backwards into the grass. Still, the moment he took to pull back and turn his focus from kicks onto punches was the perfect opportunity for her to properly employ her combat style.

The first punch that was send at close-range, a skillfully executed uppercut would have been met with a swift attempt to grab a hold of it, her hand trying to reach for his wrist so that either he would be forced to pull back, or risk getting his hand grappled, yet at the same time the retaliation in the form of a second punch would have been the moment she moved.

"Ryuujin's grip..."

The words were spoken almost in a whisper, and while it appeared that the second uppercut was about to hit its target Elise finally moved in earnest. If she had succeeded in grappling him Elise would have avoided the safety of a retreat and employ a sideways spin around Santiago's body, attempting to pull the grappled arm behind his back while her freed arm attempted to reach for the man's other arm, hoping to force him into a lock. Still, the force of the kicks earlier had taken its toll on her body, for while her attempt to retrain him would have quite an intensive force behind it, almost unnaturally strong for a woman, there was the subtle sign of the damage judging from the fact she wouldn't be able to finish her attack.

Sure, if she succeeded he might had been restrained, but it would still take a few moments before her grapple would reach its full potential. Still, if he did get grappled Santiago could likely try to strain his muscles to overpower her hold on him, since the way she was standing her own legs seemed to had been positioned cleverly enough to avoid a potential retaliation through kicks, since the angle at which he would need to kick at would be quite... difficult, not to mention the sheer strength with which she was attempting to force him onto his knees would be just as much of a challenge...

"You're the first one to see my Ryuujin's grip, although I'm afraid it isn't truly mastered yet. Defending from those kicks earlier took a bit of effort, so unlike normally I won't be able to let my grip reach its full potential. Else your arm would have suffered the same fate as that tree."

And judging from the pressure on his arm she wasn't joking!

"You're quite fast aren't you? Employing both kicking and punching motions... Yet it doesn't seem to be Karate... It's a style I'm not familiar with. Most of the students on this island pursue Karate, but some who receive the honor to train under the elusive masters of Karate Island tend to learn different styles. It makes the tournaments on this island quite an exciting activity to participate in."

It must had been quite amusing to observe Elise's casual conversation with him as she tried to restrain Santiago, and the fact that she was forced to use some close-body contact to help maintain her grapple would likely have been a pleasant extra also!

----
Elise shielded herself from the spinning kicks and tried to grapple the first uppercut aimed her way. If she succeeds in using

Ryuujin's Grip:

she will attempt to restrain Santiago by moving behind him and using the pressure of her lock to force him onto his knees. Although she is attempting to lock his both arms and use her body (lucky you) to force him into the grapple, she has lost some strength from blocking the kicks earlier and her grapple can be broken out from if he tries to strain his body (note, that might hurt) unless he has an alternative for breaking free ^^). If he remains restrained his arms won't be broken unlike Ryuujin's grip effect states, since the grip wasn't perfect.

WC: 620
Total WC: 2420