A fragment of a Zoan fruit, a fragment of map progress, a fragment of a named blade collection…
" Tch…"
Sherwin lined up the fragments of summoning tickets one by one on the table, subconsciously clicking his tongue.
Germa really is a scam! So many giant snails, and not a single fragment dropped! Could it really be, like some silly netizens guessed, that those giant snails are actually some kind of Den Den Mushi?But even if they are Den Den Mushi, they should at least give me a fragment!
Although he didn't get the new fragments he hoped for, it wasn't like Sherwin was particularly dissatisfied either.
After all, the Felynes by his side already covered almost every function he needed, aside from a shipwright which wasn't especially urgent. Even if he didn't get any new Felynes later, it wouldn't really be a big problem for the Research Commission.
And besides, the three fragments in his hand weren't exactly few. There were also several weapons, Devil Fruits, and monsters that had already appeared in the story waiting for him to unlock in the Hunter Log, so it wasn't as if he had no way to summon new Felynes.
But to say he was satisfied—well, not really either. The biggest problem was—
The three fragments before him all belonged to different pools, and who knew how long it would take to complete even one set.
First was the Zoan Fruit pool. Based on his experience with other pools, it shouldn't be limited only to the fruits that had shown up in the story, but Sherwin had no idea exactly how many non-story fruits he would need to collect before it gave him a fragment.
By comparison, the Paramecia pool, where he didn't even have a single fragment yet, actually looked more promising.
After all, Crocodile men and Heavenly Yaksha men had a whole bunch of Paramecia-type fruit users, and most of Big Mom underlings were Paramecia as well.
As long as he prayed to Klee Meow enough and stabbed around with his Hunter Knife, he should be able to gather three or four fragments without much trouble.
But the Zoan pool was more troublesome. Even though Kaido claimed to be the "Beasts" himself, most of the Devil Fruits under his command were defective.
It wasn't even certain whether Sherwin Hunter Log would recognize the SMILE fruits.
In addition, whether Ancient Zoans and Mythical Zoans would be counted as separate pools was also a question.
So no matter which type of Devil Fruit pool it was, Sherwin was currently collecting fragments with a "go with the flow" mindset.
The Map pool, although one of the two major general pools, was progressing the slowest.
According to the rules of the Log, the remaining two fragments were likely one from the North Blue and one from the Grand Line.
After that, there probably wouldn't be any new fragments… the only uncertainty was whether Skypiea and Fishman Island would be counted separately.
As for the Monster pool, although Germa snails hadn't given him any fragments, and after summoning Link Meow Sherwin still didn't have a single fragment from the Monster pool, it seemed to be the pool from which he could summon the most Felynes.
Even without considering the monsters from movies and anime-original arcs, there were still plenty of named and spotlighted monsters in the original story.
And if nothing else, the One Piece world was overflowing with gigantic sea beasts and Sea Kings. Just sheer numbers alone could pile up enough for several fragments.
Finally, the Weapon pool—aside from the Black Blade Shusui and that flower-patterned blade from Baroque Works, collecting story weapons basically required entering the New World.
And with fewer than a hundred total swords recorded in the Named Blades list, in the end there probably wouldn't be that many summoning tickets to piece together.
So… in the end, I really do have to try out that plan of making my own weapon into a renowned blade.
Rubbing his chin, Sherwin decided he couldn't be bothered waiting until he reached the Grand Line. Starting today, the Longsword would once again see the light of day!
Moreover, considering the Longsword appearance was a little bit… well… Sherwin decided to make use of his position as a special advisor to the World Economic Journal and asked Morgans to help spread its name.
In addition to that, Seijuro Meow Kikyo Fuyutsuki, Link Meow Demon-Slaying Sword and Twilight Bow, and even Hua Mei Meow sword she named "Cangming" — all of them could be tested to see if, after gaining some reputation, they might be included in the manual.
There was also the Insect Glaive he had spent a fortune to buy from Germa he had to bring it out to practice with from time to time… provided Haibara Meow hadn't taken it apart already.
The moment Sherwin got his Insect Glaive, before he could even warm it up, that little research fanatic Haibara Meow had confiscated it under the excuse of "studying the technology on it," dismantling it completely.
Waiting for her to reassemble it, or to build another after analyzing the tech, would probably take quite some time.
After all, even Klee Meow — whose combat suit had also been confiscated — often pestered Haibara Meow over it.
So naturally, the requests of a Hunter with no real standing in the Research Commission would be pushed to the back of the line.
"Tch!"
Just thinking about it made Sherwin burn with frustration.
But there was nothing he could do — he had spoiled his little kitten himself. Even through tears, he had to keep petting her.
"Sherwin-nii, are you done yet, meow?"
●ω●A cute cat head peeked out from the edge of the table, making Sherwin unable to resist reaching over and giving it a thorough RUB.
"Even if I'm not done, I still have to hear what Klee has to say first."
Sherwin put away the Summoning Ticket fragments and scooped up the little plushie into his arms, touching noses with her.
"Ehehe~" Klee Meow hugged Sherwin back, rubbing against him affectionately a few times before whining,
"Big sister Ai has been in the lab all the time, Klee so bored, meow~ Sherwin-nii, will you play with Klee for a while, meow?"
"Of course, no problem!"
Not to mention that Sherwin didn't really have anything to do right now— even if he did, he would put it aside first. The needs of his little kitten always came first!Besides…
"I can't let Ai stay cooped up in the lab all the time either. I'll call her out to move around a little."
Back then, Sherwin himself had always preferred staying indoors in his free time, not fond of exercise. But that was the past.
Now he couldn't just watch his own kitten repeat the same mistake, ending up as a chubby little cat…
Though a chubby cat was also very cute.
So, with Klee Meow perched on his shoulder, Sherwin marched energetically to the door of Haibara Meow lab and gently knocked a few times.
"Ai, come out and get some activity, don't stay in the lab all the time!" Sherwin raised his voice and called inside.
"I'm busy right now, meow! The experiment is at a critical point!" The little kitten rejected Sherwin request without hesitation.
The Hunter, who had no authority at all, helplessly glanced at Hua Mei Meow, who had been "conveniently" brought along.
The little tabby covered her mouth and chuckled for a while, then finally stretched out her paw and knocked on the lab door again.
"Ai, you've been in the lab long enough already. It time to come out and get some fresh air, meow."
Unlike when Sherwin had knocked earlier, Haibara Meow quickly opened the door this time. Her expression, however, was reluctant, and she kept muttering,
"Just a few more hours, and I'll have figured out their principles, meow…"
"Experiments can be done anytime. If you stay in the lab too long, be careful or the fur on your head will all fall out."
"You're the one who'll go bald, meow!"
The little kitten, lifted onto Sherwin shoulder, immediately bit down on his ear, then tugged his hair a few times— not too hard, but enough to make her threat clear.
"Just think of it as keeping Klee company."
Sherwin pretended to surrender for a moment, then continued to coax her.
At the same time, Klee Meow stretched out her little head from the other side, staring at her with hopeful eyes.
"Th-then… fine."
(=`へ=)Haibara Meow tilted her head and raised her tail proudly, her face full of tsundere attitude as she declared, "I'll only play with you for a little while, meow! I still have experiments to do!"
A moment later, Sherwin could only stare speechlessly as Haibara Meow completely forgot about her experiments, laughing and chasing around with Klee Meow.
This little tsundere kitten acting all cold on the outside but honest on the inside wasn't unusual. The real problem was—
You can play all you want, but why do you have to use me as your "battlefield"?
Covered in cat claw marks, Sherwin finally couldn't take it anymore. He reached out and scooped the two little troublemaker kittens, who were using him as a scratching post, into his arms.
"Alright, take a short break." Sherwin gently scratched the two little kittens under their chins, and before Haibara Meow could slip back into the lab, he quickly said: "How about I tell you a new story instead?"
"Yes, yes! Klee Meow loves listening to Sherwin big brother stories the most, meow!"
Meanwhile, Sanji Meow, who had been fawning over the Beautiful big sister Felyne, perked his ears up quietly.
"Meow?!"
The Beautiful big sister Felyne immediately shot Sherwin a wary look… after all, this guy had a history.
"Don't worry, don't worry, this time it a story about a group of swordsmen." Sherwin hurriedly explained.
Seijuro Meow and Link Meow instantly stopped their sparring and scampered over happily.
"Ahem…" Sherwin glanced at the gathering group of cats, cleared his throat, and began, "This story starts with an orange cat named Kurosaki Ichigo…"