"Sherwin! I quit, meow! That idiot Luffy eats way too much. If this keeps up, I'm going to die from exhaustion, meow!"
Sanji Meow, who had been in charge of everyone meals for the past few days, finally threw in the towel...
Preparing food for everyone, including Dadan and her band of mountain bandits, was one thing.
Even though there were a lot of people, it wasn't really a big deal for Sanji Meow. But adding Luffy, that bottomless pit, into the mix changed everything.
That guy relied on his Gum-Gum Fruit ability and wouldn't stop eating until his whole body was round like a balloon.
If that were all, it might still be fine—after all, having someone enjoy your cooking is a compliment to any chef.
But Luffy was the kind of guy who could devour anything with gusto, whether it tasted good or not. That meant Sanji Meow got no sense of accomplishment at all when cooking for him.
Then there was Ace, who would fall asleep in the middle of eating—another source of constant frustration for Sanji Meow.
"That idiot Luffy fine with anything as long as it edible. Sherwin, your soulless grilled meat is perfect for him, meow!"
Sanji Meow complained, kicking Sherwin shin while he spoke. "And that idiot Ace too—just feed him your grilled meat, meow! Those two brothers are both food-ignorant fools. Giving them my cooking is a complete waste, meow!"
"Alright, alright, I get it."
Sherwin scooped up the disgruntled chef cat, who was radiating resentment, and rubbed his furry head as he replied,
"Just prepare normal portions for them from now on. If they still want more, I'll grill some meat for them, how about that?"
He had a lot of free time these days anyway, and the Hunter grill cooked meat super fast. Agreeing to help wasn't a big deal.
If Sanji Meow quit over something this minor and refused to make food anymore, that would be a major loss for everyone.
So that very evening, after dinner, when the glutton Luffy started whining again that he wasn't full and began pestering Sanji Meow for more food, Sherwin immediately brought out the long-unused barbecue grill.
"Whoa—! Sherwin, where'd you pull that out from?!" Luffy was instantly drawn in, eyes sparkling as he asked excitedly.
"Well actually…" Sherwin picked up a piece of raw meat and placed it on the grill as he bullshitted, "I ate the Paramecia-type Grilled Meat Fruit and became a Grilled Meat Man."
As Sherwin began rotating the meat on the grill, that familiar BGM automatically started playing in his head...
Dun, da-da, da-dun-dun~
Dun, da-da, da-dun-dun~
Dun-dun-dun da-da-da~
Dun da-dun da-dun!
Well done!
Hmm, his technique hadn't gone rusty.
Sherwin looked at the perfectly grilled Meat G in his hands—a piece that required precise timing to cook just right—and nodded in satisfaction.
"There actually such an amazing fruit?! I want it so bad!!"
Seeing Sherwin whip up a juicy, fragrant piece of grilled meat in just about ten seconds, Luffy was so envious that tears streamed from his mouth...
To a glutton like Luffy, the made-up Grilled Meat Fruit was a literal dream-come-true—just like the Clear-Clear Fruit was to Sanji. If Luffy had a choice, forget about the Gum-Gum Nika—he wouldn't even bother to glance at it.
But it not like there no advantage here at all.With Ace help, Sanji Meow and Klee Meow had gradually gotten used to Conqueror Haki, so in battle they were basically no longer affected by this ability.
"Ah! You're leaving already?! Sherwin, you really don't want to consider becoming my crewmate?"
While Luffy words were directed at persuading Sherwin to stay, his eyes were actually fixed reluctantly on Sanji Meow.
Although he wasn't picky about food, Luffy could still tell whose cooking tasted better.
Compared to "the barbecue guy" Sherwin, Luffy clearly preferred Sanji Meow, who could cook incredibly delicious meals with a wide variety of dishes.
Even though Sherwin grilled meat could fill his stomach, Luffy would often, without any real reason, follow Sanji Meow around asking for food, which annoyed the little yellow cat to no end. So when Sanji Meow learned they were leaving, he was undoubtedly the happiest one.
"What are you looking at, meow? I'm not staying here to cook for you, you idiot, meow!" Sanji Meow made a face at the eager-eyed Luffy.
"You idiot don't even know how to appreciate good food — cooking for you is a total waste, meow!"
Sherwin also smiled as he refused. "I'm not interested in being a pirate. Don't forget, we're bounty hunters. Who knows, maybe once you're out at sea, I'll turn you in to Vice Admiral Garp for the bounty."
"Oh, right! You're the enemy!" Luffy suddenly realized, first striking a defensive stance, then laughing heartily.
"But I'm not gonna be caught by you that easily!"
At this point, Ace extended his fist toward Sherwin and said, "Next time we meet, I'll have mastered Haki. Then we can have a proper rematch."
"Me too, me too!" Luffy also extended his fist, pressing it together with Ace.
"Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it a little," Sherwin said with a smile, bumping fists with them.
Although being targeted by the protagonists didn't seem like a good thing, for Sherwin it was still a kind of motivation.
After all, if he met them again in the future and couldn't beat them, wouldn't that be a huge embarrassment for a Hunter like him?
"Klee wants to fist-bump too, meow!" The little ragdoll cat perched on Sherwin shoulder crawled along his arm, reaching out her fluffy little paw.
"When you two get stronger, you should also try Klee bombs, meow!"
Ace expression instantly turned a little unnatural, while Luffy rejected her without hesitation. "No way! I'm not an idiot like Gramps — I'm not gonna give you a chance to throw a bomb!"
"Pfft—! Luffy-nii is a scaredy-cat, meow!" Klee Meow huffed angrily and stuck out her tongue at Luffy.
(=`н=)
"Oh, right," just before leaving, Sherwin decided to tell them some good news.
"Earlier, when I mentioned that kid who was shelled by the Celestial Dragons, you both seemed pretty worked up. Was it someone you know?"
"He our brother," Ace said heavily.
"Oh, then you don't need to be sad anymore. I heard that kid didn't die — he was rescued by someone." Sherwin casually made up a source for the news.
"What?!" Luffy and Ace quickly pressed him. "Sabo not dead? Where is he now?!"
"That I don't know. I only know that after he was shelled, someone saved him. As for where he is now, you'll have to go out to sea and find him yourselves."
Sherwin shrugged. It wasn't exactly a lie — after all, he truly couldn't remember where the Revolutionary Army base was.
"No matter what, as long as he still alive, that all that matters! Thank you so much for telling us this news!" Ace and Luffy didn't doubt him in the slightest, repeatedly expressing their gratitude to Sherwin.
Luffy reaction was even more over the top — crying and laughing at the same time, with tears and snot all over his face — and he still didn't forget to hand Sherwin a "good person" card.
"You really are a great guy!"