"Sherwin-nii! Look, look~ you've been put on a bounty too, meow!"
(=`=)
Klee Meow waved a wanted poster showing a bearded version of Sherwin, bouncing excitedly in front of him.
"Thank you, Klee~" Sherwin took the wanted poster and patted the little plush head as a reward. "Go play with Bonney and the others."
After sending Klee Meow away, Sherwin finally glanced at the wanted poster…
"Scorpion-tailed Lion" Cloud Strife, bounty: 120 million, dead or alive.
It seemed the World Government had recognized that the Manticore sword was a famous weapon from many years ago; otherwise, they wouldn't have given "Cloud" such a nickname.
Makes sense—after all, they've ruled this world for eight hundred years. Of course, they must have records of those once-renowned blades.
As for the name Cloud Strife, that was naturally something Sherwin had Bulldog tell the World Government. After all, that was the guard he had hired.
In other words, the World Government ultimately accepted the testimony that Sherwin and King Bulldog had discussed in advance…
Of course, suspicion still existed. But as long as Sherwin didn't reveal the Manticore, and Bonney abilities remained hidden, even if the World Government had doubts, they wouldn't issue a bounty on him.
Moreover…
The photo on the wanted poster was one that Sherwin himself had provided.
That was something Huamei Meow suddenly thought of later: Sherwin, after all, had the identity of a special correspondent for the World Economic Journal.
With such a major incident happening around him, how could he possibly act like he knew nothing?So, at Huamei Meow suggestion, Sherwin asked Link Meow to take a new photo of him.
He then told Morgans everything that had happened in the Sorbet Kingdom—of course, Sherwin would never reveal Cloud true identity.
Originally, the World Government wanted to conceal the incident of Beckley being killed. But the World Economic Journal immediately exposed it…
That Bird Morgans, whenever there big news, never cares whether it involves the World Government or even a Yonko.
Because of this, the originally planned bounty of fifty million berries for "Cloud" was directly raised to one hundred and twenty million.
"I'm sorry. It all because you helped me treat Bonney illness that you got dragged into this."
Kuma walked over with a face full of apology. Although he had rushed back the moment he received the news, no matter how fast the Paw-Paw Fruit propulsion was, it still had its limits. By the time he returned, everything was already over.
"This is nothing. If I hadn't wanted to get involved, I could have just done nothing and waited for you to deal with it yourself."
Sherwin waved his hand, then deliberately added, "If you want to blame someone, blame the Revolutionary Army. After all these years, they still didn't bother to take care of that guy Beckley."
Kuma opened his mouth, wanting to defend his comrades, but didn't know how to respond.
Sherwin, however, didn't stop his complaints and continued, "At first, I actually admired them. After all, they've done things I wanted to do but didn't dare to. But now…"
He shook his head, looking disappointed.
Of course, that was just venting. Sherwin did have some issues with Dragon methods, but his admiration for the Revolutionary Army hadn't really diminished much.
After all, they were truly fighting against the Celestial Dragons and the World Government. Although many of their actions lacked maturity, their belief in opening a better future was the same as countless reformers throughout history.
And honestly, even the revolutionaries on Earth only found the right path for their countries after enduring repeated failures.
The fact that Dragon, with almost no precedent to follow, had managed to reach this point was already quite impressive.
At this point, Kuma finally couldn't help but defend Dragon: "The Revolutionary Army strength is still too weak. Overlooking some things is normal."
"But the situation in the Sorbet Kingdom doesn't have much to do with whether the Revolutionary Army is weak or not." Sherwin curled his lips and refuted,
"Suppose the Revolutionary Army had continued to pursue Beckley back then, but he managed to escape either because of sheer luck or some special ability—that couldn't be blamed on them. But what about the Sorbet Kingdom itself?"
"The kingdom itself? What about it?"
Seeing Kuma confused look, Sherwin couldn't help but roll his eyes. "King Bulldog is already very old. It wouldn't be surprising if he passed away tomorrow.
Did the Revolutionary Army ever consider what would happen to the Sorbet Kingdom after King Bulldog death?
If all the kingdoms they 'liberated' were handled like Sorbet, then in a few years, or maybe a decade later,
when another group of 'Beckleys' appear, what will they do? Start everything all over again in those countries?"
"...Those nations have already learned how to resist, so—"
"You believe that?" Sherwin cut Kuma off, pointing to himself.
"If it weren't for me and you being here, when Beckley came back the other day, what could the people of Sorbet do besides protest? Even if they have the will to resist, they don't have the power to back it up."
"..." Kuma fell silent for a long while. His attitude suddenly grew more respectful as he asked in an earnest, almost deferential tone, "Then, what do you think the Revolutionary Army should do?"
"How would I know?" Sherwin replied with righteous confidence. "I'm not part of the Revolutionary Army! That the kind of thing they should be figuring out themselves, isn't it?"
But even as he said that, Sherwin still wanted to offer some help. Coupled with his old habit of being a "keyboard warrior" before crossing into this world—always pointing out how countries should be run—he eventually spoke up:
"Actually, the best way would be to change the method of choosing rulers… no, I should say, leaders.
The people should be allowed to elect their own 'king.' And all power shouldn't be concentrated in the hands of that 'king' alone. Authority should be divided among different people.
That way, even if someone gets corrupted by power, others can keep them in check. Also, they shouldn't stay in power for life—there should be re-elections after a set period of time…"
Since he hadn't prepared anything beforehand, Sherwin was basically speaking whatever came to mind.
In fact, all he really did was roughly go over the few kinds of social systems he remembered and knew about.
Although each of those systems had their own flaws, at the very least they were better than the mainstream systems currently prevalent in the pirate world.
After talking enthusiastically for a while, Sherwin couldn't help but sigh."It a pity. Under the World Government control, it not very realistic to try and implement any of these methods."
Then, based on what he had seen and heard since crossing over into this world, he offered his own suggestion:
"I think what truly suitable for the Revolutionary Army is—every time they overthrow a kingdom, they should install a puppet king recognized by the World Government.
That way they can buy themselves more time to contend with the Government. And with the help of these kingdoms where the 'revolution didn't succeed,' they'd also be able to hide the Revolutionary Army real strength much more effectively."
"Of course, I don't actually know the Revolutionary Army true situation. I'm just speaking off the cuff, so take it however you like."
Sherwin pretended not to notice Kuma desperately trying to commit every word he said to memory. After giving his suggestion, he shifted the topic toward Bonney.
"I think what you should be focusing on right now is Bonney."
"Bonney?!" The moment Sherwin mentioned his daughter, Kuma immediately tensed up.
He didn't even bother remembering what Sherwin had just said. Instead, he anxiously asked, "What about Bonney?! Did something go wrong with her condition?!"
"Don't panic, it not related to her illness…" Sherwin shook his head, brushing aside the image of that little monk-headed 'mini-Kuma' from his thoughts, and asked seriously,
"You've seen Bonney Devil Fruit ability by now, right? She said she never eaten any fruit with that spiral pattern. Are you certain you never gave her a Devil Fruit in the past?"
Kuma shook his head blankly, a trace of shame in his voice as he said,
"I was away from home a lot in the past. When Bonney was little, it was actually the neighbors who raised her. It wasn't until her Jade Scale disease broke out that I came back and stayed by her side."
"I asked Bonney carefully about it. Her condition isn't quite the same as that of an ordinary Devil Fruit user…"
Sherwin first explained Bonney unusual situation, then continued,"So I suspect—what if Bonney Fruit ability, just like her Jade Scale disease, was something implanted into her? I've discussed this with Haibara Meow, and she agreed with my guess…"
Sherwin hesitated for a moment before asking,"When Haibara Meow said Bonney Jade Scale disease was man-made, your reaction didn't seem right. That means… you must know something, don't you? Could you tell me?"
"..."
Kuma covered his face with his palm, his whole body trembling slightly, as if caught in a painful memory.
Just as Sherwin was wondering if he should drop the subject, Kuma finally spoke:"Bonney… she not actually my biological daughter."
As Kuma voice carried regret and deep pain, Sherwin learned the truth—that Bonney mother, Ginny, had been abducted by the Celestial Dragons. In the end, she contracted the Jade Scale disease and was discarded by them.
Sherwin lips parted several times in shock. He never expected that Kuma, who always wore such a stoic face in the manga, would have suffered something this tragic…
But still—Ginny was a Revolutionary Army officer, and yet she was captured by the Celestial Dragons so easily.
It seemed that Dragon organization wasn't as formidable as the manga had made it out to be…
Hmm… maybe back then the Revolutionary Army simply hadn't built up enough strength yet?And in truth, Kuma also bore some responsibility.
If he had stayed with Ginny, with his Devil Fruit ability, at the very least escaping shouldn't have been a problem.
But those kinds of words that cut straight to the heart—Sherwin, of course, couldn't say them out loud.
Instead, he simply patted Kuma arm and comforted him,"Don't worry. We'll definitely do everything we can to cure Bonney."
"…Thank you."
This time, Sherwin didn't feel the sight of the tear-streaked, sobbing Kuma to be out of place at all.