Two CP0 agents, dressed in white suits and wearing masks, lunged silently toward Sherwin from above.
Although they looked down on King Bekley, as direct subordinates of the Celestial Dragons, since they were "lent" to him, they would carry out his orders without question.
"Shigan!"
"Rankyaku!"
While still in midair, the two agents attacked Sherwin from both sides.
CP?
Seeing their distinctive appearance, Sherwin didn't even need Haibara Meow radar to know exactly what kind of people they were.
No wonder Bekley had the courage to return… so he got himself backed by the Celestial Dragons.
But really, I seem to have quite the fate with CP agents. Is this retribution for constantly trading CP intelligence for favors?
Sherwin muttered inwardly as he raised Manticore in front of him, blocking the two agents' attacks head-on.
Hmm… the power mediocre. Looks like the Celestial Dragons don't care much about Bekley either.
Judging from their suits, they should be CP0, the unit with the most authority. But authority doesn't equal strength. That waste, Spandam—or whatever his name was—ended up in CP0 too, didn't he?
Just like earlier with Bekley, once Sherwin gauged the agents' strength, he felt both relief and a trace of disappointment.
Monster Hunter Style: Rising Slash!
Against opponents of this level, Sherwin didn't need to waste much effort. He used a basic Great Sword technique from Monster Hunter to meet the two CP agents rushing at him.
"Tekkai!" ×2
In One Piece, relying on Tekkai to block attacks rarely ends well. These two CP0 agents were no exception.
Just as Sherwin blade was about to strike them, he suddenly coated Manticore with Armament Haki.
"Waaah!"
The two CP0 agents never expected to encounter a Haki user here. By the time they thought about dodging, it was already too late.
Their proud Tekkai was nearly useless—their supposedly rock-hard bodies were effortlessly cleaved open, blood spraying everywhere.
Still, as CP agents who had undergone brutal training, their vitality was remarkable. Even after Sherwin split them open with a single slash, they didn't die immediately. Instead, they used Life Return to temporarily seal their wounds, maintaining some mobility…
After all, even Zoro, when Mihawk cut him open, could only collapse—and that was with Mihawk deliberately holding back.
But…
Surviving one strike meant nothing. In Monster Hunter style, once you commit to chaining Great Sword attacks, the blows are relentless!
Descending Slash, Spiral Slash, Furious Slash, Shoulder Check…
Sherwin even triggered Link Time for a true Charged Slash.
After unleashing this "basic" Great Sword combo, no matter how tenacious their vitality was, the two CP0 agents could only end up GG.
Once the agents were dealt with, King Bekley—who had been strutting arrogantly above the palace moments ago—had already disappeared. Seeing the situation turn against him, he once again chose to run.
But this time, Bekley wasn't as lucky as sixteen years ago. Sherwin was no half-measure revolutionary like Dragon.
With Observation Haki activated, he quickly tracked Bekley down. Coating himself in Armament Haki, Sherwin pushed straight through the surrounding soldiers' attacks and confronted Bekley head-on.
"You can't kill me! I'm a king of a World Government–recognized allied nation! How much did that old dog Bulldogg pay you?! I'll give you double!! Triple!!!"
King Bekley, his heart seized with icy terror, screamed shrilly.
But Sherwin had no interest in wasting words with such a fool. With a single stroke, he severed Bekley head.
Glancing at the panicked soldiers around him, Sherwin ultimately couldn't bring himself to slaughter them all. Instead, he simply carried Bekley head and the treasure the king had prepared to flee with, then turned back.
None of the soldiers dared stop him. Instead, they silently parted, opening a path and watching him leave.
…
With everything settled, Sherwin avoided the crowds gathered near the palace and quietly slipped back into the church.
"Sherwin-nii~ You're back, meow!"
Klee Meow was the first to pounce on him, curiously tugging at the thick beard on his chin.
Right behind her was Haibara Meow. The little kitten carefully examined Sherwin, and after confirming he wasn't hurt, gave a dismissive "hmph," turning her head aside as if indifferent. Yet she didn't return to her lab, and her tail swished restlessly behind her.
Sherwin stepped forward, scooping Haibara Meow up as well. Enduring her tsundere little cat punches, he smiled and nodded at the other Felynes who came up to greet him, before finally stopping in front of Bonney and urging:
"Hurry, change me back."
"Sherwin-oniichan, did you drive away Beckley?!" Bonney asked excitedly while activating her ability on Sherwin. The few elderly people hiding in the church also looked over with eager, hopeful eyes.
They had all seen the flames in the distance vanish in an instant, but unless Beckley—the true culprit—was dealt with, they couldn't feel at ease.
"Drive away?" Sherwin, who had returned to his original appearance, shook his head with a smile while putting his clothes back on.
"I'm not like the Revolutionary Army back then, starting strong but finishing weak. Beckley already been taken out by me."
After getting dressed, he once again reminded Bonney and the others, "Remember, I've been here the whole time and haven't gone anywhere. Don't let it slip."
"Of course! Of course!" The old folks nodded gratefully, swearing oaths. "We will never betray you, sir!"
Bonney, however, asked reluctantly, "Then… Sherwin-oniichan, are you planning to leave?"
"Of course not, meow." Huamei Meow denied it.
"If we left at this time, wouldn't it look suspicious, meow? We were hired by Mr. Kuma to stay here and treat your illness. There no reason to leave now, meow."
"That right!" Sherwin, who had originally been planning to slip away, suddenly came to his senses. "Huamei, you really think things through!"
Sanji Meow immediately flattered, "Big sister Huamei, you're truly brilliant~ I'm already completely intoxicated by your wisdom, meow!"
Huamei Meow didn't have the time to lecture Sanji Meow. She simply tapped him lightly on the head with her rapier, then continued,
"Also, right now it best if we take Haibara Meow along to help rescue the injured. That matches the way we've always done things, meow…
We should've gone earlier, but without the Admiral with us, it would've looked too suspicious, meow. Even if we'll still be suspected now, it better than doing nothing at all, meow."
"I've got an idea!" An old man, with a white beard so long it nearly dragged on the ground, suddenly spoke up.
"When I came to call you for help earlier, I accidentally tripped on my own beard. That why your rescue was delayed!"
As he spoke, the old man threw aside his walking stick, then suddenly lunged forward, hurling himself toward the ground.
Sherwin flashed forward in an instant to catch him, both touched and helpless. "You could just say that Kuma came back and pushed the injuries off your body. There no need to go this far."
At the same time, his eyes turned to the side…
Several other old folks, who had just climbed onto their chairs to imitate the act, gave embarrassed smiles. With Bonney and the Felynes' support, they wobbled back down again.
After calming down these well-meaning but troublesome elders, Sherwin led the Felynes back toward the fire site, which had already been extinguished.