As night fell, the once lively Whiskey Peak, the city of welcome, gradually grew quiet… or did it?
"Sherwin-nii! Let go climb those green mountains, okay meow?!"
(=ω=)
Klee Meow clambered onto Sherwin shoulder, pointing excitedly at the distant "cactus-like" hills.
"Recently, I've made some progress. How about we have a spar, meow?" Seijuro Meow invited Link Meow.
(=`=)┫
The little lynx nodded happily, drawing the sword and shield from his back.
"C-customer?" Ippolito asked awkwardly. "Aren't you going to rest?"
Sherwin glanced at him strangely. "Cats are nocturnal creatures."
Ippolito: "…"
Of course, Felynes didn't really stay up all night. Since they often needed to hunt alongside Hunters, they had long adapted to human schedules.
That said, if they really wanted to return to their nocturnal habits, it wouldn't be a problem. But at the moment, the cats were just fooling around with this group.
And so…
"Please, feel free. I'll go rest first. If you need anything, you can find me in that building."
After disappearing briefly, Ippolito suddenly returned acting far more obsequious than before. With a forced smile, he said a few words to Sherwin, then quickly scurried away again.
"They still haven't made a move? Are they not ready yet?"
Through Sherwin Observation Haki, he could already sense that the Baroque Works members had gathered in the nearby houses, but they still hadn't acted.
Just then, Klee Meow tugged on his ear.
"Sherwin-nii, the malice from those people is fading meow."
"…Huh?!"
Sherwin looked utterly baffled. Why did they suddenly chicken out?
"They probably recognized us," Haibara Meow pointed at herself and the longsword on Sherwin back.
"Admiral, even though you don't have a bounty poster, your features are still pretty obvious meow."
"Oh… right."
Sherwin slapped his forehead. He'd almost forgotten that not long ago, he had defeated Cracker and made a huge splash.
Once these Baroque Works grunts recognized him, it was only natural they wouldn't dare to make a move.
It was all Cracker fault for losing so cleanly, leaving Sherwin still unaccustomed to the sudden rise in his reputation.
"Forget it then. These guys don't have any bounties anyway." Sherwin curled his lip.
Since they knew how to read the situation, he no longer had the urge to fight. Not only was there no bounty, but none of these grunts were Devil Fruit users that could be used as a gamble.
As for that Mr. 11 who supposedly wielded the named blade Hanazhou, Sherwin honestly couldn't even remember what he looked like.
And besides, whether the current Mr. 11 was the same as the one three years later, or whether Hanazhou was even still with him, was all uncertain.
Among that bunch just now, the only one that looked even remotely familiar was a dark-skinned, muscle-bound woman dressed as a nun. The rest? He didn't recognize a single one.
So Sherwin couldn't be bothered to waste the effort. After Seijuro Meow and Link Meow finished their sparring match, he led the cats back to the ship and told them a bedtime story: Bleach (Felyne edition).
…
"Phew… he really noticed something was off. Good thing we didn't make a move."
The only familiar face to Sherwin, the muscular nun Miss Monday, was peeking through a crack in the window to observe Sherwin and his group.
Seeing that the cats weren't actually planning to fool around all night, she immediately let out a sigh of relief.
"Who would've thought that such a harmless-looking boy could be the one who defeated a pirate worth 800 million?!"
Ippolito broke into a cold sweat just thinking about how he had been wandering around in front of Sherwin, this "dangerous individual," all day long.
"In any case, let make sure to send this walking disaster away first thing tomorrow morning. Just knowing such a terrifying guy is nearby makes it impossible for me to sleep."
"Exactly, exactly! And from now on, we must confirm the identity of newcomers immediately. If it weren't for Mr. 21 noticing in time, we'd all be in big trouble!"
"Hey, do you think those higher-ranking agents could beat this Hunter?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Even if it were that mysterious boss—"
"Shut your mouth! Do you want to get the rest of us killed?! Watch out for the 'Unlucky Duo'!"
"Sorry, sorry…"
The members inside the house were still shaken from their narrow escape, their tongues a bit loose as they chattered nervously for a while before finally settling down into silence.
…
"It seems an extraordinary guest has entered our territory, Sir Crocodile—Mr. 0."
Inside the Rain Dinners casino in the Kingdom of Alabasta, Nico Robin smiled as she handed over Sherwin file to Crocodile.
When she saw the report of Sherwin defeating Cracker, she did briefly consider seeking his protection.
But Robin quickly suppressed that thought—because she didn't want to drag Sherwin and the adorable Felynes around him into her own troubles.
And at this moment, she was still a little worried that Crocodile might cause trouble for Sherwin and the others.
So, after submitting the intelligence sent from Whisky Peak, Robin tentatively asked, "This Hunter seems to be a bounty hunter as well. Do you need me to try and recruit him?"
"Hmph!" Crocodile, biting down on his cigar, exhaled a puff of smoke without directly answering the question.
"Ignore him. He won't stay in Alabasta for long anyway. Just wait until he leaves on his own."
Having once attacked Whitebeard, he knew very well what it meant to defeat a commander of a Yonko.
Naturally, he also understood that someone like that could never become his subordinate.
Even if the World Economic Journal claimed that Sherwin victory largely came from the advantage of his weapon.
Speaking of weapons… that longsword Sherwin wielded, seemed quite effective against his own ability as well?
Of course, Crocodile wasn't afraid of Sherwin—he just didn't want to, nor did he need to, get into a conflict with him…
Yes, that was all.
"Then, should we assign someone to keep an eye on him?" Robin continued to ask.
"No need," Crocodile frowned.
"That would only risk exposing us. Just act as if he doesn't exist. Besides… their next destination should be Little Garden, right? So they won't be coming to Alabasta anytime soon."
"In that case, I'll inform the others. Even if they run into him later, they shouldn't provoke them, correct?"
Crocodile kept puffing away, not responding further.
Understanding his intent, Robin curled her lips into a faint smile, left his office, and quietly let out a breath of relief.
Although judging from Crocodile behavior, he seemed rather wary of Sherwin strength, Robin still didn't have a clear grasp of it.
What she had witnessed with her own eyes, however, was the overwhelming and terrifying power Crocodile possessed. Added to that, Baroque Works still had so many Devil Fruit users…
In Robin view, if the two sides really came into conflict, Sherwin group would still be at a disadvantage.
And even if Sherwin himself didn't suffer a loss, if those Felynes were to get hurt, it would be terrible.
So, the fact that Crocodile was willing to actively avoid Sherwin and his companions right now was truly a relief.
Even so, Robin felt that simply passing Crocodile message down to the lower ranks wasn't safe enough.
She also planned to find an opportunity to quietly warn Sherwin and the Felynes as well—only then could she feel completely assured.