"Sherwin-nii~ You're back, meow~"
(=`=)
As soon as Sherwin returned to the ship, Klee Meow pounced straight into his arms. After rubbing around in his embrace for a while, the little ragdoll finally lifted her head, perked up her ears, and said cautiously,
"Klee can sense lots of bad guys who want to attack us, meow!"
"Ah, it those pirates who didn't manage to buy a Devil Fruit," Sherwin patted Klee Meow little head.
"Didn't we already expect this? This time haul is a big one."
"Oh right, Klee forgot, meow~" The little ragdoll scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, then reached for her small backpack and eagerly volunteered,
"Watch Klee blow them all to pieces, meow!"
Sherwin quickly stopped her. "Wait! Save it until we're out of the harbor! If you throw bombs now, you'll hurt other people!"
"Ehehe…" The little ragdoll shrank her head, sticking out her tongue. "Klee forgot again, meow~"
(==)
With a doting tap on Klee Meow tiny nose, Sherwin turned and waved sharply to Sanji Meow and Seijuro Meow.
"Prepare to set sail! Let show these blind pirates what we're made of!"
As the Exploding Black Cat Maria sailed out of Queen of Spring City harbor, every pirate ship—whether docked at that port or anchored elsewhere—moved out as well.
While tailing Sherwin ship, they gradually formed an encirclement, intending to trap them at sea.
Sherwin used Observation Haki to sense the auras on those ships, then clicked his tongue in mild disappointment.
"Tch… That guy who bought the Reindeer Fruit isn't here…"
Clearly, the man had slipped away while Sherwin drew the attention of the other pirates.
But his efforts were all in vain—at this moment, Stussy should already have her eyes on him, ready to make a move at any time.
That being the case… wouldn't Kaku in the future not only be mistaken for Usopp, but also mistaken for Chopper?It was indeed a bit regrettable not being able to recover the Reindeer Fruit, which could have earned him a huge profit.
So now, not a single one of these pirates before him could be allowed to escape…
Sherwin pulled back from his racing thoughts and looked at the pirate ships that were closing in, tightening the encirclement. He then nodded to Klee Meow, who had already been itching to act.
Just as the pirates' encirclement was about to close and they were preparing to launch their assault, they suddenly saw more than ten little spheres, spitting sparks and making sharp "whoosh, whoosh" sounds, shooting out from Sherwin ship at great speed toward them.
Some slower pirates only realized what was happening when the little spheres were right in front of them, hurriedly trying to shoot them down or defend. The quicker pirates immediately ordered their snipers to intercept them before they hit.
However…
"It not that easy, meow!"
Standing proudly atop the ship figurehead, Klee Meow waved her tiny paws. Instantly, the sparks trailing behind the "whoosh-whoosh" bombs adjusted their jetting direction, easily weaving past bullets and arrows aimed at them.
When every single bomb reached its designated target ship, Klee Meow spread her small paws wide, then clenched them with force, declaring mightily: "Art is an explosion, meow!"
(=`=)
Visible shockwaves erupted over the pirate ships, each explosion precisely controlled by Klee Meow. Not a single pirate could escape the range of those detonating bombs.
The pirates caught in the shockwaves felt their whole bodies violently shaken by an invisible force.
Their blood churned inside them, their heads felt like someone had poured in barrels of salted herring, while dozens of giant bells pounded against their ears.
For an instant, it was as if their very souls were being torn from their bodies.
In the blink of an eye, pirates on the decks collapsed in droves—their eyes rolled white, foam spilled from their mouths, and blood trickled from their ears and nostrils… even worse than being struck by Conqueror Haki.
It was clear that Klee Meow had once again upgraded her "Sonic Bombs."
But the Grand Line was truly worthy of its name. Even against the enhanced whoosh-whoosh bombs, each ship still had a few pirates managing to withstand the attack. Sherwin sensed the remaining auras and immediately assigned tasks to his Felynes—
"Seijuro, take care of the ones on those four ships. Sanji, you handle the pirates still conscious on those two ships. Klee, you stay here to protect Huamei, Haibara, and our ship. The rest… leave to me."
With that, Sherwin pushed off with his foot, leaping into the air. Using the Moonwalk technique, he shot toward the pirate crew with the strongest presence.
"Why do I only get two ships, meow?! Are you looking down on me, meow?!"
Sanji Meow protested angrily, waving his little paw at Sherwin as he darted off. Still, he obediently burst into crackling electricity and leapt toward the two ships assigned to him.
Seijuro Meow, on the other hand, had already sprung into action the moment Sherwin gave the order.
Klee Meow wanted to help too, but Huamei Meow stopped her. "Klee, you're being naughty again, meow?"
Sherwin had already told Huamei Meow about Stussy matter, so she naturally knew the real reason why Sherwin left Klee Meow on the ship.
But such complicated things didn't need to be explained to the little puppet—Huamei Meow could handle it anyway.
And just as Sherwin expected, even though Huamei Meow strength wasn't enough to stop Klee Meow, the little puppet still obediently halted her steps. She hurriedly waved her little paws in panic, trying to defend herself:
"Not true! Klee is very obedient, meow!"
(=Д=)
Just as Huamei Meow held Klee Meow back, Sherwin and the others had already reached those pirate ships...
"Monster Hunter Style · Demon Dragon Ascent!"
"Flying Felyne Sword Style · Cat Pounce Slash Meow!"
"Devil Leg · Hidden Lotus Meow!"
One after another, they unleashed their signature moves, instantly taking down the pirates who hadn't been knocked unconscious.
Though these men had managed to withstand the earlier sonic attack, Klee Meow Whoosh-Whoosh Bombs weren't something easy to endure.
Even Sherwin himself would get "numbed" for quite a while if he was careless, let alone these pirates who were facing it for the first time.
So, even though in Sherwin perception the auras of those pirates still seemed quite strong, in reality he and the others didn't encounter any real resistance.
Most of them were taken down the moment they showed up. Even the occasional counterattacks were crooked, weak, and powerless—there wasn't even a need to dodge.
After finishing off those pirates, the man and two Felynes quickly looted all the treasure on the ship.
Then Sherwin searched among the pirates and indeed found three Devil Fruit users. Unfortunately, after stabbing each of them with his hunting knife, he still couldn't draw out any Devil Fruits.
So, regretfully, he chopped off the heads of the "bounty targets" as usual, stuffed them into Meowjirou bag, and together with the Felynes returned to the Explosive Black Cat · Maria.
As for the pirate ships and the remaining pirates, naturally, they were all sunk according to routine.
"How is it?"
Back on the ship, Sherwin hugged the pouncing Klee Meow, but his eyes turned toward Huamei Meow.
With her Observation Haki range being the widest, Huamei Meow closed her eyes to sense for a moment, then shook her head at Sherwin."No one else left, meow."
"Oh?"
Sherwin raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. Stussy actually hadn't shown up?
He wasn't sure whether she was still busy dealing with the pirate who had bought the Reindeer Fruit, or if she had been scared off by their earlier display, or maybe she never planned to trouble them at all.
But since the other party didn't appear, Sherwin naturally had no reason to stay here any longer.
In just a few days, Sherwin and his crew couldn't possibly have their Log Pose fully charged with the magnetic field needed to head to the next island.
Besides, Saint Brabo Island and Water 7 weren't even on the same route.
But this problem was easy to solve… just follow the sea train tracks.
Moreover, from those pirates, Sherwin had also seized a few Log Poses and Eternal Poses. By making a quick comparison, he could easily figure out which one pointed toward Water 7.
"Raise the anchor, set the sails, let go!"
Taking advantage of Stussy not having shown up yet, Sherwin immediately called out to Sanji Meow and Meowjirou, steering the ship in the direction of Water 7.