Kizaru and Sentomaru didn't stay long on Slakul Island. After having a meal with Sherwin, the two of them left with the Marines.
Before leaving, though, Kizaru left behind his Den Den Mushi number, saying that if they ever ran into trouble in the future, they could call him for help...
As a Pika Pika no Mi user, Kizaru traveling speed was much faster than even Kuma. Of course, Sherwin couldn't just call a Marine Admiral over for every little problem, but still—having that card in hand wasn't bad at all…
So, does that mean as a Hunter, I'm actually playing a summoning build?
Sherwin couldn't help but laugh at the thought. Putting the Felynes aside, now he could even temporarily summon Kuma and Kizaru to lend a hand… If this wasn't a summoner-type Hunter, then what was it?
"Admiral, what are you staring off into space for, meow? Hurry and take the helm, we're getting ready to set sail, meow!"
Huamei Meow leapt onto Sherwin back, batting at his ear with her tiny paw to snap him out of his thoughts.
And so, the great Hunter obediently went to steer the ship.
…
The situation in Reef Town quickly spread, and naturally Morgans had already received reports from the people involved.
He immediately published a story, and unlike before, while the news mainly focused on Sherwin, the "Hunter," it also mentioned the existence of the Felynes.
Sherwin mindset was now different from before. He already had ties with both the Revolutionary Army and the Marines, and with Link Meow joining, the Investigation Team overall strength had risen another level. There was no longer a need to be as overly cautious as at the beginning.
Besides, as the Hunter, it didn't feel right to always hog the Felynes achievements as if they were solely his own.
As Sherwin and his Felyne crew made a name for themselves across the North Blue, an annoying situation arose… many pirates started avoiding them.
While there were still a few overly confident fools who came forward to throw their lives away, those iron-headed idiots were rare.
Most pirates knew better—Sherwin, as a bounty hunter, had always been ruthless when dealing with pirates, so they tried their best not to cross paths with him.
This led to Sherwin and his team income plummeting in recent days.
"This won't do!" Sherwin said with concern as he went to Huamei Meow to discuss the Investigation Team funding issues.
"Sure, with my manuscript fees, your trading runs, and the treasures Klee occasionally digs up, we can cover our daily expenses. But we still need more money to collect Devil Fruits and famed blades!"
"That depends on your decision, Admiral, meow," Huamei Meow said, lazily swishing her tail as she analyzed.
"Either stop worrying about money for now, stick to our planned route, and finish mapping out the North Blue early so we can enter the Grand Line… or forget the set course and focus on hunting down pirates first. Earn enough money, then return to charting the seas, meow."
"Uh… is there no way to do both?" Sherwin asked greedily.
Huamei Meow gave him a look, but still offered a solution. "Then we'll just have to intercept those pirates before they realize what happening. As long as you can convince Klee to keep boosting the ship speed, meeting that condition shouldn't be too hard, meow."
"…Forget it."
Sherwin decisively abandoned that idea. Never mind whether Klee Meow would even agree—he couldn't bring himself to tire out his little angel like that.
"Let just stick to our original route… Wait, I've got it!" Sherwin suddenly slapped his thigh as a new idea came to him. "We can open a floating restaurant on the sea! Just like Baratie!"
After all, aside from their head chef Sanji Meow, the Investigation Team also had Link Meow, who was equally skilled in cooking.
And Sherwin, as the "Roast-Roast Fruit" user, could handle barbecues like grilled meat and fish. Even Klee Meow, besides her specialty dish 'Explosive Grilled Fish,' had a unique skill in making 'Fragrant Fish Toast.'
But Haibara Meow, who was reading nearby, immediately poured cold water on the plan:
"The food business isn't that easy to make money from, meow… And we don't even have any reputation to begin with. Plus, we're constantly on the move—why would anyone come eat at our restaurant, meow?"
"It might not necessarily make a lot of money, but I still think it worth trying, meow." Huamei Meow had a different opinion.
"We've got the space pouch, so there no need to worry about ingredients spoiling. That alone means we won't be running a loss.
As for reputation, that simple—Admiral, aren't you still writing that travel guide, meow? Just advertise ourselves in there.
Sea voyages are pretty boring anyway, so giving everyone something extra to do sounds nice, meow."
Actually, what Huamei Meow said wasn't really about making money—the last sentence was the key.
Or rather, she mainly wanted to find something for Klee Meow, that mischievous little cat, to do so she wouldn't spend every day in her workshop tinkering with explosives.
Although the little doll knew how to hold back her firepower while on the ship, the occasional explosions weren't exactly friendly to Huamei Meow, who preferred peace and quiet.
And Haibara Meow, who also liked quiet, clearly understood what Huamei Meow meant. She immediately changed her tone and said, "Sister Huamei is right. Anyway, we won't lose out. It worth giving it a try, meow."
As for the other cats, they naturally had no objections.
As a chef, Sanji Meow wished for more people to taste his cooking. Klee Meow, who always loved lively scenes, was brimming with excitement. For the little doll, cooking together with everyone was also a lot of fun.
And as for Link Meow, who had been assigned as the sous-chef…
(=ΦωΦ=)b
Well, he clearly found the job quite interesting too.
After deciding to open a floating restaurant, Sherwin and the cats began making some modifications to the ship under Link Meow direction.
Before long, with everyone joint efforts, the Dodo Advance was successfully remodeled.
Unlike Baratie, which leaned more toward a Western-style restaurant, Sherwin group felt more like a street stall—the dining area was set up directly on the open deck, and even part of the kitchen had been moved outside.
In addition, the dish "Klee Fried Fish" was also added to the menu thanks to the little doll coaxing and cuteness.
Sherwin even suggested that it could become a kind of special performance for their restaurant.
After discussing it with the cats and giving Klee Meow some serious warnings, everyone unanimously approved the proposal.
For this, they prepared a huge and sturdy glass fish tank to place on the deck, specifically for Klee Meow to perform this "fried fish" act.
However, when Huamei Meow agreed to this proposal, her expression looked a little conflicted.
After all, her original intention was to get Klee Meow to make fewer explosions, but thanks to Sherwin idea, things were now even noisier than before…
And so, for no apparent reason, Sherwin ended up receiving an eye-roll from Huamei Meow and a playful bite from Haibara Meow little fangs.
Once the ship modifications were complete, the naming rights for the restaurant were given to Sanji Meow as the head chef.
After struggling for a while, the little yellow cat finally gave up on names like "Beautiful Big Sister Felyne Restaurant" and instead chose a perfectly normal and straightforward one—"Felyne Ocean Mobile Restaurant."
With the name decided, Sherwin went back to his room and started writing advertorials for their restaurant…
Having been bombarded by all sorts of sponsored ads before crossing over, his writing might not match the skill of those who lived off this craft, but in the world of One Piece, it was certainly ahead of its time.
Sure enough, not long after Sherwin advertorial was sent out, Morgans called.
"Sherwin, you're a genius!" Morgans shouted excitedly over the phone.
"To actually come up with such a brilliant way of advertising! Not working as an editor at the World Economy News Paper is a total waste of your talent!"
"It just an immature idea. You'll quickly get the hang of it yourself—there really no need for me," Sherwin once again politely declined Morgans offer.
"All right then, but if you come up with more of these so-called 'immature ideas in the future, you must tell me right away. In exchange, most of the intelligence I have here will be open to you."
Morgans sighed with a touch of regret, but decided to build a closer relationship with Sherwin.
"The regular news, I won't charge you for anymore. Of course, for more important intel, you'll still need to pay."
"Hahaha, then let me thank you in advance, boss."
To receive such an unexpected benefit, Sherwin naturally agreed without hesitation.
With the latest issue of the World Economy News Paper and the North Blue Travel Guide released, the "Felyne Ocean Mobile Restaurant" officially opened for business in the North Blue.