"No way, meow! I already let Explorer One slide, but now there a Two, meow?!" As expected, Sanji Meow was the first to jump out and protest.
"Are we just going to keep naming every new ship like this from now on, meow?!"
"Uh… well, it not like we can't…"
"I don't agree either! A ship is our companion too, Admiral. The name you gave her is way too random, meow!" Huamei Meow also stood on Sanji Meow side.
"I also think you should reconsider, Lord, meow," said Meowjirou with a grim face… though to be fair, his whole body was already pitch black to begin with.
Even Klee Meow tugged on Sherwin ear and said, "Sherwin-nii, come up with a better name, okay? You're so good at telling stories—it should be super easy for you, meow!"
Seeing Sherwin actually lower his head and start thinking, the newly joined Huamei Meow couldn't help but remind him,
"Shouldn't we take care of that group of pirates first before worrying about the ship name, meow?"
Although she already knew that the East Blue was the weakest among all the seas in this world, and had more or less sensed the strength of her new companions during training,
as an excellent "naval admiral," Huamei Meow naturally wouldn't underestimate the enemy in battle.
She also felt Sherwin and the others were being a bit too careless… and that a big no-no on the battlefield.
It just that Huamei Meow still didn't fully grasp the massive gap in individual power levels in this world.
Yes, you shouldn't take battle lightly, but when it a total steamroll, it really doesn't matter.
Still, Sherwin didn't bother explaining much. Once Huamei Meow saw the difference with her own eyes, she'd understand naturally.
"Huamei right. Let focus on taking the ship first," Sherwin said, scratching the little plush doll on his shoulder.
"This time, Klee, don't get involved. If you blow up the ship again, we'll have to get it repaired."
"Mm… okay then…" Klee Meow weighed her options and decided that the kitty ship was more important. She reluctantly gave up the chance to throw bombs this time.
Huamei Meow recalled the scenes of Klee Meow bombing fish and running experiments. The fur on her tail fluffed up slightly, and she quickly nodded.
"Admiral is right. So, when the time comes, we should mainly go for a boarding battle. But they probably won't let our ship get close that easily, meow…"
"That won't be a problem. I, Seijuro, and Klee can easily intercept their cannon fire. Sanji Meow probably can too, but if there too many shots, he might not be able to cover them all."
"Then that makes it simple, meow!" Huamei Meow clapped her paws, instinctively taking over command from Sherwin.
"To avoid damaging our ship, don't fire any cannons once we get close, meow. Klee and I will stay behind to watch the ship. Admiral, you, Sanji, and Mr. Seijuro can jump over directly and start the boarding battle, meow.
If something goes wrong, I'll have Klee use her bombs for long-range support… Admiral and Sanji have Observation Haki, so you should be able to dodge in time, meow?"
"Uh… don't worry. We won't even need Klee support…" Sherwin twitched his lips and slightly modified Huamei Meow plan.
"Better to have Sanji and Klee stay and guard the ship. You come with us to observe this once—then you'll understand."
Huamei Meow thought it over and realized she still didn't know enough about the situation here, so she nodded in agreement.
...
Aboard the Black Cat Pirates, Kuro looked at the rowdy bunch of subordinates before him, and felt a dull ache rising in his head once again. The idea of faking his death and escaping surfaced for the who-knows-how-many-th time.
He'd long grown tired of the pirate drifting lifestyle—especially now that his name was growing more and more well-known.
The Marines and bounty hunters coming after them were also increasing in number. Sure, most of them were useless rabble he could deal with easily, but the cunning Kuro didn't think he could remain at ease forever.
What really ramped up his sense of danger was the recent incident—Arlong crew, who had a similar bounty and even greater strength than the Black Cat Pirates, had been taken out. That made Kuro feel even more uneasy.
If he kept hanging around with these idiots, it was only a matter of time before he ended up like Arlong. So, his plan to fake his death needed to be moved up the schedule…
Just as Kuro was racking his brain on how to get rid of the "dead weight" around him, the lookout in the crow nest suddenly shouted, "Captain Kuro! That little ship we spotted earlier—it heading toward us!"
"Then sink them! Do I have to teach you how to handle something so trivial?!"
In a foul mood, Kuro lifted his head and shot the lookout a sharp, cold glare. The man was so terrified he nearly fell from the mast.
"What are you all standing around for? Do what the captain says!"
"Y-Yes! Gunners, to your stations! Helm, change course!"
Under the first mate Jango orders, the previously paralyzed crew quickly sprang into action. They turned the ship and brought it broadside to block Explorer One path.
All the cannons on that side were already loaded—just waiting for Sherwin and the others to move into range.
"Hahahahaha! That ship must be some wannabe bounty hunter trying to make a name for themselves! Coming after the Black Cat Pirates? They're asking for death!"
"Don't sink them right away—play with them for a bit first!"
Amid the rising jeers and taunts of his crew, Kuro felt not only his usual irritation, but also a strange sense of unease…
"Jango, bring me the sea chart."
At Kuro command, the previously rowdy Black Cat Pirates instantly fell silent again. They nervously glanced at their captain, sensing that he was upset about something, but not knowing what. No one dared to make a sound, afraid they might become the target of his frustration.
Kuro ignored them. He quickly spread out the sea chart handed to him by Jango, then turned to ask the ship navigator, "Roughly where are we right now?"
The navigator hurried forward and circled a spot on the sea chart with his finger. "Based on our sailing speed and direction, it should be around this area, Captain Kuro."
"!!!"
Kuro heart skipped a beat—because not far from their current location was the former base of the Arlong Pirates. Although Arlong had been wiped out days ago, the moment he recalled that sudden wave of unease just now…
"Sink that ship immediately, then get out of here!" Kuro gave the order without hesitation.
"Yes!"
"Understood, Captain Kuro!"
Although they didn't know exactly what was going on with their captain, the gunners of the Black Cat Pirates clearly didn't dare to question him.
But Kuro still wasn't fully at ease. He rushed to the ship railing and stared intently at the slowly approaching Explorer One.
"Captain Kuro, is something wrong?" At a time like this, the only one who could still manage to talk to Kuro was the first mate, Jango.
However, Kuro didn't answer. After all, as the captain, he still had to save face. He couldn't possibly tell his crew that he was scared out of his wits just because of some baseless hunch and a wave of inexplicable panic, right?
Not getting a reply, Jango glanced at Kuro grim expression and didn't dare press the issue further.
Instead, he also turned to look at that seemingly ordinary little boat—which, at that very moment, had just entered cannon range.
"Ready—fire!"
Boom—!
With the gunner command, the Black Cat Pirates' ship Hundred Tricks Blaku unleashed a volley of cannon fire toward Explorer One. The recoil even caused the ship to jolt slightly.
Then, the Black Cat Pirates saw several small objects trailing fiery tails shoot out from the seemingly ordinary small boat.
They collided head-on with the incoming cannonballs, intercepting them all amid a series of explosions.
"Damn it!"
The worst-case scenario had actually come true. At this point, Kuro didn't care about saving face anymore, nor did he have the slightest intention of testing the strength of whoever was on that boat. He shouted without hesitation—
"Quick! Set sail! Get away from that ship at full speed!"