After lunch, Lucius called Nami and Vivi for their training while the others went fishing with Karoo. Watching Luffy and Usopp argue over bait reminded him of his students back in Iowa fighting over who got to drive the tractor first.
"Ready to begin?" he asked as the two girls entered the dojo. Their eager expressions brought back memories of his best agriculture students - the ones who actually read the assigned chapters before class.
"I've been thinking about Paper Art," Nami said, already pulling out a small notebook. "If it's about making yourself lighter, wouldn't that make it harder to stay grounded in strong winds? As a navigator, I need to be able to move around the ship during storms."
"You navigate the ship?" Lucius asked. "In these waters you mentioned - the Grand Line?"
"Of course! Someone has to keep these idiots from getting lost," Nami said proudly. "The Grand Line's magnetic fields are crazy, and the weather changes in seconds. Normal compasses don't even work here."
"Magnetic fields that disable compasses?" Lucius shook his head in wonder. "No wonder you need special training."
Her practical approach reminded him of Sarah Jensen, who'd always ask about how weather patterns affected crop yields.
"Actually, that control over your body's weight can help you in storms. Watch."
The dojo materialized several large fans, creating strong wind currents. Lucius demonstrated how to shift between light and normal states to maintain balance.
"The key is timing," he explained. "Too light and you'll blow away, too heavy and you'll be knocked over. Think of it like adjusting a ship's sails - sometimes you need full canvas, sometimes you need to reef them."
"Like how we adjust the Going Merry's sails based on wind conditions!" Nami said excitedly.
"Going Merry?" Lucius asked, his brow furrowing. "Is that your ship?"
"Yes! She's a caravel-class ship given to us by Usopp's friend Kaya," Nami explained. "Small but perfect for our crew. Though maintaining her in the Grand Line is a challenge..."
"A caravel... I've read about those in history books," Lucius mused. "Though I have to admit, sailing ships aren't common where I'm from anymore. We use... different methods." He caught himself before mentioning engines and motorboats.
He had Nami stand on one leg while holding different poses. Each time she wobbled, he'd correct her stance. "Keep your core engaged, but your limbs relaxed. Like a tree bending in the wind."
"Trees don't usually survive hurricanes," Nami pointed out dryly. "Especially in the Grand Line."
"No, but bamboo does. That's what we're aiming for - flexible strength. You mentioned the weather here changes quickly - how do you predict it?"
"I can sense pressure changes," Nami said, maintaining her stance. "Temperature shifts too. It's like... feeling the rhythm of the sea."
As Nami practiced, Lucius found himself automatically using teaching methods he'd developed for his agriculture students. Break down complex concepts into simple comparisons. Use examples from their daily life. Praise effort more than talent.
"My legs are shaking," Nami complained after an hour of balance exercises.
"That means the small stabilizing muscles are getting stronger," Lucius explained. "Just like how Sarah- I mean, just like how plants need to develop strong roots before they can grow tall."
The slip made him pause. He hadn't realized how much he missed his old students until now.
"Who's Sarah?" Nami asked, wobbling slightly in her crane stance.
"A student I used to teach," Lucius said softly. "She would have loved learning these techniques too. She was always asking questions, always wanting to understand the 'why' behind things. Just like you."
They spent the next hour practicing breathing exercises combined with slow movements. Nami proved to be a quick study, just as she'd been when learning about the Grand Line's weather patterns.
"It's like I can feel myself getting lighter," she said during one particularly good sequence.
"You are. Watch." Lucius placed a delicate flower in her palm. "Try to adjust your weight so the flower doesn't get crushed or fall."
After Nami's session, Vivi stepped forward for her turn. While Nami rested and took notes, Lucius began teaching the princess the foundations of Shave.
"The principle is simple but the execution is difficult," he explained. "You need to kick off the ground so quickly that you create brief moments of weightlessness."
"In my country," Vivi said during a water break, "there are dancers who move so fast they seem to vanish between steps. I never imagined I could learn something similar."
"Your country - Alabasta, right?" Lucius asked. "You mentioned it earlier. What kind of place is it?"
"It's a desert kingdom," Vivi explained carefully. "The heat makes people naturally quick on their feet - you can't stand still on hot sand for too long."
"A desert kingdom..." Lucius shook his head in wonder. This world was so different from Iowa's cornfields. "And Karoo is from there too? How does a duck survive in the desert?"
"The Spot-Billed Duck species is special to Alabasta," Vivi said proudly. "They're incredibly fast runners and can go days without water."
"Like your Marines?" Lucius asked, remembering Luffy's mention of his grandfather.
Vivi and Nami exchanged quick glances. "Not... exactly," Vivi said carefully. "The Marines are more like a world government force."
"World government?" Lucius raised an eyebrow, but their expressions suggested it might be better not to press further.
They continued training, with Vivi gradually increasing her speed. While she couldn't yet perform a true Shave, her movements were becoming sharper and more precise.
"The key is the rhythm," Lucius explained, remembering how he used to teach timing for mechanical harvesting. "Too fast and you lose control, too slow and you lose power. Find the speed that matches your natural rhythm."
As the afternoon wore on, both girls showed significant improvement in their basic forms. Nami could now maintain a lightweight state for several minutes, while Vivi's footwork was approaching the speed needed for basic Shave movements.
"That's enough for today," Lucius announced as the sun began to set. "Practice these foundations, but don't overdo it. Progress comes from consistent effort, not rushed training."
"Sensei," Vivi asked as they prepared to leave, "you seem sad sometimes when you talk about your other students. Do you miss teaching them?"
Lucius smiled wistfully. "I do. But good teachers never really stop teaching. We just find new students who need what we can offer."
"Like us?" Nami asked.
"Like you. Now go rest - tomorrow we'll build on what you've learned. Could one of you send Karoo in? The duck needs to start his training too."
As the girls left, chatting excitedly about their progress, Lucius reflected on how fate had brought him here. He might not understand all the complexities of this world - its Marines, its strange weather, its desert kingdoms - but teaching was teaching, no matter where you were.
Through the dojo windows, he could see Luffy and Usopp still arguing over their fishing techniques while Karoo watched them with apparent exasperation. Some things about teaching never changed - whether your students were farm kids or pirates, they all had the same capacity to learn, grow, and drive their teacher slightly crazy in the process.
"Karoo!" he called out. "Your turn!"
The giant duck's answering "QUACK!" echoed across the beach. Time to see if his teaching methods would work on waterfowl - though after everything else that had happened, teaching a duck martial arts somehow seemed almost normal.