"Sherwin-oniichan, are you okay, meow?"
(=ω=)
The moment they returned to the "spectator seats," Klee Meow immediately pounced on him. While her little paws felt around the spot where Sherwin had been stabbed, she asked with deep concern.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I have the healing medicine Haibara Meow made. The wound long healed." Sherwin rubbed Klee Meow head while pulling Haibara Meow into his arms as well.
"Hmph~ As long as you know, meow!"
(=`へ=)
The tsundere Haibara Meow tilted her head upward with a dismissive expression, but her constantly twitching whiskers and ears—and the slight sway of her tail tip—completely betrayed how happy this little kitten was after receiving praise.
Once they confirmed Sherwin truly wasn't hurt, Seijuro Meow and Link Meow leapt down together to begin the second round of sparring with Hawkeye.
"Flying Cat Sword Style, Hiko Seijuro. Please guide me, meow!" The little black cat gave Mihawk a formal bow, then drew the Kikyo Sendongetsu at his waist and took his stance.
(=`=)┫
Link Meow was much simpler—he drew the Demon-Slaying Sword and the Hylian Shield and gave Mihawk a look filled with meaning.
"..."
Even though he had seen Link Meow bizarre communication style earlier, Mihawk still nearly lost his composure—
This Felyne called Link could express something that complex?
Stunned by the small Link Meow, Hawkeye wordlessly raised the Black Blade Yoru and said to the two cats, "Come. Let me witness your swordsmanship."
Seijuro Meow and Link Meow exchanged a glance, then—with perfect coordination—attacked from left and right at the same time.
To be honest, Sherwin had been a little worried at first.
Although Mihawk said Seijurou had the bearing of a top-tier swordsman, that was only bearing.
While he could indeed be called a "great swordsman," his actual strength was still far from Mihawk, a true top-tier swordsman.
Link Meow had more techniques than Seijurou , but in overall strength the two cats weren't far apart.
In fact, being summoned earlier, Seijurou even had slightly higher mastery of Haki.
And Sherwin impression of Mihawk was: two casual swings to seriously injure Zoro, and then seriously injuring him as well… Someone who didn't seem capable of holding back at all. Naturally, he worried for the cat safety.
But after nervously watching for about a minute, Sherwin relaxed completely.
Just as he expected, even with Seijurou and Link Meow teaming up, they still couldn't create much trouble for Hawkeye.
However, after adopting a defensive stance and letting the cats show off their respective sword techniques, Mihawk did not treat them the way he treated Zoro and Sherwin.
He didn't chop them down outright—instead, he continued focusing on defense, occasionally delivering light counterattacks, feeding them moves, and even giving them verbal pointers now and then.
This attitude was far gentler than during his "spar" with Sherwin.
And Mihawk attitude had little to do with the adorable appearance of the Felynes…
Well, maybe a little. But Hawkeye absolutely wasn't the type to hold back just because his opponent was cute. In battle, he was normally quite stone-hearted.
The real reason he was so tolerant was because he cherished talent.
Just like in the manga—when Zoro challenged him, Mihawk didn't kill him. Instead, he looked forward to his growth. Hawkeye was someone delighted to see more outstanding swordsmen appear.
And purely in terms of swordsmanship talent, both Seijurou and Link Meow surpassed Sherwin and Zoro.
Combined with the Felyne appearance naturally making it easier for Mihawk to view them as students or juniors, holding back became completely reasonable.
Sherwin also remembered: Mihawk wasn't actually as cold as he seemed. In the manga, Perona had described him as a "gentle person"…
Hmm. Thinking about it like that, it actually had a bit of gap moe.
Only…
Why did he hit me so hard when he was cutting me…?
Sherwin rubbed the spot where he had been struck earlier, muttering with clear dissatisfaction in his heart.
But it was just a bit of complaining. He knew very well that his situation back then wasn't the same as the Felynes.
Even if Mihawk wanted to hold back, it wouldn't have been easy… though he probably hadn't intended to hold back in the first place.
Cough!
In any case, the real reason he could afford to relax now was because the two Felyne overall strength was relatively weak.
Indeed, in terms of swordsmanship talent, Seijuro Meow and Link Meow were both above Sherwin. But that didn't mean their overall strength was greater than his.
After all, the body size of Felynes determined that they simply couldn't compare to humans in raw physical power.
Even though Seijuro Meow and Link Meow were geniuses among Felynes, and their physique couldn't be compared to that of ordinary Felynes, the strong people of the pirate world weren't "normal" humans either.
And Sherwin himself was a transmigrator blessed with the Hunter template — even one of the past "Ape Dragon Species" main-character templates.
Moreover, whether it came from the golden finger or simply from potential he never managed to develop back on Earth, Sherwin combat talent was actually quite good.
And with inherited memories helping him compensate for his lack of experience and mindset…
So despite constantly being crushed by the Felynes in individual specialized talents, Sherwin overall talent was not bad at all — in fact, stronger than most Felynes.
It was just that the Felynes were extreme specialists, overly gifted in one or a few specific areas, making it seem like Sherwin was inferior to them in everything…
Of course, given Sherwin personality, he never really cared about that anyway.
Mihawk sparring match with the two catcats was still ongoing.
Since the commotion wasn't as overwhelming as before, and because the world greatest swordsman would occasionally offer a few pointers as he fought, even more Marines came running over to watch.
Even just observing from the sidelines, those Marines skilled with swords could gain plenty of experience and insight from the current battle.
However, Mihawk, who never had much fondness for the Marines, soon lost his patience.
The reason he was willing to teach Seijurou and Link Meow was simply because he found the two cats pleasing to the eye, and because their talent in swordsmanship was indeed impressive.
As for those Marines watching from the side, Mihawk saw them all as mediocrities.
Even if they weren't Marines, this proud world greatest swordsman still wouldn't give them a pleasant attitude—much less offer them guidance.
So, after swinging his blade and forcing Seijurou and Link Meow back, Mihawk retreated a few steps on his own and sheathed the Black Blade Yoru,
saying, "That enough. I'm satisfied for today."
"Thank you for your guidance, sir, meow."
(=ΦωΦ=)ゞ
The two catcats also put away their weapons and expressed their gratitude to the one who had instructed them—Hawk Eyes.
Mihawk gave them a slight nod, then lifted his gaze toward Sherwin on the upper floor.
After that, he turned around and left with his usual effortless elegance… probably heading off to row that coffin-like little boat of his.
"Well then, we'll take our leave too." Sherwin led the catcats as he bid farewell to Garp and Tsuru.
He had already checked quietly—upon entering Marineford Headquarters, the entire map of Marineford had been lit up. That meant there was no reason for them to remain any longer.
Although staying a bit more to spar with other Marines or to look around the facilities of Marine Headquarters wouldn't be bad, returning to the ship early to study the three newly acquired Devil Fruits, as well as sorting out the new inheritance memories in his mind, was far more important.