Kuina Thrown Back

As Dunn's voice faded, the room fell into silence.

Kuina turned her head to look at Koshiro, then lowered her gaze, seemingly lost in thought.

Zoro, meanwhile, stared straight at Dunn before suddenly springing to his feet.

"Dunn, just wait for me on the sea. Next time we meet, I will definitely defeat you."

"Very good, that's the spirit!"

Dunn smiled at these words, flashing his white teeth as he gave Zoro a thumbs-up.

"Hehe!"

Hearing Dunn's praise, Zoro scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

Seeing this, Kuina and Koshiro both shook their heads in unison.

Does this kid have something wrong with his brain?

"Are you planning to leave by merchant ship?"

Withdrawing his gaze from Zoro, Koshiro stood up and asked, though he felt a sense of relief in his heart.

Today's spar had revealed the hidden strength Dunn possessed, and thinking back on all their training sessions lately, he was finally going to get a break.

"I don't know anything about navigation or reading sea charts, so I'll have to rely on a merchant ship."

Dunn nodded.

Ever since he arrived at Shimotsuki Village, he had been training like a madman every single day; otherwise, Zoro and Kuina's strength wouldn't have improved so rapidly.

He simply hadn't had the time to learn navigation, and naturally, he had no interest in it either.

"That won't do. Whether it's the Four Blues or the Grand Line, if you want to travel across this ocean, you must understand navigation."

Koshiro reminded him.

Although Dunn's strength meant he wouldn't face much danger, and aside from a few specific regions, the seas were filled with fish that would keep him from starving, he could easily end up lost at sea for a very long time.

"You're right, I need a navigator!"

Reminded by Koshiro, Dunn pondered for a moment and nodded.

But how old was Nami right now? She was even younger than Zoro, wasn't she?

If that were the case, at this point in time, she would at most have just formed the idea of wanting to draw sea charts.

"I'll keep that in mind and look out for one later. After all, there are plenty of merchant ships on this sea, so I'll just rely on them for now."

"That's fine. It's for the best—until you have a competent navigator, I wouldn't advise you to enter the Grand Line. You should understand why."

Koshiro cautioned him, but thinking about how Dunn seemed to know so much, he hesitated before continuing: "The weather in the Grand Line and the New World is far more violent than in the Four Blues. Even if you are powerful, you could still face danger out on the ocean."

"I won't be careless."

Dunn nodded.

He thought of the great battle between Shiki and Roger.

Both of them and their crews were at the pinnacle of strength on these seas, yet Shiki's massive fleet had been completely wiped out by a single storm in the New World.

"As long as you understand. Go and prepare; merchant ships usually arrive in the afternoon or at dusk and depart the next morning. I will speak with the captain for you."

After saying this, Koshiro left the room.

Dunn glanced at Kuina and Zoro, then turned and walked away as well.

"We haven't cleaned up yet!"

After Dunn left, the two of them looked at the pile of leftover bones and dishes from the meal, feeling completely drained.

Despite their grumbling, they didn't move slowly.

However, while cleaning up, Zoro clearly sensed that Kuina was distracted.

"Kuina, are you thinking about Dunn?"

Kuina was startled by the question.

"Don't worry, once we're able to set sail, we'll definitely run into him on the sea again."

Zoro said with a confident look, thumping his chest.

"I was just wondering what kind of things I would encounter if I set out to sea."

Kuina shook her head and said.

"It has to be the countless swordsmen who roam the seas! I'll fight them all and eventually become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"

Hearing this, Zoro waved his fists and shouted, followed immediately by the sound of breaking dishes.

"You idiot Zoro, be careful!"

Kuina, whose personality had changed quite a bit, couldn't help but yell at him.

In his own room, having sensed their conversation and the commotion through his Observation Haki, Dunn chuckled and shook his head.

He lay on his bed, hands behind his head, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Previously, he had suppressed this thought because he felt his strength wasn't secure enough, fearing he wouldn't be able to protect himself if he encountered certain people or dangers on this vast sea.

However, men are always drawn to unknown adventures.

Dunn considered his own personality to be quite steady, but now he was looking forward to what he might encounter.

Of course, he also wanted to see those characters from the stories in person.

He would only do what he wanted to do.

Nine years of compulsory education and the worldview he had cultivated since childhood ensured that Dunn would not become a villain.

But as for the various factions in this world, such as the Revolutionary Army and the World Government, or the disputes between the Navy and the Pirates, Dunn actually didn't want to overthink them, let alone get involved.

He was merely an outsider and a bystander.

How did that saying go? Respect everyone's destiny.

That seemed to be it.

Chaotic thoughts rose in Dunn's mind, making even his Observation Haki a bit unstable.

"Perhaps besides the East Blue, I could go take a look at the other three seas."

Dunn whispered to himself.

The night passed quickly. In the morning, at the docks of Shimotsuki Village, Dunn waved his hand and boarded the merchant ship.

The merchant ship was still waiting to finish loading cargo, which appeared to be nearing its end.

Before long, the merchant ship set sail, slowly pulling away from the dock.

"Where is Kuina?"

Zoro watched the merchant ship move, then realized that Kuina didn't seem to have come over.

Koshiro did not answer, his gaze fixed on the merchant ship with an unreadable expression.

"Ahhhhh~"

A long, drawn-out girl's voice suddenly rang out from the merchant ship, and then a small figure was thrown off the vessel.

"Dunn, you bastard!"

Kuina's angry voice rang out, but her body was uncontrollably tossed onto the dock.

Clearly, Dunn had used a clever technique; after landing, Kuina rolled a few times before springing to her feet. She looked at the departing merchant ship, clenching her fists with a look of displeasure.

Zoro watched all of this in a daze, mouth agape, pointing his finger at Kuina and then toward the direction of the merchant ship, back and forth several times, unable to speak.

Koshiro adjusted his glasses.

"Kuina, it is not yet time for you to go to sea. Talk to me again after you become a master swordsman."

Dunn's voice drifted from the merchant ship from afar.

Kuina became even more annoyed.

"Let's go, let's head back. Since Dunn doesn't want to take you, then just become stronger."

Koshiro had actually intended to stop Kuina's plan earlier, but considering Dunn's strength, he felt that Kuina wouldn't be in any great danger if she followed him.

Ever since Kuina had nearly died in an accident, Koshiro had become much more open-minded.

He had thought it all through, but he hadn't expected that once Dunn discovered Kuina, he would simply throw her back.

Kuina followed behind Koshiro, dejected.

"You wanted to go to sea with Dunn?"

Zoro finally realized what was happening, staring at Kuina with wide eyes.

He hadn't expected that even though they had agreed to get stronger together and see who could become the World's Greatest Swordsman, Kuina had actually tried to sneak off?

This girl was truly too cunning.

It seemed that Zoro's tone displeased Kuina—or perhaps it was just that Dunn's act of throwing her back made her want to find a reason to vent.

Regardless, once they returned, the sparring match between the two, which had been interrupted for a long time, began once again.

On the merchant ship, Dunn, holding Yoru, leaned against the railing and looked toward the direction of Shimotsuki Village.

"Mr. Dunn, I am Captain Old Pick, you can call me Captain Pick. The safety of this merchant ship this time depends entirely on you."

The somewhat elderly sailor with a bulbous nose said cheerfully.

"Hm?"

Dunn was stunned, turning his head to look at the old man who called himself Captain Pick.

"Master Koshiro said that Mr. Dunn's swordsmanship is extraordinary. Don't worry, if we return safely this trip, I will certainly pay Mr. Dunn a generous reward."

Seeing Dunn's expression, Old Pick spoke again.

Dunn came to his senses and cast a speechless glance toward the direction of Shimotsuki Village.

This Koshiro...

He had thought Koshiro was paying for his boat fare, but it turned out he had found him a job instead.

Thinking of Koshiro's hidden identity and the possibility that he might be secretly gathering supplies for the Revolutionary Army, Dunn was no longer surprised.

"Leave it to me. You can call for me if you run into any trouble."

Dunn didn't refuse; it wasn't exactly a difficult task, after all.

"That's good to hear. I've arranged a private room for Mr. Dunn. You can go and rest first, and I'll have someone bring food to your room."

Seeing Dunn's relaxed demeanor, Old Pick was overjoyed.