"He can't… no, wait! I can't be eaten! Coo—"
The pigeon perched on Rob Lucci shoulder was startled, flapping its wings frantically before hiding behind his top hat.
Hearing it speak, the little Felyne doll immediately felt disappointed."Another one that can talk… that means I can't eat it, meow…"
"Right, right, I can't be eaten! Coo—"
The pigeon poked its head out from behind the hat, nodding furiously.
But Klee Meow twitched her ears, then excitedly pointed at it and shouted,"No, that not right! You're not the one talking, meow! Klee heard it clearly! The voice came from that uncle, meow!"
"You still can't eat it."Sherwin tapped Klee Meow on the head, stopping her from trying to defend Haibara Meow again.
"If you want to eat pigeon, I'll buy you some later. But this one is someone else companion, so you're not allowed to scare it anymore."
"Hahahahaha!" Paulie burst out laughing on the side.
"That right! This guy Lucci is a weirdo. Without Hattori, he doesn't dare speak to anyone directly."
After explaining for Rob Lucci, Paulie suddenly froze in shock."Wait a second! Then what going on with you?! You don't look like you're cooperating with his ventriloquism at all!"
"Meow?"The little Felyne doll tilted her head, confused.
"Talk! Talk! How can a little kitty like you talk?!" Paulie kept shouting.
"Since there are Fishmen in this world, having Catfolk is only natural. To be precise, they should be called the Mink Tribe."
The one who answered wasn't Sherwin or Klee Meow, but a man voice coming from behind Sherwin. When the shipwrights heard this voice, they all showed expressions of respect.
Sherwin turned around and saw that Peepley Lulu, along with the third CP agent Kalifa, had returned—following behind a man in a striped suit as they walked over.
"Another strange one, meow," Haibara Meow whispered softly in Sherwin ear. Sherwin gave a slight nod to show he understood.
Meanwhile, Klee Meow waved her little paws at Peepley, shouting:"Uncle, your hair looks so funny, meow! Can Klee play with it, meow?"
Then Sherwin watched as Peepley face broke into a completely unfitting, even slightly creepy smile. He jogged past Iceburg and came right up to Sherwin, bending down and lowering his head…
"Uncle, you're such a good person! Can you tell Klee your name, meow?"
As she asked, Klee Meow stretched out her little paws and happily started playing "whack-a-mole" on Peepley head.
Peepley, far from being bothered, even cooperated by turning his head around so Klee Meow could more easily smack his flexible tuft of hair.
At the same time, he answered in an unbelievably doting voice:"Hehe~ My name is Peepley Lulu. Just call me Uncle Lulu."
Then, using the same gentle tone, he asked Haibara Meow,"Do you want to try too?"
All the members of the Galley-La Company, including Iceburg, had their jaws practically dislocated in shock.
None of them could have imagined that the always stern, efficient, and serious Peepley could ever make such an expression or use such a voice.
Sherwin, however, found himself rather fond of him… because he could sense that the man was also a hopeless cat addict.
And the glance Peepley cast at Sherwin through his sunglasses confirmed that beyond doubt.
Cat envoys are naturally drawn to each other!
"Ahem." Iceburg snapped his jaw shut and walked over, cutting off Peepley interaction with the cats.
"You must be the one holding the Treasure Tree Adam, right? May I ask—what kind of ship are you planning to build?"
It was only then that Peepley realized how much he had exposed himself. Sherwin watched as the man expression instantly collapsed, then just as quickly returned to its usual stern, unsmiling façade.
He silently stepped back to stand behind Iceburg, pretending not to notice the teasing grins from Paulie and the others.
Putting on the act now… isn't it a little too late?
Sherwin gave a speechless glance at the rugged-looking but secretly softhearted man. Instead of kicking a fellow cat envoy while he was down, he turned to Iceburg and said,
"Actually, I already have a fine ship. What I want to ask is—can you use Treasure Tree Adam to upgrade her, based on her current build?"
"I see." Iceburg nodded, then said,"Kaku, I'll leave it to you."
"Mr. Iceburg, you're joking. This is my job in the first place."As Kaku stretched his body, he asked,"Where is your ship docked?"
"Dock 2. The one with the black cat figurehead."
"Alright, give me ten minutes."
After finishing his warm-ups, Kaku suddenly sprang forward, leaping straight off the top of the water elevator.
"…You're not surprised at all?!" Iceburg asked in shock when he realized Sherwin and the cats hadn't reacted in the slightest.
"Huh?" Sherwin tilted his head."Is that supposed to be… difficult?"
"Mr. Iceburg, this should be the bounty hunter from not long ago who single-handedly wiped out over ten pirate crews—the one nicknamed the 'Hunter' Sherwin. With his strength, Kaku little stunt wouldn't impress him."
Kalifa adjusted her glasses, explaining for Sherwin."Also, according to the information I found, he was originally active in the West and East Blue. I don't know why he suddenly appeared on the Grand Line."
"Hahaha! So that how it is?" Iceburg ignored the other information and, without following Kalifa lead to ask how Sherwin had gotten here, instead laughed heartily.
"Didn't expect you to be that capable."
"Not at all," Sherwin waved his hand modestly. "Morgans' newspapers always love to exaggerate. My strength is just so-so."
Though he said that, Sherwin was actually very satisfied with Morgans. At last, the title of Hunter had spread out, and he no longer had to bear that cutesy nickname of "cat swordsman."
After that, Sherwin exchanged a few more words with Iceburg, then followed him into Dock No. 1 for a tour.
He didn't really understand what he was looking at, but men are always drawn to machines with a sense of mechanical beauty.
It was like how, before he transmigrated, he used to enjoy stopping to watch excavators at the roadside.
Ten minutes later, Kaku returned right on time, and close behind him came Sanji Meow and his group.
When the three new Felynes appeared, Sherwin could feel the gleam in Peepley eyes even through his sunglasses.
"Captain, how the matter with the new ship, meow?" Hua Mei Meow pounced into Sherwin arms and rubbed against him, while Sanji Meow was busy sharing the freshly bought meat and candy with the two Felyne sisters.
"You've come at the right time." Sherwin looked at Kaku. "Well? Is our ship suitable for modification?"
"It is." Kaku nodded and replied, "Your ship has been well maintained, with hardly any serious damage."
Sherwin gave an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head. He hadn't put any effort into maintaining the ship, nor did he even have the ability to do so.
The fact that the Exploding Black Cat · Maria was still in good condition was all thanks to Klee Meow good luck.
According to what Kaku went on to explain, Sherwin idea was feasible, but if the ship required major modifications, then it was practically no different from building a new one. The cost wouldn't be much cheaper either.
"Money not a problem!" Sherwin waved his hand grandly, having just made a huge profit not long ago. "As long as you can build us a ship that we're satisfied with!"
"This is a catalog containing both the latest and classic ship models, with their corresponding reference prices." Kalifa handed Sherwin a stack of design plans.
"You can select the type according to your needs and then put forward your own requests. Since we'll be using Treasure Tree Adam, we'll finalize your design as quickly as possible."
Sherwin and the Felynes gathered together, quickly choosing a ship model and then listing out their requests.
"Klee wants a workshop for researching bombs, meow!"
"A kitchen! A kitchen that suits my size, meow!"
"I also want a training room that convenient for exercising. If possible, it'd be best to include a quiet room for meditation, meow."
"In addition to a potion room and an infirmary, we'll need a garden on board for cultivating herbs, meow."
"That right! I also want a section for growing catnip and matatabi, along with other fruits and vegetables, meow!"
"Sherwin-nii, what about the transformation function? This time we should be able to add it, meow?"
"Captain, don't forget the flame-thrower device. Also, install manual oars and paddles just in case, meow."
After gathering all the Felynes' requests, Sherwin added one more himself: a special room for the Felynes to play in, filled with various cat towers and "cat nests."
Of course, the most important thing—the cat-shaped figurehead—was absolutely indispensable. And for the sake of luck, Sherwin requested that the figurehead be designed in Klee Meow likeness.