Keep Fooling! Keep Right On Fooling

"Come on, let's make a pact to charge toward becoming the world's greatest swordsman together."

Zoro was completely consumed by fervor, so excited he looked like he might pass out at any moment.

However, no one responded to his excitement.

A cold breeze blew through, causing the trees in the forest to rustle.

Even Zoro felt a bit awkward.

"I never said I wanted to become some world's greatest swordsman!"

Dunn stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"Since you're learning the sword, don't you want to become the strongest?"

Zoro's eyes widened, his fists clenched tight, seemingly unable to believe Dunn's words.

Kuina was also a bit curious.

"I'm different from you two. You both have firm ideals, but I don't. Who knows, maybe by the time you become the world's greatest swordsman, I'll still be an insignificant nobody."

"When that time comes, if someone bullies me, I'll just say my junior brother or junior sister is the world's greatest swordsman, and then I can eat and drink without paying."

Dunn said with a beaming smile.

Then, the gazes of Zoro and Kuina turned to disdain.

"How degenerate!"

Zoro said, sounding as if he were disappointed in Dunn's lack of ambition, but then he frowned.

"Wait, I'm the senior brother."

Zoro finally realized.

"I'm the one who taught you swordsmanship, so you should call me senior sister."

Kuina nodded repeatedly as well.

"Look at you two, you're going to be the world's greatest swordsman, yet you're so petty. It's just a title; I'm older than you, so calling you junior brother and junior sister is perfectly reasonable, right?"

Dunn said with a helpless expression.

"Is it reasonable?" Zoro raised his hand to scratch his short green hair and looked at Kuina.

"Uh..." Kuina raised her hand to scratch her cheek, unable to provide an answer.

"Besides, since we're so close, it's also perfectly reasonable for me to use your names to dine and dash in the future, right?"

Dunn said again.

Zoro and Kuina looked at each other, not knowing how to respond.

Both of them felt there was something wrong with Dunn's logic, but they didn't know how to refute it.

"Hee-haw! You little brat sure can talk; you've got them both confused."

Abruptly, a voice appeared, and Dunn turned his head sharply.

From behind a tree in the direction of the dojo, a person whose head was larger than his body stood there, revealing half of his face.

"A monster!"

Zoro's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Dunn slapped Zoro, who had jumped up, back onto the ground.

"This person is from a special race on the sea, the Big-Head Tribe."

Dunn said with a serious face.

Zoro looked shocked, and Kuina looked curious.

"So this is the peculiar race on the sea you mentioned; it really is quite peculiar."

Kuina was full of wonder; the sea was truly mysterious.

Meanwhile, Ivankov, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, was speechless.

He had come out alone while Dragon and Koshiro were discussing business, heard voices from afar, and wandered over, only to overhear the conversation between the three children.

Their spirit was decent enough, wanting to become the strongest on the sea or the world's greatest swordsman.

Then, he heard the older one hoodwinking the two younger ones.

And now, he had actually invented a race for him.

"Hee-haw! Little brat, I'm not from any Big-Head Tribe; I'm just a human."

Ivankov walked out, approaching under the curious gazes of Zoro and Kuina, while speaking.

"How do you know you aren't?"

Dunn turned his head to look at the approaching Ivankov and asked in a calm tone.

"What if your ancestors were, but your race died out over the long passage of time, leaving only you behind?"

Zoro and the other nodded repeatedly, feeling that what Dunn said made a lot of sense.

"My parents are both humans."

Ivankov was stunned, subconsciously retorting.

"That's still possible. Like I said, over the long passage of time, the Big-Head Tribe has nearly gone extinct. The survivors married humans, and their bloodline was hidden away. It's just that by your generation, the bloodline has resurfaced."

Dunn said with a serious expression.

"So that's how it is!"

Zoro said with a look of sudden realization.

"Don't listen to him, he's clearly talking nonsense."

Seeing that Zoro was actually playing along, Ivankov was speechless.

This older kid was truly silver-tongued; he had even started to half-believe it himself.

"You say I'm talking nonsense, then show me the proof."

Dunn looked composed, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Then, Kuina and Zoro looked at Ivankov with anticipation, clearly waiting for Ivankov to produce evidence.

"I... I don't have any proof."

Ivankov hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

How could he possibly provide proof for something like this?

"See? Since you don't have any proof, that means it's entirely possible that you really are from the Big-Head Tribe, right?"

Dunn spread his hands.

Ivankov hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Isn't this race just something you made up? I know quite a bit about history, and I've never heard of such a tribe."

Another voice suddenly joined the conversation.

A tall figure wearing a hooded cloak walked over, his voice sharp, sounding like metal clashing against metal.

Three blood-red question marks hovered above his head.

Dragon!

The Dragon who had walked out was also sizing up Dunn.

Just moments ago, after he finished discussing grain supplies with Koshiro, Koshiro had mentioned the boy who had arrived at the Isshin Dojo not long ago—a boy with extremely high talent and aptitude.

Naturally, Dragon was curious, so he came over to take a look.

Everything that happened here naturally couldn't escape his Observation Haki; he had watched the entire scene of two children being swindled, and even Ivankov being made to doubt himself by the sophistry.

"Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Dunn's eyes scanned Dragon, lingering for a slightly longer moment on the footprint on his face.

"If you put it that way, that also makes sense."

Dragon nodded slightly.

"Leader!"

Ivankov felt a bit awkward.

What Dunn said was definitely wrong, but he didn't know how to refute it.

"Have you thought about going out to sea?"

Dragon waved his hand at Ivankov, then looked at Dunn and asked.

"Going out to sea? That won't do."

As soon as Dunn heard this, he shook his head immediately.

Whether it was about setting sail now or Dragon trying to recruit him, he had no intention of doing either.

"So, your dream is to wait for these two to become powerhouses on the sea, and then use their fame to eat without paying?"

Dragon found it amusing.

He certainly didn't believe it; after all, during this grain collection, the amount raised from Koshiro's side was far more than expected, and the reason, naturally, was the money provided by this child named Dunn.

"Isn't that allowed? Zoro, are you unwilling?"

Dunn said, turning his head to ask Zoro.

Zoro scratched his head.

Actually, he felt that doing this wasn't right.

But thinking about it, if he were the World's Greatest Swordsman, having his junior brother eat without paying shouldn't be a big deal, right?

"I... I guess so!"

Zoro nodded.

Dragon's gaze fell upon Zoro, already realizing that this green-haired brat had been swindled into a limp.

"I heard from Koshiro that you are learning how to channel Armament Haki?"