Sherwin hadn't expected that he would almost lose himself to Hancock charm, just like most people in the manga.
Was it a special reaction caused by the Sweet-Sweet Fruit ability combined with the Empress beauty?
Considering all those unscientific Devil Fruit powers and bizarre abilities in the pirate world, the possibility was actually quite high.
Thinking about it this way, those who were so easily captured by Hancock charm weren't necessarily weak-willed—just… not strong-willed enough.
Fortunately, as a Felyne envoy, Sherwin managed to break free from that strange allure the moment he saw what Hancock had done to cats.
Even though he still felt a little… well… something, at least he wouldn't become her lapdog.
Sherwin could understand that some people simply didn't like cats, but harming them for no reason—this was something he could never overlook.
Even if she was the world most beautiful woman, it didn't matter.
Not only did Sherwin impression of Boa Hancock plummet, but the cats around him also showed open disgust.
To them, the so-called "number one beauty among humans" didn't hold any special appeal at all.
"This big sister is a bad person! Klee doesn't like her, meow!"
(=`н=)Even little angel Klee Meow puffed up her cheeks in anger, showing her dislike toward Hancock.
However, the Empress, who had always been self-centered, didn't think she had done anything wrong. Instead, she spoke in her usual matter-of-fact tone:
"Hand over everything valuable on your ship. They all belong to me."
Her demand was answered by Sherwin unleashing a flying slash.
"Insolent wretch!"
Hancock had met men who dared to attack her before, so although she was a little surprised, she easily dodged the strike.
But for someone as proud and arrogant as her, Sherwin defiance was absolutely unacceptable.
"If you won't obediently hand over your treasure, then I shall turn you into stone!" Hancock raised both arms, tilted her head and body back in a motion like brushing wet hair in the shower, then shaped her hands into a heart aimed straight at Sherwin.
"Sweet Sweet Wind!"
A pink, heart-shaped beam shot from between her palms toward Sherwin, who stood at the bow.
Even though Sherwin was filled with disgust at Hancock for bullying the little cats, he was still a normal man. Facing an unrivaled beauty like the Empress, expecting him to be completely free of worldly desire like Luffy was simply too much…
So without hesitation, he dodged the heart-shaped beam.
The missed "Sweet Sweet Wind" instead struck the cats behind him…
"Meow?" Klee Meow tilted her head in confusion.
"What was that pink heart thingy just now, meow?"
⊙ω⊙
"It seemed to be some kind of attack?" Seijuro Meow shook his head in puzzlement.
"But it looks like none of us were harmed, meow."
"It an attack, meow? But Klee doesn't feel any danger at all."
The little ragdoll Felyne lightly bit her own paw, tilting her head in confusion.
"Maybe it only works on the Admiral?" Haibara Meow reacted the quickest and guessed:
"Otherwise, the Admiral wouldn't have dodged it while leaving Klee and me out of the way, meow."
Sherwin, who had dodged to the side, grinned. Just as Haibara Meow suspected, of course he had considered the cats behind him. But…
No matter how beautiful Boa Hancock might be, that was only within the standards of human aesthetics.
To the Felynes, who were much closer to cats, she was no different from any other two-legged beast. Naturally, they wouldn't be affected by her "Sweet Sweet Wind."
Which meant… could her hostility toward small animals be exactly because they weren't affected by her charm?
Thinking back on the Empress personality, Sherwin found that possibility all too likely.
"How—how dare you mock me like this!"
The fact that her "Sweet Sweet Wind" missed Sherwin wasn't a big deal, and though she was surprised it had no effect on the Felynes, she didn't care too much about that either.
What truly broke through the proud heart of the Snake Princess was the way the cats were chatting as if she didn't matter at all.
"Kiss Gun!"
Hancock touched her lips with a finger, then formed her hand into the shape of a pistol, aiming it at the cats…
"What do you think you're trying to do to my cats?!"
However, before she could fire off her Kiss Gun, Sherwin had already swung his blade down at her.
Hancock quickly spun around to avoid the strike, and at the same time lashed out with a whip kick aimed at Sherwin head.
"Perfume Femur!"
Sherwin ducked low to dodge, then countered with an Air Blade Slash. But the Empress blocked it with her long leg, hardened by Haki.
The two clashed back and forth on the Perfume Serpent for several rounds, neither gaining the upper hand.
It had to be said—unlike Crocodile and Moria, who were more like discarded pawns, Hancock truly lived up to the title of Warlord of the Sea.
Her Armament Haki was far from weak like her plump younger sister, her Observation Haki wasn't bad either, and her Devil Fruit ability was particularly troublesome for any normal human male. Sherwin inevitably had to hold back a little while fighting her.
But as the saying goes—what makes you strong can also hold you back. Because Hancock relied too much on the convenience of her Fruit, her experience in real tough battles was lacking. As a result, her Armament Haki was only at a mid-to-upper level at best.
Sherwin, on the other hand, had trained his Armament Haki through countless "bomb exercises" courtesy of Klee Meow, which gave him an edge in sheer quality.
What more…
Haki wasn't the only power he wielded!
Monster Hunter Style · Crimson Meteor!
Well… in truth, it was just demon mode combined with an Air Blade Slash.
Sherwin sudden burst of ferocious attacks caught Hancock off guard. She scrambled to block most of the strikes, but a few slashes still broke through her defenses, landing squarely on the Empress proud figure.
Thanks to the protection of her Armament Haki, Hancock only suffered superficial wounds. And at their level of strength, even without mastery of Life Return, their bodies recovered far faster than normal humans. So, to Hancock, these injuries were practically nothing.
But even if Sherwin hadn't managed to wound her—just landing a hit at all was something the proud Empress could never tolerate. Now that he had actually drawn blood, it was utterly unacceptable.
"Damn you, man!"
A crushing aura erupted from Hancock body, pressing down on Sherwin, who was still hesitating whether or not to continue his assault.
His hesitation wasn't out of pity for her… well, maybe just a little… but the real reason was that he was weighing whether to simply finish Boa Hancock off right here.
It wasn't that Sherwin was being extreme, deciding to kill her just to avoid being charmed again in the future.
Rather, he had realized something— the Love-Love Fruit had excellent compatibility with the Felynes.
In fact, in terms of the scope of its applications, it might even surpass Hancock herself.
Besides, he had already collected Logia and Zoan fruits. The only category he hadn't started with yet was the Paramecia.
Since the Love-Love Fruit was what the Empress had eaten, there was bound to be a fragment of it available.
"Conqueror Haki? That kind of thing doesn't work on me." Sherwin pointed his Longsword at Hancock.
"Do you really want to keep fighting? I'd think that even as a Warlord of the Sea, if you were killed during a raid, the World Government wouldn't exactly step in to defend you."
After a brief inner struggle, Sherwin finally gave up on the idea.
One reason he couldn't bring himself to deliver the killing blow was Hancock status. Even though there were no witnesses here in the Calm Belt, it wouldn't be hard to piece together what happened just by tracking their movements.
The World Government might not care enough to trouble Sherwin over a dead Warlord, but the moment he killed one, he would instantly be put under the spotlight of countless powerful factions.
Slaying a Warlord of the Sea was a completely different matter from wiping out a dozen mediocre pirate crews.
On top of that, it would also mean forming a blood feud with Amazon Lily. The warriors of the island weren't much of a concern, but Shakky was connected to none other than Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King. That was a whole other level of trouble.
There was also the issue of whether the Hunter Blade could even successfully extract the Devil Fruit—it wasn't a guaranteed outcome.
But the most crucial reason was this—facing the Empress impossibly beautiful face, capable of enchanting hearts, and the fair skin revealed beneath her sliced clothing, Sherwin simply couldn't bring himself to strike her down.
Even if he despised her attitude toward the Felynes, his blade still faltered.
Yes… the power of the Love-Love Fruit truly was terrifying!
"You arrogant fool! How dare you treat Lady Snake Princess with such disrespect!"
While Boa Hancock remained silent, the other members of the Kuja Pirates could no longer endure Sherwin arrogance. One after another, they raised their weapons and charged at him.
Looks like… I wasn't hitting hard enough after all…
Sherwin curled his lip. The reason he couldn't bring himself to harm the Empress was due to the influence of her Devil Fruit ability. But the Kuja warriors didn't have that kind of privilege.
Without hesitation, he spun in place, his body rotating like a whirlwind, and unleashed his Longsword in sweeping arcs against the female pirates attacking from all directions.
Monster Hunter Style · Savage Waltz!