A dangerous target.
Dunn, who was using Observation Haki to help guide his Armament Haki through focused perception, suddenly opened his eyes.
He had only just mastered Observation Haki, and the range he could sense was still small, barely enough to cover the entire Isshin Dojo.
Yet the group arriving at the dojo gave Dunn an intensely dangerous feeling.
"Strong, and there are so many of them. Some are even stronger than Koshiro."
In the field of vision revealed by his Observation Haki, every member of the group had an extremely dangerous mark above their head. One person even had three blood-red question marks.
"Is this a group from the Revolutionary Army?"
Dunn opened his eyes, having already guessed who the visitors were.
Shimotsuki Koshiro had indeed been in private contact with the Revolutionary Army.
Monkey D. Dragon, or simply Dragon.
The leader of the Revolutionary Army, a thorn in the World Government's side, the son of Hero of the Marines Monkey D. Garp, and Monkey D. Luffy's father. A Logia user, apparently with an ability related to wind.
"Though he hasn't shown his hand much, this man should be one of the very strongest in the world—a Four Emperors-level powerhouse."
Dunn was tempted, but before he could fully rise, he sat back down.
These people meant trouble.
You could say that the Revolutionary Army under Dragon had lofty ideals and wanted to overthrow the World Government to change the world, but that had nothing to do with him.
He wasn't even from this world.
He respected them, and that was all. As for getting involved, he'd pass.
With that thought, Dunn put the matter out of his mind, settled back into his seat, and continued his training, guiding his Armament Haki.
Kuina and Zoro, who had just fought another match, had also noticed the unexpected visitors. They saw Koshiro lead them into the dojo, but didn't go to investigate.
"You lost again. That makes 1,997 times!"
Kuina looked at Zoro calmly.
"Damn it, don't get so cocky! I'll beat you for sure!"
Kuina's emphasis made Zoro bristle at once.
"You'll never beat me."
Kuina put her hands on her hips and looked sideways at Zoro.
Zoro clenched his teeth and pointed his Bamboo Sword at Kuina.
"Not only will I beat you, I'll beat Dunn too. Then I'll become the greatest swordsman in the world."
When he finished, Zoro glared at Kuina, panting heavily.
"Beat Dunn?"
Kuina froze, her expression turning complicated.
Dunn had been at the dojo for only a month, yet his strength had improved by leaps and bounds. His swordsmanship in particular had advanced beyond anything she could have imagined.
Then there was his incredible physique, which had left her father astonished.
According to her father, Dunn's physique was no weaker than those monsters out on the sea.
And now, Kuina felt as though she couldn't beat him even if she gave it everything she had.
"You can't even see the gap between us and him."
Kuina's voice was low.
"Have you given up, you idiot?"
Zoro might have been directionally challenged, but he wasn't stupid. Every now and then, he even had a flash of insight.
And now, he could sense how Kuina was feeling.
"You've beaten me 1,997 times! Don't sell yourself short. If you do, what does that make me, the guy who lost to you?"
Zoro glared at Kuina angrily.
Kuina lowered her head and said nothing. Zoro stared at her wide-eyed, then suddenly raised his Bamboo Sword.
"I've decided, Kuina. I'm going to beat you, and then I'll beat Dunn."
After saying that, Zoro snorted and turned to leave. Then he noticed someone standing behind him, though he had no idea when they'd appeared.
"D-Dunn."
Zoro froze, stammering.
"I'll give you that chance. Come on, Zoro. Challenge me and beat me, then charge toward the title of World's Greatest Swordsman!"
Dunn held a wooden sword and looked at Zoro solemnly.
Zoro: ...
Kuina: ...
"What's wrong? Lost your nerve?"
Dunn asked with a grin as he looked at the two of them, frozen in place.
"Don't get so cocky, you jerk!"
Zoro bristled again. He was so easy to tease. He grabbed his sword and charged straight at Dunn.
A sharp whack met him head-on.
A red mark appeared on Zoro's face, and blood streamed from his nose.
Zoro staggered back several steps, clutching his nose. Tears sprang to his eyes.
The sting and pain in his nose brought on a flood of tears and snot.
Kuina saw what happened and stepped forward, gripping her sword hilt with both hands.
"My turn."
With that, Kuina attacked, holding her wooden sword in both hands.
Thud!
That must've been quite a head!
Kuina clutched the top of her head and crouched down, her eyes watering.
Looking at the two of them—one clutching his head, the other his nose—Dunn sat down on the floor and faced them.
"Last time, was there something you didn't finish saying?"
Kuina, still holding her head, saw Dunn sit down and suddenly asked him.
"What?"
"You said there were women on the sea who'd become top-tier powerhouses."
Kuina had clearly been thinking about that ever since.
Dunn sighed.
He understood what Shimotsuki Koshiro had meant to do, but it seemed to have only deepened Kuina's self-doubt.
"Sit properly!"
Dunn pointed to the spot in front of him.
Kuina and Zoro came over and sat down, staring at Dunn with tearful eyes.
Both of them knew Dunn understood the sea very well.
"People are different from one another. There are many races on the sea, like the Fish-Man Race, the Mink Tribe, and the Giant Race. They're naturally very different from humans.
"To put it this way, any Giant who reaches adulthood is as strong as a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral. That's already considered an impressive level of strength on the sea."
Kuina and Zoro clearly had no idea how strong a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral was.
"Charlotte Linlin, who established Totto Land in the New World of the Grand Line—well, she's one of the strongest pirates out there. When she was five, she destroyed an entire Giant village."
"She's a woman?"
Kuina looked at Dunn, evidently curious.
"Yes, a woman. But in terms of talent, there may be only a handful of people on this sea who can match her."
Dunn let out a sigh.
He genuinely believed that.
"If I keep surpassing myself, could I reach that level someday?"
Kuina looked at Dunn.
It seemed she needed some reassurance.
"There's no end to swordsmanship. You can keep training and growing stronger."
Dunn looked at Kuina as he spoke.
He'd originally wanted to shatter Kuina's illusions so she could face reality.
As far as talent went, Kuina might have been gifted, but not enough to make people take special notice.
Sure, it was impressive that a girl of about ten could beat the adults at the dojo. But Kuina could feel it herself: fighting Zoro was getting harder and harder.
"That's right. I'm going to keep getting stronger, and then become the World's Greatest Swordsman."
Kuina's expression shifted as she seemed to consider Dunn's poisonous chicken soup. Zoro, on the other hand, swallowed the whole bowl in one go, his face alight with excitement.
The red mark on his face and the blood running from his nose made him look rather ridiculous.
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