"Boo-hoo-hoo… Sister Ai, Klee, I don't want to leave you!"
Bonney illness had been cured, and naturally, Sherwin and his group were going to continue their journey. However, when the time came to part ways, Bonney clung tightly to the two cats she was closest to, crying her heart out.
Haibara Meow attitude remained as cool and composed as ever, while Klee Meow looked equally reluctant to part, rubbing herself against Bonney nonstop.
"Klee doesn't want to leave you either, meow…"
Sherwin had suggested that Bonney travel with them for the time being and wait for Kuma to come for her after finishing his business. However, Bonney insisted that every journey she took had to be with her father, so Sherwin didn't push further.
Meanwhile, Kuma was helping to load the medical equipment he had collected earlier onto the Dodo Advance.
Sherwin didn't stand on ceremony with him—after all, the doctors of the Sorbet Kingdom weren't skilled enough to use this equipment effectively.
Moreover, Haibara Meow had not only cured Bonney Jade Scale Disease but had also contributed a life-saving healing potion.
With all that in mind, Sherwin felt perfectly justified in accepting the medical supplies.
"In the future, if I come across any Devil Fruits or famous blades, I won't be able to give them to you," Kuma said apologetically. "The Revolutionary Army needs the power of these things more. But if you join us…"
"Stop!" Sherwin cut off Kuma recruitment attempt and looked at him helplessly.
"Give it up already. Even if I end up on bad terms with the World Government someday, I'm not likely to join the Revolutionary Army."
Admiration was one thing, and lending a helping hand was another, but for Sherwin to dedicate himself to their cause… he simply didn't feel that much attachment to the pirate world.
Still, he wasn't about to give up this channel with Kuma entirely.
"Compared to those items, what the Revolutionary Army needs more is funding, right? Plus, some Devil Fruits aren't even that useful for you guys."
Sherwin suggested, "If you come across a Devil Fruit like that in the future, I can buy it at market price."
"Uh…" Kuma scratched his head, not outright rejecting the proposal. "I'll think about it."
After moving the medical room back onto the ship, Bonney tearful farewells were over. Sherwin boarded the Dodo Advance with his cats.
"Goodbye, everyone. I'll always remember your kindness."
As Kuma spoke, he placed his hand on the Dodo Advance and sent Sherwin and his companions flying straight toward their next island.
…
"Ha! So Kuma finally set out to sea…"
Sherwin looked at the latest newspaper in his hand, which reported that Kuma had attacked a certain noble in the South Blue and destroyed an entire street.
Though the article didn't specify the exact reason for Kuma attack, Sherwin could easily guess with his toes that it was related to Bonney. Otherwise, Kuma would never have acted so violently.
Along with the newspaper came a batch of freshly issued bounty posters, with Kuma and Bonney names prominently displayed.
"'Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma, bounty: 60 million, dead or alive."
"'Big Eater' Jewelry Bonney, bounty: 5 million, alive only."
The Marines were as uncreative as ever with nicknames—Kuma epithet had barely changed, with only one word altered.
Sherwin smirked and then fell into thought as he stared at Bonney bounty poster…
Jewelry… Just like in the manga. So, is that Ginny surname? Or is it a Celestial Dragon surname?
Also, "alive only." Looks like my guess was spot on—the Celestial Dragon who tampered with Bonney back then really has his eyes on her again.
Still, with Kuma always by her side and the Revolutionary Army secretly lending a hand, catching her shouldn't be easy.
Even an eight-year-old Robin managed to escape pursuit despite having a bounty of 79 million. If Kuma can't protect Bonney now, that'd be downright pathetic.
And considering Bonney bounty isn't even ten million, that mysterious Celestial Dragon probably just developed a passing interest in her. The level of pursuit shouldn't be that intense.
Aside from the bounty posters for Kuma and his daughter, Sherwin also spotted two other "acquaintances"—Eustass Kid and his vice-captain Killer.
The bounties for those two had risen quite a bit again, proof that they'd been causing plenty of chaos lately. But given Kid temper, it'd be more surprising if they hadn't.
Flipping through the other posters, Sherwin didn't see any other familiar faces. He casually set them aside and unfolded the newspaper, planning to check out the other articles…
Then, a fluffy little head suddenly popped up from beneath the newspaper.
"What the matter, Klee?"
Sherwin put down the newspaper, scooped up the little plush ball, and rubbed his cheek against hers… In the language of the Mink Tribe, this should be called "Karuchu," right?
However, Klee Meow didn't answer his question. Instead, she kept dramatically winking and making faces at him…
(=ω=)(=Д=)(=益)(ω)(ˇˇ)(=ω=)(=⊙o⊙=)(ノ)`ω(ヾ)
Though her expressions were a bit comical and fierce, she was still unbelievably cute.
As for what exactly Klee Meow was trying to do, Sherwin was completely clueless…
So, he made two silly faces back at her.
"That not it, meow!" The little plush ball puffed up her cheeks angrily and exclaimed, "Big Brother Sherwin, can't you tell Klee is talking, meow?"
Ah, now Sherwin finally understood what this little cutie was trying to do…
"Didn't Link say it already? That his natural gift; you can't just learn it like that." Sherwin chuckled, bumping his nose against Klee Meow and scratching her furry little head.
"But… Sister Ai didn't say that, meow…" Klee Meow mumbled with a pout, her tiny face scrunched up in protest.
Sherwin immediately turned his gaze toward Haibara Meow, who was peeking curiously in their direction not far away.
When she met his eyes, Haibara Meow froze for a moment before quickly looking away. She stammered, "Th-this… this is… for scientific research, meow."
Klee Meow really has been corrupted by you!
Sherwin shot a glare at the little kitten who loved tricking kids, then rubbed Klee Meow cheeks and said,
"Don't listen to Haibara Meow nonsense; she teasing you. If it were really that easy to learn, why doesn't she do it herself, given how she doesn't like talking much?"
"Oh! Sister Haibara! You tricked Klee again, meow!"
The little ragdoll immediately leapt out of Sherwin arms, baring her tiny claws and pouncing toward Haibara Meow.
Seeing trouble coming, the little kitten turned tail and ran. The two little Felynes darted around the deck in a playful chase.
Sherwin watched the scene with satisfaction, making no move to stop them. The other cats didn't intervene either in fact, Sanji Meow was even cheering for his two little sisters and promised pudding for the winner.
Everyone was happy to see this. It meant Haibara Meow no longer felt as useless or as afraid of being abandoned as before.
Treating Bonney wasn't just helping someone else—it was also a way for Haibara Meow to show her worth, helping her settle into the Investigation Corps with peace of mind…
Though, her increasingly sly and mischievous personality was becoming a bit of a headache.
"Captain," Hua Mei Meow leapt down from the mast, landing on Sherwin shoulder. After affectionately rubbing her cheek against his, she said,
"Just five more islands at most, and we'll be able to head to the North Blue. So, you'd better keep a close eye on the logs these next few days, meow."
"Hm? So soon?"
Even counting the time they'd stayed in the Sorbet Kingdom, this trip was much faster than when they were in the East Blue… Sherwin was referring to the time needed to reach 75% upload progress.
"Because our ship is much faster than it was back in the East Blue, and Klee sometimes uses her Devil Fruit ability to speed us up. Of course, it going to be faster, meow."
Sherwin nodded in understanding, then pulled the Hunter Logbook from his bag and flipped to the map page—
Map Progress: 74.3%
"Hmm, looks like we only need to land on two more islands… My initial calculations were spot on, meow!"
Hua Mei Meow proudly flicked her tail, then pointed at the map and said, "We can skip these three islands. We just need to land on this nearby island and then the final one, meow."
It had been mentioned before that when Hua Mei Meow first plotted the route, she added a few extra islands as backup to ensure they'd reach the goal.
Now it seemed that even without those precautions, they could still hit 75% progress while sticking to the planned path.
"As expected of our great Soaring Scarlet Tiger!"
Sherwin scooped Hua Mei Meow into his arms and gently stroked her.