Just as Dunn was leaving Shimotsuki Village, on the Grand Line, at Fish-Man Island, in Fish-Man District.
"Arlong, are you really not coming back?"
The blue-skinned Whale Shark Fish-Man Jinbe looked at the sawshark Fish-Man Arlong glaring at him and spoke gravely.
"You bastard, don't forget how our big brother died! And now you've become a Marine lapdog!"
Jinbe's words seemed to infuriate Arlong completely.
But he seemed to have forgotten why, as a pirate, he had been able to leave Impel Down.
As everyone knew, aside from Golden Lion back in the day, no pirate who went in there had ever made it out.
Hearing the words "Marine lapdog," Jinbe started to say something, then frowned and fell silent.
Arlong snorted coldly and turned to leave.
"Big brother!"
When Shyarly, the blue great white shark mermaid, saw Arlong turn to go, she couldn't help calling out to him.
Arlong glanced back at his younger sister Shyarly, his expression dark and silent. He showed no sign of stopping.
Only long after Arlong had left did Shyarly reluctantly look away and turn to Jinbe.
"He'll come around."
Jinbe sighed helplessly.
Jinbe knew that Arlong hated humans and the Marines because of what had happened to big brother Fisher back then.
But the disparity in strength between humans and Fish-Man Island was simply too great.
Besides, in recent years, pirates had been going to sea in increasing numbers to capture mermaids and sell them.
Shyarly nodded, reached into her chest, and pulled out a shining crystal ball.
Jinbe wasn't surprised to see her do this.
Shyarly was an exceptionally gifted fortune-teller.
But a moment later, her face turned pale.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her expression, Jinbe tensed and immediately asked.
"I saw my brother's death. His head was sent to the Marines."
Shyarly spoke with a pale face.
Jinbe's eyes widened, and he pushed off with both feet, racing in the direction Arlong had just gone.
But Shyarly, who had divined this outcome, didn't move.
The results of her divinations were one hundred percent accurate. Anything she saw in a reading was certain to happen.
Now, she no longer knew what to do.
Meanwhile, Jinbe reached the port leading out of Fish-Man Island.
"Big Brother Jinbe, Arlong already left."
When Jinbe urgently asked, the Fish-Man at the port answered him, but the news made his expression turn grim.
"Gather the crew. We're setting sail."
East Blue.
Dunn had changed to another merchant ship.
The merchant ship leaving Shimotsuki Village wasn't making a long-distance voyage; its trip was only seven or eight days. Dunn had switched ships at a transit island, and his destination was the 16th Branch Base.
Perhaps he'd even get to see some old Marine friends.
Dunn sat on the deck, resting with his sword in his arms.
The passengers and crew kept casting curious glances at him.
Koushiro's actions had given Dunn an idea for traveling.
In this pirate-ridden world, sailing aboard a merchant ship was extremely dangerous. If they encountered pirates and the crew couldn't fend them off, losing their cargo would be the least of their worries. The most terrifying outcome was that the ruthless pirates might kill everyone.
That made hiring guards a very common practice.
"Mr. Dunn!"
A woman's voice rang out. Dunn turned to see a tall, middle-aged woman with rough skin. She was also the captain of this merchant ship.
"The day after tomorrow, we'll enter an area with frequent pirate activity. If we detour, it might take us an extra month."
"No need!"
Dunn understood what the captain meant and shook his head.
"All right. We'll be counting on your protection, then."
Dunn's answer brought a smile to the captain's face. Her muscles, sturdier than a man's, twitched as she grinned, making Dunn's eyelid twitch.
Seeing that Dunn had nothing more to say, the captain stopped bothering him and turned to leave.
But as soon as she was gone, a crew member came over to ask her what they'd decided.
"Captain, are we taking the detour?"
Taking the detour really was the best option. It would take much longer, but they could avoid the waters crowded with pirates.
"No need. We'll go straight through. With Mr. Dunn here, we don't have to worry about those pirates."
The captain waved a hand, looking completely confident.
"Can that gentleman really handle them?"
One of the crew looked unconvinced.
At that, the captain immediately recalled how Dunn had found her and offered to act as their guard.
She'd had the same question at the time. Then she'd seen this gentleman draw his sword and unleash a slash.
As a merchant ship captain who often went to sea, she knew a lot of things.
Swordmasters were one of them.
But she'd only ever heard of them; she'd never seen one.
Dunn was the first genuine swordmaster she'd ever met.
If this great figure hadn't offered, she never would have been able to hire him.
However, without Dunn's permission, she didn't dare blab about it. Besides, even if she told them, these ignorant fellows probably wouldn't understand what being a swordmaster meant.
"We're going straight through. Don't worry. We'll get through safely this time."
After all, Dunn was powerful enough to roam freely even in the Grand Line.
That was probably the extent of her understanding.
A few days later, Dunn finally understood what it meant for an area to have "a lot of pirates."
On his last trip from the 16th Marine Branch to Shimotsuki Village, he hadn't encountered a single pirate in three whole months.
This time, they ran into two or three pirate groups every day. But these so-called pirates were really just vicious thugs who hadn't been at sea for long.
Their so-called pirate ships were little more than small boats that could hold a dozen people.
Dunn dealt with them by sending a sword wave from afar to destroy their ships.
These pirates probably weren't even wanted.
Of course, they did run into a pirate crew with a lot of men.
Dunn watched the pirate ship approaching in the distance. He could already hear the pirates shouting and cheering.
The passengers aboard the merchant ship had long since returned to their cabins, while the crew clutched their weapons and watched the approaching pirate ship warily.
Of course, plenty of them kept glancing at Dunn.
He was the one they were counting on.
"Sir."
The captain stood behind Dunn to one side and called out.
"Let them come closer. I want to ask them a few things."
"All right!"
Hearing Dunn's words, the captain finally relaxed.
Dunn still hadn't drawn his sword, which had made her uneasy.
As the pirate ship drew closer, the pirates brandishing their swords cheered even louder.
A merchant ship this large was bound to yield a fine haul. Maybe they'd even find plenty of women aboard.
At the thought, the pirates grew impatient.
Once they were alongside the merchant ship, the pirates prepared to board. Then several crescent-shaped sword waves met them.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Boom!
The two massive masts holding up the ship's sails snapped clean in half. The pirates below who failed to dodge were struck head-on. The shift in the ship's balance made it start to list, tipping to one side.
Another sword slash, and the wooden pirate ship split apart.
"Once they're in the water, grab a few and bring them aboard."
Dunn spoke, then was just about to turn around when his expression suddenly changed.
A figure leaped from the tilting pirate ship and hurtled toward the merchant ship.
"Bastard!"
The pirate lunging at him looked furious.
"There's a decent one."
Dunn was taken aback. He moved in a flash, appearing where the other man was about to land.
The man had just landed and hadn't even had time to speak when a scabbard slammed into his face with terrifying force.
The intense pain and impact left him dizzy, and half his teeth were knocked out.
He dropped unconscious.
Looking at the pirate he'd knocked out, Dunn beckoned.
"Tie him up. When he wakes, bring him to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, a crowd of crew members swarmed over and bound the unconscious pirate tightly with thick ropes.
"Mr. Dunn, what about those pirates?"
The captain pointed beyond the ship.
The pirate ship had completely capsized. Water poured through the huge gash Dunn had cut into it, and many pirates had fallen into the sea and were swimming toward the merchant ship.
"Deal with them however you like."
Dunn waved a hand and went straight back to his room.
Outside, the crew's excited shouts rang out nonstop, mixed with the pirates' screams.
This damn world.
Dunn shook his head slightly.
Even ordinary people had little qualm about killing, especially these crew members.
What Dunn was curious about, though, was why there were so many pirates gathered in East Blue.
Wasn't East Blue the safest sea of all?
Even if there were pirates, they shouldn't dare gather in such numbers, right?
Before you continue