Chapter 717: 717 Klee Meow: The stingy bad book!
"So, Klee and the others actually chose the so-called ’Path of Trial?"
Sherwin held the Vampire Fruit in one hand and gently scratched the little Ragdoll chin with the other, confirming with Robin.
"Yes, yes, the trials inside were so interesting, meow!"
Without waiting for Robin to answer, the little Ragdoll, who tilted her head back to make it easier for Sherwin to scratch her chin, enthusiastically told Sherwin about their adventure in her purr-filled kitten voice.
"...It just that Brother Touma is still as unlucky as before, always falling into traps for this or that reason. If he hadn’t already learned Armament Haki, he would have lost at least three or four lives, meow."
Sherwin looked at the despondent Mr. Kamijou nearby. Compared to the other companions who were at most covered in a bit of dust, the little cow cat looked much more disheveled. Not only was his simple school uniform tattered and torn, but even the fur on his body was bald in several patches.
Well, this appearance was very consistent with Touma Meow long-standing character.
"I’m so foolish, truly."
Touma Meow raised his lifeless eyes and continued, "I only knew that Sister Klee luck was always good and that there wouldn’t be any danger, but I didn’t know that it was only for her exclusive enjoyment, meow..."
"Uh..."
It looked like this time really hit him hard enough.
But thinking about it, it made sense. Even though he had made the exact same choice as Klee Meow, the little ragdoll cat ended up having a super fun time the entire way, while he himself had to bear the brunt of everything. It was only natural that his mentality would collapse.
Stifling a laugh, Sherwin reached out and pulled the miserable-looking Touma Meow into his arms. He took out the "hair growth agent" that Haibara Meow had specially developed for him, and while applying it to those bald spots, he used the Kato Cat Hand to give this unlucky little dummy a full-body massage.
Under Sherwin exquisite cat-petting skills, the already broad-minded little cow cat quickly recovered his spirits.
After putting away the Vampire Fruit, Sherwin didn’t rush to check the Hunter Handbook, but instead rested in Trans Town with the Felynes for the night.
Early the next morning, before leaving, Sherwin handed the treasure map directly to Chief Maroma and said to her,
"If anyone comes to ask about us later, just tell them the truth, and then take out this treasure map to show them."
Although accidentally drawing the attention of other pirates was a bit unfortunate for the residents of Torrance Town, it was impossible for Sherwin to stay here forever to protect them.
Fortunately, Trans Town itself didn’t have much value. Pirates who could track down Sherwin whereabouts most likely wouldn’t care for such measly resources.
If by some chance a pirate group took a liking to the land resources here and planned to use it as a base or something...
For Trans Town, it might not necessarily be a bad thing, depending mainly on the style of that pirate group.
As for why he didn’t let them hang the cat paw flag like Elegia, it was because Elegia had Red Hair looking after it, whereas Sherwin had no interest in managing and protecting a so-called territory.
Moreover, given the Felyne Expedition current situation, raising the cat-paw flag might bring protection, or it might just attract even more powerful enemies it was hard to say.
Therefore, Sherwin could only think of ways to let any pirates or Marines who might follow up later understand the purpose of his trip, trying his best not to involve the people of Torrance Town. As for the rest, he could only wish them the best of luck.
Chief Maroma, who had fully witnessed Sherwin and his group wipe out the entire pirate fleet yesterday, let out a bitter smile.
By now, she obviously understood that Sherwin identity was by no means simple. Furthermore, because of his arrival, it would be difficult for Trans Town to remain as peaceful as before for some time to come. However, she had no way, nor did she dare, to harbor any thoughts of blame.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Sherwin. Although our town has little contact with the outside world, we still have quite a bit of experience in dealing with pirates."
Chief Maroma put away the treasure map and thanked him sincerely.
Having lived for so long, Maroma knew very well in her heart that compared to those pirates, Sherwin actions were already more than benevolent.
If the ones who came looking for the Devil Fruit this time had been those pirates, they wouldn’t have spoken to them so nicely.
To keep the news from leaking, it was even highly possible that they would have silenced the entire village by wiping them out.
Yet Sherwin not only refrained from doing that, but because he was worried they might be forced by the pirates who followed, he actively left the clues and evidence behind. This was already more reliable than some Marines.
After all, many Marines, after wiping out pirates outside their own jurisdiction, never considered whether the local area would suffer subsequent retaliation before patting their butts and leaving.
If they encountered a Marine like Akainu, the number of civilians dying at the hands of the Marines might well be even greater than those dying at the hands of pirates.
After pondering for a moment, Sherwin gave Chief Maroma a Transponder Snail and left his own number.
"If the absolute worst-case scenario really happens, although I might not be able to rush over to save you in the first instance, I can at least avenge you afterward."
This was all Sherwin could do. Then, he brought the Felynes back onto the Dodo Advance, had the Dodo Advance switch to the Valstrax mode, and flew toward the direction of the Island of White Soil, Baltigo.
...
After leaving Torance a long distance behind, Sherwin had the Dodo Advance temporarily stop flying and switch to the Paolumu form, hovering above the clouds.
"Alright, now it time to see if this Vampire Fruit can bring us some luck!"
Sherwin first ran to the washroom to scrub his face and wash his hands. Returning to the deck, he picked up Klee Meow and took a deep, lingering sniff of her before solemnly pulling out the Hunter handbook.
"Brother Sherwin, are we getting a new companion again meow?!"
(=ω=)
Klee Meow asked excitedly, and the other members of the investigation team gathered around as well.
"Then you’re going to be disappointed," Sherwin stroked her little head, throwing cold water on her excitement.
"The Zoan type summoning vouchers were used up long ago. It almost impossible for the Vampire Fruit to give a whole summoning voucher."
"What a stingy, bad handbook meow!"
(=`3=)
Klee Meow pouted in disappointment and huffed as she smacked the Hunter handbook.
"Brother Sherwin, what are you all talking about?"
Only Bonney was still completely bewildered by this.
"Little Bonney, what I’m about to tell you is the absolute highest secret of our Felyne Investigation Team, so remember to help keep it a secret."
Since Vegapunk had already guessed the origin of the Felynes, and the cat relationship with Bonney was so good—even to the point that on the way to Trans, the Dodo Advance had actively come out to meet Bonney—Sherwin felt there was no need to deliberately keep her in the dark.
Besides, judging by her performance in the original manga, Bonney was definitely trustworthy.
"Mhm, mhm, mhm! I promise absolutely not to tell anyone else, I won’t even tell Father!"
Bonney, who had already promised to keep the secret of the Dodo Advance earlier, agreed without a hint of hesitation.
So Sherwin briefly explained the function of the manual and the origins of the Felynes.
"Felynes from another world... so cool!"
After listening to Sherwin explanation, Bonney eyes instantly lit up as she looked back and forth between the Hunter manual and Klee Meow, and then she nodded understandingly, "No wonder you’ve been collecting famous swords and Devil Fruits, Brother Sherwin."
"Is it really impossible to summon a new Felyne this time?"
After the excitement passed, Bonney, feeling somewhat unwilling to give up, confirmed with Sherwin once more, "I really want to see how Klee and the others are summoned by you..."
"The probability is very low. Previously, only Logia fruits could obtain a full summoning voucher, and now even Logia fruits can’t do it anymore."
Sherwin shook his head, replying with equal regret.
The most critical point was that the Vampire Fruit was a product of a spin-off game. Based on past experience, its "plot weight" was very low. Let alone a full summoning voucher, Sherwin wasn’t even sure if he could get a fragment.
However, he couldn’t tell Bonney this reason.
"If you’re interested, the next time I summon a Felyne, I’ll call Kuma first to send you over."
Sherwin promised a somewhat disappointed Bonney while reaching out to flip open the Hunter Handbook in front of him.
Sherwin had flipped through the Hunter Handbook countless times, so he accurately turned straight to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia page with perfect precision.
As expected, the illustration for the Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Vampire Model had been added to the Zoan category.
Before Sherwin could take a closer look at the details in the illustration, the familiar white light glowed from the handbook...
Thank goodness, at least there a fragment.
Just as Sherwin was thinking this, a complete Palico Summon Ticket suddenly appeared right between the pages of the handbook.
"!!!"
This was truly an unexpected pleasant surprise.
The "plot weight" of the Vampire Fruit was indeed inferior to other Mythical Zoan fruits, but Sherwin had forgotten that this was the first actual Mythical Zoan fruit he had obtained, which came with a "first-time discovery" bonus.
Furthermore, this Vampire Fruit was a clue obtained by the chosen cat Klee Meow, and she had personally found it, so it also carried an extra "destiny" bonus.
With both factors combined, it wasn’t that surprising that it would yield a whole summon ticket.
"Brother Sherwin! Hurry up and summon the new companion meow!"
(=＞＜=)
Urged by Klee Meow, Sherwin picked up the Palico Summon Ticket and quickly switched its design to a blood-red background with a pattern resembling the Batman logo.
"..."
Could it really summon a Bruce Wayne meow for me? It seems the Dark Knight actually does have a vampire version...
But on second thought, Sherwin realized that summoning a Dark Knight meow didn’t seem bad at all. Although the Dark Knight mental state was a bit problematic, he was an all-around talent/cat who could simultaneously serve as a combatant and a researcher. Maybe he could even tinker around and invent a "Anti-Imu Armor" or something.
Although all kinds of thoughts were spinning rapidly in his mind, the movements of Sherwin hands didn’t delay for a second.
He held the summon ticket between his index and middle fingers, raising it in front of himself like a Daoist priest using a talisman, and then shouted softly, "Felyne, summon!"
