Although they had decided to attend Big Mom tea party, there was still some time before it began, so Sherwin and the others continued their adventure at an unhurried pace.
"It Lord Sherwin!"
"Is that Princess Shirahoshi? She enormous!"
"Are the ones sitting on Hunter shoulders Klee Meow and Haibara Meow? They're so cute!"
Thanks to several rounds of official promotion by the World Government and Morgan nonstop coverage during this period, Sherwin and his group were now extremely popular among ordinary people.
Treatment like that of major celebrities, as they were experiencing right now, had already happened to them several times.
So whether it was the cats or Shirahoshi, everyone remained very calm. Klee Meow, who loved lively scenes, was even excitedly waving her little paws around, greeting the people nearby.
Sherwin himself actually quite enjoyed this kind of being-the-center-of-attention treatment.
And because of his own strength, although these people were enthusiastic, they didn't dare get too close or interfere with Sherwin and the other normal activities.
Compared to the way celebrities on Earth were chased and blocked by fans, the situation here was much better.
Except for one thing…
"Lord Sherwin! When will the New World Tour Guide be updated?!"
"Could our country be lucky enough to become your material?!"
Damn it! How the hell are there people in the pirate world urging updates too?!
Sherwin, who had been secretly enjoying himself just a moment ago, instantly darkened his face, quickened his pace, and led the cats toward the largest restaurant in the city.
And the moment they entered the restaurant, the staff inside had already arranged everything.
As Sanji Meow identity as the gourmet consultant of the Tour Guide series had been exposed, everyone knew the little yellow cat habits.
So every time they arrived at a new place, instead of Sherwin having to look for chefs, the local chefs would run over on their own to present their signature dishes for Sanji Meow to see.
As for having their own secret techniques learned by someone else, that kind of thing simply wasn't important at all.
This was an excellent opportunity to build connections with one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Unless someone had water in their brain, no one would be foolish enough to hide anything away.
Moreover, if their signature dish gained Sanji Meow approval, it would be very likely to be featured in the New World Tour Guide.
That kind of exposure was far more effective than placing in any cooking competition…
Take Mock Town in the first half of the Grand Line as an example. Although its peculiar cherry pie and drinks had already been somewhat famous among pirates before, they mostly circulated along that single route.
But after that issue of the Paradise Tour Guide was released, not only did pirates from other routes deliberately detour to taste them, even major merchants came to purchase them in bulk.
The original chef was even directly recruited by the "Golden Emperor" Gild Tesoro and went to work in the Gran Tesoro.
So now, basically whenever Sherwin and his group arrived in a city, they just needed to head straight for the largest restaurant.
Whether or not the chefs actually worked there, they would all be waiting there anyway…
And aside from giving recipes to Sanji Meow, there were also wines for Suika Meow, gunpowder for Klee Meow and Jinx, all kinds of small ornaments for Link Meow, medical books for Haibara Meow, and so on.
In short, everyone was doing their utmost to curry favor with the Felynes.
It seemed that no matter which world it was, once you became famous, many things really did become easier.
Watching those chefs who treated Sanji Meow with the utmost respect and proactively offered up every secret recipe they knew, Sherwin couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
It was only because the famous blades and Devil Fruits he liked to collect were relatively rare that no one had brought those things over yet.
…
"So you're the Hunter Sherwin?! This young master is here to challenge you!"
After finishing all the island signature dishes at the largest restaurant, Sherwin left as usual and, just like always, took the Felynes with him to stroll around and uncover more of the area.
But before long, he heard a teeth-gritting voice coming from not far away.
As soon as that voice rang out, the civilians who had been gathered around Sherwin and the others instantly scattered in all directions…
For ordinary people in the pirate world, fleeing at top speed when a fight is about to break out has long since become an instinct.
Sherwin could only sigh helplessly.
As expected, what the pirate world lacks the least are reckless hotheads.
He had already anticipated that sooner or later someone would come looking for trouble.
After all, some arrogant pirates aren't even afraid of the Four Emperors a Seven Warlord like him, someone not even on the level of the Four Emperors, obviously couldn't intimidate those thick-skulled fools for very long.
It was just that this challenger had shown up far sooner than he had estimated…
At the very least, couldn't they wait until after he attended the tea party?
However, when Sherwin turned around and got a clear look at the other person appearance, he found it somewhat understandable why the man had come knocking so early.
Standing before them was a strikingly handsome young man with shoulder-length golden curly hair.
He wore a cowboy hat trimmed with fur, a white cape draped over his shoulders, and a beautifully ornate rapier hanging at his waist.
His entire presence made him look like a noble young lord who had stepped straight out of a shōjo manga.
With such a distinctive appearance and outfit, there was no way Sherwin could mistake him.
The newcomer was none other than a future member of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, the captain of the Handsome Pirates, and one of the Super Rookies who had entered the New World not long ago—the pirate nobleman known as "White Horse" Cavendish.
Cavendish is hailed as the most handsome man among pirates. It said that when his bounty poster was first issued, it was immediately stolen en masse by women obsessed with him.
In a sense, he was the male version of Boa Hancock—just without having eaten the Love-Love Fruit.
Aside from possessing a split personality, this so-called "most handsome pirate" was also extremely fond of stealing the spotlight.
He harbored intense hostility toward anyone who took attention away from him.
In the manga, because the Super Rookies of Luffy generation completely overshadowed him, he once even wanted to wipe out the "Worst Generation."
If things had followed the original timeline, after Cavendish charged into the New World under the title of "Gorgeous Super Rookie," the newspapers would have tracked and reported on him day after day.
But just as that coverage was beginning to gain momentum, Sherwin went and fought Kaido.
After that, Morgans, in order to help Shirahoshi, shifted the focus of all reporting to matters related to the Fish-Men…
Not to mention that right after Sherwin and the others landed on the island, they immediately seized everyone attention, leaving Cavendish with almost no spotlight at all after his own arrival.
With these "new grudges and old resentments" piled together, it was hardly surprising that he would come looking for trouble with Sherwin.
Although Cavendish had been blinded by anger and jealousy and rushed over the moment he learned that Sherwin was on the island, his subordinates hadn't lost their heads.
"We're terribly sorry, Lord Sherwin! The captain is just drunk and spouting nonsense! We'll take him away immediately!"
The vice-captain of the Handsome Pirates kept bowing and apologizing to Sherwin while joining the other crew members in dragging Cavendish away, intending to forcibly remove him.
However…
"You think you can just provoke me and then leave? There no such good deal!"
Sherwin gaze settled on the ornate rapier at Cavendish waist, the one named Durandal.
A famed blade delivered right to his doorstep—how could he possibly let it go?
Moreover, setting aside Cavendish primary personality for the moment, his second personality is a bona fide killer. He once caused dozens of massacres in a kingdom called Rommel.
Even after leaving the Kingdom of Rommel, that second personality still emerges from time to time to commit atrocities.
It only because he has been wandering around constantly since becoming a pirate that the impact hasn't been as shocking as it was back in Rommel.
"Seijuro Meow, I'll leave him to you."
As was the case most of the time, opponents who were swordsmen were generally handed over to Seijuro Meow or Link Meow to deal with.