Although he had been tricked by Sherwin once, Cody had no intention of backing out. It was probably because three Dyna Stones still hadn't crossed the World Government bottom line…
"Tsk! If I'd known earlier, I should've asked for more!"
After hanging up the call, Sherwin sighed in regret.
Still, three Dyna Stones were already more than enough. Sherwin original expectation had been two: one for Klee Meow to use for research, and one for Jinx to eat to strengthen her Devil Fruit ability.
Asking for three had only been meant to leave room for bargaining, but he hadn't expected the other side attention to be completely diverted by the Devil Fruit.
As for that extra one…
Damn it! I asked for too much!
Only now did the foolish Hunter come to his senses. Asking for so many Dyna Stones was not only useless, it also increased the chances of that little troublemaker Klee Meow causing an accident…
Well then, when the time comes, I'll just find a way to let Jinx eat the extra one too.
Sherwin glanced at the little doll that was cheering and circling around him, and silently made his decision.
"Brother Sherwin, Brother Sherwin, when can we get the Dyna Stones, meow?!"
(=ω=)
After running around excitedly for several laps, Klee Meow suddenly leapt forward and crashed into Sherwin arms. She looked up with her cute little face, blinking those sparkling red eyes as she asked.
The Spark Knight couldn't wait to study that special explosive that the Marines guarded so carefully!
Although Jinx wasn't showing excitement as openly as Klee Meow, the tail behind the little blue cat hadn't stopped swaying since earlier, and Sherwin could even see her swallowing from time to time…
Clearly, she'd been craving the Dyna Stones for quite a while too.
"Not that soon yet. I still have to finish the task they assigned me first."
Sherwin rubbed Klee Meow little head and soothed her.
"Oh…"
(=`︵=)
The little doll ears drooped instantly, and the corners of her mouth sank noticeably as well. She felt extremely disappointed about not being able to get the Dyna Stones right away.
But a child emotions came quickly and went just as fast. Klee Meow soon recovered and tilted her head as she asked,
"Are we going to help beat up that really gluttonous granny, meow? Actually, Klee doesn't really hate her, meow… even though her personality is kind of violent, that granny has never had any bad intentions toward us."
"But if we don't go beat her, then your Dyna Stones will be gone, you know."
Sherwin scratched the little doll under the chin as he teased her.
"Mm… then we should still go beat her!" Klee Meow shook her head and answered decisively.
"That granny treats Klee pretty well, but she still a bad person. At worst, Klee will just hit her a bit lighter, meow!"
(=`=)
"No, this time I'll go alone."
Sherwin continued scratching Klee Meow chin, and before she and the other cats could object,
he explained, "After all, this time it a setup by the World Government. If Robin shows up there, it hard to say whether they'll come up with other ideas. And besides… this time I'm planning to just slack off a bit and muddle through. I'm not planning to really go all out against BIG·MOM."
The reason he wanted to slack off wasn't because of the ties formed back in Totto Land, nor because he thought BIG·MOM rule was better than the World Government. It was simply because he didn't think much of this ambush at all…
Since he didn't have a hostage in hand like Ace back then, this ambush targeting Charlotte Linlin naturally couldn't involve mobilizing the Navy on a global scale the way the Summit War had, then waiting for the BIG MOM Pirates to walk into the trap.
On the contrary, in order to ensure the plan didn't leak, the World Government didn't even summon the Seven Warlords of the Sea to gather at Marineford.
Instead, they directly informed Sherwin of the ambush location and had him go there to rendezvous with the others.
As for the other Warlords, and even the Navy main forces, it was probably much the same. Sherwin wasn't even sure whether all three Admirals would be able to make it…
After all, at this point in time, Kizaru should still be on Egghead Island protecting Vegapunk.
Then again, if Cavendish had gone to seek Vegapunk for medical treatment, it was also possible that Kizaru would come along as well…
But even if all three Admirals did assemble, Sherwin still didn't think the World Government would be able to kill or capture Charlotte Linlin this time.
Of course, despite not being optimistic about it, Sherwin had no intention of turning around and tipping off BIG MOM either.
It wasn't because he was worried about the World Government holding him accountable afterward—he just felt there was no need…
Wasn't it great to watch the Navy and pirates tear each other apart like rabid dogs? Why meddle?
Besides, even without warning BIG MOM, this ambush was highly unlikely to achieve any particularly good results.
After all, the BIG MOM Pirates had Katakuri, a man capable of foreseeing the future with Observation Haki. Against someone like him, an ambush was absolutely the least effective kind of tactic.
Still, Katakuri ability wasn't a secret to the Navy, so if they dared to do this, they probably had some kind of preparation?
To be honest, Sherwin still couldn't figure out how the World Government had even approved the launch of this ambush plan…
Because Charlotte Linlin situation was completely different from Whitebeard.
In the manga, Whitebeard was killed at the summit War because his lifespan was already nearing its end, and on top of that he was stabbed in the back by his own people, causing his combat strength to be drastically reduced.
Charlotte Linlin was also already over sixty years old, but there was no sign at all of her vitality declining.
It was unclear whether she was using the powers of the Soul-Soul Fruit to extend her own lifespan, or to maintain her physical condition in some way.
Moreover, not to mention that the Navy didn't even have a hostage this time—even if, like in the Summit War, they really did capture one of BIG MOM sons, with her personality she would never take the risk of going to rescue her own biological children.
At most, she would look for a chance to retaliate against the Navy and the World Government afterward.
So once she realized that the situation was wrong, BIG MOM would absolutely abandon her children and subordinates and escape on her own first.
A Yonko in peak condition who wanted to flee was not something that could be stopped, even if all three Admirals were present.
As for the other Seven Warlords of the Sea…
They would definitely all choose to slack off just like Sherwin.
And judging from the earlier call, it could also be felt that Koby, that CP agent, didn't actually have much confidence in this plan either.
In the original manga, the World Government had always avoided direct conflict with the Yonko.
Unless it was a situation like Whitebeard, where they were confident they could resolve it completely, even when conflicts did occur they would basically choose to withdraw rather than press the issue.
So that means this ambush—does the World Government actually have a way to deal with Big Mom, or at least a way to keep her from escaping? Just because I reminded them about Mother Carmel?
After ruling out all other impossibilities, this seemed to be the only explanation that could account for the World Government actions.
But…
That still didn't affect Sherwin slacking off.
A plan is just a plan. Whether it can actually succeed is another matter entirely. When has the World Government ever had a shortage of failed plans? Anyway, Sherwin had no intention of gambling on this together with them.
Honestly, being a low-profile bystander who just watches from the sidelines suited Sherwin personality much better.
"Mm… alright then… Sherwin big brother, if you see that things are going bad, remember to run away, okay? Klee Meow will wait outside with the Dodo and pick you up, meow!"
(=)
The little doll kitten licked her paw. Surprisingly, she didn't cling to Sherwin and insist on going to throw bombs together. Instead, she actually thought ahead for his escape route.
Under the astonished gazes of Sherwin and the other cats, the little doll kitten gave her explanation—
"Klee actually doesn't really want to fight that granny… even though she a bad person, meow. And among those Seven Warlords, there that bad guy who plays with strings, and that bad guy who plays with shadows, and also that bad woman who bullies cats, right? Klee doesn't really want to be on the same side as them either, meow!"
Seeing Klee Meow say this, Jinx and suika Meow—who had originally been eager to join the battle—also calmed down.
Even though these big sisters usually played with Klee Meow, when it came to important decisions, everyone instead seriously considered the little doll kitten opinion.
After all…
The title of mascot of the Felyne Investigation Team wasn't a joke.
…