Dunn's voice was calm.
But in the quiet surroundings, it seemed to explode in everyone's ears.
The pirates nearby held their breaths, afraid they would attract Dunn's attention.
Dunn, however, really wasn't paying any attention to them.
Anyone with a Devil Fruit user working under them definitely wasn't a force from the East Blue. It was more likely someone from the Underworld, or one of those North Blue mafias.
The hand coated in Armament Haki tightened. The pain of having his head nearly crushed made the man under Dunn cry out. He couldn't maintain his transformation and reverted to his normal form.
"Speak!"
Dunn tightened his grip again. The man on the ground twitched twice, then went still.
Dunn was taken aback and let go.
The man on the ground had rolled his eyes back. He wasn't dead, just unconscious.
Dunn rose to his feet, looked around, then turned toward the town.
Quite a few people were watching from that direction. As if they'd noticed Dunn looking, they turned and ran, darting into the houses on either side of the town.
Some tried to escape from the other side of the island.
Dunn said nothing. The pirates around him trembled with fear.
Just as when Dunn had first arrived, he had surrounded the pirates.
The unconscious man on the ground kicked his legs twice, groaned, and came to.
Dunn looked down at him.
He looked to be in his twenties or thirties, and rather thin. Perhaps he'd deliberately trained himself to be this way for the sake of his Devil Fruit ability.
Still, Zoan Devil Fruit users did have sturdy bodies.
Dunn had indeed used a bit too much force earlier. He'd nearly crushed the man to death.
But the fact that he was waking up after only a short time unconscious showed that his physique was impressive.
When the man came to, his eyes were dazed for a moment. But when he saw Dunn looking down at him, he immediately snapped to attention.
"It's the Shichibukai, Lord Heavenly Yaksha!"
Before Dunn could question him further, the man revealed who was behind him.
"Doflamingo?"
Dunn was surprised.
Had that guy extended his reach into the East Blue?
Dunn knew Doflamingo had spent quite some time in either the West Blue or the North Blue. He seemed to have become some kind of Underworld big shot, making money through black-market deals while building up his power.
Even by the time Monkey D. Luffy set out to sea, he still hadn't given up those businesses.
The pirates around them couldn't help stirring restlessly.
Quite a few of them knew this Devil Fruit user.
Before today, he'd been someone nobody dared to provoke on this Trading Island.
No one knew who was behind him, but everyone knew he sold all kinds of weapons. They were expensive, but they sold well.
Some pirates had tried to make a move on him, only to end up hung from a cliff on the island to dry.
Who would've thought he was working for one of the Shichibukai?
These pirates didn't know much about the New World or the Grand Line, but they knew plenty about the great pirates of the seas.
After all, most of the news in the papers tossed down by News Coo was about these people. And then there were all those bounty posters with all those zeroes.
The Shichibukai, Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo, had a bounty of 340 million.
In the East Blue, where most bounties were only a few million and more pirates had no bounty at all, he was a legendary figure in their tales.
"Since you know Lord Heavenly Yaksha, you should know how terrifying he is."
After hearing Dunn say Doflamingo's name, the man on the ground seemed to regain some strength.
He seemed certain Dunn wouldn't dare provoke Doflamingo.
"Leave now, and I can pretend none of this happened."
He didn't dare fight back, and he didn't even dare demand an apology from Dunn.
He only wanted to use Doflamingo's name to make Dunn back down.
After all, this Trading Island had been established at Doflamingo's direction as a foothold for entering the East Blue. If anything went wrong, he would definitely die.
He knew all too well how the Donquixote Family treated those who made mistakes.
After all, that was how his predecessor had met his end.
"Even Doflamingo himself wouldn't have the right to say something like that."
Dunn's expression didn't change.
Doflamingo was indeed formidable. If this had been after the story began—ten years from now—Dunn might not have been able to beat him in his normal state. He would've had to activate Indomitable.
But he wasn't afraid of the Doflamingo of this era.
"You..."
Dunn's words made the man's face change dramatically. He stared at Dunn, eyes wide.
The other pirates were stunned, too.
That was one of the Shichibukai, a major figure with a bounty of over 300 million.
Was this guy crazy? He actually didn't take someone like that seriously.
"Buru-buru!"
Just then, a Den Den Mushi rang.
The Zoan user swallowed nervously and, under Dunn's gaze, cautiously took out the Den Den Mushi.
Then it changed appearance, and a face wearing goggles appeared.
"Fufufufu. If you're still alive, I want to speak with that guy."
After a strangely arrogant laugh, a voice came through.
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing the voice, the man held out the Den Den Mushi to Dunn.
Dunn glanced at it and took it.
"I don't care who you are. Leave now."
"Doflamingo, are you talking to me?"
Dunn looked at the Den Den Mushi and snorted.
"Fufufufu. You can't afford the consequences of destroying that place."
Doflamingo's voice turned dark.
"So you know who I am? If I destroy this place now, what can you do about it?"
Dunn narrowed his eyes and spoke into the Den Den Mushi.
The other end fell silent for a moment.
"That place isn't as important as you think."
"I see. Then when I get to Dressrosa, I'll come meet you."
With that, Dunn ended the call.
H-he hung up?
The Zoan user watched Dunn end the call with Doflamingo, then remembered their brief conversation.
He swallowed and instinctively stepped back.
"You. Go round up everyone here. If you let even one person escape, I'll kill one of you for every person who gets away.
"Or you can try to run yourselves."
Dunn slid his long sword into its sheath and shouted at the pirates around him. Then he turned and sat on the gunwale of his ship, watching the pirates standing frozen in place.
"Time's running out. If you don't move, you'll all die."
Dunn spoke calmly.
The pirates stirred. They looked at one another, then one of them grabbed his weapon and charged toward the town.
With one person leading the way, the others followed, rushing toward the town.
"Lord Heavenly Yaksha won't let you get away with this."
"Yeah, I know."
Dunn nodded, looking unconcerned.
"You have no idea how terrifying that man is."
He wasn't saying this for Dunn's sake. He was saying it for his own.
If this place was destroyed, he would die too. Warning Dunn might get him killed as well. It was easy to see which choice made more sense.
Buru-buru!
The Den Den Mushi rang again. Dunn hung up without answering.
In Dressrosa, a vein on Doflamingo's forehead suddenly throbbed.
Before you continue