Newbie's Skill

Forty-Seven

"Hey, Training Buddy," I smiled, throwing my arm over Luffy's shoulder. He choked on the beef he was eating, and I patted his back.

"Hold on. We need a redo. Retry," he said. I chuckled, walking back out with eyes following me in disbelief. I walked back in, throwing my arm around his shoulders again. He had just taken a drink.

"Hey, Training Buddy," I reiterated. He spit out the beverage, turning to me with a shocked expression. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" he shouted. I doubled over from laughing so hard, and he soon joined me. We high-fived, but we missed due to watery eyes of joy. We tried again, but it was a pathetic high-five, yet we just went with it.

"You're pulling Ashlo into this training regiment, too, Rayleigh?" Jinbe snapped in disbelief. Luffy and I ceased our laughter simultaneously to look up at the man. Then, we glanced at each other in worry.

"It's more or less meant for Luffy. I know how powerful Ashlo is, and he already has a good grip on all three haki," Rayleigh explained. "However, Ashlo is also still new, making it nice to give Luffy a few tips. He can demonstrate what I want from Luffy. What Luffy should learn from practice. Trial and error."

"Even so, Ashlo is just a kid. He needs to go back to Marco. That's where he belongs," Jinbe argued.

"I gave the boy the choice, and he chose to train with me. It will really benefit him in the long run," Rayleigh said.

"He's only 16!" the fish man disagreed.

"He's a year younger than Luffy. It's not like he's 10." Rayleigh had a fixed glare on the war lord. I ducked behind Luffy with my head buried in his shoulder. I felt his hand run through my hair comfortingly.

"Enough! You're scaring the poor guy," Hancock snapped. The room went silent in an instant. Luffy's hand continued to pet my hair, and right then, I felt like it was Ace beside me. It shocked me just how similar the two brothers were.

"You're okay, Ashlo," he soothed in a murmur. "I'm here." Those were the words Ace frequently told me when I was scared. Especially during thunder storms. "I will protect you in Ace's place," he promised. I peeked up, giving Rayleigh a pleading look, and he locked eyes with Jinbe. They were shooting electricity through their narrowed eyes.

"I...I want...to stay with Luffy...just a while longer," I mumbled. Jinbe finally looked at me, and he looked worried to say the least. Finally, he sighed in defeat, gesturing to me for Rayleigh. The old man breathed out in relief.

The tension dissipated from the room, and I glanced at Luffy, half-expecting him to be mad at me for tagging along with him for his training. However, he simply grinned like an idiot at our little victory. I just giggled lightly, resting my head on his shoulder.