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Chapter 178 - 178 Heart Pirates

North Blue, Silux Island.

The Heart Pirates were resting here.

"Captain, here."

Bepo, the polar bear Mink dressed in an orange work suit, handed a grilled fish to Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart Pirates.

"Mm."

Law gave a soft reply, took the grilled fish, and tore into it with big bites.

"Captain, when are we heading into the Grand Line?" Penguin, wearing his penguin hat and holding a half-eaten grilled fish, came over.

"Here in the North Blue, there aren't many pirates who can stand against us anymore, right?"

Law shot him a faint glance, then as if remembering something, his expression suddenly darkened.

Just as Penguin was wondering if he had said something wrong, Law spoke with a heavy, solemn voice:

"It not the time yet. We're still not strong enough. Going to the Grand Line now would be walking to our deaths."

"The… the Grand Line is that terrifying? Then maybe we shouldn't go at all…" Bepo curled up into a ball.

"Weren't you the one who came out from the Grand Line?!" the Heart Pirates all shouted at Bepo in unison.

"Oh, right!" Bepo suddenly realized, then shrank back into his ball again. "But it still so scary, so maybe we really shouldn't go."

Watching his crew fool around, Law sighed helplessly as he looked up at the sky. Relying on these unreliable guys to defeat Doflamingo… the road ahead seemed long and difficult.

"Hm?"

As Law raised his head toward the sky, his eyes suddenly narrowed. In the distant sky, two small black dots were flying this way at tremendous speed.

"Hey! Quiet down and look up there!" Law quickly called out to his crew. "Everyone, be on guard! It might be an enemy attack!"

Something that could fly in the sky… Law couldn't help but think of a certain companion from his childhood.

But the speed of those two black dots seemed even faster.

Just as the Heart Pirates had all gone on alert, the two figures landed on the open ground not far ahead of them. Along with their arrival came two enormous bear paw prints.

"Meow-hahaha! Sherwin-nii! Uncle Kuma ability is so much fun, meow! Can Klee Meow play with it again when we go back, meow?"

With that lively voice, the Heart Pirates finally noticed that perched on the shoulder of one of the figures was a cute-looking Ragdoll Felyne.

The reason Klee Meow had come along—besides her wanting to experience the thrill of flying at high speed—was because the information Sherwin had obtained from Morgans didn't give an exact location. Bringing Klee Meow along made finding Law much quicker.

Sure enough, on their very first landing, they had run straight into the Heart Pirates.

Klee Meow—forever the best!

Sherwin scratched the little Ragdoll chin and answered softly, "That right. We'll fly again on the way back."

"Yay!"

(=`=)

Klee Meow cheered, then suddenly noticed Bepo not far away. "Sherwin-nii, Uncle Kuma, look! They've got a bear meow too!"

At Klee Meow loud cry, the Heart Pirates' attention shifted from her to Kuma… Though truthfully, if not for Klee Meow noisy excitement and overwhelming cuteness, the towering figure of Kuma would have been the most attention-grabbing presence.

"Bepo, look! Another bear Mink! And he looks way more burly than you!"

"Sorry… I'm not burly enough. I've shamed the polar bear Minks…"

Bepo reflexively bowed in apology to the crewmate who had just spoken.

Although the Heart Pirates were already used to his habit of apologizing over every little thing, they still couldn't help but shout in unison:

"What the hell are you apologizing for this time?!"

Maybe it was because of Klee Meow and Kuma—the two pseudo-Mink presences—that the Heart Pirates wariness toward Sherwin group had eased a lot.

They even had the spare mood to bicker like a comedy act. But as captain, Law didn't relax his guard for even a moment.

"Who are you people? What are you here for?!" Law demanded sharply.

"You are 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law, right?" Kuma asked, his tone a little excited.

"…That right. You're looking for me?" Seeing that the man didn't seem hostile, Law voice softened slightly.

"Yes. I want to ask for your help in treating my daughter. She been implanted with a terrible virus and has less than five years to live. Only someone with the power of the Ope Ope no Mi has any chance of curing her."

Kuma quickly explained Bonney situation according to what Sherwin had taught him to say.

As expected, once Law heard about Bonney condition, he almost didn't hesitate at all.

Having gone through a similar experience himself, he immediately agreed:

"You need me to save her? No problem. Where is your daughter now?"

"The South Blue."

"You've gotta be f***ing kidding me! How the hell am I supposed to run all the way to the South Blue with you?!"

The sympathy Law had just felt for Kuma vanished in an instant, replaced by a furious outburst.

"Don't worry," Kuma quickly raised both hands in explanation.

"I'm a Paw-Paw Fruit user. With my ability, I can let you travel back and forth between the South Blue and North Blue in a very short time. If you don't trust leaving your crewmates behind, I can even send all of you to the South Blue together."

"That right, that right! Uncle Kuma ability is super fun, meow!" Klee Meow, still perched on Sherwin shoulder, chimed in.

"Even when I blow myself up with my bombs, I can't fly that fast, meow!"

"Who the hell would put their lives in the hands of someone they don't even know?!"

However, Law didn't easily trust Kuma and Klee Meow. If it were just in the North Blue, he could go along and see for himself, but to let a complete stranger—someone who didn't look easy to deal with—use a Devil Fruit ability on him...

After everything he had gone through in the Donquixote Family, there was no way Law would agree to such a thing.

"I told you not to waste words. You should've just sent him flying back right away." Sherwin spread his hands, wearing a look that said, "See? I told you so." as he glanced at Kuma.

Sherwin hadn't bothered lowering his voice, so of course the Heart Pirates all heard him clearly.

At that moment, they didn't care whether it was about Felynes or not—what mattered was that these strangers were openly talking about sending their captain away, so they immediately surrounded Sherwin group.

Yet Sherwin and the others completely ignored them and just kept chatting on their own.

Kuma gave a bitter smile and shook his head, once again refusing Sherwin suggestion. "I came here to ask for help. How could I possibly do something like that…"

Aside from his own personality, there was another reason Kuma rejected Sherwin idea: he was worried that angering Trafalgar Law might lead to trouble during the surgery. What if Law did something underhanded in the process?

"What a hassle…"

Sherwin scratched his head helplessly. If not for that reason, he wouldn't have needed to come along at all.

Still, he understood Kuma concerns. And while Law in the manga did seem rather loyal and righteous, the fact remained that they hadn't formed any alliance with him—so Sherwin truly couldn't be sure if Law would try something behind their backs.

Looks like this is the only way…

Sherwin turned his gaze toward the wary Trafalgar Law and said, "What if we promised that in the future, we'd help you fight one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea— Donquixote Doflamingo?"

Law: !!!

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