When Sherwin and the Felynes followed the doctors into a small chapel and saw that massive, familiar figure, he was stunned…
Why was Kuma here? Sure, he would eventually become the king of this country, but wasn't the ruler of the Sorbet Kingdom at this time still Bulldog? Could it be that he had been staying here all along? Wasn't he supposed to be dealing with Revolutionary Army matters?
Compared to the Kuma Sherwin had seen in the manga, the one before his eyes was slightly different.
First, he wasn't wearing that white hat with black spots. And… wait, were those bear ears actually part of his hair?!
Sherwin recalled a One Piece fanfic he had read before crossing over, where the main character had inherited Kuma bear-ear hat… but well, being contradicted by canon was the fate of most fanfics, so it wasn't that big of a deal.
Second, though he was still dressed in priest robes, they looked much simpler than in the manga. There was no white cross motif, just plain black.
The Bible he was supposed to carry wasn't in his hands, and the glasses on his face weren't reflecting light to obscure his eyes like in the manga. Instead, they actually gave him a bit of a scholarly look.
And finally—the most important difference—unlike the expressionless, even slightly terrifying Kuma from the manga, this Kuma face was far more expressive.
Sherwin even felt a strange sense of gentleness from him… almost as if he might even be… easy to push around?
What the hell was going on here? This was seriously freaky.
Facial expressions could be explained by the fact that he hadn't been modified yet, but judging from his nickname "Tyrant," and his identity as an important commander of the Revolutionary Army, Kuma shouldn't have this kind of personality at all.
Yet the colors reflected back through Observation Haki wouldn't lie. This burly man, who looked so intimidating on the outside, had not a trace of violence in his heart.
"Sherwin-nii," Klee Meow suddenly hugged his neck from his shoulder, burying her small head in his hair as she whispered softly, "This uncle who looks like a bear… he so sad, meow…"
"Huh?"
Sherwin didn't see any trace of sadness on Kuma through his Observation Haki, but he trusted Klee Meow sensitivity more. After all, this little ragdoll had a unique gift for sensing emotions.
Which meant… Kuma had hidden his sadness so deeply that normal Observation Haki couldn't detect it.
So, was the one afflicted with Sapphire Scale Disease… Bonney?
Thinking back to the most recent chapters he had read before crossing over, Sherwin pieced together what was going on…
In the future, Kuma would undergo Vegapunk modification project in order to cure Bonney, right? That would also explain why Bonney was familiar with Vegapunk in the manga.
There might still be details the manga hadn't revealed, but overall, things should be more or less like that.
While Sherwin was lost in thought, the doctors of the Sorbet Kingdom had already explained the situation to Kuma.
And then…
"You… you really have confidence that you can cure Bonney illness?"
Kuma half-knelt, lowering himself as much as possible, leaning close to Haibara Meow on Sherwin other shoulder, and asked with such caution it bordered on humble pleading.
Sherwin: "…"
Bro, don't do this, you're scaring me.
Having grown used to the emotionless, modified Kuma from the manga, seeing such an openly expressive version so suddenly was something Sherwin found hard to accept.
Haibara Meow was clearly startled too. She instinctively shrank back a little, her small paws on Sherwin shoulder twitching slightly, but in the end she restrained herself and didn't kick him away.
Sherwin: "…"
Of course, Sherwin knew this wasn't Haibara Meow showing favoritism. With Klee Meow so close by, she must have also heard the little ragdoll earlier judgment of Kuma…
At least, that was how the Hunter comforted himself.
"I haven't seen the patient yet, so I can't say for sure, meow."
Haibara Meow, who had just caught her breath, glared angrily at the big bear. But when she saw his pitiful expression, her little kitten heart instantly softened, though she still answered with strict seriousness.
"Yes, yes… I was too impatient. But no matter what, I should thank you all."
A trace of disappointment flashed across the big bear eyes, but it was quickly replaced by gratitude…
Even though he had already known from the manga that he was a good person, it was still hard to get used to such an openly emotional big bear…
Sherwin tugged at the corner of his mouth and said dryly, "Let meet the patient first. The sooner the treatment starts, the better, right?"
"Yes, yes, you're right!" The big bear quickly stood up and walked to the entrance of the small chapel. He gently pushed open a narrow gap in the door. "Please, come in. Bonney is inside."
Sherwin entered the chapel with the Felynes. He noticed that all the windows had been sealed with thick planks, blocking out every trace of outside light.
Yet inside, many lamps had been set up, filling the room with enough brightness to almost rival daylight.
Clearly, the big bear had gone to great lengths for Bonney, who could not be exposed to natural sunlight.
As if she had heard the commotion outside, a small wooden door in the corner of the chapel creaked open.
A young girl with shoulder-length pink hair peeked her head out. On her right cheek, a few jade-like stones were embedded into her skin—that must have been the so-called Jade Scale Disease.
Aside from the few "stones" on her face, the little girl looked more or less like the "big eater" Bonney that Sherwin knew. The only problem was…
This kid looked four or five years old at most—absolutely no way she was older than seven!
Sure, in the manga, Bonney had eaten the Toshi Toshi no Mi, giving her the ability to change her own and others' ages.
But setting that aside for now, even if she really had eaten the Devil Fruit, she wouldn't just go around deliberately changing her age in everyday life, right?
So… when Bonney became one of the Supernovas, could it be that she was barely ten years old, maybe even younger?
Compared to that, what were Sun God Luffy or the hard-working future admiral Coby worth, huh?!Sherwin pressed his slightly throbbing forehead, ranting wildly in his heart.
"Father!" The little girl ran toward the big bear, but halfway through, she suddenly swerved and rushed straight to Sherwin.
"Wow! Such cute kitties! Big brother, are all these kitties yours?!"
Bonney asked with sparkling eyes.
"Uh… saying they're mine isn't quite right. They're my companions."
Having gradually accepted this strange situation, Sherwin scratched the Klee Meow on his shoulder and boasted to Bonney.
"Hello, meow~" The little ragdoll raised her paw and greeted Bonney.
(=ΦωΦ=)
Before Bonney could even feel surprised, Haibara Meow, unable to resist her curiosity, leapt down from Sherwin shoulder.
She moved closer to examine the jade-like scales on Bonney face, then extended a claw and lightly poked them twice, asking, "Does it hurt, meow?"
"Mm, it doesn't hurt. These stones just feel like they're stuck to my face. If I don't pay attention to them, I don't feel anything at all," Bonney answered Haibara Meow honestly.
Then, her eyes lit up again as she asked excitedly, "You can actually talk! Are you the Mink Tribe I read about in books?! I can't believe such an amazing race really exists!"
But Haibara Meow, already in full research mode, couldn't be bothered to respond. Instead, she carefully examined Bonney eyes, tongue, and other features.
Bonney, who had already been examined many times by the doctors of the Sorbet Kingdom, cooperated very well.
She didn't feel displeased at Haibara Meow cold attitude—instead, she kept chattering loudly, "Are you a doctor too? They told me my illness can't be cured before I turn ten. Can you heal me sooner? I want to go out to sea with my father as soon as possible!"
Still ignoring her, Haibara Meow turned around, adjusted the glasses on her nose with her little paw, and said to Sherwin and the big bear,
"Aside from the stones on her face, I haven't found any abnormalities in her body so far. I'll need the medical equipment on the ship to run more detailed tests, meow."
"We'll figure out a way to bring Bonney over later, or maybe just move the ship here directly," Sherwin waved his hand, showing it wasn't a big problem. "But…"
He pointed at the pair of glasses that had suddenly appeared on Haibara Meow face, utterly baffled. "Where the hell did those come from?!"