But it was hard to say.
That thought had barely crossed Dunn's mind when he shook his head.
He knew what this world was like. The Red Line and the Grand Line formed intersecting rings that divided the world into four seas.
But compared to the four seas, the Grand Line wasn't all that large.
Of course, that was only in comparison to the Four Blues.
The Navy's control over the Four Blues was limited. After all, its focus was on the Grand Line.
With so many waters across the Four Blues, the Navy couldn't completely clear out the pirates with just its Marine Branches. It came down to the same thing: the seas were too vast.
Or rather, the islands Monkey D. Luffy had visited on his adventures were only the tip of the iceberg in the East Blue.
Dunn did his best to pull himself out of the story.
This was a real world.
A world where people killing each other was commonplace.
"Sir!"
As Dunn was trying to talk himself through it, the captain brought the awakened pirates over with her crew.
"You bastards! How dare you capture me? Admiral Krieg won't let you get away with this!"
The pirate roared as they dragged him over, but when he saw Dunn, fear flashed in his eyes.
Dunn's blow earlier had shown him just how enormous the gap between them was.
Now he hoped to use Krieg's name to intimidate them.
"Krieg?"
Dunn blinked, surprised as he looked at the pirate, who was still trying to bluster.
"Scared now, huh? If you're scared, then hurry up and let me go! Otherwise, Admiral Krieg will come, and everyone here will die—including you!"
Hearing Dunn's words, the pirate thought Krieg's name had frightened him and threatened him again.
Dunn's expression barely changed, but the image of a massive ship cleaved in two by Hawkeye's sword surfaced in his mind.
A pirate crew of five thousand had run into Hawkeye, the sea's biggest drifter, as soon as they entered the Grand Line. Bored, Hawkeye had hunted them all the way back to the East Blue.
Of course, that had happened in the story. It had also been the first time the might of a Great Swordsman had been shown.
Or rather, Hawkeye had been the first top-tier powerhouse to appear in the story.
So Dunn still remembered those scenes vividly.
But Krieg had already formed a pirate crew in the East Blue?
Dunn fell into thought, while the bound pirate struggled when he saw that Dunn wasn't reacting.
"Hurry up and let me go! Aren't you afraid of Admiral Krieg?"
"Do you know where Krieg is?"
The pirate interrupted Dunn's thoughts. He lifted his eyes and looked at the man calmly.
"Admiral Krieg's a great pirate, of course he's sailing the Dreadnought Sabre and conquering islands!"
Dunn's question drew an instinctive answer from the pirate.
"So you don't know where Krieg is right now?"
Dunn nodded, then waved a hand.
"Uh, Sir Dunn?"
The captain looked puzzled by his gesture.
"Take him away and question him. If he doesn't have a bounty, deal with him yourselves."
"And if he does?"
The captain blinked.
"Then keep him. We'll collect the bounty when we reach our destination."
Dunn said it as if it were obvious.
Dunn wasn't going to use his strength to get things for free. These pirates would be his cash machines from now on.
"Understood!"
"You bastards, you're actually going to turn me in for—"
The pirate flew into a rage, but before he could finish, the captain punched him in the nose. His next words turned into a cry of pain.
After that, Dunn never saw the pirate again.
Over the next stretch of the journey, they ran into more than a dozen groups of pirates. From the ones they captured, Dunn learned the situation with Krieg.
Krieg really was active, and the pirates gathered here had indeed been summoned by him to join his crew.
They were simply the rejects left behind after the selection.
Or rather, they weren't good enough to join Krieg's crew in the first place, which was why so many had gathered here.
As for Krieg, nobody knew where he was.
That made sense. If things followed the story, Krieg would remain active in the East Blue until Monkey D. Luffy set sail. Only then would he enter the Grand Line, before being chased back.
After passing through this pirate-infested area, they encountered a few more groups of pirates along the way and captured two with bounties.
Two months later.
Marine Base 16.
Dunn stepped off the merchant ship, sword in hand. He looked at the dock, unchanged from a year ago, and at Marine Base 16, visible in the distance.
"Our contract is over!"
Dunn said.
"Yes, Sir Dunn. Thank you for protecting us all this time!"
The captain respectfully offered him a purse, then waved to her crew.
Two listless pirates were hauled off the ship, tied up with ropes.
Dunn glanced back, took the rope from them, then walked toward the marine base.
People on the dock looked at him curiously, but no one came over to ask questions.
Even the Navy soldiers on patrol didn't approach.
That was because he was heading for Marine Base 16.
Dragging the two pirates behind him, Dunn made his way through town toward the base gates, drawing curious looks from the residents.
"Stop! Who are you?"
The Marines standing at the gate immediately went on guard when Dunn approached.
"Pirate Hunter. I'm here to collect a bounty."
As he spoke, Dunn tugged on the rope and flung the two pirates at the other end toward them.
The Marines at the gate jumped at his move, nearly pulling the triggers of their Fire Pistols.
Pirate Hunter?
The Marines had heard Dunn clearly. They looked at him, then at the two listless men. One of them immediately ran off to report, while Dunn was invited inside.
The base commander's office.
Colonel Mouse looked delighted as he examined himself in a full-length mirror, occasionally straightening his collar.
After the base commander had returned to Headquarters to give his report, he'd been promoted directly to Marine Headquarters ensign. Mouse, meanwhile, had been promoted in turn to commander of a branch base.
Naturally, he was happy to have risen in rank.
Of course, it might have been because the information he'd provided a year ago had proved useful.
After all, he still remembered that a Headquarters Vice Admiral had contacted him to ask about the situation.
That was a true high-ranking officer in the Navy.
"Sir!"
The shout from a Marine outside made Colonel Mouse jump. He turned in annoyance toward the office door, which had been left wide open.
"What is it?"
Colonel Mouse put on an air of authority, though his rat-like whiskers made him look rather shifty.
"Sir, a Pirate Hunter has brought in two pirates to collect their bounties!"
Pirate Hunter?
The words made Colonel Mouse jump.
Although the Navy had issued plenty of wanted posters, not many people actually caught pirates with bounties on their heads and brought them in to claim the rewards.
Of course, the East Blue's general state of affairs had something to do with that.
The last time a Pirate Hunter had come to claim a bounty was that boy who seemed to be a Devil Fruit user. What was his name again? Dunn, he thought.
Colonel Mouse stroked his whiskers, recalling the situation from a year ago.
His own promotion also seemed to have something to do with that man.
But by now, Dunn might have made it to Headquarters.
Maybe the next time they met, Dunn would be his superior.
After all, a Marine Headquarters ensign was on par with a branch base commander.
At the thought, Mouse felt envious.
But the feeling quickly passed.
Promotions came quickly at Headquarters, but at a branch base, he was in charge of an entire base.
Each had its advantages.
"Sir?"
Seeing Colonel Mouse smile without saying anything, the reporting Marine cautiously called out to him.
"Ahem!"
Startled back to himself, Colonel Mouse cleared his throat.
"Since a Pirate Hunter has captured some pirates, I, as the base commander, should meet him and offer my encouragement."
Colonel Mouse spoke with a solemn expression, but in his mind he was already figuring out how to pocket some of the bounty.
It was hard to learn to do good, but easy to pick up bad habits.
He'd suffered for half his life. Was he not allowed to skim a little money and enjoy life?
He didn't dare touch the Navy's funds, but he had the nerve to dock a little from a bounty hunter's reward.
Not only did he have the nerve—he had plenty of it.
Colonel Mouse led a squad of Marines to where Dunn was waiting.
"Ahem. I'm Colonel Mouse, commander of this Marine Branch base. You're the one who captured the pirates?"
Mouse saw Dunn sitting calmly and cleared his throat as he spoke. But then Dunn looked familiar. He couldn't quite remember where he'd seen him.
"Long time no see, Major Nezumi. You've actually been promoted in just a year!"
Before you continue