"You bastard! I finally found you!"
Sure enough, Franky—who had been sent flying by a single slash from Sherwin not long ago—didn't have a single scratch left on his body.
Standing on top of a medium-sized King Bull shaped somewhat like a shark, he roared at Sherwin:
"Those cats aren't important anymore! I'm going to beat the hell out of you to vent my anger!"
Sherwin, however, only looked disappointed. If Sodom and Gomorrah had already been saved by Franky, then there was no way he would still be riding on some rented King Bull.
Sherwin instantly lost interest in Franky…
"Oi! What with that face, bastard!"
The disdain written all over Sherwin expression only made Franky even angrier.
But Sherwin didn't bother with his yelling. Holding back Klee Meow, who was already itching to pull out her bombs, he gave instructions to Seijuro Meow:
"They don't really count as bad guys, and killing them would be troublesome. Hold back a little."
"Understood, meow."
Seijuro Meow nodded once. In the next instant, his figure flickered and disappeared.
Moments later, the little black cat returned to Sherwin side, finishing with a sheathing motion…
"Flying Cat Sword Style · Meru Flash, meow."
With the crisp clack of hilt meeting scabbard, the members of the Franky Family riding the medium King Bull all screamed in pain, clutching their wounds and collapsing onto its back. Even Franky himself was howling, covering the slash wound on his back.
Even Sherwin could come up with a bunch of messy sword techniques, so as the genius swordsman who created the self-made "Flying Felyne Sword Style," Seijuro Meow naturally wouldn't stop moving forward.
This move, "Meru Flash," was developed by combining the West Blue "Nose Song Three-Ding · Tail Arrow Slash" and East Blue Kuro Silent Step.
The name was borrowed from the Melnyx Felynes in Monster Hunter World, known for their thievery. It was basically the longsword version of "Thousand Seas Punch."
According to Monster Hunter background setting, which classifies Felynes by fur color, the black Seijuro Meow should have been categorized as a Melnyx. But clearly, Sherwin Felynes never followed that system of classification.
After dealing with the troublesome Franky Family, Sherwin and his Felynes continued exploring Water 7.
Franky finally realized the difference in strength between them and no longer dared to cause trouble.
Once Sherwin and his group had thoroughly toured every corner of Water 7, they followed their original plan and boarded the Sea Train, setting out for the Gourmet City Pucci and the Carnival City San Faldo.
"Sherwin-nii, this train is so long, meow!" After boarding, the little Plush Doll ran around the carriage excitedly. "Can Klee Meow go check out the other carriages, meow?"
(=ω=)
Not satisfied with just one carriage, Klee Meow placed both her little paws on Sherwin leg, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
"You can, but Hua Mei has to go with you."
"Awuu…"
(=`△=)
"What wrong? Klee doesn't like big sister going with you, meow?"
Hua Mei Meow looked at the little Plush Doll with a half-smile, half-smirk. The sight scared her so much that she waved her paws frantically, her head shaking like a rattle drum.
"No, no! Klee really likes big sister Hua Mei!"
"Hmph~" Hua Mei Meow tugged gently at Klee Meow ear with a stern face, then laughed.
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Weren't you going to explore this Sea Train, meow? Come on then."
Saying that, she took the Plush Doll paw and led her toward the rear carriages.
Klee Meow giggled with a silly "Ehehe," then turned around and hugged Hua Mei Meow, rubbing against her affectionately. "Big sister Hua Mei is the best, meow~"
"Wait for me! I'm going too, to protect big sister Hua Mei and little sister Klee, meow!" Of course, the one who said that was none other than the little yellow cat, Sanji Meow.
"You're not going with them to look around?"
Sherwin nudged Haibara Meow. When he rode a train for the first time, his excitement wasn't much different from Klee Meow.
Haibara Meow, who was reading a medical book, didn't even bother to lift her head. She just gave a soft hum and said, "I've already grown past that childish stage, meow."
"You're only one year older than Klee, and you're acting all mature like this?" Sherwin scooped up the pretentious little cat into his arms and began rubbing her vigorously.
At first, Haibara Meow struggled, flailing her paws and kicking her legs, trying to break free of Sherwin hands.
But as the "Hand of Kato Cat" gradually increased its strength, the tsundere little cat curled up her limbs, closed her eyes, and began to purr softly.
"I–I'm not enjoying this, meow!"
(=`皿=)
After enjoying herself, the sly cat Haibara Meow gave Sherwin hand a fierce bite, then slipped back to her seat and picked up her medical book again.
Once he finished teasing Haibara Meow, Sherwin turned to look at Seijuro Meow, who was sitting upright with a solemn expression, and patted his empty lap.
"Forgive my impudence, meow."
The little black cat hesitated for a moment, then leapt onto Sherwin lap and stretched out comfortably.
"…Hmph!"
Haibara Meow, still reading, flicked her tail as if nothing had happened.
Not long after Sherwin had finished massaging both cats, Klee Meow and the others returned to the carriage, having explored the entire train from end to end.
Perhaps it was Klee Meow good luck blessing the group, or maybe it was simply that those self-important nobles disdained sharing the same transport as commoners—in any case,
throughout the journey the Felynes hadn't run into any fools trying to capture them as slaves. On the contrary, they had been given quite a lot of snacks.
"Everyone such good people, meow~" Klee Meow said cheerfully, shaking her little head. Then she stuffed the pile of treats in her arms into Sherwin hands.
"Sherwin-nii, you should eat too! These were all gifts from the kind people in the other carriages, meow~"
Sherwin scooped up the affectionate little plush-like Felyne and smothered it with kisses. Not wanting to play favorites, he then gave each of the returning Felynes a full-body massage.
In such a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere, they had a blast exploring the Gourmet City and the Carnival City.
Of course, there were a few ignorant folks who came up to Sherwin trying to buy his Felynes. But after being flatly refused, they didn't push the matter any further.
It wasn't that these people were particularly good-tempered—rather, Sherwin reputation as a Hunter had already spread widely thanks to Morgans.
On top of that, the sight of him traveling with a whole group of Felynes was an obvious sign of his identity. Unless someone was completely brainless, no one would dare pick a fight with him.
After all, the downfall of more than a dozen pirate crews was still fresh in everyone mind. Those pirates had been lurking around the islands connected by the Sea Train, fighting over Devil Fruits at auction.
Since Sherwin had defeated them, the intimidation factor he carried was even greater now.
One thing that did surprise Sherwin, though… was that the Gourmet City of Puji didn't fly the flag of the Big Mom Pirates.
After some inquiries, he learned that Puji was actually one of the affiliated nations.
"Hm… if I were to write a travel journal about the Gourmet City, would the Big Mom Pirates try to come and claim it as their territory?" Sherwin rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
After all, back in the Flower Country arc, there was already a precedent. Even though the Big Mom Pirates hadn't succeeded in the end, it was proof that Charlotte Linlin had indeed been reading his travel notes.
But this was just a passing thought. Sherwin had no intention of writing a "Puji chapter" in his journal—at least, not for now.
It wasn't that Sherwin was worried about Big Mom going to war with the Marines. After all, whether it was a Yonko or the World Government, neither of them were good people—and even without him stirring things up, clashes between the two sides happened plenty often anyway.
The main issue was that writing about it might further expose his identity as a traveler… though in truth, to those clever enough or with the right connections, that identity had already long been exposed.
On top of that, Sherwin had a bit of a compulsive streak. He had already written two chapters about the Grand Line, so switching back to cover the South Blue felt unbearably awkward.
Better to wait until he officially re-entered the Grand Line from Reverse Mountain before continuing that part of his journal.
And so, after indulging himself fully in the Gourmet City and the Carnival City, Sherwin finally returned to Water Seven with his Felynes. By then, their ship had already been completely remodeled.
"This is your new ship. Also, the leftover shipbuilding materials have been stored in the cabin. If the ship gets damaged in the future, you can use them for repairs."
Iceburg proudly led Sherwin and his crew before the newly refurbished Exploding Black Cat · Maria, his confidence shining through. "Go aboard and see if our craftsmanship lives up to your expectations!"
"Waaah! The figurehead is Klee Meow!" The little plush Felyne was the first to dart up the new ship, running excitedly along the deck.
"The new ship is so beautiful, meow! Klee workshop is amazing, meow!"
The new ship had been scaled down by about a third in size. Its design no longer carried the brash flamboyance of a typical pirate ship, but instead had taken on a playful and adorable look. Its main color had also shifted from heavy black to a much brighter, cheerful white.
Sherwin was very satisfied with the ship new design. He boarded with the rest of the Felynes, beginning their tour of every corner.
"This is incredible! As expected of a ship crafted by Galley-La Company!"
After touring every corner of the ship, Sherwin and the Felynes all gave it their full approval.
Not only did the ship meet all their requirements, it even thoughtfully incorporated countless feline-themed elements—cat heads, paw prints, tails, and other decorations scattered all around.
Iceburg laughed proudly. "As long as you're satisfied. So then, will you be giving her a new name?"
Sherwin blurted out immediately, "The Hunter!"
But at the same time, several other voices rang out—
"The Doo-Doo Advance!"
"The Beautiful Big Sister Felyne!"
"The Samurai!"
"The Maria!"
"The Shirley!"