Almost at the same time Sherwin received Kody call, several of the other Seven Warlords of the Sea also received the notice.
Cavendish went without saying—he was probably the first among them to know.
Fish-Man Island had recently been running around nonstop in an effort to gain recognition from the World Government, so Jinbe naturally couldn't refuse, lest he provoke the government displeasure.
As for Doflamingo, who aspired to become Pirate King and thrived on chaos, there was no way he would miss something this "interesting."
Of course, the Heavenly Yaksha, like Sherwin, didn't think much of this operation by the World Government and the Navy. He had come mainly to watch the show, and incidentally see if there was a chance to stir up a little trouble of his own.
The shut-in Moria didn't really want to leave at first, but some time ago Sherwin and the Felynes had released nearly all the shadows he had collected, and most of the corpses had been burned to ashes.
Although he had gathered some again recently, the efficiency was far too low, so he happened to need an opportunity like this to replenish his materials on a large scale.
Even the strongest among the Seven Warlords, Hawkeye, did not refuse the summons. Although Charlotte Linlin was not a swordsman, and there weren't many swordsmen in the BIG MOM Pirates worth mentioning, still—
He'd been rather idle lately, after all. Crossing blades with a powerhouse like a Yonko sounded pretty good.
The only one who didn't want to participate was Hancock. Much like what happened in the manga, the Marines who went to invite her were directly turned to stone.
This time, however, there was no Luffy to change Hancock mind, so it took the Navy several days to realize those Marines had gone missing.
They had no choice but to send their fastest man, Kizaru, to make a trip to Amazon Lily.
People like Hancock are really just asking to be put in their place. Only after being blasted by Kizaru lasers did she finally behave,Release the petrification on those Marines, and follow them to join the other Seven Warlords.
And before she arrived, Sherwin had already reached the island called Obestan ahead of everyone else.
Sherwin, who had originally not wanted to retrace his steps, ultimately still turned back, because Obestan Island was extremely close to the Red Line.
On the map in the Hunter Handbook, it was basically on the same latitude as the G-5 branch, only closer to the edge—go just a little farther out and you would enter the Calm Belt.
"Lord Sherwin, this is the place," said the Marine responsible for receiving him as he lowered the gangplank and gestured invitingly.
"We've prepared plenty of fine food and wine on the island. Please enjoy as much as you like."
Sherwin didn't hurry to disembark. Instead, he stood by the ship and looked out into the distance.
Before coming here, he had already learned a bit about Obestan Island. Among the islands of the Grand Line, it was an utterly ordinary one—neither a transportation hub nor a place with any particularly valuable specialties.
And because it wasn't very large, it only had a small town with a limited population, though it did belong to one of the World Government affiliated nations.
But judging from the current situation, it had most likely been requisitioned.
As for why this place was chosen as the ambush site… surely it couldn't be for such a boring reason as "few natives and easy evacuation," right?
Without the Felyne advisory group by his side, the Hunter didn't have many clues. After thinking for a while, he decisively gave up and walked down the gangplank onto the warship.
…Huh? Wait.
Since this was supposed to be an ambush, shouldn't they be acting cautiously? Why send a warship to pick him up so openly? If they did the same for the other Warlords, wouldn't that have exposed everything long ago?
Moreover, aside from the warship sent to fetch Sherwin, there were several other warships brazenly docked at the pier, looking completely unconcerned about being discovered.
Sensing that something was off, Sherwin frowned slightly, but he didn't ask any questions. Instead, he obediently followed the Marine who came to receive him and walked into the town.
"Hunter! Give this young master back his sword!"
As soon as he stepped into the town, the furious Cavendish came rushing over.
Sherwin followed the sound and looked his way, quickly noticing that there was a newly equipped rapier at Cavendish waist. Compared to "Durandal," however, this sword looked far more ordinary.
"Heh!"
Sherwin let out a snort of laughter and couldn't be bothered to deal with him, directly withdrawing his gaze and walking toward the other Seven Warlord of the Sea who had come out to greet him.
"Long time no see, Jinbe."
"Thank you for everything you've done for Fish-Man Island, Sherwin!"
Jinbe gave Sherwin a warm embrace straight away. "How has Princess Shirahoshi been lately? If there anything you need help with, please don't hesitate to ask!"
Seeing that Sherwin completely ignored him and instead went off to exchange pleasantries with Jinbe, Cavendish hand subconsciously moved to rest on his sword hilt.
His handsome face shifted through several expressions before he finally released his grip with a resentful look, then turned around and stormed off in anger.
However…
He really could control his split personality now.
Although he hadn't looked directly at Cavendish, the steady Hunter had already activated Observation Haki as a precaution.
Just now, Cavendish presence had surged dramatically, much like when his second personality used to emerge, and it even persisted for a considerable length of time.
Yet Cavendish had remained fully conscious the entire time, and after his aura subsided, he didn't immediately fall asleep either…
Clearly, Sherwin earlier speculation had been correct.
"Do you have a grudge against him?"
The conflict between Sherwin and Cavendish hadn't been reported, so naturally Jinbe had no idea about the enmity between the two.
"No grudge," Sherwin shrugged and spoke frankly.
"Back then, he was the one who came looking for trouble. If Aokiji hadn't suddenly intervened, he would've been cut down by Seijuro months ago.
Now he only lost a sword, and even turned misfortune into fortune by becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea… he should be secretly celebrating."
"I see… so it him who has a grudge against you."
With Sherwin putting it that way, Jinbe immediately understood. This newly appointed Seven Warlord had never really been taken seriously by Sherwin at all—it was simply Cavendish acting unilaterally and trying to pick a fight.
Jinbe himself didn't pay much attention to Cavendish either. After all, the man was, in essence, just a Supernova who had only risen to prominence this year.
Although his bounty was higher, Jinbe didn't believe Cavendish strength posed any real threat to either himself or Sherwin.
"Come on! Let go have a proper drink!"
The blue-skinned whale shark fish-man patted Sherwin on the shoulder and then pulled him along toward the center of the town.
Along the way, what Sherwin saw was almost nothing but Marines—sure enough, all the civilians here had been evacuated.
But…
These Marines didn't look particularly tense, nor did it seem like they had set up any defensive measures.
Moreover, he had just asked Jinbe about it.
Like himself, Jinbe had been brought here by a Marine warship. However, the Heavenly Yaksha seemed to have "flown" over on his own, and as for Hawk-Eye, Sherwin had seen his small boat at the docks…
So, with the Marines displaying such a nonchalant attitude, were they really planning to use this place as the final battlefield?
Sherwin grew increasingly doubtful.
Still, no matter what the World Government and the Marines were thinking, Sherwin had only come to play a minor role. He wasn't particularly curious about the Marine true plan.
And so, the two of them arrived in front of the most lavish building in the center of the town.
"This is the mayor house. The Marines are using it to host us."
Jinbe explained briefly, then led Sherwin inside.
Mm, just as expected—corruption really does flow from the top down. Those good mayors and good village chiefs that show up so often in manga are actually the minority.
Sherwin took a look at the mayor residence, which clearly stood out from the surrounding buildings, sighed inwardly for a moment, and then followed them inside.