"Wow, wow, wow! Sherwin, look! This place is really just like Brother Pekoms said—there are so many interesting Homies, meow!"
After entering Sweet Town, Klee Meow had been in an excited state the whole time.
After all, Totto Land looked just like a scene from a fairy tale. For children, it was simply irresistible. Even the usually composed Haibara Meow could no longer keep her calm, following Klee Meow and Shirahoshi as they shouted excitedly all the way…
And along the way, she and Klee Meow worked together on either side to torment the poor ears of the Hunter.
Aside from the various Homies of all shapes and forms, the city residents were also incredibly diverse. Back at the slave auction house in the Sabaody Archipelago, they had already seen many unusual races, and over the past few years at sea, they would occasionally encounter other races as well.
But all the races Sherwin and the others had encountered before combined still couldn't compare to how complete the lineup was here.
Although there were no giants, there were Tontatta they had never seen before, along with the Three-Eyed Tribe—the one that would one day become engaged to Sanji—and various hybrids between special races. The sheer diversity of the island population was absolutely unmatched in the entire pirate world.
And as a frequent subject of recent headlines, the residents of Cake Island naturally weren't unfamiliar with Sherwin and his group. Moreover, because of Shirahoshi identity, they could even see some fish-men and merfolk in the distance bowing respectfully in their direction.
"Boss Sherwin, this is exactly the scene Mother wanted to see!"
Shirahoshi looked excitedly at the harmonious coexistence of all races within the city and couldn't help but sigh. "Even though BIG MOM is also a pirate, she doesn't seem to discriminate against fish-men."
However, Sherwin poured cold water on her optimism. "You can't judge things by the surface alone. If you knew what they had to give up just to stay here, you might not think that way."
From the perspective of the civilians in the pirate world, even if they had to pay a "lifespan tax," it was still something most people could accept. After all, Totto Land had Big Mom and the Big Mom Pirates protecting their safety. In other places, they might be killed by other pirates at any time, or captured by slave traders and forced to live a life worse than death as slaves.
Unfortunately, aside from the lifespan tax, Totto Land also had to endure a "natural disaster" known as "Hunger Pangs." Moreover, there were no good people in the Big Mom Pirates. Being killed by members of the Charlotte Family over some trivial matter was an all-too-common occurrence here.
So, when all was said and done, for these civilians, this place was indeed a little better than the outside world—but not by much.
After briefly explaining the actual situation here to Shirahoshi, the little girl eyes dimmed noticeably. However, the resilient mermaid princess quickly recovered, clenched her fists, and encouraged herself. "As expected, Sherwin, you were right. The fate of the Fish-Men must still be held in our own hands!"
Katakuri, walking ahead, heard their conversation but had no intention of refuting it. In his view, since the Big Mom Pirates sheltered these people, it was only natural for them to hold power over their lives and deaths.
Just as Sherwin told Shirahoshi, in this cruel pirate world, the weak have no right to choose.
…
"Mamamama… so you're Sherwin?"
Before long, under Katakuri lead, Sherwin and the others met Big Mom. After taking a serious look at Sherwin, she shifted her gaze to the Felynes. The somewhat ferocious expression on her face softened by several degrees.
Although Charlotte Linlin personality was brutal, she was unusually capable of maintaining decent patience toward young children—provided that her Hunger Pangs were not acting up.
And there were quite a few children around Sherwin. Setting aside the clearly juvenile group like Klee Meow, Haibara Meow, and Shirahoshi, even Felynes like Link Meow and Huamei Meow, though already adults, looked no different from children because of the Ailurus Felyne special physique.
Under Big Mom gaze, aside from Shirahoshi shrinking back slightly behind Sherwin in fear, the other Felynes all met her eyes without the slightest hesitation.
"Mamamama! What an adorable bunch of little ones!"
After locking gazes with the Felynes for a while, Big Mom mood visibly improved, and she laughed cheerfully. In the end, she merely gave Robin a cursory glance before directly making her offer. "Come and join my pirate crew! I have many fine daughters—you can choose one and marry her."
As expected, it was the usual political marriage routine again…
Even before coming here, Sherwin had already guessed that Charlotte Linlin might do this. After all, absorbing other pirates through marriage alliances was one of the Big Mom Pirate defining traits.
"Sorry, I have no intention of becoming a pirate," Sherwin refused decisively. "If I truly wanted to be a pirate, I could have agreed back when Kaido invited me."
"Mamamamamama… so even Kaido once tried to recruit you?" Big Mom froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
After being rejected by Sherwin, Big Mom had originally intended to turn hostile outright—more precisely, to issue a verbal threat. But after hearing Sherwin following remark, she remembered that the person standing before her was not someone who would fear the title of a Yonko, and moreover possessed strength worthy of that confidence. Under the premise that she had no intention of truly falling out with him yet, saying any more harsh words would only make herself a laughingstock.
Although Charlotte Linlin was notoriously violent-tempered, when her hunger pangs were not acting up she was actually quite shrewd. It was just like Kaido: most of the time, relying on sheer power was enough to solve everything, so there was no need for elaborate schemes.
But when faced with someone like Sherwin, whom she could not be certain she could overpower, they would naturally change their approach…
To become a Yonko, strength alone was not enough.
Well, although the later appearance of Buggy would cause the prestige of the Yonko title to plummet, at least for now, the name "Yonko" was still well deserved.
Having figured this out, Big Mom laughed for a moment and decisively changed the subject. "Which one of the Felynes under your command can cook? Let me taste his cooking. If I'm satisfied, I'll give you a generous reward. But if I'm not satisfied…"
A burst of Conqueror Haki no weaker than Kaido suddenly erupted. Charlotte Linlin originally somewhat genial face instantly turned gloomy and terrifying. "You should know what the consequences will be, right?!"
Although she couldn't directly force Sherwin and the others to join through threats, Big Mom still intended to give them a show of force.
However…
Not to mention Sherwin and the Palico, who were immune to Conqueror Haki—even Shirahoshi merely trembled slightly and did not lose consciousness. Instead, several of the weaker Charlotte Family members nearby were knocked unconscious by Big Mom Conqueror Haki.
Because Sherwin usually had Huamei Meow deliberately train Robin and Shirahoshi to remain conscious under Conqueror Haki, even though Lord Xiang Feihu Conqueror Haki was still somewhat inferior to that of the Yonko, after long-term training they had already developed considerable resistance to it.
Seeing that everyone on Sherwin side looked completely fine, with that little blue kitten beside them even having the leisure to lick its paws and then unhurriedly wash its face, while several of her own children had made fools of themselves, Big Mom expression grew even darker.
Just as BIG MOM could not help but want to vent her anger on those children who had embarrassed her, the named Sanji Meow stepped forward of his own accord.
"Isn't it just cooking, meow? Where your kitchen, meow?!"
If it came to fighting, Sanji Meow might no longer rank near the top within the expedition team, but when it came to cooking… even if all the other members were added together, they still wouldn't be his match!
…