Although Sherwin had planned to confuse Crocodile, he and his group didn't deliberately wait around for the Unlucky Duo to appear. Instead, they continued their journey.
Of course, to spot the Unlucky Duo as soon as possible, Sherwin team had already switched into Observation Haki alert mode.
To avoid exhausting themselves mentally, they took turns acting as "lookouts," which also doubled as good practice for Observation Haki.
So, following Klee Meow directions, Sherwin group wandered aimlessly through the desert → Klee Meow tossed a bomb → something good got blasted out → then they continued wandering through the desert again.
In this loop, they would occasionally run into monster attacks, sandstorms, or desert bandits, but things always circled back to Klee Meow throwing bombs and blowing out some kind of treasure.
And a treasure-hunting cat was still a treasure-hunting cat. Aside from the three bottles of unknown potion they'd found at the start, the group later uncovered more treasures—some buried under sand, some swallowed by monsters, and some carried by sand bandits.
But most of the time, these treasures turned out to be gold, jewels, and… gunpowder.
That right—when Klee Meow blasted the sand, she could actually dig up gunpowder. Strangely enough, the explosions never set it off. The powder just sat there intact, sealed in barrels or other containers.
In addition, there were also some weapons that hadn't rusted or decayed, which could count as treasure too.
Unfortunately, Sherwin Weapon Compendium wasn't able to record them. Still, since the materials they were made of were decent, Sherwin collected them anyway.
(=ω=)
Just as Sherwin group changed direction for the fourth time, following Klee Meow "treasure radar," Link Meow suddenly tugged on the hem of his clothes and tilted his small head up, giving him a meaningful wink—
The Unlucky Duo had appeared.
Sherwin kept a calm face and gave a slight nod. He signaled Link Meow to pass the hint to the other cats,
while he himself opened his Observation Haki. Very quickly, he caught the presence of a vulture circling above them—Miss Friday—with a sea otter perched on her back: Mr. 13.
The Unlucky Duo, perhaps worried about alerting Sherwin group, circled a few times and then quickly flew off.
Throughout the whole process, Sherwin and the cats—already prepared—didn't show the slightest change. They carried on just as usual, joking and bickering as they traveled.
Over the next few days, the Unlucky Duo showed up from time to time, circling overhead, though not every day.
Sometimes Miss Friday even appeared without Mr. 13, mixed in with other vultures or birds.
But Sherwin group always acted as though they hadn't noticed—or simply didn't care. After the pair had watched Klee Meow blasting sand twice, they soon stopped appearing altogether.
"Hm? Did we manage to fool them?" Sherwin asked Huamei Meow when he noticed the two watchers hadn't shown up for several days. "Or did Klee scare them off?"
"Who knows… doesn't make much difference anyway." Huamei Meow shrugged, then turned to the other cats.
"There still no word from Miss Robin. So, what do you all think? Should we keep treasure hunting for fun, or head to the city to rest if you're getting bored, meow?"
╮(=ΦωΦ=)╭
Link Meow spread both paws, showing he didn't mind either way.
"I'll just follow Big Sister Huamei, meow!"
"I have no preference either, meow."
Only Haibara Meow stayed quiet for a moment before speaking: "If possible, let head to Rainbase after finishing this round of treasure hunting. I'd like to study those three bottles, meow."
"Klee fine with that too! I've already had a lot of fun these past days, meow. Let do what Sister Ai said!" The little plush spoke sensibly.
"Then let find the treasure Klee sensed this time first!" Sherwin waved his hand grandly and led the cats onward.
With those two watchers gone, everyone felt far more relaxed during the following treasure hunts.
However, what Sherwin and his companions didn't know was—although their "misunderstanding" with Baroque Works had been cleared up, a brand-new misunderstanding was brewing…
"No pattern at all, just blowing things up randomly in the desert, suspected to be searching for treasure?"
When the Sand Crocodile heard this report, his face grew even darker than before…
Could it be that they too are searching for the Ancient Weapon hidden within the Kingdom of Alabasta?!
This time, Crocodile didn't kick over his newly replaced table. Instead, he said coldly into the Den Den Mushi:
"Recall all Officer Agents and Frontier Agents. Summon back all. Have everyone gather at Rainbase and await my orders!"
Trying to compete with me for the Ancient Weapon on my own turf? Keep dreaming!Crocodile slammed the line shut, his thoughts seething with malice.
...
"This city is even more bustling than Yoba or Eluma, and maybe even more prosperous than Rapeseed Port, meow."
Haibara Meow observed the dense crowds around them and gave her evaluation. "And the security here looks much better too, meow."
"Well, it is the territory of a Warlord of the Sea. Not many people would dare cause trouble here." Sherwin shrugged.
Though Crocodile was shrouded in mystery within Baroque Works, his public identity was bold and ostentatious.
Everyone in Alabasta knew he owned a casino in Rainbase called Rain Dinners, and that he occasionally appeared in Rapeseed Port to deal with rampaging pirates.
Moreover, the shrewd Sand Crocodile never played the role of a selfless hero. Each time he "saved people," he made it clear that his reason for taking down pirates was nothing more than collecting their bounties—it wasn't out of kindness.
But since Crocodile always acted before the kingdom army could arrive, even though he never accepted the thanks of the grateful townsfolk, titles like "King of the Desert" and "National Hero" gradually began to spread across Alabasta.
To Sherwin, this whole performance was familiar—back on Earth, rebellious "true-to-themselves" idols and influencers who thrived on black-and-red controversy played almost the exact same game.
Crocodile might be cowardly and boastful… but he really knows how to hype things up.
It feels like even if you put him on Earth, where there are no special powers at all, Crocodile would still manage to do well for himself.
"Sherwin-nii! Over there a huge pyramid, meow! At the very top there a crocodile with bananas growing on its head—it looks so funny, let go check it out, meow!"
(=ΦΦ=)σ
Not long after entering Rainbase, Klee Meow spotted Crocodile casino, the Rain Dinners. The little doll immediately perked up with interest.
But Sherwin was a little conflicted…
After all, that was a casino, and it really wasn't the kind of place to take kids into.
So he tried to persuade them:"Didn't Haibara Meow say she wanted to study those three potions? Let find an inn and settle down first."
But Haibara Meow wasn't having it at all. She curled her lip and said:"Klee already blown up piles of pirates, and you're worried gambling will corrupt her? With Klee luck, it the casino that should be worried, meow… As for my experiments, that can wait, meow."
If it weren't for the way the little kitten ears were twitching so happily, Sherwin might've actually believed she was only speaking up for Klee Meow, and not because she herself wanted to go look around…
Still, even though Haibara Meow motives weren't pure, her reasoning… wasn't wrong either.
After all, this was another world entirely—there didn't seem to be much point in rigidly sticking to Earth standards. And frankly, Felynes weren't even from Earth in the first place, so maybe his ideas didn't all apply to them.
Persuaded, Sherwin didn't agree right away. Instead, he glanced toward Huamei Meow beside him for her opinion…
Lord Tigrex, after a moment of consideration, finally nodded and said:"Going to take a look is fine, meow. Just be careful. I'll be watching the two of them closely."
As she said that, she turned a calm yet pressure-filled gaze toward the two little kittens perched on Sherwin shoulder…
"You'll behave yourselves, won't you, meow?"
Klee Meow and Haibara Meow were nodding furiously.
"In that case, let go take a look. Maybe Klee can win until the Sand Crocodile goes bankrupt!"
"Just leave it to Klee, meow!"
(=`=)
BOOM——!!!
Sherwin and the others hadn't even lifted their legs yet when the pyramid-shaped casino in the distance suddenly exploded with a thunderous blast.
And not just one—an entire chain of "boom-boom" explosions followed nonstop. Even the banana-headed crocodile statue at the top was blown clean off, while thick black smoke poured out from the shattered peak.
"Ah! That one of Klee bombs, meow!"
∑(=ΦДΦ=)