Dunn: I want to eat fish... and oranges!

If the power were truly on par with the Rising Sun Blade, Dunn could not even begin to imagine the destruction it would cause.

However, the methods he had just displayed were actually simulated by utilizing the explosive surge of power granted by activating Indomitable; aside from the superficial resemblance, they were, in truth, completely unrelated.

But strength is fleeting, while looking cool is forever.

On the ship, Koushiro watched Dunn, who had remained motionless since sitting down, then turned his gaze toward the unrecognizable, devastated island.

Even now, he could sense a terrifying power hidden within Dunn's body—a power that, if unleashed, would be just as world-shattering as what he had witnessed moments ago.

After a moment of silence, Koushiro composed himself and steered the ship back toward their destination.

Dunn, meanwhile, sat with his eyes closed, contemplating the power surging within him.

His entire being had been enhanced tenfold across every dimension—not just his physique and Armament Haki, but even his connection to his Devil Fruit ability. He could even feel a peculiar energy stirring inside him, and it seemed his fruit ability itself had undergone a transformation.

Fifteen minutes was a duration that could feel either fleeting or eternal.

If he were locked in combat with an enemy, fifteen minutes would be more than enough to kill them hundreds of times over.

Having experimented on the island for a while and sat on the ship for a bit, Dunn felt the power granted by Indomitable fading away.

[HP: 23% (Recovering; consuming food will accelerate recovery)]

Indomitable had activated once his HP dropped to a critical threshold, but even while the ability was active, his HP had been steadily regenerating, reaching 23% over the course of fifteen minutes.

The effects of Indomitable were simply too powerful.

As Dunn's trump card, it was more than sufficient.

Having tested the power gained from activating Indomitable, Dunn felt even more confident.

"But what about that energy I suddenly sensed?"

With Indomitable deactivated, Dunn kept his eyes closed, lost in thought as he pondered that strange energy.

It was somewhat different from the energy of Armament Haki; it seemed to be a unique form of spiritual energy.

Wait, could it be?

Conqueror's Haki?

Do I have that kind of potential?

Dunn startled, opening his eyes and looking down at his own hands.

In the original story, the description of Conqueror's Haki was quite vague.

It was said to be innate, a matter of aptitude—you either have it or you don't, and it might even be hereditary.

But as a transmigrator, could he possess such an ability?

Or perhaps, Conqueror's Haki was itself a form of powerful spiritual energy, and since Indomitable provided a comprehensive enhancement, it had included his spiritual energy as well?

Regardless, he could try to guide it out; he would know for sure once he did.

Dunn thought to himself, preparing to incorporate this into his upcoming training regimen.

As for the other discovery regarding his fruit ability.

Dunn wasn't sure if it was an Awakening, but the temperature of the flames he controlled had certainly increased—and by a significant margin.

However, Dunn couldn't determine if it was an Awakened ability or simply a case of quantitative change leading to a qualitative shift.

It was like poison; discussing toxicity while ignoring the dosage was just being unreasonable.

This could also explain why, in the original story, Sabo was able to master the Mera Mera no Mi so quickly after obtaining and consuming it in Dressrosa.

But either way, it was good news for Dunn.

The potency of Indomitable had caused a shift in Dunn's mindset; he could feel it, but he had no intention of changing it.

There was one more point: the bonus from Indomitable was based on his own base strength.

In other words, the stronger Dunn was in his normal state, the more terrifying the boost would be once Indomitable was activated.

"Keep getting stronger!"

Dunn whispered to himself.

Hearing Dunn's voice, Koushiro, who was steering the ship, felt a jolt and turned to look at Dunn, who hadn't even changed his posture.

It seemed to be some kind of resolution.

Koushiro thought to himself, but the moment he recalled the scene he had just witnessed, he was filled with immense emotion.

He had already imagined Dunn's talent to be incredibly high, comparing him to the true monsters of the sea.

But what he had just experienced made Koushiro realize that he had still underestimated him.

The power Dunn kept hidden was far too terrifying.

Dunn was undoubtedly a figure who would one day be capable of influencing the fate of the entire world.

That was Koushiro's current assessment.

The ship fell silent once more until they neared Shimotsuki Village, at which point Dunn finally stood up.

[HP: 31%]

The rate of health regeneration was incredibly fast, which was also a point of testing.

His current recovery speed was far faster than when he had first been digitized; even without relying on food for rapid restoration, he estimated he would be back to full health in just a few hours.

Zoro and Kuina were already waiting at the harbor.

Earlier, the tremors of the sea had been felt even in Shimotsuki Village.

There was also the mist that had suddenly appeared on the ocean, and the fire in the distance that seemed to set the sea ablaze.

Seeing Dunn walk off the ship shirtless, the two of them looked him over.

Koushiro was in an even more disheveled state.

Beyond the tears and scorch marks on his clothes, even Koushiro's hair had been singed quite a bit, turning yellow and frizzy.

Yet, neither of them was surprised by this appearance.

Because in the past, whenever Dunn and Koushiro sparred, it was usually Koushiro who ended up in the worse shape.

"Who won?"

Zoro, however, couldn't hold his tongue and asked out of curiosity.

Looking down at the upturned face of Zoro, Koushiro shook his head and smiled.

"I lost!"

"This battle didn't have a result," Dunn said, shaking his head, and he was telling the truth.

"But I lost nonetheless."

Koushiro said this as he began walking toward the Isshin Dojo.

"Dunn, slow down! At this rate, when will I ever be able to catch up to you?"

Zoro said, his eyes wide.

"Kid, you're still eight hundred years too early to catch up to my strength."

Dunn hoisted his sheathed longsword onto his shoulder and headed toward the Isshin Dojo.

Watching Dunn's broad back, Kuina's lips moved slightly.

"Zoro, we have to work even harder, so we don't let Dunn pull too far ahead."

"Yeah!"

Zoro nodded with a determined expression.

Dunn heard the conversation between the two behind him and a smile appeared on his face.

Originally, because Kuina died young, it was impossible to know how far she would have gone.

But Zoro was destined to become a Great Swordsman; he was incredibly strong, possessed Conqueror's Haki, and had top-tier talent and aptitude, all while working extremely hard.

Knowing this, Dunn had once doubted whether he would be able to defeat Zoro when the time came.

Of course, the fact that he had been beating Zoro up lately had nothing to do with that thought.

But now? It was a piece of cake!

Carrying the Flame, Dunn walked with a light step, his eyes filled with a sense of anticipation.

He had originally planned to spend a few years training in the East Blue and wait until his strength improved before entering the Grand Line, but now, it wasn't impossible to move that up.

However, before that, there were some small matters to resolve.

For instance, that fish-man who had run off to the East Blue, attempting to conquer it, but had only managed to occupy twenty villages in nearly ten years.

Of course, he certainly wasn't doing it because he wanted to eat oranges.

In truth, these matters had nothing to do with Dunn, but who told him to only remember these specific events?

For example, Kuina's death, Nami's foster mother Bell-mère being shot to death by Arlong, or Red-Leg Zeff using his own leg to help Sanji survive.

These were the scenes imprinted in Dunn's mind.

Coming to Shimotsuki Village might have had something to do with that, though learning swordsmanship was also an important reason, and the results were quite good. However, his previous thought of using the Mera Mera no Mi as his final trump card had changed slightly.

It was simply because, when compared to Indomitable, the Mera Mera no Mi didn't seem quite qualified to be a trump card.

After leaving Shimotsuki Village, Dunn planned to head to Cocoyasi Village.

The current Arlong was nothing in his eyes.

Moreover, if he was going to set sail, he needed starting capital.

Arlong's bounty didn't seem low; in fact, the later Arlong was worth even more than Krieg, who was covered in gold.

At any rate, he was definitely worth more than his starting capital, Doru—perhaps worth several Doru.

Dunn sat quietly after returning to the dojo, his fingers tapping on the table as he pondered his plans for after he left.

Kuina and Zoro dutifully brought out the food they had prepared.

Perhaps because Dunn was about to leave, even the overly energetic Zoro had become somewhat quiet.

Once his health was fully restored, Dunn swallowed the roasted meat in his hand and stopped his movements.

The other three, who had been eating quietly, also stopped.

"Time to go!"