Germa 66 didn't keep Sherwin and Klee Meow waiting for long.
The next day, after Sherwin and the Felynes had finished their respective training sessions, he was leisurely basking in the sun on the deck when Seijuro Meow, who was acting as a lookout atop the mast, suddenly shouted,
"Master Sherwin, there a group of strange things ahead… they look like… snail mechs, meow?"
Sherwin quickly climbed up the mast to take a look. His eyesight wasn't as sharp as a Felyne, so for now he could only make out a dense mass of black sails spread across the distant horizon. But the enormous number "66" emblazoned on those sails already clearly revealed their identity…
As expected, it was the snail fleet of Germa 66. These massive snails could even link together, forming a giant floating island crowned with a uniquely designed castle.
This was Germa 66 flagship, the Saint-Germain, which also served as the "territory" of the Germa Kingdom today.
As the black sails drew closer, Sherwin finally got a good look at the gigantic snails below. He eagerly took out his Hunter Handbook, but the distance was still too great, so he wasn't able to record these giant snails in his bestiary…
"Klee, didn't you say you wanted to see Germa 66? Those snail ships in the distance are them."
The cunning Hunter was once again tricking the innocent little doll.
As always, Klee Meow fell for Sherwin words easily. Without needing any extra instruction, the little doll scampered happily to the stern of the ship and fired up the flame thrusters.
"Admiral!" Hua Mei Meow glared at him angrily. "Can't you just explain things properly to Klee, meow!"
Sanji Meow, who usually loved teaming up with Sherwin to tease the little doll, this time pretended to be serious and immediately chimed in,
"Sherwin, you big dummy, you're tricking little sister Klee again, meow!"
Knowing full well that neither of them were any good, Haibara Meow curled her lips but, for once, didn't make any sharp remarks… After all, she herself was the third troublemaker here, and unlike Sanji Meow, she wasn't thick-skinned enough to pretend otherwise.
Off to the side, Seijuro Meow also cast Sherwin a look with an unreadable expression.
By contrast, Link Meow expression was much easier to understand…
(ω)
Sherwin, however, was long used to scenes like this. And when it came to being shameless, there was no way he'd lose to that silly Sanji Meow!
Leaping down from the mast, Sherwin took the helm, feeling proud of himself as he steered the ship.
Thanks to Klee Meow efforts, the Dodo Advance quickly approached the group of giant snails.
"Sherwin-nii, what should we do now? Should we knock these bad guys flat first, meow?"
Back at the center of the deck, Klee Meow was already reaching into her little backpack for a bomb when Sherwin quickly stopped her.
"Don't rush, don't rush. They're a bit different from the Germa in the comics… probably."
Sherwin picked Klee Meow up and set her on his shoulder. "Anyway, Klee, don't get worked up yet. Let me talk to them first."
"Okay, meow~"
The little doll replied cutely, then habitually started tugging at Sherwin ear.
At that moment, a woman with pink hair and matching pink clothes stepped out from the nearest snail ship.
She wore a device on her head that resembled headphones, a pair of uniquely designed white boots on her feet, and a purplish-red cape behind her that looked like a moth wings.
Although her battle suit style was almost identical to the one Sherwin remembered, Reiju wasn't yet the alluring, mature woman he knew from memory.
Her face still carried a hint of youth, though her figure was already taking shape. Overall, she gave off an impression similar to Nami when she first set out to sea.
"The Hunter and his Cat Restaurant?" Reiju, still in her younger form, stood at the edge of the snail ship, raising her curled eyebrows slightly in surprise.
Speaking with her naturally husky, seductive voice, she asked, "What exactly are you doing here? We Germa aren't pirates, you know~"
"Ah… we just saw such a large group of giant snails and thought we'd come take a look, that all."
Sherwin rested one hand on his hip, spreading the other as he casually made something up. "You know how cats are—curiosity is kind of their thing, isn't it?"
The Felynes had long since gotten used to their Hunter occasionally using them as scapegoats.
Everyone was gracious enough not to expose him, especially since Sherwin would always make it up to them later with massage services.
The only one likely to slip up was Klee Meow, who was now staring fixedly at Reiju eyebrows for quite a while.
She then tugged on Sherwin ear and shouted, "Sherwin-nii, look! This big sister eyebrows are just like the other Sanji-nii, meow! No, wait… the curl direction seems different, meow…"
The little ragdoll Felyne was quite sharp. At this time, Sanji modified human physiology hadn't awakened yet, so there were still differences between his eyebrows and Reiju.
Reiju and the not-yet-appeared Germa triplet brothers both had eyebrows curled to the left, forming a "66" shape. Sanji eyebrows were also curled, but they were completely opposite in direction, curling to the right in a "reverse 66" shape.
It wouldn't be until later, when Sanji modified human physiology awakened, that his eyebrows would curl the same way as theirs.
"Another Sanji?"
The Felynes that had joined later all curiously turned to look at Sanji Meow, who was sulking nearby.
"Hmph! Just some dumb human who mediocre at both cooking and fighting, meow! Plus, he already lost the right to his name to me, so he can't be called Sanji anymore. Now he Squid Tentacles, meow!" The little yellow cat crossed his arms and explained with a displeased face.
"Could they be talking about that useless brother of ours?"
A figure completely clad in red, draped in a white cape with the number "1" printed on it, appeared beside Reiju, speaking in a mocking tone.
Unlike the sultry Reiju, Ichiji combat suit was tightly wrapped around his entire body, with a large "66" emblazoned on his chest.
However, his boots and "headset" were not much different from Reiju, though he wore an extra pair of sunglasses.
Alongside Ichiji appeared Niji, whose entire body was covered in blue, and Yonji, clad entirely in green.
They wore the same style of combat suits as Ichiji and sported similar sunglasses, but their capes were black, and the numbers printed on them were different.
One thing, however, was the same: all of them had the same curled eyebrows as Reiju and Ichiji.
Like Reiju, the Germa brothers appeared much younger at this time, their heights even still in the middle of their growth.
"That definitely that useless Sanji," the green-clad Yonji sneered. "Can't even beat such a tiny cat. That guy really is the family disgrace—after all these years, he hasn't improved one bit."
"Sherwin, can I kick that green guy to death, meow?"
(=益)
Sanji Meow furrowed his brows, looking increasingly displeased as he spoke.
Although the little yellow cat had quarreled with Sanji over the name issue, he actually held a fair amount of respect for the human who shared his name.
After all, they had so much in common. Now, hearing Yonji belittle the other Sanji, Sanji Meow couldn't help but feel upset.
"Hah? Don't tell me you think I'm as weak as that failed creation Sanji?" Yonji, having been stripped of all empathy, naturally had no intention of showing the cute Felynes any mercy.
He clenched his fists together, producing cracking sounds, and revealed a ferocious grin at Sanji Meow.
"Even though that guy Sanji is no longer part of the Vinsmoke family, I don't mind avenging him. No matter what, he still my brother."
Ichiji and Niji joined in with loud laughter, while Reiju only pressed her lips together, watching Sanji Meow with concern, hesitating on whether to step in.
"Sherwin-nii, Germa really are all bad guys…" The little ragdoll Felyne pouted angrily. "Klee doesn't want their combat suits anymore, meow!"
Klee Meow didn't bother lowering her voice, and since Reiju and the brothers were enhanced humans with senses far sharper than ordinary people, they naturally heard her words clearly. Their expressions instantly darkened.
"So you're after the Vinsmoke family technology, huh?" Yonji grin grew even more vicious as jets of air burst from the boots on his feet, propelling him straight toward Sherwin and his group—
"Then all of you can die!"