As a land-adapted variant of Magnamalo, this form not only perfectly fulfilled Klee Meow request to "transform into a kitty," but its feline-based posture also provided exceptional agility.
In addition, this form possessed the so-called "Powder Blaze Burst" mode — which, in truth, meant letting Klee Meow take the role of the "pilot," drastically enhancing the Dodo Advance performance.
This time, however, the "pilot" role wasn't just a way to humor the little doll. In its base Magnamalo form, the Dodo Advance could still move using the flame skeleton Klee Meow created, allowing for limited maneuverability.
But once the "Powder Blaze Burst" mode was activated, the flame skeleton "AI" couldn't keep up with the complex reactions anymore — so only Klee Meow direct control could maintain flexible movement.
That said, in this form, the Dodo Advance combat power was at its peak. After all, it was essentially a cat controlling a giant cat — far easier than a Hunter using a Wirebug to ride a monster.
However, it was somewhat of a trade-off. Klee Meow herself was already one of the Investigation Team top combatants, so assigning her to pilot the Dodo Advance instead of fighting directly was a bit of a waste.
And Sherwin group had to pay a small price for this as well — namely…
The Dodo Advance, in its Magnamalo form, still retained its original figurehead as the "head," thanks to Klee Meow stubborn insistence.
The plush little cat head was undeniably adorable, but placed on the majestic and imposing body of a Magnamalo, it looked…
Alright, let be honest — it looked extremely out of place.
...
"Hm?"
Enel tilted his head slightly, bored as he munched on an apple inside the Divine Shrine.
"Heh… a few little mice dare to tread upon the land of God?" He focused his Observation Haki to sense their numbers.
"Those visitors from the Blue Sea, huh? Hmph hmph hmph~ I was planning to let them take part in God Trial in a few days, but it seems they've come to offer themselves up already."
Though Sherwin group had paid the toll at Heaven Gate, meaning that on the surface, Skypiea wasn't supposed to harm them, Enel — who was desperately short on manpower to build his Ark Maxim — had never once intended to let such ready-made labor slip away.
His original plan was to wait a few days longer, have the civilians of Angel Island cooperate to lure those "guests," who had already let down their guard, into violating Skypiea laws. Then he could justifiably imprison them under divine authority.
"God, are there intruders?"
Hearing Enel muttering, his head guard Ohm immediately volunteered, "Allow me to lead our men and exterminate them!"
"Hmm, no. Let the priests handle it instead," Enel replied lazily.
"Anyone who managed to come here from the Blue Sea must have at least some degree of strength."
He didn't take Sherwin group too seriously. Although his Observation Haki covered an enormous range, most of that came from his Devil Fruit enhancement.
His ability to read subtle auras wasn't particularly refined — and besides, the Hunters and Felynes were the sort who loved buffing themselves before combat.
Their normal state and battle state were two completely different things.
"I understand."
Ohm dared not question Enel words and immediately sent his soldiers to inform the four priests.
After giving his orders, Enel paid no further attention to the intruders and simply went back to crunching his apple — ka-cha, ka-cha — with divine indifference.
...
The Dodo Advance, in its Magnamalo form, wandered aimlessly through the forest of the Island of God…
Well, perhaps "aimlessly" wasn't entirely accurate — Sherwin and his group did have a general sense of direction.
According to the memories Sherwin had recovered, Enel Divine Shrine should be located atop that colossal beanstalk piercing the heavens.
However, ever since Jaya Island plants and creatures had been lifted into the sky, they had all grown wildly out of control.
The towering trees around them now blocked out almost everything — not to mention the beanstalk, sometimes even the sky itself was completely hidden from view.
Of course, if Klee Meow controlled the Dodo Advance to climb up to the canopy, confirming their direction would be easy enough. But neither Sherwin nor the Felynes were in any hurry.
From time to time, the cats would hop off the ship to collect things that caught their interest — Haibara Meow gathered medicinal herbs, Purah Meow looked for building materials, Sanji Meow hunted for ingredients, and Klee Meow… well, she picked up anything that could be used to make explosives.
Meanwhile, Sherwin kept his Observation Haki active the whole time, hoping he might run into the Lord of the Skies and grab a fragment.
Even Robin wasn't rushing. Within the vast forest, she often spotted remnants of ancient structures.
What looked like ordinary rocks to Sherwin and the others revealed countless stories to her trained eyes. Before long, half her notebook was already filled with sketches and notes.
Their general direction was also determined by Robin, who analyzed the shape and distribution of the ruins — along with a string of technical terms Sherwin didn't quite understand.
"Hmm? Someone coming."
Sherwin, still using his Observation Haki, suddenly turned his head to the side.
In his perception, two overlapping auras were rapidly approaching their position.
"Bwahahaha! Looks like I got here first—ugh!"
One of the Four High Priests, Shura, rode in on a large purple bird that looked somewhat like a vulture, appearing before Sherwin and the others.
However, the arrogance and laughter that had been on his face vanished the moment he saw the terrifying yet oddly adorable Dodo Advance in its Kuma form.
Shura instinctively stopped laughing and guided the Three-yard Bird beneath him to land on a nearby tree.
"What in the world is that thing?!"
Even though Skypiea had all sorts of miraculous sky shells, Shura had never seen anything as "high-tech" as the Dodo Advance.
"Who up first?"
Sherwin couldn't be bothered to answer him. Instead, he turned his head toward the Felynes beside him.
He couldn't quite remember this priest name, but in the original story, he could only fight Gan Fall to a draw.
Still, he at least had some grasp of Observation Haki—enough to let the Felynes stretch their paws a little.
The Felynes glanced at each other, seeming to hold a silent discussion. Then Seijuro Meow stepped forward, pulled out a black canister printed with a longsword emblem, and pressed it to his belly.
In an instant, the little black cat was dressed in a full Soul Reaper outfit, with a pair of jet boosters attached to his legs.
"Spring to view the night sakura, summer to watch the starlit skies, autumn to admire the full moon, winter to greet the first snow… Bankai — Kikyo Fuyutsuki Meow!"
(=ˇˇ=)
Normally the serious and disciplined samurai cat drew the sword at his waist, reciting the grand lines with dramatic flair as he struck a cool pose.
As a samurai, Seijuro Meow naturally inherited the chuunibyou tendencies unique to his island homeland.
And with Sherwin, the Hunter, being such a terrible influence, it was only natural that the little black cat would pick up some bad habits.
"Wow! Seijuro big brother, you're so cool, meow!"
(==)
Mm, as the leader of the Compliment Squad, Klee Meow only fueled this "bad habit." And recently, a new member had even joined their little group — Purah Meow...
"That was an excellent release chant~ Seijuro Meow, you've got such refined taste, meow~ Check it!"
(ゝω)~☆
"Uuuh... I should've gone up first, meow!"
Hearing Purah Meow praise, Sanji Meow immediately bit his own tail in regret.
"Hmph! Childish, meow!"
Haibara Meow turned her head away in disdain. Since she wasn't good at fighting, she couldn't pull off the same flashy style the other Felynes had mastered.
And among them, another small leopard-patterned Felyne also felt a bit dejected…
(ω)
The two Felynes often sparred together and actually got along quite well, so it wasn't that he disapproved of Seijuro Meow behavior.
It just that…
He — the mighty warrior of Hyrule… the strongest cutting cat — was simply not good with words!