"admiral, shouldn't we stop him, meow?" As Sherwin gritted his teeth, Hua Mei Meow tugged on his ear and reminded him, "If this keeps up, our ship going to get hacked to pieces, meow."
Although Shakushi looked impressive, it had far too many ineffective attacks. Aside from a few swings aimed at Sherwin and the others—which they dodged with ease—the rest either hit his own crew or landed on the Trickster Brakku itself.
Sherwin didn't mind Kuro attacking his own men, but damaging the ship was out of the question. After all, he and the Felynes already regarded the vessel as their property… and that included Seijuro Meow, who had just learned Shakushi.
So before Sherwin could even make a move, Seijuro Meow took the initiative to intercept Kuro attack.
Just like he had said, Shakushi was much more suitable for Felynes. With their reaction speed and dynamic vision, they could easily overcome the original flaw of being unable to control their own attacks.
"How is this possible?!" Kuro, who had been blocked by Seijuro Meow using the exact same move, was starting to question his life.
Yes, both Silent Step and his Cat Claw Blades were designed by mimicking feline combat styles—but seeing a real cat learn his signature move instantly… was something Kuro simply couldn't accept.
So he once again assumed the noose-like stance and began swaying...
Shakushi had another major flaw besides the uncontrollable attacks: the startup was far too long. In the original story, Luffy had capitalized on this opening to defeat Kuro in one blow.
Seijuro Meow was even less likely to miss such a chance. He spun around and slashed toward Kuro.
"Flying Felyne Sword Style: Rolling Flash Meow!"
Still in the middle of his startup, Kuro was forced to cancel his move and quickly retreated.
The Felyne small size was both an advantage and a disadvantage. Seijuro Meow Rolling Flash was indeed fast and fierce, but his paws and longsword were just too short.
Kuro, known for his speed, managed to evade, and Seijuro Meow only sliced through the edge of his raised coat without actually landing a hit.
After narrowly dodging the strike, Kuro was drenched in cold sweat. He was now certain he stood no chance against this black cat.
Deciding not to prolong the fight, he turned and made a break for the ship edge, hoping to jump into the sea and gamble for a slim chance at survival.
But Seijuro Meow had abundant experience fighting creatures much larger than himself. Before Kuro could act on his escape plan, the little black cat was already in front of him again, using Silent Step...
"Flying Felyne Sword Style Ultimate Technique: Sky Soaring Cat Slash Meow!"
Knowing that Kuro was fast, Seijuro Meow went all out this time and used his strongest move.
This time, Kuro wasn't so lucky. He didn't even have time to react or dodge before Seijuro Meow Heavenly Soaring Cat Flash struck him in the chest. A large amount of blood spurted out as Kuro fell backward onto the deck, unmoving.
From Sherwin Observation Haki, he could sense that Kuro presence was rapidly fading—it was clear he wouldn't survive…
For the Black Cat Pirates to be wiped out by an actual black cat—now that was truly ironic.
Sherwin shook his head with a sigh, then sheathed his blade, clapped the dust from his hands, and said to the remaining pirates,
"Your captain is dead. If you don't want to end up like him, sit tight and don't move while we tie you up."
"Understood, sir! I'll cooperate completely!"
"Yeah, yeah! We'll behave, we won't cause any trouble!"
Seeing that even their captain had fallen, the remaining pirates didn't dare resist. Even Jango obediently crouched down with his hands over his head, having thrown his boomerang—his weapon and hypnosis tool—far away, terrified of angering Sherwin and his group.
At that moment, Hua Mei Meow, who had been perched on Sherwin shoulder, jumped down. As she picked up a rope and walked toward the trembling pirates, she curiously asked,
"Why not finish them all off, meow? The Navy never said they had to be kept alive, meow."
A Scarlet Flying Tiger is still a Scarlet Flying Tiger—even turned into a Scarlet Flying Cat, she remained just as ruthless and decisive.
Because Hua Mei Meow hadn't bothered to lower her voice, all the Black Cat Pirates heard her clearly. Before Sherwin could respond, they immediately shouted—
"We've surrendered! You can't just ignore the rules!"
"Yeah, yeah! We won't resist!""Don't kill me! I was forced to join the pirate crew!""I didn't have a choice back then—but now I want to be a good person!"
The pirates were all dumbfounded. How could such a cute little kitty say something so brutal…? Who the real pirate here?!
As for Sherwin, his stance remained the same—he didn't want things to get too bloody or cruel in front of Klee Meow.
In the past, he might've just sunk the entire ship along with everyone on it. But now, hadn't they already seized the vessel?
Hua Mei Meow sighed helplessly after hearing Sherwin reasoning. "Yeah… That does sound like something the Admiral would do…"
Still, considering Klee Meow young age—and the fact that Sherwin wasn't exactly treating the little ragdoll like a delicate flower in a greenhouse—Hua Mei Meow didn't have much to argue about.
Soon, all the surviving members of the Black Cat Pirates had been tied up by Sherwin and the others. Sherwin walked over to the ship rail and waved down. Not long after, Sanji Meow and Klee Meow boarded the Black cat ship.
The captured pirates were beyond relieved—there were two more cats?! Good thing they'd surrendered quickly!
"Sherwin nii-chan!" Klee Meow immediately scampered up Sherwin shoulder and reclaimed her "throne." Tugging on his ear happily, she asked, "So this ship is ours now, meow?"
"Mm, it our ship now," Sherwin nodded.
"Yay—!" The little ragdoll cheered in delight.
(=`=)
"W-Wait a second!" Zango, who was tied up, suddenly shouted, "Don't tell me you attacked us just to steal our pirate ship?!"
"Yep. Your ship pretty nice, and my kitty likes it," Sherwin answered without hesitation.
You could've just said that from the start!
The entire crew of the Black Cat Pirates completely broke down. They never imagined they'd be utterly defeated over something so ridiculous.
Seeing the pirates in complete disbelief, Sherwin "kindly" chose not to mention that he had been very interested in Kuro silent-step technique. Even without the cat-themed ship, he would've gone after them anyway.
Come to think of it, now that Kuro was truly dead, the fake-death plan from the original story would never happen.
"Axe-Hand" Morgan wouldn't be hypnotized by Zango, his personality wouldn't change, and he wouldn't be defeated by Luffy and imprisoned.
Naturally, the moment that earned him the title "Axe Emperor"—the dramatic scene of cutting down Garp—would also never occur.
As a result, even if Koby still ended up joining the Navy, he'd miss out on the opportunity to be noticed by Garp and brought to Marineford for training.
In this new version of events, Sherwin couldn't be sure whether the future "Admiral of Effort" would still manage to display that absurd talent for hard work.
Realizing that this butterfly effect had flapped a bit too far, Sherwin rubbed his chin in thought for a moment… and then decisively tossed the matter out of his mind.