Kuina, Thrown Back

As Dunn's voice faded, the room fell into silence.

Kuina turned to look at Koushiro, then lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

Zoro, meanwhile, stared straight at Dunn before suddenly springing to his feet.

"Dunn, just wait for me on the high seas. Next time we meet, I will definitely defeat you."

"Very good, that's the spirit!"

Dunn smiled at these words, flashing his white teeth as he gave Zoro a thumbs-up.

"Heh heh!"

Hearing Dunn's praise, Zoro scratched his head in embarrassment.

Watching this scene, Kuina and Koushiro both shook their heads in unison.

Does this kid have something wrong with his brain?

"You intend to leave by merchant ship?"

Withdrawing his gaze from Zoro, Koushiro stood up and spoke, though he felt a sense of relief in his heart.

Today's spar had revealed the hidden strength Dunn possessed. Thinking back on all their training sessions over this period, he was finally going to get a break.

"I don't know anything about navigation or nautical charts, so I'll have to rely on merchant vessels."

Dunn nodded.

Since arriving at Shimotsuki Village, he had been training relentlessly every single day; otherwise, Zoro and Kuina's strength wouldn't have improved so rapidly.

He simply hadn't had the time to learn navigation, nor, for that matter, did he have any interest in it.

"That won't do. Whether it's the Four Blues or the Grand Line, you must understand navigation to travel these seas."

Koushiro reminded him.

Although Dunn's strength meant he wouldn't face much danger—and besides, there were sea fish in most waters, so he wouldn't starve—he could easily end up lost at sea for a long time.

"You're right, I need a navigator!"

Prompted by Koushiro, Dunn nodded after a moment of contemplation.

But how old is Nami right now? She's even younger than Zoro, isn't she?

If that were the case, she would, at most, be just starting to develop the idea of drawing nautical charts.

"I'll keep that in mind and look out for one. After all, there are plenty of merchant ships on these seas; I'll rely on them for the time being."

"That's for the best. Until you have a competent navigator, I don't recommend entering the Grand Line. You should understand why."

Koushiro cautioned him, but remembering that Dunn seemed to know a great deal, he hesitated before continuing: "The weather in the Grand Line and the New World is far more violent than in the Four Blues. Even if you are powerful, you could still encounter danger out there."

"I won't be careless."

Dunn nodded.

He thought of the great battle between Golden Lion and Roger.

Both men and their crews were at the pinnacle of strength on these seas, yet Golden Lion's massive armada had been completely wiped out by a single storm in the New World.

"As long as you understand. Go and prepare; merchant ships usually arrive in the afternoon or at dusk and depart the next morning. I will speak with the captain for you."

Koushiro left immediately after speaking.

Dunn glanced at Kuina and Zoro, then stepped out as well.

"We haven't cleaned up yet!"

After Dunn left, the two of them looked at the pile of leftover bones and dishes from the meal, feeling completely drained.

Despite their grumbling, they didn't move slowly.

However, while cleaning up, Zoro clearly sensed that Kuina was distracted.

"Kuina, are you thinking about Dunn?"

Kuina was startled by the question.

"Don't worry. Once we're able to set sail, we'll definitely run into him again on the ocean."

Zoro said, thumping his chest with a look of absolute confidence.

"I was just wondering what kind of things I'll encounter if I set out to sea."

Kuina shook her head and replied.

"It'll definitely be the countless master swordsmen who roam the seas! I'll fight them all and eventually become the world's greatest swordsman!"

Hearing this, Zoro shouted while waving his fists, followed immediately by the sound of shattering tableware.

"You idiot Zoro, watch what you're doing!"

Kuina, whose personality had changed quite a bit, couldn't help but yell at him.

In his own room, Dunn used his Observation Haki to perceive their conversation and the ensuing commotion, chuckling as he shook his head.

He lay back on his bed, pillowing his head with his arms, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Previously, he had suppressed this idea because he felt his strength wasn't secure enough, fearing he wouldn't be able to protect himself if he encountered certain people or dangers on this vast sea.

However, men always yearn for unknown adventures.

Dunn considered his own personality to be quite steady, yet he now found himself looking forward to what he might encounter.

Of course, he also wanted to see those characters from the stories with his own eyes.

He would only do what he wanted to do.

Nine years of compulsory education and the worldview he had cultivated since childhood ensured that Dunn would not become a villain.

But as for the various factions in this world, such as the disputes between the Revolutionary Army and the World Government, or the Marines and the pirates, Dunn actually didn't want to overthink them, let alone get involved.

He was merely an outsider and a bystander.

How did that saying go? Respect everyone's destiny.

It seemed that was it.

A jumble of thoughts rose in Dunn's mind, to the point where even his Observation Haki became slightly unstable.

"Perhaps besides the East Blue, I could go take a look at the other three seas."

Dunn whispered to himself.

The night passed quickly. In the morning, at the pier of Shimotsuki Village, Dunn waved his hand and boarded the merchant ship.

The merchant ship was still waiting to finish loading cargo, which appeared to be nearing its end.

Before long, the merchant ship set sail and slowly pulled away from the pier.

"Where's Kuina?"

Zoro watched the merchant ship move, then noticed that Kuina didn't seem to have come over.

Koushiro didn't answer; his gaze was fixed on the merchant ship, his expression somewhat inscrutable.

"Ahhhhh~"

A long, drawn-out girl's voice suddenly rang out from the merchant ship, and then a small figure was tossed off the deck.

"Dunn, you bastard!"

Kuina's annoyed voice rang out, but her body was tossed onto the pier, completely beyond her control.

Clearly, Dunn had used a clever technique. After landing, Kuina rolled a few times before springing to her feet. She glared at the departing merchant ship, clenching her fists in frustration.

Zoro watched all of this, dumbfounded and stuttering. He pointed at Kuina, then toward the direction of the merchant ship, repeating the motion several times, unable to speak.

Koushiro pushed up his glasses.

"Kuina, it is not yet time for you to go to sea. Wait until you become a master swordsman before talking about it."

Dunn's voice drifted from the merchant ship from far away.

Kuina became even more displeased.

"Let's go, let's head back. Since Dunn doesn't want to take you, then just focus on getting stronger."

Regarding Kuina's plans, Koushiro had originally intended to stop her, but considering Dunn's strength, he felt that Kuina wouldn't be in any great danger if she followed him.

Ever since Kuina had nearly died in an accident, Koushiro had become much more open-minded.

However, he hadn't expected that once Dunn discovered Kuina, he would simply toss her back.

Kuina followed behind Koushiro, looking dejected.

"You wanted to go to sea with Dunn?"

Zoro finally realized what was happening and stared at Kuina with wide eyes.

He hadn't expected that even though they had agreed to get stronger together and see who would become the world's greatest swordsman, Kuina had actually tried to sneak away?

This girl was truly too cunning.

It seemed that Zoro's tone annoyed Kuina—or perhaps it was just that Dunn's act of tossing her back made her want to find a reason to vent.

Regardless, after returning, the two resumed their long-interrupted sparring matches.

On the merchant ship, Dunn held Flame as he leaned against the railing, looking toward the direction of Shimotsuki Village.

"Mr. Dunn, I am Captain Old Pick. You can call me Captain Pick. The safety of this merchant ship depends entirely on you this time."

The somewhat elderly sailor with a bulbous red nose said cheerfully.

"Hm?"

Dunn was stunned, turning his head to look at the old man who called himself Captain Pick.

"Master Koushiro said that Mr. Dunn's swordsmanship is extraordinary. Don't worry, once we return safely from this trip, we will certainly pay Mr. Dunn a generous reward."

Seeing Dunn's expression, Old Pick spoke again.

Dunn finally caught on and cast a speechless glance toward the direction of Shimotsuki Village.

This Koushiro...

He had assumed Koushiro had simply paid for his passage on the ship, but he hadn't expected him to find him a job instead.

Considering Koushiro's hidden identity and the possibility that he was secretly gathering supplies for the Revolutionary Army, Dunn was no longer surprised.

"Leave it to me. If you run into any trouble, just call for me."

Dunn didn't refuse; it wasn't as if it were a difficult task, anyway.

"That's good to hear. I've arranged a private room for Mr. Dunn. You can go and rest first, and I'll have someone bring food to your room."

Seeing Dunn's relaxed demeanor, Old Pick was overjoyed.