After questioning the attackers, Sherwin finally figured out what was going on.
Simply put, outside the lawless zone, the Felynes were also "protected" by law.
Slave traders and bounty hunters were considered legitimate professions in the Sabaody Archipelago, so they wouldn't break the rules.
Only once Sherwin and his group entered the lawless area—or left the archipelago—would these people make their move.
It was an utterly baffling excuse. Especially when the slave trader in front of him claimed they were "law-abiding citizens," Sherwin almost choked on his own frustration, unsure how to even respond.
Wait a second—something off! In the manga, that mermaid was captured outside the lawless zone.
Sherwin suddenly recalled the general sequence of events from when Luffy clashed with the Celestial Dragon in the original story.
"Huh?" The slave trader looked genuinely puzzled at Sherwin question.
"Merfolk and fishmen aren't protected by law. You can capture them anywhere…
Though, fishmen don't sell for much, and they're pretty strong—too much trouble to catch.
As for mermaids, it been a long time since any have shown up near Sabaody."
He said it all with a natural tone, as if it were the most normal thing in the world—showing no awareness that treating merfolk and fishmen as 'merchandise' was horrifyingly wrong.
What a twisted world.
Though Sherwin already knew that beneath the lively, adventurous surface of the pirate world lay some truly repulsive truths, actually witnessing it firsthand felt completely different from just reading about it.
If fishmen were truly a dangerous or despicable race overall, Sherwin wouldn't have felt much sympathy.
But in reality, most fishmen and merfolk were gentle and kind.
The few with warped personalities were mostly shaped by centuries of oppression.
And yet, even under such cruelty, figures like Otohime, Fisher Tiger, and Shirahoshi—so kind they seemed almost saintly—continued to emerge among them.
Even if Sherwin didn't agree with Otohime or Shirahoshi philosophy of "non-resistance," it didn't mean he couldn't admire them. They were different from the hypocritical "saints" of the world.
As for the already deceased Fisher Tiger, he was the fishman Sherwin admired the most.
Sherwin believed that Tiger, with his stronger spirit of resistance, was far more suited to rule Ryugu Kingdom than the somewhat indecisive King Neptune.
Pulling his thoughts back from the matter of the fishmen, Sherwin suppressed the urge to snap the neck of the slave trader in front of him and asked calmly,
"How many slave trading groups are there on this island? Where are their bases located?"
"Heh… hehehe… hahahahaha…" After a brief moment of shock, the man burst into mocking laughter.
"So you're another naïve brat who wants to play hero? Even if you wipe us all out, what then? As long as slave trading is allowed on the Sabaody Archipelago, new groups will keep springing up—like seaweed that can never be fully cut down, or pirates that can never all be killed."
"Of course I know I can't solve this problem," Sherwin said calmly.
"And I never intended to be a hero. I'm just in a bad mood right now… and need something to take it out on."
Despite the man mocking tone, Sherwin remained composed. He knew himself well—without sufficient strength, he wouldn't recklessly challenge the World Government out of sympathy for the fishmen.
But that didn't mean he couldn't vent some anger on the slave traders infesting the Sabaody Archipelago.
Before the man could speak again, Sherwin quietly twisted his neck, ending him without hesitation. He had no interest in listening any further.
Information on slave traders wasn't something he lacked other ways to obtain.
Besides, there happened to be a rather famous information broker operating right here in the lawless zone.
After dealing with the attackers, Sherwin opened his Hunter Handbook. The mapping system on the Sabaody Archipelago was a bit unique—each mangrove tree functioned as a "watchtower."
Unfortunately, the viewing range of these red trees was much smaller than the usual watchtowers.
Forget about lighting up the whole island—even to map a small area, he'd need to synchronize at least three trees, and that was only if their positions aligned well.
Still…
Area 0—or rather, the site of Tree No. 1—was technically within the lawless zone, yet it occupied its own territory entirely. Perhaps its situation would be different?
As Sherwin pondered the state of Tree No. 1, he closed his Hunter Handbook and continued forward with the Felynes at his side.
No matter what, he needed to uncover the map—and the slave traders would all have to die.
"Sherwin-nii, candy meow~"
(=ΦωΦ=)つ
Sensing Sherwin foul mood, Klee Meow, the little angel, pulled a candy from her pocket and popped it into his mouth. Then she rubbed her soft cheek affectionately against his.
"Thanks, Klee~"
Sherwin mood instantly lifted the expressionless mask he'd been wearing softened into a genuine smile.
After nuzzling him for a while, Klee Meow cupped his face in her tiny paws and asked with concern, "Sherwin-nii, are you feeling better meow?"
(=ω=)
"Of course. With Klee being this sweet, how could I stay upset?"
Sherwin leaned forward and touched his nose lightly to the little plush damp, rosy one.
"Ehehe~" The tiny doll squinted her eyes in delight, still pressing close as she purred, "Then, Sherwin-nii, will you promise Klee something, meow?"
"Mm, go ahead," Sherwin replied without a hint of caution—he'd already fallen victim to the cat "charm" skill.
"The next time we run into enemies, it Klee turn to throw the bombs, meow!"
(=ω=)
The little plush finally revealed her true intent! Watching Jinx tear through enemies earlier had made her paws itch for action!
"…"
Sherwin was silent for a moment, puffing up his cheeks as if to spit out the candy in protest.
But before he could, Klee Meow quick little paw shot up and covered his mouth.
"Mmm mmm mmm mmm!"
Sherwin twisted his head hard, trying to get free of Klee Meow little paw pressed over his mouth.
The little ragdoll was almost completely sprawled across Sherwin head while she kept covering his mouth, she giggled and squealed in a high voice,
"No way, no way! Brother Sherwin, you already promised Klee Meow! No backing out, meow!"
(=＞＜=)
After the two of them fussed for a while, the "resisting" Sherwin, having failed, bit the candy in his mouth to pieces and swallowed it.
Only then did the little ragdoll withdraw her paw and nuzzle forward, rubbing her small head against him as she kept acting spoiled:
"Just let Klee Meow blow up the bad guys a bit~ okay meow~"
"All right, all right…" Sherwin turned his head and kissed her, then laid down three simple rules:
"But you can't use bombs that are too powerful, or Sister Huamei will be angry."
"Yay! Klee knows, meow!"
(=`=)
After handling the little ragdoll, the other quiet little kitten who had watched the whole scene suddenly tugged on Sherwin ear:
"I want to try the gas bomb I developed earlier, meow."
"Sherwin dear~ I want to get my hands in on this too, meow~"
"There might not even be intruders on the ship — it a perfect chance to test the guardian I made! Check-it!"
(ゝω)~☆
"I just finished warming up, and I'm not even satisfied yet, meow!"
Jinx, who had just fought, also shouted excitedly.
"Don't rush. There are plenty of slave traders here. Once we find their main base, how about letting you all take turns, hmm?"
Sherwin quickly tried to calm the restless cats, then looked at the others. "What do you all think?"
"I'll pass. It better if we stay on standby and keep things under control, meow."
(ω≡ω)
Seijuro Meow and Link Meow had already gauged the general strength of those slave traders based on the earlier fight, so they weren't very eager to step in again.
As for Huamei Meow and Robin, they had no interest at all, and Sanji Meow definitely wouldn't fight over a chance with Purah Meow and the others.
Which meant that the next ones taking action would all be the female cats...
Of course, that was partly because the Investigation Team had more girls than guys to begin with.
A new case wasn't anything special — plain, dull, no excitement. I want to see rivers of blood.