If Rising Sun Blade really had that kind of power, Dunn couldn't imagine the destruction it would cause.
But the techniques he'd just used were actually just imitations, produced by the explosive increase in strength after activating Indomitable. They looked somewhat similar, but had absolutely nothing to do with the real thing.
Strength might only last a moment, but looking cool lasted a lifetime.
On the ship, Koushiro looked at Dunn, who had sat down without saying a word, then turned to gaze at the island, now almost unrecognizable.
Even now, he could sense the terrifying power hidden in Dunn's body. Once unleashed, it would wreak havoc just as it had before.
After a brief silence, Koushiro collected himself and steered the ship back.
Dunn closed his eyes and focused on the power within him.
Every aspect of him had improved tenfold—not just his physical strength and Haki, but even his sensitivity to his Devil Fruit abilities. He could feel a special power surging inside him, and it seemed his Devil Fruit abilities had changed as well.
But fifteen minutes could pass quickly or slowly.
In a fight against an enemy, fifteen minutes would be enough to kill them hundreds of times over.
After experimenting on the island for a while and sitting on the ship for a bit, Dunn felt the power Indomitable had granted him fade away.
[Health: 23% (recovering; eating can rapidly restore health)]
When his health dropped to a critical level, Indomitable activated. But while it was active, his health continued to recover. In fifteen minutes, it had reached 23%.
Indomitable's effect was incredibly powerful.
It was more than enough to rely on.
Having tested the power he gained from activating Indomitable, Dunn felt even more confident.
"But what was that energy I suddenly sensed?"
After Indomitable wore off, Dunn kept his eyes closed and pondered the strange energy.
It felt different from Armament Haki. It seemed like some kind of unusual spiritual energy.
Wait. Could it be...?
Conqueror's Haki?
Did I have that kind of potential?
Dunn froze, then opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.
The original story's descriptions of Conqueror's Haki were vague.
It only said that Conqueror's Haki was innate, a kind of potential. You either had it or you didn't. It might even be inherited through bloodlines.
But as someone who had crossed over from another world, could he have this ability too?
Or was Conqueror's Haki simply a powerful form of spiritual energy, and had Indomitable enhanced every aspect of him—including his spiritual energy?
Either way, he could try to draw it out. Then he'd know.
Dunn decided to add it to his training plans.
As for his other discovery, the one involving his Devil Fruit abilities...
Dunn didn't know if it was Devil Fruit Awakening, but the flames he controlled had definitely grown much hotter—far hotter.
For now, though, he couldn't tell whether this was an awakened ability or simply a case of quantitative change leading to qualitative change.
It was like poison: discussing its toxicity while ignoring the dose was meaningless.
That could also explain why, in the original story, Sabo had gained such powerful Devil Fruit abilities as soon as he won the Mera Mera no Mi in Dressrosa and ate it.
Whatever the explanation, it was good news for Dunn.
Indomitable was so powerful that it had shifted Dunn's outlook somewhat. He could feel the change, but had no intention of undoing it.
There was one more thing: Indomitable's boost was based on his own strength.
In other words, the stronger Dunn was in his normal state, the more terrifying the boost would be once Indomitable activated.
"I'll keep getting stronger!"
Dunn murmured to himself.
Hearing Dunn's voice, Koushiro, who was steering the ship, jolted and turned to look at him. Dunn hadn't even changed his posture.
He'd made some kind of decision, hadn't he?
Koushiro thought about it, but remembering what they'd just witnessed left him filled with emotion.
He'd already imagined Dunn's talent to be extraordinary, comparing him to the true monsters of the seas.
But what he'd just seen made him realize that he'd still underestimated him.
The power Dunn had been hiding was terrifying.
Dunn would surely become someone capable of influencing the fate of the entire world.
That was what Koushiro believed now.
The ship fell quiet again. Dunn didn't get up until they neared Shimotsuki Village.
[Health: 31%]
His recovery was very fast. That was another point he'd tested.
His current recovery rate was much faster than when he'd first gained his stats. Even without eating to speed things up, he'd probably be fully recovered in a few hours.
Zoro and Kuina were already waiting at the harbor.
The tremors out at sea had reached Shimotsuki Village, too.
So had the sudden fog that appeared over the ocean, and the distant flames that seemed to set the sea alight.
When Dunn stepped off the ship bare-chested, the two of them looked him over.
Koushiro was in even worse shape.
Besides his torn, scorched clothes, much of his hair had been burned, leaving it yellowed and singed.
Neither of them was surprised by his appearance.
Before, whenever Dunn and Koushiro fought, Koushiro usually ended up looking worse.
"Who won?"
Zoro couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked.
Koushiro looked down at Zoro and smiled, shaking his head.
"I lost!"
"There wasn't any winner in that fight," Dunn said, and he meant it.
"But I still lost."
With that, Koushiro started toward Isshin Dojo.
"Dunn, slow down! How am I ever supposed to catch up to you if you keep going like that?"
Zoro stared at him, eyes wide.
"Kid, you're at least eight hundred years away from catching up to me."
Dunn rested the sheathed sword on his shoulder and headed toward Isshin Dojo.
Watching Dunn's broad back, Kuina moved her lips.
"Zoro, we'll have to work even harder. Otherwise, Dunn will leave us too far behind."
"Yeah!"
Zoro nodded firmly.
Dunn heard their conversation behind him and smiled.
Kuina had died young in the original story, so no one knew how far she might have gone.
But Zoro had undoubtedly become a great swordsman. He was powerful, had Conqueror's Haki, possessed top-tier talent, and worked incredibly hard.
Knowing all that, Dunn had once wondered whether he'd be able to defeat Zoro one day.
Of course, that had nothing to do with him beating Zoro up mercilessly these past few days.
But now? Piece of cake!
With Flame on his shoulder, Dunn strode along, his eyes filled with anticipation.
He'd originally planned to spend a few years training in East Blue before entering the Grand Line once he'd grown stronger. Now, there was no reason he couldn't leave a little sooner.
But first, he had to take care of a few small matters.
Like that Fish-Man who'd come to East Blue and tried to take it over, but had only managed to seize twenty villages in nearly ten years.
Of course, it wasn't because he wanted some tangerines.
To be honest, none of this had anything to do with Dunn. It was just that these were the few things he remembered.
Like Kuina's death, like Arlong shooting Nami's adoptive mother, Bell-mère, and like Red-Leg Zeff giving up his own flesh to help Sanji survive.
Those were the scenes that had stayed in Dunn's mind.
Perhaps that was partly why he'd come to Shimotsuki Village. Of course, learning swordsmanship was important too, and it had gone well. But his earlier plan to save the Mera Mera no Mi as his ultimate trump card had changed somewhat.
The truth was, compared to Indomitable, the Mera Mera no Mi didn't seem worthy of being a trump card anymore.
After leaving Shimotsuki Village, Dunn planned to head to Cocoyasi Village.
Arlong was nothing in his eyes now.
Besides, he'd need some startup money to go out to sea.
Arlong's bounty wasn't low. As far as Dunn remembered, Arlong was worth even more than Krieg, who had a whole ship full of gold.
He was definitely worth more than Dunn's startup capital of a few Doru—perhaps several Doru.
After returning to the dojo, Dunn sat quietly, tapping his fingers on the table as he considered what to do after leaving.
Kuina and Zoro dutifully brought over the food they'd prepared.
Perhaps because Dunn was about to leave, even the usually overactive Zoro seemed subdued.
Once his health was fully restored, Dunn swallowed the piece of roasted meat in his hand and stopped eating.
The other three, who had been eating quietly, stopped as well.
"I have to go!"
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