"This?"
Haibara Meow took off her glasses, shook them lightly, then put them back on and replied, "I saw this new product from HeyShow Panda earlier. It looked pretty nice, so I ordered one on a whim. It just a frame, meow."
That not what I was asking at all…
Sherwin stared speechlessly at the deliberately evasive Haibara Meow. Clearly, this little tsundere kitten wasn't about to admit she wore glasses just to look stylish.
Wait, that not the point!
"When did you even buy something from HeyShow Panda? Why don't I know about it?"
"I ordered it through the News Bird. With the HeyShow Panda membership card, you get free shipping. Didn't you know that, meow?" Haibara Meow looked at Sherwin with surprise, answering as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
HeyShow Panda membership card…
Sherwin suddenly turned to glare at Hua Mei Meow.
(=ω=)Hua Mei Meow, who had also bought quite a few clothes with the membership card, guiltily avoided Sherwin eyes.
Meanwhile, the other Felynes chimed in from the side—
"Hua Mei big sister also bought lots of cute clothes for Klee Meow, meow!"
"Hua Mei big sister gave me a brand-new set of cooking utensils, meow!"
"And I received a gift from Miss Hua Mei as well—a beautifully crafted set of wine cups, meow."
(=ΦωΦ=)
Link Meow even went as far as to pull out several crafts and souvenirs Hua Mei had bought for him, showing them off proudly to Sherwin…
Mm, this kid really had a strong collector obsession. He was basically a squirrel type—maybe it was the same habit he had in the game, stuffing every single thing he found into his backpack.
Sherwin felt heartbroken. Not because the Felynes were spending money recklessly—he trusted Hua Mei Meow ability to manage finances. Besides…
So what if the Felynes spent some money? Altogether, it didn't even come close to what he'd spend on a weapon or a Devil Fruit.
What truly hurt Sherwin was—why wasn't there anything for him?!
Maybe his resentment was too strong, because Hua Mei Meow, who had turned her head away, reluctantly turned back. After a brief silence, she forcefully (and unreasonably) tried to explain:
"Admiral, every time you dock, you always take a walk around town. If you need something, you just buy it yourself, meow…"
"And besides, didn't I already buy clothes for you, Admiral, meow?" Hua Mei Meow voice grew firmer as she suddenly remembered something. She straightened up, sounding fully justified:
"I clearly put them in your wardrobe, meow!"
"R-Really? You did that?" Seeing Hua Mei Meow speak with such conviction, Sherwin voice immediately weakened.
When it came to things he didn't pay much attention to, his personality was very careless. Normally, he just grabbed whatever clothes were at hand. Whether or not there were new ones mixed in…
He honestly had no idea!
"There are, there are~" Klee Meow sweet little voice piped up proudly in his ear, "A few times it was even Klee who helped put the new clothes in, meow~"
…Now it was Sherwin turn to avoid Hua Mei Meow gaze.
"Excuse me… can we maybe solve the issue with Bonney first?"
Just as Sherwin was feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, with Hua Mei Meow sharp gaze stabbing into him like thorns in his back and a bone stuck in his throat, Kuma weak voice suddenly broke the tension.
"Y-Yes, yes! Saving her is what important!" Sherwin instantly latched onto the excuse like a drowning man grabbing driftwood, hurriedly steering the topic away.
Once this blew over, he could always spend an hour or so pampering Hua Mei Meow—stroking the little tabby until she purred—and she'd surely forgive him.
Hua Mei Meow, of course, wasn't the type to cling to such a small matter. She gave a soft huff, then withdrew her piercing gaze and no longer kept her eyes fixed on Sherwin.
The little ragdoll tugged gently at Sherwin ear, covering her tiny paw against her mouth as she whispered, "See? Klee told you Hua Mei big sister is scary, right?"
(=ω)
…
For Bonney safety—so she wouldn't risk being accidentally exposed to sunlight—Sherwin and the others decided to move the ship medical equipment into the church.
"No need to trouble yourselves. Where is your ship? I'll go there instead."
It was Kuma, the most anxious of them all, who stopped Sherwin and the Felynes from heading out to move things.
Sherwin immediately guessed what he was thinking and was more than happy to leave it to him. He directly told him where the Dodo Advance was docked.
"Our ship is easy to recognize. The figurehead was made in Klee likeness."
Sherwin nodded slightly, then patted himself lightly. His enormous figure vanished instantly from their sight.
"Meow!"
∑(=ΦωΦ=)
All the Felynes jumped in shock. The speed he had just displayed—while it could be sensed through Observation Haki—was so fast that even with their famously sharp dynamic eyesight, they could only barely catch a faint blur.
To Sherwin, that was practically no different from teleportation… After all, even with Kuro Silent Steps or Soru, Sherwin could still at least catch some afterimages.
"This must also be a Devil Fruit ability, right?" Hua Mei Meow exclaimed in awe. "Devil Fruits are really full of bizarre powers, meow."
While the Felynes were still busy marveling, the Dodo Advance had already been slapped over by kuma, landing intact right at the entrance of the church.
The next second, Sherwin figure reappeared before them.
If kuma went into the transportation business, there'd be no such thing as a so-called "tyrant."
Dragon really wasn't using his brain. With someone this perfect as a transport captain, he actually sent him to be a warrior.
Whether it was managing the Revolutionary Army logistics or developing a transport business to raise funds, kuma would be far more valuable than just fighting on the frontlines.
And with his mobility, he could even handle both combat and logistics at the same time—it'd just be a bit tiring…
Also, based on everything that just happened, it seemed kuma wasn't actually a secret backup force that the Revolutionary Army had deliberately left behind in the Sorbet Kingdom.
Which meant Dragon most likely hadn't even considered what would happen after King death. And to think Sherwin had rated him as somewhat reliable before.
"Waaah!" Klee Meow darted up to kuma with sparkling eyes and asked curiously, "Uncle Kuma, what kind of Devil Fruit power do you have, meow? It looks super amazing, meow!"
Kuma scratched the back of his head, showing the paw pads on his hands while smiling honestly. "I'm a Paw-Paw Fruit user. With these hands, I can repel anything I touch."
"Meow?" Klee Meow poked at the soft pad in his palm with her little paw, tilting her head. "So Uncle Kuma isn't from the Bear Mink Tribe?"
"Alright, Klee, let Haibara handle Bonnie treatment first. You can ask your questions later."
Since Hua Mei Meow had spoken, Klee Meow obediently scampered back onto Sherwin shoulder.
Everyone worked together to move the medical equipment from the ship into the church. After some rearranging, they finally set up a temporary infirmary inside.
Then, Haibara Meow, who had fully entered "doctor mode," promptly shooed them all out.
Taking advantage of the free moment, Sherwin scooped Hua Mei Meow into his arms and unleashed a smooth three-step combo of cat-petting—chin scratches, head rubs, and cheek squishes.
Hua Mei Meow, who had originally planned to stay angry for a while, immediately started purring in comfort, deciding to temporarily forgive this foolish two-legged creature.
"Kuma, does your Paw-Paw Fruit only repel physical things?" Sherwin asked while attending to the mighty Shouhi Tiger-sama, using the conversation to distract the restless Kuma and ease his tension.
"Some Devil Fruit abilities can manipulate conceptual things too. Have you ever tried using it to push out the Jade Scale Disease from inside Bonnie body?"
"My Devil Fruit ability can indeed repel things like fatigue, injuries, and illnesses." Kuma sighed helplessly as he answered.
"But Bonnie sickness seems different. No matter how I try, I just can't push it out."
"I see." Sherwin nodded thoughtfully.
Well, of course. There was no way Kuma hadn't already tried this method. If it were a disease that could only be cured by Vegapunk, then it obviously wouldn't be something so easily resolved.
Still, Sherwin had full confidence in Haibara Meow. Vegapunk was undoubtedly a genius, but his little kitten original self was also a prodigy scientist who, at just 18 years old, had created the miraculous drug APTX4869.
With the added bonus of her healer-type Felyne nature, when it came to pure medical skill, she might not be any weaker than Vegapunk at all.
"Don't worry. haibara medical skills are incredible. Bonnie will definitely be cured." Sherwin reassured him.
Kuma forced a small smile. "Let hope so."
Klee Meow, who rarely grew close to humans other than Sherwin, suddenly hopped onto Kuma shoulder.
The little angel gently placed her tiny paw on his head and said with utter seriousness, "Big Brother Sherwin says I have really good luck. Now I'll lend that luck to you. So Big Sister Haibara will definitely cure Bonnie sickness, meow."