After getting to know the members of the Second Division, Ace started dragging Sherwin around again to meet the captains of the other divisions.
There was nothing else going on anyway, so Sherwin just went along with it, and those captains all showed goodwill. It seemed that no one really cared about the Crocodile incident…
That actually made Sherwin even more curious about what kind of relationship Crocodile and Whitebeard really had.
Unfortunately, the sand crocodile was already dead, and Whitebeard obviously wasn't going to explain things for him.
So if Sherwin really wanted to know the truth, the only way would be to find a way to travel back to Earth and read the completed One Piece.
It had to be said, Whitebeard really had a ridiculous number of sons. Just the division commanders alone numbered more than ten…
"Phoenix" Marco, "Diamond" Jozu, and "Flower Sword" Vista—these few who shone brightly during the summit War still left some impression on Sherwin. As for the rest, he was completely in the dark…
Well, saying completely in the dark wasn't entirely accurate. After all, as division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, they were famous figures in the pirate world, so Sherwin had seen their names here and there in the newspapers.
But that was about it.
Until he was brought in front of a man wearing a pink kimono, with lipstick on his lips, dressed in a rather effeminate way, and sporting a very "idol-style" face… yeah, you really couldn't tell this was someone already over forty years old.
"He the captain of the Sixteenth Division, Izou, from a place called Wano Country."
Ace introduced him enthusiastically.
"Why is it Wano again, meow?" squatting on Sherwin shoulder, Haibara Meow couldn't help grumbling.
"Oh right, Sherwin, you said that idiot named Oden knew Whitebeard, didn't you? This guy couldn't possibly be related to that Oden too, right? Seriously, why can't we get rid of that guy no matter where we go, meow?"
The little milk cat didn't lower her voice at all, so Ace, Izou, and Marco—who had joined them midway—clearly heard her complaining.
"Huh? You know Wano Country and Kozuki Oden too?"
Ace immediately became excited. He had always wanted to fulfill his promise to Tama and liberate Wano Country from Kaido grip, but Whitebeard had refused his request out of concern for casualties.
Even so, he, Marco, and Izou had never given up on the idea.
So after hearing that Sherwin also knew about Wano Country and Kozuki Oden, Ace—just like Inuarashi—instinctively wanted to pull him into it as well, even overlooking the obvious disdain in Haibara Meow tone and her calling Oden an "idiot"…
After all, he himself was often called an idiot by Sanji Meow, so he was a bit slow to react in that regard.
But as one of Kozuki Oden retainers—and a severe case of the so-called "Oden virus"—Izou naturally wouldn't overlook such disrespectful wording toward Oden. The gentle look on his face instantly turned sharp and cold.
However, considering that Haibara Meow was a guest of the pirate crew and still quite young, Izou forcibly restrained his anger and questioned her in a low voice,
"Lord Oden is the master I am most proud to serve. Such slander will not be tolerated! If you cannot give a proper explanation, then please forgive me for being rude!"
Only then did Ace react. He hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Izou, don't be angry. I get called an idiot by Sanji all the time too, but our relationship is actually really good."
Then he turned to Sherwin and said, "Since you all know Oden, you should also know that he was an incredible man, right?"
What Ace saw next was everyone on Sherwin side showing the same look of disgust—no exceptions, not even Shirahoshi and Jinx, who had followed along afterward.
"Um… could it be that you have some misunderstanding about Oden?" Marco asked as he calmed the agitated Izou.
"Oden used to be the Second Division Commander of our pirate crew, so I knew him quite well. Although his personality was a bit strange at times, he was still a pretty decent guy."
"There no misunderstanding," Jinx, squatting on top of Shirahoshi head, replied with a sneer.
"We went to Zou not long ago. There was a big cat and a big dog there who were constantly going on about Oden this and Oden that, and we even got into two fights with the both of them because of it, meow."
Even Shirahoshi chimed in to support her. "I also don't think that Kozuki Oden was a qualified ruler. The downfall of Wano—he bears the primary responsibility for it!"
To be honest, Ace and Marco weren't actually very clear about what exactly had happened in Wano back then.
Although Ace had been to Wano, the source of his information was Yamato, an Oden-obsessed fanatic who had picked up Oden diary.
On top of that, the two of them were pirates who had never received any proper education to begin with.
They knew nothing about governing a country, let alone in a pirate world with its own bizarrely 'well-matched' systems.
So when they saw Shirahoshi and the others speak with such certainty, the two of them couldn't help but start to hesitate.
As for Izo, he continued to glare angrily at… Sherwin, with one hand already reaching toward his waist, clearly ready to draw his gun at once if Sherwin didn't give an explanation.
"Sigh…"
Although Sherwin didn't want to repeat what he had already said, he still went over once again the same arguments he had used back on Zou to break through Inuarashi and Nekomamushi defenses.
"…So, Oden might have been a good companion to you, but to the people of Wano, he was nothing more than an incompetent and foolish ruler."
"This…" Marco looked awkwardly toward Izo, who had been broken just as hard, and still couldn't help but say a few words in Oden defense.
"Maybe he just didn't want to drag Pops into it…"
"Heh…"
Sherwin let out a cold laugh, completely disdaining to engage Marco in this kind of verbal back-and-forth, because whether or not Oden had sought Whitebeard help was never the key issue to begin with.
And Marco, being one of the more clear-headed thinkers in the pirate world, actually understood that point as well. So after a couple of embarrassed chuckles, he didn't say anything more.
Instead, it was Ace—the single-cell brained guy—who more easily latched onto what he thought was the core issue.
"Even if Oden had huge problems, the people of Wano are still innocent, right? That doesn't conflict with us driving Kaido out of Wano!"
"Mm. You guys do your best."
Sherwin decisively refused to take the bait.
"But…" Ace opened his mouth, yet when he thought about how even Whitebeard himself had opposed going to trouble Kaido, Sherwin and the others had even less obligation to take such a risk.
In the end, he could only let out a long sigh. "Alright, let stop talking about such unpleasant things… I'll take you to meet the others."
Izo also didn't stop Sherwin from leaving, because after getting his "explanation," he, just like Inuarashi and Nekomamushi back then, squatted off to the side and went into self-isolation.
However…
Whitebeard had no reaction at all?
After all, the discussion just now hadn't been quiet—if anything, it had been rather loud.
Given how much Whitebeard valued his companions, it was unlikely he would simply ignore what was happening here.
So…
Don't tell me he already been taken down by Suika Meow?
The corner of Sherwin mouth twitched as he turned his head toward where Whitebeard was…
Sure enough, the "Strongest Man in the World" was already sprawled on the deck, his face flushed bright red, with an overturned bowl of sake beside him.
In addition to that spilled bowl, there was also a group of frantic leopard-patterned little nurses running around in circles, as well as Suika Meow, who was proudly giving Sherwin a thumbs-up.
(●`●)b
...