After Dunn finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Kuina turned to look at Koshiro, then lowered her head, seeming to ponder something.
Zoro stared fixedly at Dunn, then suddenly stood up.
"Dunn, just you wait out on the sea. When we meet again, I'll definitely beat you."
"Good! That's the spirit!"
Dunn smiled at his words, showing his white teeth, and gave Zoro a thumbs-up.
"Hehe!"
Hearing Dunn praise him, Zoro scratched his head bashfully.
Kuina and Koshiro both shook their heads at the sight.
Did this kid have something wrong with his brain?
"Are you leaving on a merchant ship?"
Koshiro looked away from Zoro and stood up to ask, though he felt relieved inside.
Today's sparring match had shown Koshiro how much strength Dunn had been hiding. Thinking back on all the times they had sparred lately, he could finally take a break.
"I don't know anything about sailing or reading sea charts, so I'll have to rely on a merchant ship."
Dunn nodded.
He had spent almost every day training while in Shimotsuki Village. Otherwise, Zoro and Kuina wouldn't have improved so quickly.
He hadn't had any time to learn navigation, and of course, he wasn't interested in it either.
"That won't do. Whether you're sailing the Four Blues or the Grand Line, you have to know how to navigate if you want to travel the sea."
Koshiro reminded him.
With Dunn's strength, he wasn't likely to run into any danger. Besides, except in certain regions, there were fish in the waters all across the sea, so Dunn was strong enough not to starve. But he might get lost at sea for a long time.
"Right. I'll need a navigator!"
After Koshiro's reminder, Dunn thought it over and nodded.
But how old was Nami now? She was younger than Zoro, wasn't she?
If so, she'd probably only just begun thinking about drawing sea charts.
"I'll keep that in mind and look around later. There are plenty of merchant ships on the sea, so I'll rely on them for now."
"That's good. You'd better do that. Until you find a capable navigator, I don't recommend entering the Grand Line. You understand that, right?"
Koshiro cautioned him, but then hesitated. Dunn seemed to know a great deal, so he continued, "The weather in the Grand Line and the New World is much more violent than in the Four Blues. No matter how strong you are, you could still run into danger at sea."
"I won't be careless."
Dunn nodded.
He thought of the battle between Shiki and Roger.
The strength of those two and their crews was among the best on the sea, yet Shiki's entire fleet had been wiped out in a storm in the New World.
"Good. Go get ready. Merchant ships usually arrive in the afternoon or at dusk, then set sail the following morning. I'll speak to the captain."
Koshiro left as soon as he finished speaking.
Dunn glanced at Kuina and Zoro, then left as well.
"We haven't cleaned up yet!"
After he left, the two looked at the piles of leftover bones, dishes, and other things from the meal and felt utterly helpless.
They complained, but their hands moved quickly.
As they cleaned up, however, Zoro could tell that Kuina was distracted.
"Kuina, are you thinking about Dunn?"
Kuina was taken aback.
"Don't worry. Once we can go out to sea, we'll definitely run into him again."
Zoro sounded confident as he thumped his chest.
"I'm thinking about what might happen to me if I go out to sea too."
Kuina shook her head.
"Then you'll meet all the countless swordsmen who roam the seas, fight them, and become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
At that, Zoro shouted and waved his fists. Then came the sound of dishes breaking.
"Idiot Zoro, watch what you're doing!"
Kuina, whose temper had mellowed somewhat, still couldn't hold back from shouting.
In his room, Dunn sensed their conversation and the ensuing commotion with Observation Haki. He smiled and shook his head.
He lay on his bed with his hands behind his head, his eyes full of anticipation.
Until now, he had always felt that he wasn't strong enough to be safe—that he wouldn't be able to protect himself if he ran into certain people or dangers on the sea—so he'd suppressed the idea.
But all men yearned for the adventure of the unknown.
Dunn considered himself fairly level-headed, but even he was looking forward to seeing what he might encounter.
Of course, he also wanted to meet the characters from the story.
He would only do what he wanted.
Nine years of compulsory education and the worldview he'd developed since childhood meant that Dunn wouldn't become a villain.
But he didn't want to worry about or get involved in the conflicts between this world's various powers—the Revolutionary Army and the World Government, the Marines and the pirates.
He was just an outsider and an onlooker.
What was that saying again? Respect everyone's fate.
Something like that.
Jumbled thoughts stirred in Dunn's mind, and even his Observation Haki began to waver.
"Maybe I could visit the other three seas besides the East Blue."
Dunn murmured to himself.
The night passed quickly. In the morning, at the Shimotsuki Village dock, Dunn waved goodbye and boarded the merchant ship.
The crew was still loading cargo, but they seemed almost finished.
Before long, the ship set sail and slowly pulled away from the dock.
"Where's Kuina?"
Zoro watched the merchant ship move off, then noticed that Kuina hadn't come over.
Koshiro didn't answer. He looked toward the ship, his expression difficult to read.
"Ahhhhh—!"
A girl's drawn-out cry suddenly rang out from aboard the merchant ship. Then a small figure was tossed off it.
"Dunn, you jerk!"
Kuina's angry voice rang out, but she had no control over her body as she was thrown onto the dock.
Dunn had clearly used just the right amount of force. Kuina rolled several times after landing, then sprang up and glared at the departing ship, fists clenched and face full of displeasure.
Zoro stared at it all, dumbfounded and speechless. He pointed at Kuina, then toward the ship, back and forth several times, unable to say a word.
Koshiro pushed up his glasses.
"Kuina, it's not time for you to go out to sea yet. Wait until you become a swordsman."
Dunn's voice came from far away aboard the ship.
Kuina was even more annoyed.
"Let's go back. If Dunn doesn't want to take you along, then get stronger."
Koshiro had planned to stop Kuina from going before, but after seeing Dunn's strength, he'd figured she wouldn't be in much danger if she went with him.
Ever since Kuina had nearly died in an accident, Koshiro had become more accepting of things.
But even though he'd thought it over, he hadn't expected Dunn to throw her right back.
Downcast, Kuina followed behind Koshiro.
"You wanted to go out to sea with Dunn?"
Zoro finally understood. He stared at Kuina, eyes wide.
He hadn't expected that after agreeing to get stronger together and see which of them could become the World's Greatest Swordsman, Kuina would try to sneak off without him.
She was so sneaky!
Maybe Zoro's tone had annoyed Kuina. Or perhaps she just needed an excuse to vent after Dunn had tossed her back.
Either way, after they returned, the two resumed their sparring after a long break.
Aboard the merchant ship, Dunn leaned against the railing, holding Flame and looking back toward Shimotsuki Village.
"Mr. Dunn, I'm the captain, Old Pick. You can call me Captain Pick. The safety of this merchant ship is in your hands."
The old sailor, with a wine-red nose and a somewhat aged appearance, spoke cheerfully.
"Hmm?"
Dunn paused and turned to look at the old man who'd introduced himself as Captain Pick.
"Master Koshiro said your swordsmanship is extraordinary, Mr. Dunn. Don't worry. Once we return safely from this trip, you'll receive a generous reward."
Old Pick saw Dunn's expression and explained further.
Dunn understood, and gave Shimotsuki Village a speechless glance.
Koshiro...
He'd thought Koshiro had paid his fare, but it turned out he'd found him a job.
Remembering that Koshiro had a hidden identity and might be secretly gathering supplies for the Revolutionary Army, Dunn no longer found it strange.
"Leave it to me. If you run into trouble, just call for me."
Dunn didn't refuse. It wasn't anything difficult, after all.
"Good. I've arranged a private room for you, Mr. Dunn. You can rest there. I'll have someone bring you something to eat."
Seeing how relaxed Dunn was, Old Pick was delighted.
Before you continue