Kuro, as an officially recognized high-IQ character by the author, stood out most obviously for not being as stubborn as most pirates, and for possessing a rare trait that most lacked—caution.
So, while his subordinates were still at a loss, he was the first to make the right decision.
Although the rest of the Black Cat Pirates didn't understand why their captain wanted to retreat just because a cannonball had been intercepted, Kuro long-standing authority left them too intimidated to question or resist.
Thus...
"Sherwin-nii, it looks like they ran away, meow?"
ωKlee Meow, who had just tossed a single "whoosh-whoosh" bomb and hadn't had nearly enough fun, twitched her ears and looked at Sherwin with a bit of frustration.
In truth, Sherwin was just as confused at the moment...
That guy Kuro—he didn't seem like such a coward in his memory. Could it be that at this point, Kuro had faked his death already, and the coward here was Django?
But he hadn't heard of Kuro getting captured or anything... The timing didn't match up either.
"Whatever, let just catch up to them and figure it out!"
Unable to make sense of it, Sherwin waved his hand boldly and spoke with confidence.
However, Sherwin confidence didn't last long. Soon, he bent down and turned to Huamei Meow, who was standing at the bow, to seek advice: "Well? Can we catch up?"
Huamei Meow climbed onto Sherwin body and stood on his shoulder to scan the distance. After roughly gauging the speed of the Black cat pirate ship, the little tabby shook her head:
"Although our ship is smaller, theirs has a bigger sail and three meows onboard. Plus, they're sailing with the wind right now—it going to be difficult to catch up, meow."
"In that case... Klee!"
"Oh! Klee knows what to do, meow!"
The little Ragdoll Felyne happily scampered to the stern, hopping onto a platform connected to a series of pipes. Immediately, flames ignited around her body, surging into the pipes that linked to the platform.
At the same time, Seijuro Meow swiftly pulled in the sails.
Right after that, the Seeker No. 1, which had slowed down due to the sails being furled, suddenly picked up speed again—much faster than before.
The device at the stern was, of course, a flame propulsion system Sherwin had modeled after Ace rocket-powered boat. He'd specifically asked a shipwright from Cocoyashi Village to help install it.
Originally, Sherwin had thought: if in the original novel, Deuce and Ace—half amateurs at best—could build a fire-powered engine out of a pile of wreckage, then even though the Cocoyashi shipwright wasn't anything special, he at least had solid experience. There was no reason he couldn't build one too.
But Sherwin had clearly underestimated Deuce design skills and Ace "main character halo." Despite Sherwin detailed sketches and lengthy explanations, it took the shipwright a long time just to grasp the concept. After more than a dozen failed attempts, they finally managed to barely get the flame jet installed on the Seeker No. 1.
In truth, Sherwin had simply reacted too slowly. If he'd remembered this back in the West Blue, they wouldn't have been in such chaos at Reverse Mountain. But it was precisely that chaotic experience that reminded Sherwin how Klee Meow Flame-Flame Fruit could be used like this.
Thus, with the help of the "Spark Knight Propulsion System" (a name Klee Meow insisted on shouting), the Seeker No. 1 quickly caught up to the Hundred Plans: Black.
Although the Black Cat Pirates tried firing cannonballs to stop them, even if Klee Meow was too busy powering the ship to help, Sherwin and Seijuro Meow could easily slash down the cannonballs mid-air using flying strikes.
"Hold on tight, Huamei! Seijuro—let go!"
Seeing that the distance was just right, Sherwin gave a quick heads-up to Huamei Meow clinging to his shoulder, then called out to Seijuro Meow as they both leapt onto the Hundred Plans: Black.
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang——!"
The moment Sherwin and Seijuro Meow landed on the deck of the Hundred Plans: Black, gunfire erupted all around them.
After all, the man known as "Hundred Plans" wasn't going to just sit there and wait for death. Kuro had already stationed his men across the deck in advance, and right after the first round of gunfire, a wave of skilled fighters—including Django and the Nyaban Brothers—rushed forward with weapons raised.
As for Kuro...
Naturally, he stayed behind his subordinates, observing from a safe distance.
"What a warm welcome," Sherwin muttered, curling his lip. He swung the Longsword in his hand, deflecting all the incoming bullets with ease, then unleashed a wide energy slash that sent the charging Nyaban Brothers and several unfamiliar enemies flying.
On the other side, Seijuro Meow just as effortlessly took down Django and a few other fighters with swift slashes of his blade.
"So ugly, meow! I refuse to acknowledge those as cat ears, meow!"
(ω)Huamei Meow, stunned for a brief moment by the one-man-one-cat wrecking crew, snapped out of it and immediately pointed at the pirate crew fake "cat ears" with a face full of disgust.
Returning to Sherwin side, Seijuro Meow nodded in agreement. "This one concurs with Miss Huamei. Those things are absolutely not real cat ears, meow."
At that moment, the Black Cat Pirate collective mental CPUs started overheating. There was just too much to process all at once...
First, the cats could talk! That alone was enough to blow their minds.
Second, the intruders were strong! Their vice-captain, the Nyaban Brothers, and several top fighters were all taken out in a single clash—it was absolutely terrifying.
Lastly, their so-called "certified cat ears" were outright denied by actual cat-eared beings. For pirates who had once taken pride in their look, this struck a huge blow to their egos.
Surprise, fear, despair... three, or perhaps even more, emotions appeared almost simultaneously on the faces of the Black Cat Pirates. It was no wonder their CPUs were about to fry.
But among them, Captain Kuro was not included.
In fact, Kuro also felt shock and fear, but he remained far more composed. He was able to quickly suppress those emotions and seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on Sherwin.
"So this is the famous Silent Step... Quite interesting indeed."
Sherwin held the Longsword upside down behind him, blocking the silently approaching "Cat Claw."
Although Silent Step was more stealthy than Soru, it was of little use in the face of the Observation Haki that crushed everything from a higher dimension.
Missing with his first strike, Kuro didn't hesitate to withdraw. Then he lowered his head and arms, assuming a posture that looked somewhat like he was hanging himself, and began to sway his body slightly from side to side.
"It Shakushi! Captain Kuro is going to use Shakushi!" one of the Black Cat Pirates shouted in panic. "W-Wait! Captain Kuro, you'll end up hurting us too!"
"Please, don't use that move!"
"Idiot! Instead of begging, hurry up and find a place to hide!" Zango reacted the fastest, quickly shrinking his body under the mast.
Prompted by his warning, the others scrambled to claim cover around the deck.
"Admiral, they look really scared, meow. Should we strike first?" Hua Mei Meow, perched on Sherwin shoulder, whispered a reminder.
"No, I'm quite curious about his technique. Let observe a little longer."
In the middle of their conversation, Kuro figure suddenly vanished.
His footwork really was something else. At the very least, Sherwin could only make out a faint shadow with the naked eye—and only if he focused very hard. But once he activated Observation Haki, it was a different story. Sherwin could easily track Kuro movements.
As for the Felynes, whose dynamic vision far surpassed human, they didn't even need to rely on Observation Haki—they could see his actions as clear as day.
"It really is a fascinating movement technique…" Seijuro Meow nodded slightly in admiration. "Feels like it better suited for us Felynes, meow."
Then, Seijuro Meow flexed his paws and mimicked Kuro earlier swaying posture. A few seconds later, his figure also vanished abruptly before everyone eyes…
Sherwin, who couldn't see anything even with Observation Haki: "..."
Damn it! Just because he got talent, he can do whatever he wants?!