Thud!
The News Bird dropped the package at Sherwin feet with a heavy thump, then landed on the back of a nearby chair. It stuck out its tongue in a surprisingly human-like manner, panting heavily.
"Oh, looks like the stuff Vice Admiral Garp promised has arrived."
Sherwin picked up the package and pulled out two scrolls, a small box, and a large, dusty gray stone.
There wasn't much to say about the two maps—Sherwin gave them a quick glance and set them aside. The log pose inside the box was handed directly to Hua Mei Meow for safekeeping. Finally, he held up the chunk of Seastone and offered it to Luffy.
"Here, touch it and see."
"Huh?"
Luffy didn't quite understand, but obediently reached out and placed his hand on the Seastone.
"Ah... my body..."
In an instant, Luffy body went limp like a noodle. But as soon as he collapsed to the ground and his hand slipped off the Seastone, he quickly recovered.
"What the heck? I couldn't use any strength just now!"
Luffy sprang to his feet, staring in confusion and suspicion at the unremarkable stone in Sherwin hand.
Sherwin casually set the Seastone on the table and scooped up the curious Klee Meow, who had been about to touch it herself, into his arms before explaining,
"This thing is called Seastone. It a mineral with properties similar to seawater. When Devil Fruit users touch it, it like falling into the sea—they completely lose their strength."
He continued, "However, it still somewhat different from seawater. After a certain amount of training, Devil Fruit users can gradually adapt to seastone to a degree. Although they still can't use their powers, they can move freely. One of the reasons I asked Vice Admiral Garp for this stone was to help Klee overcome this weakness."
As he spoke, Sherwin placed Klee Meow onto the seastone. The little ragdoll, still unaware of what was going on, instantly lost all strength and collapsed limply on top of it.
"Ah~ Sherwin-nii, Klee can't use any strength, it feels awful meow…"
(`」∠)
At that moment, Klee Meow limbs, tail, and head all drooped weakly, and her little tongue, covered in barbs, lolled out of her mouth—she looked just like one of those cats that had been anesthetized.
Sherwin quickly picked her back up. Training needed to be done step by step—letting the little ragdoll experience it for today was enough.
After being scooped back up, Klee Meow immediately showed her displeasure. With a swish, she darted up onto Sherwin shoulder, then began gnawing furiously on his ear, while also slapping his head repeatedly with her tiny cat paws.
Even though her attacks didn't carry much force, Sherwin still played along and begged for mercy until Klee Meow finally calmed down.
Meanwhile, Luffy was staring at the seastone on the table, arms crossed and deep in thought. "Maybe I should ask Grandpa for one too, so I can train with it?"
"Gah!"
Just then, the News Bird resting on a nearby chair suddenly squawked and pecked Sherwin twice with its beak.
Sherwin looked at the bird spreading its wings toward him, paused for a moment, then asked, "…Don't tell me Vice Admiral Garp didn't pay the shipping fee?"
Then he saw the News Bird nod firmly. "Gah!"
"That stingy old man!" Sherwin said with a laugh and a sigh as he paid the shipping fee.
Then he called out to the Bird, who was just about to fly off, "Do you have the latest newspaper on you? Give me a copy."
That right—these delivery Birds were actually the same News Birds under Morgans' command. So Morgans wasn't just a media tycoon he also oversaw the entire postal system of the pirate world.
The News Bird rummaged through the pouch on its chest for a moment, pulled out a newspaper, and handed it to Sherwin...
And then got stiffed with a press pass.
After watching the grumbling News Bird fly off into the distance, Sherwin unfolded the newspaper in his hands. As he looked at the massive, bold headline splashed across the front page, he instinctively raised an eyebrow. "Hoh? Now this is some big news…"
Nearly a third of the front page was dedicated to a single headline:
"Red-Haired Pirates Clash with the Beasts Pirates in a Fierce Battle with No Clear Victor! The Four Strongest Emperors of the New World Have Been Crowned!"
So it was Morgans who first coined the term "Four Emperors" at a moment like this, huh…
Sherwin glanced through the article, but there weren't many details. There was, however, a photo showing Shanks and Kaido facing off.
Judging from the bizarre angle—almost like the camera had been aimed at the sky—it was likely taken just before the reporter was knocked out cold by Conqueror Haki.
Tucked inside the paper were four wanted posters… Given the headline, there was no doubt who they belonged to.
Sherwin couldn't quite recall what the bounties for these four were in the manga, but they were all over four billion now. Probably wouldn't rise much further from here on.
"If you're aiming to become Pirate King, then these four are the ones you'll have to face."
Sherwin laid the newspaper and the four wanted posters down in front of Luffy and Ace.
"Eh? Shanks?!" Unlike Ace, who was still staring at Whitebeard wanted poster, Luffy attention immediately snapped to someone much more familiar. He pointed at the Red-Haired poster and shouted in surprise, "Shanks is that strong?!"
After all, in Luffy memory, Shanks was that cheerful guy who'd once taken a bottle to the head and just laughed it off.
He just couldn't connect that image with someone known as "one of the four closest to the Pirate King."
"Oh? You actually know him?" Sherwin asked, feigning curiosity.
"He no ordinary pirate. In just a few short years, he rose from obscurity to someone who can stand on equal footing with an old powerhouse like Whitebeard. There are also rumors that he was once a crewmember of the Pirate King, Roger."
"Hahaha! So Shanks used to sail with the Pirate King, huh? No wonder he so amazing!" Luffy didn't care much for all the background; instead, he laughed heartily and said, "Shanks saved my life. He gave me this straw hat, too."
Then, his expression suddenly changed. "Oh no! If I want to become Pirate King… doesn't that mean I'll have to fight Shanks?!"
"You idiot. How about you focus on beating Ace first—that a bit more realistic, meow," Sanji Meow rolled his eyes dramatically.
"With your current strength, if you set sail right now, your bounty would be maybe ten million. Twenty million at most, meow."
After being a bounty hunter for so long, Sanji Meow "estimations" were pretty accurate.
But instead of being discouraged, Luffy got fired up and dashed toward the door. "You're right! I need to get stronger! Way stronger!"
Watching Luffy retreating figure, Sanji Meow scratched his head in confusion. "Sherwin, did that idiot forget it almost lunchtime, meow? Does that mean I don't need to cook his portion?"
"Don't worry, he'll be back soon," Sherwin said as he patted Sanji Meow on the head.
"Luffy obsession with food isn't much different from yours when it comes to that beautiful big sister Felyne."
"Don't lump me in with that idiot, meow!"
(=`皿=)
The enraged little yellow cat latched onto Sherwin hand and chomped down with a loud chomp.