"Hmph!"
(=`へ=)
As soon as they returned to the ship, a certain tsundere little kitten began to huff and puff.
"So after all that, it turns out Kaido wasn't even there meow? Hmph!"
Climbing onto Sherwin shoulder, Haibara Meow grabbed his weather-beaten ears and started tugging them back and forth.
Clearly, upon discovering that this trip wasn't nearly as dangerous as imagined, the little kitten immediately developed a grudge over being left behind.
This tsundere little schemer didn't care about things like "risk assessment" she only knew that she could have gone along but was "cruelly" left behind by the Hunter.
Of course, that wasn't how Haibara Meow phrased it...
"If you had taken me along, with Shirley, Vermouth, and Gin there, those people wouldn't have been able to escape at all meow!"
(=`へ=)
Although it was just a random excuse made up by the tsundere kitten, it wasn't actually wrong. Whether it was Shirley toxins, Vermouth flight capability, or Gin strength which was on par with a Navy Vice Admiral, they all could have helped detain more enemies.
"Yes, yes, it all my fault for not bringing such a powerful helper like Haibara."
Sherwin agreed with her while taking out various data and viruses looted from Queen laboratory.
On the other side, Kaido Meow also pulled out several headless and tailless Brachiosaurus bodies and placed them on the deck of the Dodo Advance.
"Oh! Sherwin is the best meow!"
(つ3=)つ
After glancing at Queen data, Haibara Meow, who had been huffing in anger, immediately changed her attitude. She gave Sherwin head a forceful kiss before cheering and running into the laboratory with Purah Meow.
"Phew..."
He had finally managed to handle that little one.
Sherwin rubbed his ear, feeling secretly lucky.
It was all thanks to old man Queen "generosity"! Otherwise, Haibara Meow wouldn't have been so easy to coax.
"Whoosh, whoosh~ Pain, pain, fly away meow~"
(=`3=)
Klee Meow, the little angel, circled around to his shoulder and blew air onto Sherwin bright red ear.
"Only Klee truly cares about me."
Sherwin picked up the little Ragdoll Felyne and gave her a deep nuzzle before tossing her high into the air and catching her. After repeating this a few times, he placed the beaming Klee Meow back onto his shoulder.
"Hmm?"
As Sherwin continued to gently scratch Klee Meow chin with his finger, he suddenly felt the sensation of a gaze coming from behind him.
Turning his head to look...
It was actually Yamato.
As expected, it was Yamato.
At this moment, she was staring blankly in their direction, an involuntary expression of longing and envy appearing on her face.
The interaction between Sherwin and Klee Meow—and even the previous interaction with Haibara Meow—was a scene she had always yearned for but could never obtain.
"Are you okay, Big Sister Yamato meow?"
(=ω=)
The little Ragdoll jumped down from Sherwin shoulder, ran in front of Yamato, and looked up with a concerned face.
"You look like you're in a bad mood. Why don't you let Klee Meow give you a hug? When Brother Sherwin is in a bad mood, a hug from Klee Meow makes him feel all better meow!"
Yamato froze for a moment, then leaned down to pick up the little angel Klee Meow, burying her entire face into Klee Meow fluffy body.
"Thank you, Klee."
Yamato voice sounded muffled as she thanked her with her face still buried in the little Ragdoll fur. After a good while, she finally "pulled" her head out.
"As expected, I feel much better now."
The slightly goofy smile returned to Yamato face.
"Ehehe~ Klee Meow is super amazing meow!"
(=`=)
The little Ragdoll lifted her head and put her hands on her hips with an adorable, proud expression, making Yamato unable to resist the urge to plant a couple of big kisses on that cute little head.
Yamato thought it, and she did it.
However...
"Heh!"
(=＞＜=)
Klee Meow twisted her body, breaking free from Yamato grasp, and quickly scurried back onto Sherwin shoulder.
After all, Yamato was just an outsider letting her hold her at all was already an act of great mercy from Klee Meow.
Under normal circumstances, Klee Meow was one of the most difficult Felynes for outsiders to get close to.
Yamato felt a bit disappointed at not being able to stay close to the little angel Klee Meow, but she immediately turned her gaze toward the other Felynes...
Ignoring Yamato, who was chasing the other Felynes all over the ship, Sherwin held Klee Meow in his arms and handed her a pair of binoculars.
"Come, Klee, take another look. Where should we go first this time?"
The little Ragdoll did not hesitate for long and soon pointed toward an area on the right side of Wano Country main island.
"Klee wants to go play in the snow there, meow!"
(=ΦωΦ=)σ
Ever since Purah Meow ate the Snow-Snow Fruit, the Felynes had already achieved the freedom to play in the snow whenever they wanted.
However, wasn't Purah Meow currently busy in the laboratory researching Queen data? That was why the sensible little Ragdoll chose the Ringo region, which was covered in snow year-round.
After Klee had proven her luck as a blessed Felyne once again at Onigashima, Sherwin didn't hesitate at all this time. He immediately patted the side of the ship, signaling the Dodo Advance—which had retreated back into its main body due to Yamato arrival—to fly toward Ringo.
...
The samurai who had previously been rescued by Fujitora were partly hiding in Ringo. Not long ago, they had even engaged in a skirmish with members of the Beasts Pirates who were searching the area.
If Sherwin disturbance hadn't drawn the Beasts Pirates away, this group likely would have met a grim fate.
"Do we really not need to provide support for Lord Fujitora?"
A samurai with bandages wrapped around his hands, chest, and head gazed toward Onigashima, turning his head to look at Kawamatsu—one of the Akazaya Nine who had been rescued alongside them.
Kawamatsu shook his head and replied, "It is not yet certain if the person attacking Onigashima is Mr. Fujitora. Moreover, if Mr. Fujitora has returned, it means Kaido has likely returned as well.
Not only can we not provide support, but we must prepare to flee once again... The weapons I previously hid here with Onimaru must not be exposed to Kaido."
The samurai who had spoken opened his mouth to say something, but it ultimately dissolved into a sigh.
Although Kawamatsu words sounded like he was belittling their own strength and inflating the enemy, he was stating a fact.
Even with a samurai like Fujitora, who had left Wano in his early years, joining their side, they still saw no hope of defeating Kaido.
More importantly, after Lord Fujitora rescued them, he had offered a critique of Lord Kozuki Oden past actions.
While the source of that critique originated from someone else, Lord Fujitora clearly agreed with the assessment.
This had caused no small amount of dissatisfaction among the Akazaya Nine.
If it were just that, it wouldn't have been an issue no matter how dissatisfied Kawamatsu and the others were, they wouldn't turn their backs on Fujitora over such a small matter.
The problem was that many among the samurai had been persuaded by that critique. They believed that for Wano to have fallen to its current state, Kozuki Oden bore a massive share of the responsibility.
Some samurai with more radical personalities, or those who had accumulated a great deal of resentment over the years, had even begun to view Kozuki Oden—and the entire Kozuki Clan—as the sinners of Wano.
While everyone still wanted to drive Kaido out of Wano, not everyone agreed with the Akazaya Nine plan to "return Wano to the Kozuki Clan."
Compared to the dissatisfaction the Akazaya Nine felt toward Fujitora, the resentment of these samurai was far stronger.
Some of them, after being rescued, refused to follow the Akazaya Nine or Hyogoro at all, preferring to flee on their own.
In fact, even this samurai named Hantaro harbored some resentment toward Kozuki Oden in his heart.
It a pity that when someone proposed letting Lord Fujitora become the Shogun of Wano, he didn't accept. Otherwise, there wouldn't be all this trouble...
Hantaro sighed again, thinking with great regret.
Then...
"Hmm?"
Hantaro, who had been staring toward Onigashima, raised a bandage-wrapped hand to rub his eyes. Once he was certain he wasn't seeing things, he pointed at a small, rapidly growing speck in the sky and shouted:
"Master Kawamatsu, look! Something in the sky seems to be flying toward us!"