Name: Koiya
Age: 18
Species: Fishman – anglerfish
Allegiance: The Ocean
Bounty: 0
Occupation: Explorer
Home Village/Ocean: North Ocean – somewhere in the deep, dark depths of the ocean
Appearance: Koiya has very pale skin, and bright blue, almost white eyes. She has wavy, jet-black hair that she keeps braided in a fishtail braid. Her hair is long and reaches just above her tailbone. She is athletically built and stands at 5’10. She has an illicium protruding from just above her forehead, tipped with a blue bioluminescent esca (i.e. the ‘lure’ on an anglerfish’s head). Koiya also has spiny fins running down her back, which start at the base of her skull and run half-way down her back. The spines of the fin rays are dark blue and the webbing between them are a pale, opaque blue. There is webbing between all of her digits and she has 3 spiny fin rays on her forearms, similar in colour to her dorsal fin. Of course, she has paired gills on her neck.
Koiya usually wears dark black, somewhat baggy pants, and avoids wearing shoes where possible. She’ll wear white or light blue shirts, usually short sleeve or sleeveless. She will only wear dark colours (blues, black, mayyybe green) or white. All of her shirts have cuts down the back to accommodate her dorsal fin. She wears a piece of bubblegum coral around her neck, the only colourful thing she’ll wear.
Personality: Koiya is generally very curious, but also very shy. Thus she usually observes conversations quietly. She’s not had much exposure to the surface world until recently, and the stories she has heard about it cause her to approach everything with caution. She is loyal to her family and the few friends she makes. Her loyalty extends to being very protective of those close to her as well as her home, and she will fight to defend them if she feels they are threatened.
History:
Koiya lived a normal life under the sea in the North Ocean with her parents, until she was about five years old. Before this critical age, she and her parents lived on the outskirts of Fishman Island within the nearby abyssal plains. Being more of dark-dwelling species, her parents only went to the Island for work or when it was necessary. Thus, growing up Koiya did not have many friends. The only close friend she and her family had was an elderly sperm whale fishman who looked after Koiya while her parents were away.
This man, named Physeter, was skilled in fishman karate, but left Fishman Island when he was a young man once he mastered many techniques in order to pursue other, more peaceful studies. He was adopted into a pod of sperm whales and had been travelling with them for many years until he met Koiya’s parents during a deep dive scavenging for food. Friendship was instantly kindled between the three, and during Physeter’s travels (across oceans as well as to the surface world) he always made sure to visit the couple whenever he could, telling them stories of his experiences. When Koiya was born he was just as delighted as her parents were. He decided to leave the pod of whales to help raise Koiya while her parents were hard at work.
When Koiya turned five years old, and was looking forward to starting school like a “big kid,” a group of slavers from the surface world invaded Fishman Island. Koiya, her parents, and Physeter, had been in the city when the attack occurred, and desperately tried to flee. Cornered by part of the invading gang, her parents knew Physeter would have a better chance at escaping. Convincing their five year old daughter to leave her parents with the scary surface-dwellers and go with Physeter was no easy task for all parties involved. The last Koiya saw of her parents were only glimpses over the Physeter’s shoulder, and the scene still haunts her to this day. Their blood clouded the waters, and their screams pierced the usual silence of the ocean. But they were taken alive. She managed to see that much. Her parents, along with many other fishmen, were taken that day. Taken away to the surface, with the vile surface dwellers.
In the years that followed, Koiya was determined to become strong so that she could protect herself and others should the slavers return. She never admitted it to Physeter but she dreamed of going up to the surface world and finding her parents again. Slavery wasn’t right. She wanted justice. She wanted to be part of something good. And so she trained, hard, every day. She still went to school like a normal child, but spent her classes dreaming about the techniques she would practice with Physeter after school.
After her training sessions and she lay exhausted, she would beg Physeter for stories. Stories about the surface world were one of her favourite. What are surface-dwellers like? What’s the air smell like? What do they eat? What are other islands like? She would bombard him with many questions, thirsting for knowledge. Sometimes he would answer all her questions, sometimes only a few. Other times, he would only talk about things below the surface. But her most favourite stories were about pirates. Pirates were free-spirited, sailing wherever they wanted. Doing whatever they wanted. But they weren’t responsible for the slavery that plagued her race. Well, most of them weren’t. Some were, but for the most part, pirates were cool. At least the ones Physeter knew about.
When Koiya turned 18, she begged her best (and only) friend, her mentor, to take her to the surface world. She was old enough now. She was strong. She still needed work in some areas, true, but she desperately wanted to see the surface world. Feel the sun, the dry sand. See the people. Even if the surface-dwellers were awful and smelled funny, she wanted to experience his stories for herself. After months of begging, Physeter finally gave in.
It’s only been a few days on dry land, but wriggling her toes into dry sand still sends shivers of excitement down her spine. Sometimes the sun feels too bright and she has to shade her eyes, but she’s still interested in exploring everything around her – being sure to never stray too far from Physeter’s side. He had brought her to a small island to start, but now he is bringing her to a larger one, after much persistence on her part.
Devil Fruit: N/A
Type: N/A
Effect: N/A
Learned Techniques (Keep it 1-25):
Fishman karate
- Yarinami: “Spear Wave”, a technique used on a body of water's surface. User heaves a spear-shaped burst of water with enough force to punch a hole in solid structures
- Uchimizu: “Water Shot”, user hurls a simple droplet of water at their opponent, can become a deadly bullet with the kinetic force created by immense fishman strength
- Wanto Giri: “Arm Blade Slash”, user slams their arm-fin into the opponents
Other techniques not actually learned by her yet but will in the future:
- Samehada Shotei: “Sharkskin Palm Block”, a simple palm block with enough force behind it to slap away a sword swing
- Karakusagawara Seiken: User punches at a fair distance from the intended target(s), so instead of the fist connecting, it uses the water vapor in the air to release a shock wave that sends them flying. The shock waves are not concentrated upon being released; but in exchange, it has a much wider area of effect. This move has a delayed effect, as the shock wave takes a while to affect the opponent(s).
- Yabusame: “"Arrow Military Shark”, user wets arm, then uses massive strength to throw many drops of water, which are converted into deadly arrows through mere kinetic force
Weapons/Items: Koiya’s only weapons are her fists and fins
Goals: Find parents, avenge any injustices caused upon them; end slavery