The journalist named Harrison took a few adorable photos of Klee Meow, then asked some routine questions like "Where did you learn to dance?" and "Why did you enter the competition?" before taking his leave.
After all, it was just a dance competition held from time to time on an island in the East Blue. Even if it made it into the East Blue special edition, it wouldn't take up much of the spotlight.
Sherwin then continued wandering the island with the Felynes.
His strategy for exploring towns hadn't changed—walking through the entire town to light up the map was the bare minimum.
Along the way, if they came across local specialty foods, tasting them was a must. If Sanji Meow could learn the recipe, even better.
Whenever they ran into a weapon shop, it was time for a proper look around. Klee Meow would pick out any explosives she found interesting,
while Sherwin tried his luck to see if he could buy another famed blade… Since the East Blue was so "rural," Morgans didn't even have a single useful lead. Thankfully, Sherwin had read the manga!
Ever since Seijuro Meow joined the crew, bars had become one of their regular stops. Huamei Meow also liked to gather intel there.
The newest member, Huamei Meow, was actually the least troublesome. She didn't have many personal needs and often helped Sherwin keep Klee Meow and Sanji Meow in check.
Of course, that not to say Huamei Meow had no interests at all. For instance, shopping for clothes—an almost universal hobby among females—didn't vanish just because she was a Felyne…
"Welcome to Heyshow Panda, Mr. Sherwin."
All the shops on the island had already been informed by Mayor Rand, so naturally, the staff here recognized Sherwin. Not to mention, Klee Meow had recently won the championship in the dance competition.
"Are you here to have clothes custom-made for these adorable Felynes?" the staff greeted enthusiastically.
"Then you've come to the right place! This is the main store of Heyshow Panda—our best designers are all here."
Wait, seriously?Sherwin raised an eyebrow in surprise.
As the biggest fashion brand in the pirate world, its origin and main store were actually located in the most "rural" area of the East Blue…
Was this some kind of dark comedy?But then again, considering that the legendary first Pirate King and the highly probable future second Pirate King, the Sun God, both came from here, maybe it wasn't so surprising after all.
Sherwin had already planned to shop here, and now that he'd stumbled into the main store, all the better—especially since he was still enjoying that -50% off status buff.
He pointed at the Felynes beside him and said, "Then I'll trouble your designers to create a few outfits for them."
"Sherwin-nii, didn't you say this brand is a total scam, meow?"The little ragdoll tugged at his ear, asking in confusion.
(=ω=)
"..."
"..."
Sherwin and the store clerk exchanged a few seconds of awkward eye contact, until the latter finally broke the silence, saying,
"It seems there may have been a misunderstanding about our store, Mr. Sherwin. But once you see our designs, you're sure to find them well worth the price."
Before long, a little old lady, not much taller than the Felynes, came walking down the stairs.
She wore a jacket in the style of Mondrian grid paintings and on her head sat an elaborate aristocratic hat—about half her own height—adorned with all kinds of jewels, flowers, and feathers. A pair of triangular gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of her nose.
"This is our chief designer, Madam Joanna," the shop assistant immediately introduced her to the group. "Madam Joanna, this is—"
"So cool!" Madam Joanna cut the assistant off and, with a speed completely inconsistent with her appearance, zipped over in front of Sherwin.
Tilting her head back, she examined Klee Meow and Hua Mei Meow on Sherwin shoulders—or more precisely, their outfits—with sparkling eyes and an excited shout: "Such fresh designs! Such perfectly matched combinations! This is just… so cool!"
"Uh… Madam Joanna?"
The assistant was stunned. He had called Joanna here to design outfits for the clients, not to get distracted by the client own clothing!
However, the old lady completely ignored the assistant frustration. While waving at Klee Meow and Hua Mei Meow, she coaxed them in a sweet, syrupy tone,
"Come down here, my two little sweethearts~ Let granny take a proper look at your clothes~ Granny got some yummy treats for you~"
Hua Mei Meow shot her a cold sideways glance, flicked her tail, then turned her head away without a word.
Klee Meow, on the other hand, seemed a bit tempted. But just as she held her little paw to her mouth and gave her soft pink nose a gentle sniff, she immediately puffed up and exposed the truth angrily, "You're lying! Klee didn't smell anything tasty at all, meow!"
"Uh…" Madam Joanna awkwardly scratched her nose, then gave a sheepish laugh and said, "Well, I don't have any right now, but I can send someone to buy some… um, hey you over there?"
She turned to look at the shop assistant, just about to order him to go buy some snacks for the cats—but halfway through opening her mouth, she suddenly froze. Whipping her head back around, she widened her eyes and exclaimed in shock, "T-The cat just talked!"
Smack!
Sherwin pressed a hand to his forehead, speechless. Just now he had assumed that Madam Joanna was a well-traveled woman, someone familiar with beastkin. But no, it turns out she simply hadn't processed it yet!
By the time Sherwin walked out of the main Panda store with the Felynes, he still felt a bit dizzy…
After her initial shock, Madam Joanna focus had once again locked onto the outfits worn by Klee Meow and Hua Mei Meow.
She clung to Sherwin, insisting he grant permission to use the designs of their clothes. She even waived all his purchases at Panda and stuffed a membership card into his hand.
With such a great deal, Sherwin naturally agreed without hesitation. And since everything was now free, he figured he might as well order a few custom outfits for himself too.
Compared to the Felynes, who had self-adaptive equipment, he—the practically bare-skinned Hunter—was the one who needed clothes the most.
To be fair, Madam Joanna design skills were quite impressive. After asking Sherwin and the Felynes for their preferences, she quickly sketched out several design drafts, even successfully incorporating some elements from their original outfits.
If this were a mobile game, those would definitely be sellable as premium skins.
Even though Madam Joanna worked quickly, Sherwin wasn't some kind of demon client constantly demanding revisions.
Still, by the time all the designs were finalized, the sky had already turned completely dark—and they had barely explored the town.
Sherwin wasn't in a hurry anyway. They weren't pressed for time right now, and it would take several days for the clothes to be ready. So after taking the Felynes to find a place for dinner, he settled into the best inn in town.
Over the next few days, Sherwin continued to explore Meerapal with the Felynes while waiting for Panda to finish making their clothes.
Originally, he had planned to leave Meerapal Island once he received the clothes. However, after touring the entire town, Sherwin discovered a shipyard not far outside of it.
Considering that other places in the East Blue might not be as "modern" as Meerapal Island, Sherwin decided to take care of building the Spark Knight here as well. While he was at it, he also asked the shipwrights to help modify the Explosive Black Cat: Maria...
At the very least, the Angler Submarine and the Spark Knight should be able to deploy more easily, instead of having to be carried out of the ship hold every time, right?
But there was a slight disappointment—when Sherwin suggested adding a propulsion system to the Explosive Black Cat: Maria, the shipyard workers said it couldn't be done.
The ship was simply too large. Their technology and materials couldn't meet the requirements. Even if they installed it, it would burn out within minutes.
On Huamei Meow suggestion, Sherwin had to settle for a large rudder installed at the stern instead.
Since modifying the ship would take quite a bit of time, Sherwin and his group stayed on Meerapal Island a while longer.
Once everything was finally complete, they set sail aboard the newly-upgraded Art Is Explosion: Beautiful Big Sister Black Cat Maria, leaving behind this
"trendsetting hub of the East Blue."