A Year of Cultivation Improvement! A True Clash

"Could it have something to do with these two?"

Kuina pulled two copies of the World Economic Journal from behind her back, staring at the headshots of the two men printed on the pages.

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo and the Knight of the Sea Jinbe."

Hearing Kuina's words, Zoro leaned over, curiously eyeing the people featured in the reports.

"Are you saying Dunn has a connection to these two?"

Zoro rubbed his chin as he spoke.

"That wouldn't be a good thing. Dunn probably isn't a match for either of them right now."

Kuina looked at the evaluations of the two men in the paper.

These were, after all, great pirates of the New World. That Doflamingo had even become the king of a country; he surely had formidable subordinates.

And that Knight of the Sea Jinbe was a Fish-Man. The article stated that a Fish-Man's physique was generally at least a dozen times stronger than a human's.

The fact that they could be recruited by the Navy as Seven Warlords was proof enough of their strength.

A flicker of worry crossed Kuina's eyes.

"That can't be it. Didn't Dunn say he wouldn't be heading to the Grand Line anytime soon? Both of these guys are in the Grand Line."

Zoro suddenly spoke up.

Don't let his usual airheadedness fool you; Zoro could always spot the crucial point.

"Oh, right!"

Kuina snapped out of it, suddenly enlightened.

Dunn had indeed said that. She had simply been misled by the fact that he was looking at those two newspapers earlier.

"Let's go!"

Kuina put down the papers and beckoned to Zoro.

"Go where?"

Zoro looked confused.

"To the village to buy supplies. Did you forget? Father told us to buy ingredients. Once their battle is over, we're going to treat Dunn to a grand farewell feast."

Kuina knew what Koushiro was thinking and explained it to Zoro.

On the other side.

The island where Dunn and Koushiro had previously fought was no longer suitable for combat.

Or rather, it was no longer suitable for this particular battle.

The small island hadn't been large to begin with, and high tides would often submerge most of it.

After being ravaged by the two of them for nearly a year, the portion of the island remaining above water had shrunk significantly.

As they headed toward a more distant island, Dunn leaned quietly against the ship's railing, gazing at the vast sea, seemingly lost in thought.

Of course, that was how it appeared to Koushiro.

But in reality, Dunn was reviewing his Body Digitization panel.

[Body Digitization: Your vital points have vanished. Upon taking damage, the injury is converted into a deduction of HP; panel attributes will change based on your own strength; you will not die until your HP reaches zero.]

[Current Physical Age: Fifteen years old]

[Physique: 83 (continuously evolving due to certain influences)]

[Current HP: 100% (recovering; consuming food accelerates recovery)]

[Inherent Talent (Indomitable): When HP reaches zero, enter a brief state of enhancement; all physical attributes increase tenfold; your HP no longer decreases; all negative status effects are cleared; current duration: fifteen minutes; cooldown: one day]

[Abilities]

[Mera Mera no Mi (Proficient Control): A powerful Logia-type fruit ability; grants the ability to transform into and manipulate flames; continuously strengthens the body; fruit drawbacks (weaknesses and soul-binding) have been cleared; you have a clear understanding of how to improve the fruit's power; current fruit development (46%)]

[Swordsmanship (Proficient Control): You have mastered the basic techniques and training methods of swordsmanship; you have crossed the threshold of a master swordsman; you have grasped the Flying Slash; you have found a style of swordsmanship that suits you]

[Observation Haki (Initial Control): You have a clear perception of the energy of all things in the world; your range of perception has increased significantly; you can perform specialized perception in specific directions, with the distance greatly extended]

[Armament Haki (Initial Control): You can skillfully control the energy within your body for attack and defense; you have grasped Armament Hardening and Emission techniques]

[Flame (Black Blade): Under the influence of your Haki, your sword is evolving toward a Black Blade; evolution (3%); the infusion of advanced Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki will accelerate the Black Blade's evolution; experiencing numerous battles and ensuring the weapon and its master's personalities are more in sync can accelerate the Black Blade's evolution]

The improvement over the past year or so had been immense.

His physique, needless to say, had increased significantly once again.

Areas that weren't very obvious initially due to the small gains in physique had now become clear.

The improvement in physique was an all-encompassing enhancement.

Now, for every point his physique increased, his strength grew by a substantial margin.

At first, it might have been about adding a little bit of strength or physique, but things were different now.

After all, once one's physique reached his level, every incremental increase became an incredibly difficult task.

Even for him, the rapid metamorphosis he had experienced before had faded, replaced by a slow, continuous transformation.

As for the rest...

The swordsmanship and Haki he had originally mastered had seen massive improvements, and he naturally hadn't neglected the development of his Devil Fruit ability.

Or rather, his fruit ability had been improving even while he practiced swordsmanship; combined with his own dedicated development, it was currently the skill he had mastered best.

At the very least, he could now easily replicate the techniques Ace had mastered and developed. Of course, that wasn't all—he could now even mimic the form of Old Man Yamamoto's techniques.

However, what surprised him most was that Flame was currently evolving toward becoming a Black Blade.

Although the progress was still very low, as long as he could see improvement, it gave him a goal.

Furthermore, when Koushiro taught him swordsmanship and Haki, he had mentioned many times that all things in the world had their own breath.

Now, he could vaguely perceive the pulse or breath of his own sword, Flame.

It was a peculiar sensation.

Similar to the idea that all things have a soul.

But the feeling was still very vague; perhaps he needed to continue improving his Observation Haki to grasp it fully.

Yet, the panel had already provided the method for how to turn a weapon into a Black Blade.

Regardless, compared to when he first arrived in this world a year ago, his strength had increased by an unknown number of times.

Therefore, this sparring session with Koushiro would be the perfect way to confirm exactly what level his strength had reached.

Dunn thought to himself, his gaze shifting to Koushiro, and then he met Koushiro's calm eyes.

"I will go all out this time; I no longer have the confidence to defeat you."

"Good, that is what I hope for as well. I also want to confirm that I haven't wasted this past year."

Dunn stood up; his body, just over two meters tall, did not look bulky, but rather lean and well-built.

"Not wasted?"

Koushiro's expression turned strange.

For anyone, let alone one year, even ten years of time to achieve the kind of improvement Dunn had would be enough to make them wake up laughing.

But Koushiro did not know that Dunn was measuring himself against Monkey D. Luffy.

From a rookie pirate who didn't even understand Haki when he first set sail, to mastering Conqueror's Haki Emission and awakening his fruit in less than three years—compared to Monkey D. Luffy, his own progress was too slow.

But the bright side was that Monkey D. Luffy hadn't even set sail yet.

His own rate of progress was fast; in a few years, it was not impossible for him to stand at the pinnacle of this world.

However, as soon as this thought emerged, Dunn shook his head.

Increasing power was important.

But Dunn suddenly remembered that Robin seemed to be just over twenty years old this year; at this age, she was still hiding in the West Blue to evade capture by the Navy and the World Government.

Thinking of this, Dunn's mind wandered for a moment.

Koushiro quietly steered the small boat, stopping beside a small island further away from Shimotsuki Village.

"Get ready to begin. Kuina and Zoro are likely already waiting."

Holding Wado Ichimonji, Koushiro spoke as he leaped from the boat, landing on the sandy beach of the small island.