It has to be said, the Mink Tribe is truly simple and sincere.
Even though Sherwin had just shot down and rejected Inuarashi and Nekomamushi in succession, leaving them a bit resentful and withdrawn, they still treated the Investigation Team with kindness.
And those Minks who had no idea what happened inside the whale belly were even friendlier.
So, over the next stretch of time, Sherwin and the others lived quite comfortably on Zou.
Since this place was safe enough, both Sherwin and Huamei Meow didn't bother restricting the little kittens, letting them run wild all over Zou as they pleased.
Klee Meow naturally needs no explanation. Even when put in confinement, that little plush can find ways to entertain herself (mentally simulating bomb-making).
Surrounded by all this fluffy company on Zou, she was completely in her element.
However, compared with running everywhere, Klee Meow still preferred sticking close to Sherwin.
She was also worried that her Sherwin-nii would get "taken away" by other Minks, so usually after she went out to play for a while, she would run back to Sherwin and stay glued to his side for about the same amount of time…
Back and forth like that, she looked especially busy for such a little plush.
By contrast, Jinx was the one who truly cut loose and went wild. The Minks are already a race with strong fighting power, and many of the more ferocious beast-type Minks are particularly fond of combat, so the little mad cat literally ended up brawling together with them.
Of course, Jinx might be wild, but she still had a sense of measure. When fighting with the Minks, she didn't pull out her weapons.
But even without weapons, with Armament Haki already mastered and Observation Haki just about to awaken, Jinx strength was by no means weak. After each round of fights, she basically won more than she lost.
Seriously, how could the sister of someone from Zuan not know how to throw hands? Though Jinx actually doesn't have a sister serving as an officer in Piltover.
Similarly fond of fighting, Suika Meow knocked down the vast majority of Minks in both brawling and drinking contests…
Then some Minks suggested that Suika Meow should become the king of Zou.
Moreover, Meowjuro and Link Meow, whose strength was on par with Suika Meow, were also nominated…
What is even going on with Zou anyway?! This way of choosing a king is way too casual!
Among all the cats, the one playing the wildest was, of course, Sanji Meow.
During this period, Sherwin and the others could basically only see the little yellow cat in the morning right after waking up and at night just before going to bed the rest of the time, he was wandering among the "flowers."
Moreover, Sanji Meow garchu range had already begun to spread from cat-fur Mink big sisters to feline-type Mink big sisters…
"How about just leaving you here, then?"
Rubbing the head of the little yellow cat who had once again stayed out "playing" until very late, Sherwin joked with him.
"No way, meow!"
∑(=ΦДΦ=)
The originally blissful-looking Sanji Meow immediately jumped up, hugged Sherwin head, and shouted nervously, "A-at worst, from now on I won't go… won't go… won't go…"
Seeing this little idiot stuck on "won't go" for so long without being able to say the rest of the sentence, with that complicated and tangled expression fully showing the fierce mental struggle going on inside him, Sherwin rolled his eyes speechlessly.
This stupid, lecherous cat is really beyond saving!
But the Hunter had only been joking anyway, so after teasing him for a while, he comforted him:
"Alright, alright. Since you don't want to stay, of course I won't drive you away. Stop overthinking it. If you want to keep doing garchu with the big sisters, then keep doing it. I feel tired on your behalf just watching you."
"Ehehe~ Sherwin-boss, you really do care about me, meow~"
Sanji Meow affectionately rubbed his face against Sherwin, and even let slip the rarely used "Boss Sherwin," a "title" he had only called a few times.
Where there are cats who go wild outside, there are also cats who barely run around at all.
After Haibara Meow and Purah Meow obtained new data inside the whale belly, they both burrowed straight into the Dodo Advance laboratory.
When they occasionally came out, it was only to pull Shirahoshi along for a new round of testing.
In the end, it was Huamei who personally stepped in and forced these two little shut-in cats to spend some time outside every day.
As for Huamei Meow herself, she spent most of her time staying at Sherwin side just like Shermie Meow.
After taking part in several sparring sessions with other members of the Mink Tribe, the number of their admirers had been increasing.
And also…
The calls to invite the two of them—especially Huamei Meow—to become the king of Zou were growing louder and louder.
Sherwin: "…"
Of course, the appearance of such an absurd situation had a little to do with Sherwin himself.
Because earlier he had roasted Inuarashi and Nekomamushi so hard that they were mentally crushed, the two of them actually developed the idea of abdicating as soon as possible.
So during this period, aside from hosting Sherwin and his group, the people of Zou had also been discussing who should serve as the next king.
After round of discussion, half of the cats in the investigation team had been considered as candidates.
If not for Klee Meow and Jinx still being too young, Sherwin figured the two of them probably wouldn't have escaped being roped in either.
Right now, only some of Haibara Meow and Purah Meow remaining tests weren't finished yet, and Robin was still digging into various parts of Zou history.
Otherwise, Sherwin would have already taken the cats and slipped away!
There no reason to keep staring at someone else cats every single day.
Aside from this matter, another thing that troubled Sherwin and the others a bit was…
Shirahoshi meals.
The Mink Tribe doesn't eat fur-bearing creatures, and the food on Zou mainly consists of seafood like fish, shrimp, and crab brought up from below when Zunesha bathes.
The problem is, just as the Minks don't eat mammals, the Mermaid Tribe doesn't eat fish either, so Shirahoshi three daily meals were hard to arrange.
Fortunately, both Zou and the Dodo Advance had some fruits and vegetables being grown, and along with what was washed up came shrimp, crabs, shellfish, and other kinds of seafood Shirahoshi could eat.
In addition, Sherwin group always had some stored ingredients in their packs, so she hadn't gone hungry.
However, this little girl Shirahoshi not only had a huge body and was still growing, the most important point was that she had to undergo Jinx training every day.
Her appetite was anything but small, and the food in Sherwin and the other packs was already running low…
After all, they now had a good ship, and everyone backpack was filled with their own belongings, so it wasn't like when Sherwin, Sanji Meow, and Klee Meow had first gone to sea with packs stuffed full of food and fresh water.
So as early as a week ago, Sherwin and the group had been piloting the Dodo Advance away from Zou every few days to hunt a bit of food to bring back for Shirahoshi.
They could also keep the Dodo Advance company, since it didn't want to appear in front of outsiders.
And because of this, Sherwin learned how Zou actually received newspapers from the outside world…
It wasn't that the News Birds under Morgans were incredibly resourceful rather, at set intervals, members of the Mink Tribe would return from the outside world bringing back newspapers from recent periods and various daily necessities that Zou itself couldn't produce.
At the same time, new members of the Mink Tribe would leave Zou to carry out the next round of procurement.
But after learning that Sherwin was going out to hunt food for Shirahoshi, the Minks very naturally left this matter to them…
Of course, Sherwin didn't refuse either.
Just like that, Sherwin and the others lived happily together with the Mink Tribe on Zou for a period of time.
Then, one evening, the two who had been avoiding Sherwin ever since that day—Inuarashi and Nekomamushi—took the initiative to come find him…
"We admit that what you said back then had a bit of truth to it," Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were still being stubborn.
"We also know we may not be able to defeat you, but when the lord is insulted, the retainers die. For your previous disrespect toward Lord Oden, we still have to demand an explanation!"
Sherwin raised his head. Even with the thick fog as a veil, he could still see a bright full moon hanging in the sky, so he naturally guessed what the two of them were planning.
If this cat and dog hadn't suddenly shown up, Sherwin had almost forgotten that the Mink Tribe had this special transformation ability.
Perfect timing—he was actually quite interested in this thing himself, though he didn't know whether the Felynes could learn it.