10 Monkey D. Dragon (RE)

"What is the most wanted man in the world doing here?"

As Smoker addressed the hooded figure, Jin Woo had also managed to recognize who it was thanks to Smoker's description as well as the homework he had done, the homework being simply flipping through all the bounty posters in the marine office.

'Why is such a famous figure here?' He held the same question and wariness as the Marine Captain.

Jin Woo's body tensed up and the hair on the back of his hand stood up. He could sense the aura of the other party which seemed as vast as the sky and as deep as the sea.

Despite knowing that it might very well be useless, Jin Woo hurriedly jumped back to create some more distance between them.

Not showing any reaction, be it either to Jin Woo's wariness or Smoker's unfriendliness, Dragon laughed in a deep voice. "Oh, don't be so cold. I was just passing through and noticed something interesting, so I came to check it out."

Dragon's casual demeanor that was similar to a friendly neighborhood uncle was in complete contrast with the sheer pressure that Jin Woo could feel coming from him.

For the moment, Jin Woo couldn't feel any hostility coming from Dragon.

Dismissing Smoker's fierce glare, Dragon turned towards Jin Woo. "Ohoh, interesting, I can feel it from you…but…"

Stroking his chin with his hand, Dragon seemed to be lost in his thoughts. And after a while, he spoke again,

"…It is still not complete yet? I can't help but feel something is amiss."

'What does he mean by that? Does he know I am not originally from this world?'

At first, Jin Woo was alarmed but after some rational thinking, he realized that the other party, no matter how strong, had no way of knowing that he was from another world.

If that was truly the case, then what exactly did he mean by that? Jin Woo's curiosity was definitely piqued.

After a tug of war between his caution and curiosity to figure out some clues, his curiosity won by a slight advantage as he asked.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Even if you ask me that, I am unaware of it myself." Dragon only chuckled mysteriously.

'Don't mention it in the first place then…'

Realizing that he wouldn't be getting any more answers, Jin Woo stopped probing. At the same time, he understood the feelings of the main characters in movies that never got their answers. It certainly wasn't pleasant.

Dragon, seemingly reading Jin Woo's inner emotions, laughed.

"Don't be in a hurry. The world will change — it'll be forced to change. The time is approaching and when that happens, who knows, you might or might not be at the center of it all."

'He's more like a charlatan than a Revolutionary…' Jin Woo couldn't help but lampoon.

"It is about time I go. I cannot stay here too long, or it might trouble the residents here." Dragon said while casting his gaze at Smoker, and then turned towards Jin Woo.

"If you are interested in working with me, go to the address on this note."

Before Jin Woo could even say anything, a sudden gust of wind blew over, giving rise to a cloud of dust and by the time the dust settled, Dragon had already disappeared. There was also a small note floating in front of Jin Woo which he grabbed just in case.

Now Jin Woo and Smoker stood there alone, with a heavy silence descending between them, not sure whether their previous fight would resume or not.

Thankfully, Tashigi made her entrance with almost perfect timing. Her breath was a little rough as though she had constantly run all the way to the docks and then back.

She also noticed the lull between Smoker and Jin Woo and did not quite understand the reason for it, clearly unaware that the most wanted man in the world had made his appearance at this same place.

Casting a sharp glare at Jin Woo, she realized that he wasn't gravely injured in any way, as all she could spot were minor nicks and scratches.

'Being able to face Captain Smoker and still not be injured…he must be really strong, more so than I formerly thought so.'

Of course, Smoker was completely unharmed as he was a logia user but it elevated Jin Woo's standing in her opinion. Though it was not as if she suddenly approved of him just because he was strong.

Understanding that she wouldn't interrupt anything, she reported to Smoker, "Captain, I am so sorry! The Strawhats had already escaped by the time I reached the harbor, I couldn't stop them."

Listening to the report, Smoker sighed as he puffed out big clouds of smoke. After a moment, he lowered his jute and gave his orders.

"Tashigi, go and pack up. We are going after the Strawhats."

Turning towards Jin Woo, he continued,

"I take it you don't have any complaints with that?"

In response, Jin Woo just answered rather simply.

"Of course not, you are free to do however you please."

The main reason why he had helped the Strawhats in escaping was that he did not like unpaid debts. In a way, the Strawhats had helped him by giving him a ride to this town. If he had waited for the merchant ship on the previous islands, he didn't know how long the wait would have been.

There was also another reason. It was that, although the time he spent with them was short, it was quite enjoyable for him.

All he did was pay an unpaid debt, and as long as it didn't affect him much in any way, he did not mind helping them in passing next time either. Still, it was not like they needed him to worry about them, they were plenty strong enough to fend off on their own and were responsible for themselves.

As for all the pep talk he did before his fight with Smoker? It was merely for the sake of buying some time. He could neither judge the Marines nor the pirates based on the minority of the minority he had seen. There was no one truly white or black in this world, only gray which switched colors depending on the circumstances.

Shooting a smile towards Smoker, Jin Woo continued,

"I hope for a pleasant partnership."

"Likewise."

Smoker rather gruffly acknowledged and turned around, followed by Tashigi that still kept shooting glares at Jin Woo that he did not really care about. It was obvious she did not quite like him.

Now left alone, Jin Woo began to reflect on his fight from before.

'If the fight had continued without any interruptions, I doubt I would have been able to win. It's not just the way he can turn into smoke, rendering all my attacks useless, but I also felt like he did not go all out for some reason.

Sigh, still the biggest problem is him turning into smoke…If there are more guys like that out there, it would be very troublesome. I need to think of some way to counter it…'

Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the note left behind by Dragon,

There was only one line written on the note: "Gold Roger Bar, Eastern side of Loguetown"

'Hmm, I wonder what he meant by working together.'

Wondering, he put the note in his inventory.

"Not yet at least…I am too weak as I am."

After obtaining the system and completing quests, Jin Woo thought he had gotten quite strong but ever since coming into this world, he had only faced problems greater than his level

Firstly, Arlong, If Jin Woo hadn't known about the enemy's temper thanks to the villagers and used it to his advantage by taunting him and pulling him into a premade trap, the outcome of their fight would most likely have been reversed, with Jin Woo buried in the rubble.

After that. he fought Smoker, another monster that seemed to be invincible with his smoke transformation ability.

But even that was alright, what made Jin Woo really feel weak was Dragon's aura. Even though the guy was suppressing it and hadn't unleashed it, Jin Woo could clearly feel the difference between him and himself.

He needed to get stronger, and thankfully, he already knew of a way.

Jin Woo took out a 'key' from his inventory. It was long and had antique patterns covering its surface. It's color was pitch black and a hazy mist surrounded it.

It happened when he was on the ship with the Strawhats, completing his daily mission. A simple curiosity had led him to do double the amount of workout required for the quest to be completed.

And to his pleasant surprise, he got the notification of a <<Hidden Quest>> being completed. It even rewarded him a <<Cursed Box>>.

<<Cursed Box>> granted an item that the player 'needed', in contrast to the <<Blessed Box>> that granted an item that the player 'wanted'. There was a clear big difference between the two.

What the <<Cursed Box>> has granted him was the key he currently held in his hand.

Bringing up the key's information, Jin Woo read it again.

[Item: The Uncrowned Castle

Type: Dungeon Key

Rarity: C—A

Description: An item that allows you to open an instant gate to the 'The Uncrowned Castle' that is missing its master. It can be used on the Loguetown, west dock, warehouse no. 3.]

Reflexively, Jin Woo tightened his grip on the key. He could still get stronger, much stronger. His blood was boiling.

After all, he was a hunter at heart, and a Hunter belonged to dungeons, surrounded by monsters.

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(A/N: Well, I addressed a few issues and explained things subtly that appeared to not make much sense before such as Jin Woo beating people stronger than him and a few others. Honestly, trust me, I had all of it thought up before even writing the old version, but my limited skills in writing couldn't quite express my thoughts, thus causing confusion. Do let me know what are your thoughts about it.)