One Piece: Burning the Prison Clothes in the Setting Sun, Mihawk is dumbfounded.

But it's hard to say.

Dunn had just entertained the thought when he shook his head.

He knew the overall shape of this world; the Red Line and the Grand Line formed intersecting rings, dividing the world into four seas.

However, compared to the four seas of the east, west, south, and north, the Grand Line is not actually that large.

Of course, this is only in comparison to the rest of the world.

The navy has limited control over the four seas, after all, its focus is on the Grand Line.

With so many seas in the world, these naval branches alone cannot completely wipe out pirates. As I said before, the seas are too vast.

Or rather, the islands that Wang Luffy ventured through in his adventures were merely the tip of the iceberg in the East China Sea.

Dunn tried hard to detach himself from the story.

This is a real world.

It's a world where one person killing another is all too common.

"grown ups!"

While Dunn was trying to convince himself, the female captain and her crew brought over the awakened pirates.

"Damn it, you bastards dared to arrest me! Admiral Creek will not let you get away with this!"

The pirate who was being dragged over roared, but when he saw Dunn, a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

Dunn's words just now made him realize the huge gap between him and Dunn.

Now, he hopes to use Creek's name to intimidate these people.

"Crick?"

Dunn was taken aback, looking at the pirate who was still about to shout with surprise.

"Scared now? If you're scared, why don't you release me right now, or when Governor Creek arrives, everyone will die, including you!"

Upon hearing Dunn's words, the pirate assumed that Krieg's name had intimidated Dunn and threatened him again.

Dunn's expression didn't change much, but the image of the huge ship that Hawkeye had cleaved in two with a single sword strike flashed through his mind.

A pirate crew of five thousand men encountered Hawkeye, a notorious sea monster, as soon as they entered the Grand Line. The bored Hawkeye then chased them all the way from the Grand Line back to the East Blue.

Of course, that was also the first time in the story that the great swordsman's power was shown.

Or rather, Hawkeye is the first top-tier powerhouse to appear in the story.

Therefore, Dunn still has a deep impression of those scenes.

But now Krieg has formed a pirate crew in the East Blue?

Dunn pondered, while the bound pirates, seeing that Dunn did not react, struggled fiercely.

"Release me now! Aren't you afraid of Governor Creek?"

"Do you know where Creek is?"

Dunn's thoughts were interrupted by the pirate, and he looked up calmly at the pirate.

"Governor Krieg, being a great pirate, naturally went to conquer those islands aboard a dreadnought."

Dunn's question prompted the pirate to answer instinctively.

"So, you don't know where Creek is right now?"

Dunn nodded upon hearing this, then waved his hand.

"Um, Lord Dunn?"

Dunn's actions puzzled the female captain.

"Take him away and ask him. If there's no reward, you can deal with him as you see fit."

"What if there's a bounty?"

The female captain was taken aback.

"Keep the bounty if you have it, and exchange it for the bounty when you reach your destination."

Dunn said matter-of-factly.

Dunn didn't rely on his strength to get something for nothing; these pirates will become his ATM in the future.

"clear!"

"Damn it, how dare they use me as a bargaining chip..."

The pirate was furious upon hearing this, but before he could utter a word, the female captain punched him in the nose, and his next words turned into a cry of pain.

Dunn never saw the pirate again.

In the following days, they encountered more than a dozen waves of pirates. From the words of some of the captured pirates, Dunn learned about Krieg's situation.

Krieg is indeed active, and the pirates gathered here are indeed those he has summoned to recruit.

However, these are all defective products that were left over after the selection process.

Or rather, they simply didn't have the ability to join Krieg's pirate crew, which is why so many of them are gathered here.

As for Creek, nobody knows where he is.

That makes sense. If we follow the story, Krieg was active in the East Blue until Luffy set sail, when he entered the Grand Line and was then hunted down and forced to flee back.

After passing through this area where pirates congregate, we encountered several more groups of pirates along the way and even captured two pirates with bounties on their heads.

Two months later.

Naval Base No. 16.

Dunn stepped off the merchant ship with his knife in hand, looking at the dock that hadn't changed much in just over a year, and at the 16th Naval Base that could be seen in the distance.

"Employment terminated!"

Dunn said.

"Yes, Lord Dunn, thank you for your protection during this time!"

Upon hearing this, the female captain respectfully presented a money pouch and then waved her hand.

Two dejected-looking pirates were tied up with ropes and dragged off the ship.

Dunn turned his head to look, took the rope, and then walked towards the naval base.

People on the dock cast curious glances, but no one came closer to ask.

Even the patrolling naval soldiers didn't come closer.

Because Dunn was heading towards Subbase 16.

Led by two pirates, Dunn arrived at the gate of the naval base amidst the curious gazes of the townspeople.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Upon seeing Dunn approach, the navy at the gate immediately went on alert.

"Pirate hunter, here to collect your bounty."

As Dunn spoke, he pulled on the rope, throwing the two pirates off at the other end.

The navy officers at the gate were startled by Dunn's actions and almost pulled the trigger of their muskets.

Pirate Hunter?

The Navy heard Dunn's words clearly. After glancing at Dunn and then at the two dejected men, a Marine immediately ran off to report, while Dunn was invited inside.

The base commander's office.

Colonel Mouse looked at himself in the full-length mirror with delight, occasionally adjusting the corners of his collar.

After the base commander returned to headquarters to report for duty, he was directly promoted to naval commander-in-chief, while he was promoted in turn to become the base commander of a branch base.

Getting promoted is naturally a happy thing.

Of course, it's also possible that the information he provided a year ago proved valuable.

After all, he still remembered that a lieutenant general from headquarters had even contacted him to inquire about the situation.

Those were the real high command of the navy.

"Sir!"

The shouts from the navy outside startled Colonel Rat, who then turned his head with displeasure to look at the wide-open office door.

"What's wrong?"

Colonel Old Tree tried to appear dignified, but his rat-like beard made him look somewhat sleazy.

"Sir, a pirate hunter has arrived with two pirates to claim the bounty!"

Pirate Hunter?

This word gave Colonel Mouse a jolt.

Although many bounties have been issued, very few pirates who actually capture the bounty and come to the Navy to claim their rewards.

Of course, it is also related to the overall environment of the East China Sea.

The last time a pirate hunter received an award was for that boy who seemed to be a Devil Fruit user, what was his name again, I think it was Dunn.

Colonel Mouse stroked his beard, recalling what happened a year ago.

And his own promotion also seemed to be related to the other party.

However, if they are discovered now, they may have already entered headquarters.

Who knows, the next time we meet, the other person might be his superior.

After all, a major at headquarters is comparable to a base commander at the branch level.

Thinking of this, the mouse felt a pang of envy.

However, this feeling faded quickly.

Although promotions at headquarters are rapid, at a branch base, that's the rank of a base commander.

Each has its advantages.

"Sir?"

Seeing that Colonel Mouse was smiling but remained silent, the reporting naval officer cautiously called out.

"Ahem!"

The rat colonel, startled awake, coughed twice.

"Since a pirate hunter has captured a pirate, as the base manager, I naturally have to meet him and offer some encouragement."

Colonel Mouse spoke with a serious expression, but in his heart he was thinking about how to pocket a portion of the bounty.

It's hard to learn good things, but it's easy to learn bad things.

After suffering half a lifetime, can't I embezzle some money to enjoy life?

He wouldn't dare interfere with the navy's funding, but he certainly had the guts to cut bounty hunters' pay.

Not only are they brave, but they are incredibly brave.

Colonel Mouse arrived at Dunn's location with a squad of naval soldiers.

"Ahem, I'm Captain Rat, the commander of the naval branch base. So you're the one who arrested the pirates?"

The mouse saw Dunn sitting upright, coughed twice and spoke, but then he felt that Dunn looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

"Long time no see, Major Mouse! You've gotten promoted in just one year!"