Sherwin didn't intervene in how to deal with wadatsumi. That big guy might look like an uncle, but mentally he was probably younger than Klee Meow.
Leaving him to King Neptune and Jinbe to handle was perfectly fine.
"Thank you so much!"
After learning that Vander Decken had been eliminated, King Neptune kept expressing his gratitude to Sherwin, while Princess Shirahoshi hugged Klee Meow and affectionately rubbed cheeks with her.
"Klee only helped find him. The ones who took down that bad guy were Sister Shermie and Sister Jinx, meow."
The little ragdoll cat licked Princess Shirahoshi face, then pointed at the two nearby Felynes.
"Uuuh…"
Seeing the two of them, Shirahoshi instinctively shrank back.
Because both little cats were staring at her fishtail with drooling eyes, clearly still unwilling to give up the idea of tasting it.
Especially Jinx — that little crazy cat had actually taken a real bite out of Shirahoshi before.
But after shrinking away for a moment, Princess Shirahoshi gathered her courage again, tearfully offering her fishtail toward the two cats.
"W-When you bite… could you be a little gentler?"
"Ohh~ with you acting like that, it actually makes me embarrassed to bite, meow~" Shermie flicked her tail and waved a paw languidly.
"Forget it, I won't tease you…" Then she turned and leaped into Sherwin arms, clinging to him affectionately.
"Sherwin~ pet me, meow~"
As for Jinx, politeness wasn't something she understood. The moment Shirahoshi voluntarily presented her fishtail, the little blue cat immediately chomped down without hesitation.
Of course, she didn't use much force — just the same level as when the Felynes usually played around. It still hurt, but it was within what Shirahoshi could tolerate.
"Big Sister Shirahoshi, can Klee also bite your tail a little, meow?"
(=﹃=)
The little ragdoll asked with obvious yearning in her voice.
One cat or two, it made little difference. Even though Shirahoshi face was full of grievance, she still agreed to Klee Meow request.
And then…
Both little cats latched onto her tail and refused to get off.
King Neptune felt a bit distressed for his daughter, but seeing that even though the situation looked strange, she and the cats still seemed to be getting along happily, he could only smile helplessly and let them be.
"Please follow me. Anything you fancy in the Dragon Palace Treasury, you may take! Even if you empty it completely, it doesn't matter!"
King Neptune declared boldly to Sherwin.
However, Sherwin wasn't particularly excited. The Dragon Palace in the pirate world wasn't like the one in Journey to the West.
In the mythology of his homeland, the Dragon Palace was known for its countless treasures. But here in the world of pirates…
For a group that had suffered discrimination and persecution for centuries, they couldn't possibly accumulate anything truly extraordinary.
More importantly, in the manga, King Neptune had already handed the treasury riches to Luffy, and the contents seemed to be nothing but ordinary valuables.
Worth money, yes, but nothing special. The only unusual item, the Tamatebako, had even had its dangerous drug stolen.
Sherwin, who already had coffers full of gold from Skypiea and had swindled Moria afterward, naturally didn't expect much from the Dragon Palace Treasury.
Even so, he wouldn't assume too much. There might still be some overlooked treasures inside, or something the cats could use.
For example, that dangerous drug that seemed like an enhanced version of Energy Steroid—maybe Haibara Meow could use it to further improve the demon drug and create something like a pirate-world version of "Oni Drug G." Even if that proved impossible, the little kitten would definitely find it interesting…
The only question was whether it had already been stolen by this point, or if the royal mermaid family still had the formula stored somewhere.
"This is the treasury of the Dragon Palace," King Neptune said as he led Sherwin and the others to a massive and ornate door.
"Please, don't hold back—take whatever you like!"
The moment Sherwin saw the actual condition of the treasury, he immediately understood why the dangerous drug inside the Tamatebako had been stolen by Hody Jones—and why that swamp-fruit user had been able to empty the entire treasury with ease…
The door was indeed huge and extravagant, but the key issue was that it was secured with nothing more than an ordinary old lock. The kind Jinx could pop open with a casual poke.
And on top of that—there wasn't a single guard.
"Your treasury… must get robbed pretty often, right?" Sherwin couldn't stop himself from commenting.
"Ahem, ahem…" King Neptune gave a very fake cough, avoiding the question entirely as he explained,
"The Dragon Palace is usually sealed off. Outsiders can't get in at all, so I didn't waste manpower here."
Sherwin shot him a side-eye, unimpressed by the evasive answer, and pushed on. "Just tell me—has it been robbed before?"
"Ahem—khh—cough cough…" Neptune coughed even harder, scratched his head awkwardly, and finally nodded.
"Alright… yes, someone did steal something from inside."
Jinbe was clearly hearing this for the first time. Eyes wide, he asked, "What? When did this happen?!"
"About six or seven years ago," Neptune stroked his fluffy beard, recalling, "The item inside the Tamatebako was stolen, but the thief was never caught."
"But rather than treasure, the item inside wasn't anything valuable—it was a type of pill. Even the legends surrounding it are strange…"
Neptune went on, "Some say it grants great power, while others say it only makes you grow older."
"So isn't it obvious? It just a drug that trades lifespan for strength. How is that strange? That completely normal pharmacology, meow."
(ω)
Haibara Meow narrowed her eyes and grumbled, then turned her head toward Sherwin.
"I want that pill. It looks pretty interesting, meow!"
Just as Sherwin expected, Haibara Meow was indeed fascinated by the dangerous medicine.
But King Neptune spread his hands helplessly. "Sorry. The legends about that pill are far too dangerous, so we never studied or mass-produced it. Once it was stolen, that was the end of it."
(=`н=)
Haibara Meow mood instantly soured, and her swaying tail smacked Sherwin on the back of the head again and again.
Sherwin: "…"
He picked up the little kitten who was throwing a tantrum, scratching her chin as he comforted her.
"It fine. I know who stole the dangerous pill from the treasure box. I'll take you to deal with that thief later."
"Wait—how do you know that?" King Neptune and the others were utterly confused.
"Is it that special information source of yours again?" Robin also looked over curiously.
"Something like that." Sherwin nodded. Since he was already about to bring up Hody Jones, he didn't mind spoiling a bit more.
"The thief is the same culprit who killed Queen Otohime. Influenced by the fish-man pirates, he grew filled with malice toward humans—Hody Jones."
"What?! Wasn't Queen Otohime killed by humans?!" Jinbe exclaimed in disbelief.
Sherwin pointed at the mermaid princess who looked like she was about to cry. "This matter… Shirahoshi should know as well."
Under everyone gaze, Princess Shirahoshi bit her lower lip, holding back her tears, and slowly nodded.