Inside the training room of a dojo located on the island in the South Blue, 8 years before the Great Pirate Era began
Within a neat and tidy training room, an elderly martial artist instructor was laying down on the ground as he looked in the direction of one of his students with a stern expression on his face. He was a man of short stature with white fur covering most of his body with a few spots around his eyes being covered in red fur, three pairs of whiskers and a moustache that strongly resembled the whiskers of a catfish, a pair of short, and round ears that had a red tint around the edges. He was wearing a red qipao that had the image of a tiger sewn at the right chest of his outfit along with a pair of baggy trousers that monks were known to wear.
The student who was looking down in his direction was a teenaged girl with wavy, dark green hair that went well past her shoulders smiling down at the elderly mink. She was wearing a blue karate gi that also had the same tiger symbol as the one on her master's qipao along with a black belt tied around her waist.
"Well done, Valerie. You have finally managed to defeat me in a one on one sparring match." the elderly instructor told his disciple as he got up from the spot that he laid on the floor. Valerie of course offered him his hand and pulled him up so that he could stand on his feet.
"So does this mean I can finally join the Marines, Master Fushi?" Valerie asked her master with great excitement as she pulled him off of the floor.
"Yes, you can join the Marines now that you are capable of fending for yourself from me in a spar." Master Fushi answered his disciple's question as he walked towards the sliding door that led to the garden located just outside of the training facility that the two of them had used during their sparring match.
"I just wish that you would reconsider my offer to become the lead disciple of the dojo. It would really be a great help if you were to help me train the little ones." Master Fushi offered to Valerie as they continued to walk around the garden located within the dojo.
"But Master Fushi, I already told you that I wanna join the Marines as soon as I've completed my training. I did make a promise to my saviour after all." Valerie politely declined her master's request to be one of the instructors at the dojo.
"I know, I know, you have made your decision and nothing is going to change that for you. The little ones and I will miss your presence in the dojo. You should say your farewells when they come for their lessons." Master Fushi told his disciple as he smiled wistfully.
"Oh, I figured that I would say my farewells to the other students at the orphanage. After all, we always meet each other at the orphanage." Valerie remarked as she softly smiled as she looked at her master.
"I see, that makes sense. Are you planning to register with the Marines the moment you leave the dojo?" Master Fushi asked Valerie as they approached the door leading to the exit of the dojo.
"No, not really. I'll have to take care of a bunch of stuff back at the orphanage before I go and register as a Marine." Valerie answered her master's question as they now stopped just at the gate that led into the dojo that her master owned.
"That is good, little one. Be sure to say hello to Lady Bridgette and the children for me once you get there." Master Fushi told his disciple once he turned in her direction, to which Valerie nodded her head.
As the two reached the gateway of the dojo, Valerie stopped for a moment, faced her master and bowed down in front of her master before she addressed him.
"Thank you for all the important lessons that you have taught me. I shall never forget the lessons that you have bestowed upon me." Valerie stated while she in a respectful tone as tears began to fall from her face.
"Why you're welcome, Valerie. It was a pleasure teaching a student as bright as you. Now go and pursue your dreams young lady." Master Fushi responded to Valerie's words of gratitude as he looked at one of his prized students. Not long after the furry martial artist said his piece, the teenaged disciple lifted her head and began to walk away from the entrance of the dojo, walking towards the orphanage where she grew up at.
'I really wish that you could stay alongside me little one, but it looks like I have failed at pushing you away from taking the difficult life that awaits you as a Marine.' Master Fushi thought to himself as he recalled the day that he first met Valerie.
At the shore of the island where the dojo was located, 14 years before the Great Pirate Era began
On a warm, sunny day out in the shore of the island, the furry martial artist was out on the dock holding a fishing rod hoping to catch some fish with a calm expression on his face.
'Ah, today is a beautiful day to go out fishing. The sun is clear, the breeze is cool and refreshing and I have the whole day to myself to indulge myself in my favourite pastime due to all of my disciples going on a road trip with Bridgette.' Master Fushi thought to himself as he gleefully looked down at the water below his feet.
"Hey there Mister Fushi! It's been a while since we last met, hasn't it?" a charismatic male voice called out to him, which shocked the middle-aged man for a brief moment.
'Great, it looks like he's here to bother me with something trivial again.' Master Fushi complained as he recognized the person that was addressing him.
"Do not act so friendly with me you little brat. I am still angry with you for not even considering my offer to join my dojo as a disciple." Master Fushi addressed the mysterious man standing behind him without turning in his direction.
"Come on Mr. Fushi, you know that I'm not interested in any form of martial arts. I like to freestyle whenever I'm fighting, and honestly, I find all forms of martial arts to be so restricting." the man with the charismatic voice casually addressed Master Fushi.
"Very well brat. Just tell me what do you want this ti-Oh? And who is the little one in your arms?" Master Fushi asked once he finally turned in the direction of the man that was speaking with him. And he was greeted by the sight of a tall man with lean and muscular arms wearing a large brown hooded cloak that covered most of his body. He was currently carrying a young girl in his arms. The little girl of course was Valerie, who was sleeping peacefully in the arms of the cloaked man.
"Well you see Mr. Fushi, the favour I need you to do for me is related to this little girl in my arms. I rescued her from a disastrous fate at the hands of the evil pirates and other criminals on a certain island a couple of weeks ago." the man in the brown cloak answered Master Fushi's question as he started to move towards the furry martial artist.
"And why did you bring her to me? You could just drop her off at Lady Bridgette's orphanage so that she could look out for her." Master Fushi asked the tall man while raising an eyebrow with a deadpan expression plastered on his face.
"Yeah, I know Mr. Fushi. That's what I'd be doing under normal circumstances, but I'm not supposed to be here right now and I can't let the old lady see me just yet. So, I figured that you would take her to the orphanage in my place. My bosses don't know that we know about each other, so it would make it easier for me to get the little one to a safe place." the tall man in the hooded cloak told Master Fushi his reason for his secrecy.
"You could have still taken her to the-"
"I understand what you're gonna say Mister Fushi, but I'm just making sure that my tracks are covered this time around. You never know if someone might be snooping around the orphanage. And I get the feeling that you and Sister Bridgette will be meeting up with each other pretty soon, so I figured that I would let you see her before you two officially meet with each other and you hand over the child to the old lady. Could you do me this one favour Mr. Fushi? I promise that I won't bother you with another favour in the future." the cloaked man begged Master Fushi once he was a few steps away from the furry martial arts instructor.
"Alright then, I'll take her to the orphanage. But I make no promise on teaching her anything related to my fighting style." Master Fushi reluctantly accepted the tall man's plea after taking a moment to think through the words of the cloaked figure.
'He better not come here with another favour from him in the future or I'll make sure that he regrets doing so.' Master Fushi thought to himself as he took the small child that was in the man's arms soon after putting his fishing rod to the ground.
"Also, don't expect me to-"
"Thank you Mister Fushi! I knew I could count on you! I promise you that I'll make it up to you the next time we meet. But I'll have to leave for now, bye Mr. Fushi!" the man wearing the brown cloak interrupted the furry martial artist's words of protest with a great deal of excitement in his voice before he faced away from Master Fushi pulled his cloak over him and disappeared into thin air.
'That damn brat. I hope he won't ever show his face here again.' Master Fushi thought to himself before he began to make his way towards his dojo as soon as he held Valerie in his arms.
Back in the present day, at the entrance of the dojo
'Ah Valerie. I never really thought that you would turn out to be such a bright student when I first saw your sleeping form all those years ago. That brat really must have rescued you from something horrible before he brought you to me if you were so determined to be a Marine even after all the times that I tried to convince you otherwise. But regardless of my discomfort at you joining such a nefarious organization, I shall simply wish you all the best in the path that you have chosen, my precious disciple." Master Fushi thought back to the first time he saw Valerie for a moment longer before he began walking back to his dojo.