"...Mm, that how it is. We don't intend to do anything to you or this guy. We're just treating his injuries."
Sherwin explained patiently to the few captured Shandians, while silently adding to himself — and also testing out the new medicine.
"You're lying! Wyper 'voice' has disappeared!" Aisha shouted angrily, tears welling in her eyes.
"You can use Observation Haki... or rather, your 'mind network,' right?" Sherwin explained calmly,
"A person losing their 'voice' doesn't mean they're dead. When someone faints or falls into a deep sleep, you can't hear their 'voice' either. Look — he still breathing."
He pointed to Wyper, who lay unconscious beside them. His expression was peaceful, and the slight rise and fall of his chest proved he hadn't kicked the bucket.
"Then you're still not good people! I could feel it! Wyper 'voice' was in terrible pain before he fainted! Raki, don't let this Blue Sea man fool you! He definitely not a good person!"
The other Shandians, however, had already started to believe Sherwin explanation. After all, those Felynes under his command had easily captured them.
If Sherwin truly meant them harm, there was no need to waste so many words — he hadn't even taken their weapons away or restrained them.
Only Aisha still held firmly to what her "mind network" told her, remaining wary of Sherwin and his group.
"Don't you dare talk about Brother Sherwin like that, meow!"
(=`н=)
Klee Meow, the little angel, couldn't hold back anymore. She jumped up and protested, "Even though Brother Sherwin often tricks Klee, bullies Brother Sanji and Sister Ai, and sometimes makes Sister Huamei angry, he still a good person, meow!"
Sherwin: "..."
Aisha: "...How is that the behavior of a good person?!"
"Meow? Now that you mention it..."
(ω)
Klee Meow tilted her head in thought...
"So Brother Sherwin is a big bad guy, meow!"
∑(=ΦДΦ=)
After thinking seriously for a while, Klee Meow suddenly came to a realization.
"You silly kitten—how did you manage to talk yourself into believing that?!"
Sherwin sighed, then walked over and scooped the little airheaded Felyne into his arms. He ruffled her fluffy head vigorously, rubbing until the little plush cat started giggling and forgot all about what she had just said, nuzzling against Sherwin chest affectionately…
"Brother Sherwin is the best, meow~"
(=ω=)
Facing such an adorable and innocent little creature, how could Sherwin possibly stay mad? He could only pinch Klee Meow soft cheeks helplessly.
But thanks to this interruption, Aisha wariness toward them lessened. After all, Sherwin and his group didn't seem like bad people at all.
Just then, Wyper finally regained consciousness...
"Ugh… what just happened?"
He clutched his head and slowly sat up.
Haibara Meow, who had been carefully observing him the whole time, immediately leaned forward and fired off questions like a rapid-fire cannon:
"After you drank the medicine, what did you feel? How your body now? Anywhere uncomfortable, meow?"
Still dazed from waking up, Wyper eyes were unfocused. He instinctively followed Haibara Meow questions and tried to recall.
But soon, his face turned pale, his body trembling slightly—as if remembering something terrifying...
"I've never seen Wyper make that face before… These Blue Sea people must have tortured him just now, right?"
Seeing their fiercest warrior show such an expression, Aisha shrank closer into Raki arms, fear written all over her.
But this time, she didn't dare to accuse Sherwin and the others aloud—only whispered quietly to Raki…
Of course, Sherwin and the others could still hear it perfectly fine.
Fortunately, Wyper recovered quickly. He gave Haibara Meow a complicated, hard-to-describe look. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke:
"Your medicine… works really well. But… it tastes awful."
As soon as he said that, he shuddered involuntarily, then declared firmly, "I'd rather stay bedridden for a few months than drink that stuff again!"
The original Ai Haibara "A drug" also had severe side effects… so maybe that just part of her natural genius?
Sherwin rubbed his chin thoughtfully, glancing at the little kitten doing the same beside him.
"So it was the taste, huh? No wonder those little white mice and you reacted so strangely, meow…"
(=ω=)
And then he noticed—Haibara Meow was muttering to herself while sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eyes.
Sherwin: "..."
Haibara Meow: "..."
(=ω=)
"There no point looking away now! Don't even think about making me drink that stuff!"
Catching on to what the little troublemaker was plotting, Sherwin immediately stepped forward and knocked gently on her little head.
"I wasn't thinking that at all, meow!" Haibara Meow argued stubbornly, "I was just considering how to improve it, meow!"
While Sherwin and Haibara Meow were bickering, Wyper had already explained everything to his comrades.
The other Shandians, after hearing what had happened to their homeland, grew excited—itching to rush straight to God Island and drive Enel out.
But Sherwin didn't agree.
After all, Purah Meow and Haibara Meow still needed time to finish crafting the thunder-resistant suits.
Besides, Enel Rumble-Rumble Fruit was only one of their goals in coming to Skypiea Sherwin and the Felynes still wanted to properly explore Angel Island first.
So, even though the Shandians and Gan Fall were impatient, they already knew Enel was a Logia user.
They weren't foolish enough to abandon Sherwin powerful group and rush to their deaths alone.
In the end, Gan Fall handed over the whistle that summoned the Sky Knight to Sherwin—this time asking him to use it to contact him and the Shandians before taking any action.
After Gan Fall and the Shandians departed, Sherwin and his crew—having caught a huge haul of sky fish—happily steered the Dodo Advance toward the "Gate of Heaven," the passage leading to the White Sea...
Meanwhile, Haibara Meow, Purah Meow, and Klee Meow casually sliced off a few chunks of nearby floating islands along the way—for research and playtime.
The gatekeeper of Heaven Gate was just like in the manga—a wrinkled old lady, even shorter than a Felyne.
She first lifted the camera made from an Image Dial in her hand and took a photo of Sherwin and the others before finally speaking:
"No matter whether you're here for sightseeing or for battle, if you want to go up to the Upper Yard, each person must pay an entry fee of one billion Extols. That the law here."
Although Sherwin knew that they could pass without paying, he didn't want a bunch of people coming out to interrupt their mood while exploring Sky Island.
Besides, one billion Extols was only about a hundred thousand Berries—pocket change for him now.
So…
"Do cats count as people for the fee?"
He lifted Klee Meow and waved her gently toward the old lady.
Klee Meow, fully playing along, widened her eyes and lifted a tiny paw beside her cheek, meowing adorably—
"Meow~"
(=ω)
The old lady, named Amazon, was stunned for a moment, then her face darkened.
"Even if it a member of the Mink Tribe, they still have to pay!"
"Tch! We can pay in Berries, right?"
Unable to dodge the entry fee, Sherwin placed Klee Meow back on his shoulder and obediently paid according to the number of heads—counting both humans and Felynes. Seven Felynes and two people added up to less than a million Berries in total.
After the payment, a gigantic Express Lobster—twice the size of the Dodo Advance—swam out from beneath the building beside Heaven Gate.
It moved under the Dodo Advance, clamped its pincers tightly around the ship hull, and sped forward toward the river of clouds ahead, which looked just like a roller coaster track.
"Meow-hahaha! This is so fun, meow!"
(=`=)
Klee Meow immediately leapt onto the ship figurehead, shouting with excitement.
Amid the doll-like Felyne laughter, the Dodo Advance charged ahead all the way toward the true Sky Island.