After a period of sailing (flying), Sherwin and the others had now arrived at Wano Country, hovering in Paolumu form above this peculiarly shaped island.
Although Wano Country had almost no contact with the outside world, it was still Kaido territory and exported weapons, so obtaining a Permanent Pose for this place wasn't actually difficult...
At least not for Sherwin it was just a matter of making a phone call to Morgans.
However, according to the feedback from Morgans, the Wano Permanent Pose provided to Sherwin was actually supplied by the leading figure in the pirate world shipping industry, Umit, known as the "Shipping King" and "Deep Ocean Current."
"Sherwin, should I descend directly, meow?"
(=ω=)
The Dodo Advance lowered its head, pawing at Sherwin hair while asking.
"No rush, let head to the main island of Wano first."
Initially, Sherwin had indeed thought about falling from the sky to raid Onigashima, the headquarters of the Beast Pirates. But on second thought, Kurozumi Orochi still possessed the Yamata no Orochi Fruit.
Additionally, besides Kozuki Oden two blades and the Nidai Kitetsu on the main island, there was also a massive Ringo Graveyard. If they went to fight Kaido first, they would essentially lose the chance to acquire these items.
Most importantly...
Sherwin glanced at Klee Meow, who was itching to go on his shoulder, and Jinx, who was equally impatient atop Shirahoshi head.
These two Bomb Felynes were obsessed with testing the power of the "Big Baby" they had collaborated on against Kaido.
Given Sherwin understanding of these two little troublemakers, he naturally estimated the power of that "Big Baby" to be as massive as possible...
What if they accidentally blew the entire Sword Grave to smithereens?
So, after thinking it over, it seemed more practical to head to the main island first, secure all the benefits they were after, and then go cause trouble for Kaido.
"Hunter, that skull-shaped island looks like it was attacked not too long ago, meow."
(=ω=)
Just as Sherwin was weighing which Felynes to bring ashore, Huamei, who had been looking down from the side of the ship, suddenly ran over and tugged on his trouser leg to break the news.
"Hmm? I hadn't heard anything about anyone else coming to pick a fight with Kaido."
Sherwin scratched his head, then quickly realized the situation.
With Wano Country being even more isolationist than the Qing Dynasty, it would be a miracle if any news actually managed to leak out.
Furthermore...
He had a rough idea of who the attacker was.
Issho mobility was truly impressive.
Sherwin walked to the edge of the ship, pulled out a telescope, and looked down.
Sure enough, the massive skull structure at the center of Onigashima, which featured a pair of horns, not only had one horn snapped off but also had a prominent gaping hole at the top of the cranium.
In areas outside the skull, there were meteorite craters of varying sizes almost everywhere. In the few spots that hadn't been struck, the buildings were all leaning or collapsed in short, the place was a complete wreck.
Sherwin could also see large groups of people running around the island carrying construction materials, attempting to repair Onigashima.
However, judging by the current state of Onigashima, they had likely only just begun their work.
Of course, for the members of the kaido Pirates, they were probably long accustomed to such occurrences.
After all, when Kaido went on his drunken rampages, he caused no small amount of destruction to his own base. This time, the scope of the "disaster" was simply a bit larger than usual.
He just wondered how Issho was doing now, and whether he had been captured by Kaido and sent to Udon to mine ore.
At that thought, Sherwin reflexively turned his telescope toward the main island of Wano Country...
Probably because Wano was Issho homeland, he hadn't been quite as reckless on the main island, but that didn't mean he had done nothing at all.
At the very least...
Sherwin didn't see a single one of those weapon factories billowing thick black smoke like in the manga instead, he saw crater after crater scattered across the wilderness.
Furthermore, there were signs of destruction in the Flower Capital, the most prosperous area at the center of the main island. In particular, the Shogun palace at the highest point had mostly collapsed, though it bore no marks of a meteorite strike.
Clearly, Fujitora wasn't about to let Kurozumi Orochi, one of the primary culprits, off the hook.
Tsk... could that guy Orochi have been taken out by Fujitora already? Sherwin had still been hoping to see if he could get the Yamata no Orochi Fruit from him.
Continuing to hold up his telescope, Sherwin reached up to pat Dodo Advance on his head and said,
"Let go, head toward the main island... Hmm... Klee Meow, where do you think is the best place for us to land?"
Initially, Sherwin had wanted to find that sword graveyard, but unfortunately, there was too little related content in the manga, and he really couldn't remember its specific appearance. Therefore, he could only choose to seek help from his own lucky star...
That right!
"Touma, you come pick a landing spot too."
In addition to the lucky star, he could use the jinx to eliminate options!
Sherwin had suddenly discovered a new use for Touma Meow.
"..."
Touma Meow stared at Sherwin with a pair of dead-fish eyes, fully understanding what Sherwin meant. However, after a moment of frustration, the little Holstein cat cheered up again.
Even if the process is a bit troublesome, doesn't this prove that I can be helpful meow?
And so, Touma Meow looked down happily for a while before decisively pointing toward the Flower Capital in the very center.
"Go there! The other places look desolate we definitely won't run into many people. It better to go to the most prosperous place meow!"
(=ΦωΦ=)σ
Even though he knew from the start that Sherwin wouldn't follow his advice, Touma Meow didn't cause any trouble. Based on his absolutely unreliable—or rather, too reliable—sixth sense and some logical analysis, he chose the Flower Capital.
Klee Meow, of course, had a different opinion...
"But Sherwin brother, Klee wants to go play on that big skull meow."
(=ω=)σ
The little Ragdoll said, pointing in the exact opposite direction of Touma Meow.
"...Huh?!"
Sherwin froze for a moment, and Dodo Advance, which was flying toward the main island, immediately came to a halt.
"Is it not allowed, meow? But Klee thinks that way looks much more interesting."
(=ω=)σ
The little Ragdoll tilted her head, but her small paw remained steadfastly pointed in the direction of Onigashima.
Seeing Klee Meow so insistent, Sherwin couldn't help but fall into deep thought...
In the current situation, was it that Klee Meow was so eager to test her "big treasure" that her good luck was giving her a sign to go straight to Kaido, or would the harvest truly be greater over there?
However, Sherwin did not hesitate for long. Regardless of the case, listening to Klee Meow would ensure things wouldn't head in the worst possible direction.
So he patted Dodo Advance head once more: "Sorry, Dodo Advance, let fly back again."
[Understood, meow~]
Dodo Advance licked Sherwin palm and turned the bow of the ship once more, returning to the skies above Onigashima.
"Seijuro, Kaido, Suika, Huamei, Jinx, and Klee, you're coming down with me. The rest of you stay on the ship for now."
Since they were going to fight Kaido, Sherwin naturally only planned to bring the combat-oriented Felynes, leaving only Shermie Meow and Link Meow behind just in case.
Normally, this duty fell to Seijuro Meow, but since they were in Wano Country, it felt wrong not to bring him along.
As for why Shermie Meow was also staying behind, besides being available for support, there was the factor of Touma Meow terrible luck. Heaven only knew what might happen, so keeping the fastest one on the ship was a safer bet.
"So, I'm counting on the two of you for the safety of Dodo Advance and Touma."
Sherwin rubbed the heads of Shermie Meow and Link Meow respectively, then jumped straight off Dodo Advance with Klee Meow and the others.
Given that Onigashima was currently in ruins and completely exposed, there was no point in hiding. Sherwin not only jumped down openly but even drew the Longsword mid-air.
"Klee!"
"Oh—!"
The little Ragdoll on his shoulder immediately transformed into elements. Red flames tinged with blue flowed along Sherwin arm, coating the Longsword and extending dozens of meters past the blade tip.
Monster Hunter Style: Felyne Combination Technique—Spirit Fire Helmbreaker!