This time, Gan Fall didn't try to dissuade Sherwin and the others anymore. He could tell that this group — humans and Felynes alike — truly didn't take Enel power too seriously, even after understanding what kind of strength he possessed.
Moreover, as Sherwin had said, if Enel wasn't stopped, he would one day destroy Sky Island. That was something Gan Fall could never accept.
So…
"If you're going to fight Enel, please take me with you!" The old man volunteered earnestly. "My strength may not match Enel, but I can at least deal with one of his priests for you."
"And me!" Wyper spoke up as well. "The Shandians must reclaim their homeland with their own hands!"
Sherwin glanced at them, shrugged indifferently, and said, "If you want to come, then come. But don't expect us to go out of our way to protect you."
"Wouldn't dream of it!"
Wyper had never intended to be dead weight, and Gan Fall nodded in agreement. "That only natural."
"I'll go gather the Shandian guerrillas right away…" Wyper struggled to stand, his body trembling. "Once Enel is defeated, I'll let you deal with me however you wish!"
Seeing him wobble unsteadily, barely able to stand while blood dripped continuously from his wounds, Haibara Meow looked at him with clear disgust.
The Felyne stepped forward and, with a clean feline roundhouse kick, sent the barely-standing Wyper sprawling again.
"Don't you dare dirty our ship with your blood, meow!"
The little kitten spoke as she pulled out a small vial filled with a bright green liquid. Without hesitation, she uncapped it and poured the contents straight into Wyper mouth.
Although Sherwin had a pretty good idea what was inside that bottle, he still couldn't help asking—especially after recalling that earlier purple test tube. "Did you finally succeed with your recovery medicine?"
"Not yet. What I just gave him is only the thirteenth prototype, version six, temporarily named Recovery Medicine-1306.
It did heal the wounds on some test mice before, but their reactions were a bit strange afterward. So I'll use this Shandian as a test subject to see what really going on, meow."
Haibara Meow shook her head as she explained, carefully putting the empty bottle away before crouching down to lift Wyper eyelid for inspection. Then, in a completely emotionless tone, she asked, "How do you feel now, meow?"
The previously tough and unyielding Wyper now had an expression that could only be described as spectacular.
His facial features seemed to each have a mind of their own—twisting, clenching, and spreading apart.
At the same time, strained "ghhh... ghhh..." sounds squeezed out from his throat. Clearly, in his current condition, he couldn't possibly answer Haibara Meow question properly.
"The thing you gave him… that really was recovery medicine, right?"
Sherwin leaned over Wyper shoulder, watching his contorted face with a cautious expression as he asked.
"I'd never mix up my medicine, meow!" The little kitten turned back with clear annoyance and stomped hard on Sherwin toe.
Then she pointed at Wyper wounds. "Look—aren't his wounds already healed, meow?"
Indeed, if one ignored Wyper agonized appearance, the effects of Haibara Meow little green bottle were quite remarkable. Not only had the bleeding stopped, but the wounds had already completely closed up.
However...
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Even if your potion healed his wounds, what good does that do? At this rate, he'll probably drop dead in a few minutes."
Sherwin clicked his tongue, tossing out the remark with clear sarcasm.
But Haibara Meow didn't have the time to argue with him. She crossed her arms, frowning in confusion as she muttered to herself,
"That strange... The mice felt some pain after drinking it, but they were bouncing around full of energy right after. Why the reaction so extreme when it a human, meow?"
(=ˇˇ=)
"Purah, what do you think?" Sherwin asked, reaching over to scratch the head of the other research Felyne beside him.
"Mm… I'm not really good with medicine and stuff, meow…"
Little Dejuan squinted her eyes, enjoying Sherwin head rub for a moment before shaking her head and replying,
"Little Ai did talk to me about her research concept before, but I only barely understood it. I'm still better at mechanical research, meow! Check it!"
(ゝω)~☆
At that moment, the other Felynes gathered curiously around to observe the unfortunate Shandian, Wyper.
A few moments later, Wyper twitched a few times like a fish washed up on the shore by a wave, then completely stopped moving.
"Ah… his eyes rolled back, meow…"
(=ΦωΦ=)つ━
Klee Meow somehow pulled out a small wooden stick from who-knows-where and poked Wyper tattooed head a few times. Then she turned her head toward Haibara Meow and said,
"Big Sister Ai, I think you might've cured him to death, meow."
"That not true, meow!" Haibara Meow snapped back in frustration, yanking the little plush Felyne ear and roaring while pointing at Wyper faintly rising chest, "See? He still breathing, meow?!"
"Wow! You're right!" The little plush exclaimed in surprise.
"Klee Observation Haki couldn't sense any sound from him at all, so Klee thought he was already dead, meow!"
And because everyone knew that Klee Meow always spoke her mind truthfully, Haibara Meow was left speechless, her face twisting in suppressed irritation.
As the saying goes, the pure-hearted always counter the tsundere — and the naturally mischievous plush Klee Meow was the perfect nemesis for the proud and sharp-tongued kitten Haibara Meow.
Just as the fuming Haibara Meow was about to start yet another round of kitten-on-kitten scuffling, Klee Meow — who still hadn't deactivated her Observation Haki — suddenly turned her head toward the distance.
"Someone coming, meow! They're angry… and sad… It feels like someone here for revenge, meow."
Sherwin and the others didn't even need to use Observation Haki — following the direction Klee Meow was looking, they saw several figures dressed in the same style as Wyper.
They wore skates or boards on their feet, rapidly closing in on the Dodo Advance.
Sherwin, whose eyesight was fairly sharp, could see that among them was a woman on a skateboard, and behind her stood a small figure — most likely the little girl from his memory who was born with Observation Haki. At that moment, he more or less understood what was going on.
"They're Shandian guerilla soldiers," Gan Fall finally found a chance to speak.
"They must have misunderstood the situation. You'd better wake Wyper up quickly."
However, Haibara Meow looked troubled. "It not impossible to wake him up by force, meow, but I'd rather wait for him to wake up naturally, meow. That way I can determine how long the side effects of the thirteenth version of the recovery medicine last, meow…"
"In that case…" Purah Meow leapt onto the rail of the Dodo Advance. "Link, fire the capture net at them, meow."
∠(=`ω=)
(=ΦωΦ=)つ
Link Meow saluted with a serious face, then swiftly darted up the mast, drew his bow, and fired the fishing-net arrow he had just used for catching fish toward the Shandians.
Meanwhile, on the railing, Purah Meow flattened her ears, her pupils narrowing into pinpoints. The Conqueror Haki from Lord Tiger surged forth like a stormy tide, crashing toward the Shandians.
The determined Shandian warriors didn't faint outright, but their bodies stiffened completely, frozen in place and unable to react at all.
Only the little girl Aisa, who was born with Observation Haki, couldn't withstand Purah Meow Conqueror Haki.
The small hand that had been tugging at the warrior Raki clothes slipped loose, her body tilting as she was about to fall off the skateboard into the White Sea.
But at that moment, the guerilla soldiers were all slowed and paralyzed by the pressure of the Haki, their bodies stiff and unable to respond.
Fortunately, Link Meow net arrow arrived just in time. Before Aisa could fall into the White Sea, the exploding net spread open and "captured" all the Shandians together — Aisa included.