After becoming familiar with most of the residents of the Mink Tribe, everyone enthusiasm finally settled a little, though there were still quite a few Minks who wanted to come over and get close.
At this moment, Wanda walked over. She first persuaded the overly enthusiastic and curious Minks to disperse, then said to Sherwin and the others,
"Everyone, please come with me. His Grace, the Duke, wishes to meet you."
"Duke? The ruler of Zou?"
Robin eyes lit up. The architecture of Zou clearly had considerable age to it. She had already been planning to study it carefully, and now she could directly ask the ruler here about the history of this furry kingdom.
If there were related historical documents, that would be even better.
But Sherwin frowned.
Of course he knew exactly who Wanda meant by "the Duke" — Duke Inuarashi, one of the two current kings of the furry kingdom, and also a retainer of Kozuki Oden, one of the Red Scabbards.
Under the excellent "matching mechanism" of the pirate world, neither the Inuarashi they were about to meet nor the Cat Viper in charge of the night could really be called qualified rulers.
Serving as Kozuki Oden retainers wasn't even the main problem. After all, that was before they became kings of the furry kingdom, and from the later story it clear that the Mink Tribe and the Kozuki Clan had deep ties to begin with, with Zou always remaining in a follower position.
On top of that, in order to conceal Raizo whereabouts, the entire nation of Minks chose loyalty without a single complaint.
So in this regard, Sherwin didn't feel there was much to criticize about Inuarashi and Cat Viper.
At most, the two of them were simply too loyal — they followed an unreliable lord and an equally unreliable young master, yet still chose to pursue them without hesitation.
What really made Sherwin think they were unqualified was actually the matter of Inuarashi and Cat Viper falling out with each other.
If they were merely retainers, parting ways after their lord death wouldn't have been a big issue.
But after becoming kings, they still continued to quarrel, and even forcibly changed the entire daily rhythm of the furry kingdom because of it. That, in Sherwin view, was extremely irresponsible.
For a country, division—especially a division built on equal authority—is one of the worst situations.
Even if they settled the matter like Aokiji and Akainu, fighting until a winner became king, that would still be far better than this bizarre situation now.
Only because Zou has long remained secluded, needing no diplomatic activity, and because the kings of the Mokomo Dukedom are not exalted like those in other nations—being essentially more like a village committee—has Zou avoided an especially disastrous outcome.
But if events continue along the original course, when Jack attacks in the future, Zou will suffer a great calamity because of this…
Whether it Duke Inuarashi or Nekomamushi, even without the mink state they can still fight Jack evenly.
If the two joined forces, they could have already driven him back. Yet in the manga, because of the rift between dog and cat, a battle that should have been fought side by side against an external enemy turned into a relay fight, leading to the Mink Tribe nearly being wiped out.
Unlike on Fish-Man Island, however, Sherwin did not intend to lecture Duke Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
Partly because both of them are stubborn to the core and cannot be persuaded, and partly because Sherwin found it hard to like them after being "infected by the Kozuki Oden virus," and thus disliked everything related to them.
In any case, Caesar is already dead now neither poison gas shells nor SMILE Fruits can appear again.
Even if Jack, due to the convergence of the world line, still attacks Zou in the future, they will be able to handle it even without reconciling.
Moreover, there is no way Sherwin and the others would sit back and watch Zou be attacked by Jack. At worst, when the time comes, they will simply bring the cats along to help.
Led by Wanda, Sherwin and the others soon arrived at Duke Inuarashi office…
Hm? This king is actually seriously working?
Sherwin looked at Inuarashi, who was bent over his desk writing something, and was a little surprised.
"Hello, welcome to Zou."
Inuarashi was dressed in a European-style ducal outfit, with a pair of blue sunglasses on his face. He looked rather gentlemanly… if not for his tongue constantly hanging out.
Also, when the "Kozuki Oden virus" wasn't acting up, he was actually a very gentle member of the Mink Tribe.
After putting down the quill in his hand, Inuarashi nodded kindly to Sherwin and the others, then said,
"I am one of the kings of the Mokomo Dukedom, Inuarashi. If you need anything, feel free to tell me, and I will do my best to accommodate you."
"One of the kings? There are many kings here, meow?"
(=ω=)
Haibara Meow asked curiously.
"Yes. The Mokomo Dukedom is a country ruled by two kings." Wanda explained from the side,
"The formal king is Duke Inuarashi, but the boss Nekomamushi, who is responsible for guarding the 'Whale Forest,' possesses the same authority."
"The other king is also a cat? Where is he? Klee Meow doesn't seem to see him, meow."
(=ω=)
The little doll immediately asked after hearing Nekomamushi name.
"Because the relationship between the two kings… is extremely bad—so bad that once they meet, a big fight is unavoidable—they split their schedules.
One rules from six in the morning to six in the evening under the sun, and the other from six in the evening to six in the morning under the moon," Wanda continued to explain. "Duke Inuarashi rules Zou during the day as the 'King of Day,' while Boss Nekomamushi rules the night as the 'King of Night.'"
"Uh… it a miracle your country is still running at all, meow."
As Sherwin mouthpiece, Haibara Meow complained bluntly.
Inuarashi gave a wry smile and didn't explain further. He just shook his head and said,
"You don't need to worry about that guy with the cat name. Even though he and I don't get along, he still kind to others. So even at night, that guy and his band of knights will treat you well, just like we do."
"You can't even be bothered to say his name? Are you a kid, old man?" Even Jinx couldn't help joining in the teasing.
"Even Klee Meow wouldn't throw that kind of childish tantrum, meow!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
(=`=)
Klee Meow, that little dummy, tapped her head several times before finally reacting…
"Jinx big sister, what do you mean, meow?! Klee Meow wouldn't refuse to say someone name just because she mad, meow!"
"That right. And that exactly what I meant, meow."
╮(=ΦωΦ=)╭
Jinx spread her little paws, turning the tables.
"Oh… but something still feels wrong somehow… Eh? Klee Meow doesn't get it anymore, meow…"
(=@Д@=)
The little plush doll held her increasingly dizzy head, her eyes already starting to spin.
"Don't tease Klee Meow at a time like this…"
Sherwin lightly knocked Jinx on the head, then rubbed the dizzy cat head of the little plush doll and said, "Our Klee Meow is a good child. Of course she wouldn't be like these two idiots, already grown yet still arguing like kids."
"Do not be rude to Duke Inuarashi!" Wanda scolded sharply from the side.
"There must be a special reason behind the grudge between him and Boss Nekomamushi!"
"No, actually, he not wrong…" The scolded Inuarashi didn't get angry at all. Instead, he nodded in acknowledgment.
"The conflict between me and that cat is simply two incompetent fools shifting blame and running from failure."
Compared to the hot-tempered Nekomamushi, the calmer Inuarashi clearly understood the true nature of their quarrel, but…
"Even so, I absolutely cannot forgive that stupid cat!"
The always gentle Inuarashi suddenly showed a ferocious expression.
Sherwin: "…"
Sure enough, people infected with the "Oden virus" can only be talked down by those related to Kozuki Oden…
What kind of meme contagion is this!
Sherwin had originally wanted to learn what was so special about Wano Country Ryuo from Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
With strength that couldn't even defeat Jack, they had still managed to wound Kaido with it.
But now… Sherwin suddenly felt a little afraid of this bizarre "Oden virus." Better to find someone else from Wano to learn it from in the future.
After baring his fangs for a moment, Inuarashi quickly calmed down again. He also seemed unwilling to continue on this topic and changed it, saying, "Enough of that. There something else I want to ask you…"
His expression gradually became serious.
"The newspaper said you once fought Kaido. Can you tell me the details of what happened then?"