"Ah, finally out!"
With a loud explosion, the Black Cat Maria blasted its way out of the Calm Belt and entered the waters of the Grand Line.
The sea, which had been completely still without even a trace of wind, was suddenly swept by fierce gales, and the waves below became choppy and wild.
Yet less than a hundred meters away from them, it was still completely windless and calm, with hardly even a ripple on the surface.
"What an incredible climate and geographical phenomenon..." Hua Mei Meow placed her paws on the ship railing, gazing back at the Calm Belt they had just left.
"No matter how many times I see it, it still unbelievable, meow."
Even Haibara Meow, rarely one to join in, responded, "This completely defies natural law. Are you sure there aren't any Elder Dragons here capable of controlling ocean currents, meow?"
"Who knows? Anyway, neither the Admiral nor the local legends mention anything like that." Hua Mei Meow shrugged, smiling as she reached out to pat Haibara Meow head.
"But precisely because of that, our adventure is even more interesting, isn't it, meow?"
Under the graceful big-sisterly aura of Hua Mei Meow, Haibara Meow didn't keep her usual aloof demeanor.
Instead, she squinted her eyes in comfort and instinctively rubbed her head against Hua Mei Meow paw.
If Sherwin had seen this scene at any other time, he would definitely have been extremely jealous. But right now...
"Sherwin, are you okay, meow?"
Klee Meow crouched beside Sherwin, concerned, and poked his head gently with her little paw.
The moment they left the Calm Belt, Sherwin had faceplanted on the stern deck, striking the classic pose of the Tekkadan commander.
If they had "Hoshino no Hana" playing in the background right now, the atmosphere would have been absolutely perfect.
"D... don't stop... keep going..." Sherwin continued his commander cosplay.
"Admiral, stop fooling around! Go help Seijuro and the others hoist the sails, meow!"
Housekeeper Hua Mei Meow walked over and smacked Sherwin head a few times with her Felyne paw punches, clearly annoyed.
Only then did Sherwin roll over and sit up, immediately pulling both Hua Mei Meow and Klee Meow into his arms.
With each hand rubbing one of their furry heads, he said righteously, "I've been rowing for so long already. Let me rest for a bit."
"Yeah, yeah, Sherwin been working really hard lately, meow. Big Sister Hua Mei, let him rest for a while," Klee Meow chimed in without hesitation, completely unaware that her Sherwin was plotting to trick her into being the "engine."
Ah, Klee Meow, my little angel, you're the only one who knows how to care about me!Sherwin, moved to the core, buried his face against Klee Meow and rubbed hard.
Of course, touched as he was, the plan to send the little ragdoll to be the "engine" wasn't going to change.
Hua Mei Meow gave Sherwin an exasperated side-eye but didn't press him to work further. After enjoying the services of the Kato Cat hands for a short while, she twisted her body and hopped out of Sherwin embrace.
Sherwin might be allowed to slack off, but she still had to do her job as navigator properly.
Before leaving, though, Hua Mei Meow grabbed Haibara Meow and shoved her straight into Sherwin arms.
"Since you don't want to work, Admiral, then groom Klee and Ai," she said, and then to the struggling Haibara Meow who tried to escape, she added,
"Stay here with Klee and watch over this lazybones of an Admiral, meow, so he doesn't just loaf around."
The little ragdoll quickly wrapped her arms around the escaping Haibara Meow, trying to keep her from running off.
"Sherwin massages are super comfy! Big Sister Ai, keep Klee company, okay, meow~"
During this time, everyone had been trying all sorts of ways to help Haibara Meow fit in. But this little kitten heart was sealed up far too tightly.
It wasn't that she was intentionally keeping her distance—she was simply solitary by nature and disliked socializing.
When Sherwin handed her a medical book to read, or when other Felynes asked her for help with tasks or to share the workload, Haibara Meow would still do them.
But in her free time, she would almost never start a conversation with Sherwin or the others, preferring to slip away to some quiet, remote corner, always looking a little downcast.
Even when it came to sleeping, Haibara Meow would find her own spot to curl up in, never joining Sherwin and the others. As a result, Sherwin Kato Cat Hands had never gotten a chance to work their magic.
Sherwin had tried using the experience and knowledge he learned back at the rescue center to get closer to this highly cautious, seemingly depressed little kitten.
But a Felyne isn't an ordinary cat—they have higher intelligence and more complex emotions. So Sherwin attempts all ended in failure.
Worse still, they seemed to spark Haibara Meow rebellious streak, and instead of bringing them closer, she ended up avoiding him even more often…
That left Sherwin Kato Cat Hands with nowhere to be put to use.
Fortunately, Haibara Meow wasn't nearly as resistant when it came to Klee Meow, who constantly clung to her, and Hua Mei Meow, with her big-sisterly presence. They would sometimes even take the initiative to go and sleep next to Haibara Meow.
Especially Klee Meow—who normally loved sticking to Sherwin—she didn't just harden her heart enough to "abandon" him, but was also the first one to voluntarily sleep next to Haibara Meow. At the time, it startled not just Sherwin, but all the other Felynes as well.
So, under Klee Meow lead and encouragement, Haibara Meow was no longer as closed-off as before.
She now took the initiative to interact more with the other Felynes, and occasionally even exchanged a few words with Sherwin.
However, she still refused to show any intimate gestures, and she definitely wouldn't let Sherwin pet her…
Even so, whenever Sherwin was petting other Felynes, Haibara Meow would always sneakily hide nearby to watch.
This time, though, with her guard slowly opening up, and under the combined persuasion of Klee Meow and Huamei Meow, although she was still a little awkward, she finally didn't run away.
When she curled up in Sherwin arms, all her limbs were tucked in close to her chest, her tail tightly hugged against her body, and her little head buried deep in his arms—like a hedgehog curled up into a defensive little Felyne ball.
Seeing this "hedgehog cat" in full "defensive stance" and refusing to cooperate, Sherwin didn't immediately reach out to pet her.
Instead, he first picked up Klee Meow from the side, gave her an apologetic smile, and leaned forward to gently touch noses with her before placing her down on the nearby deck.
The little ragdoll was very well-behaved, not making a fuss. She sat quietly on the deck, tail swaying lightly, watching Sherwin and Haibara Meow with a cheerful, squinting smile.
Sherwin flexed his fingers, preparing himself, then extended a single index finger, carefully and gently placing it on the back of Haibara Meow head.
The curled-up Haibara Meow on his lap jolted sharply at first, as if startled, but soon settled down without any further defensive reaction.
Only then did Sherwin lightly curl his finger, feeling the little Felyne in his lap gradually relax. Slowly, he added in the rest of his fingers, while his other hand rested on Haibara Meow back, gently patting her.
With his Observation Haki active, Sherwin adjusted his petting style based on Haibara Meow subtle physical reactions.
His hands kept switching techniques, and with his persistent efforts, the Felyne who had once curled herself into a tight ball gradually began to loosen up, allowing his hands to reach more parts of her body.
When the "Hands of Kato" claimed her chin and cheeks, and even when his hand moved to her little belly without meeting any resistance, the moment of the "enemy" surrender was clearly not far off.
Sure enough, Haibara Meow soon narrowed her eyes in contentment, a gentle purring sound rumbling from her throat.
Her body completely abandoned its defensive posture, and she lay belly-up on Sherwin lap, shamelessly exposing her little stomach.
Just as Haibara Meow was lazily enjoying Sherwin meticulous service, she suddenly sensed something off in the atmosphere around her.
Cracking one sleepy eye open, she was stunned to find that at some point, all the other Felynes had gathered around, smiling warmly at her.
"Meow!"
∑(=ΦДΦ=)
Haibara Meow twisted sharply, springing off Sherwin lap.
"I-I don't especially like his petting, meow!" the little Felyne sputtered, fur puffed up in embarrassment and indignation.
"I-It true that the petting just now felt kind of nice, but it not because it was nice that I let Sherwin do it! I only… only… felt sorry for him! Yes! It because I saw how he always wanted to pet me, so I graciously allowed it, meow!"
"A-Anyway, it not what you think, meow! Hmph!"
The more she spoke, the less convincing she sounded. In the end, Haibara Meow whipped her head around and gave Sherwin hand a fierce bite before scrambling away on all fours in a panicked escape.
Oh! That damned classic line!
The bite didn't bother Sherwin in the slightest. On the contrary, he placed a hand over his heart with a deeply moved expression, then shot Sanji Meow a look of pure disdain.
Compared to Haibara Meow, that silly yellow cat previous tsundere antics weren't even worth mentioning!
Sanji Meow: ???
As for the matter of Felyne combat strength… Sanji Meow and Huamei Meow were by no means weak.
Even the weakest, Huamei Meow, could defeat Luffy. The only one who truly lacked any combat power was the newly joined Haibara Meow.