So Inuarashi was… planning to gather a few allies in preparation for a future counterattack to retake Wano Country?
Sherwin rubbed his chin, feeling a bit surprised.
After all, in the manga, he and Nekomamushi hadn't done anything at all. They hadn't even gone to seek out Whitebeard, with whom they once had ties.
Instead, they had simply stayed holed up on Zou for twenty years, all to wait for the "dawn" foretold by Kozuki Oden…
Well, Luffy, the "Sun God" who ate the Nika Fruit, could indeed be considered that "dawn."
Still, in the manga it seemed that Ace had once asked Whitebeard to go help in Wano Country, only to be refused.
So did that mean they had actually already sought out Whitebeard before?
As Sherwin speculated inwardly, he spread his hands and answered perfunctorily,
"There really nothing much to say. It just like what was written in the newspaper. We exchanged a few rounds with him, then fled in a sorry state.
That was only because Kaido seemed to be drunk at the time, his head not very clear, so we managed to escape."
Just like his attitude when facing Nekomamushi questions, Sherwin didn't really want to talk much about it either.
After the excitement of barely escaping with his life had passed, Sherwin no longer felt that running away from under Kaido hands was anything worth boasting about. More importantly…
Sherwin didn't want to get entangled with Kozuki Oden at all, nor did he have any interest in helping the Kozuki clan reclaim Wano Country.
Even if he were to go look for Kaido to fight again in the future, that would only be a personal grudge between them.
"Is that so? I thought as much…"
Inuarashi let out a sigh. He hadn't held much hope for this to begin with.
Having once faced Kaido himself, he knew just how terrifying that monster was, so he never believed Sherwin would so easily agree to join him against Kaido.
To be honest, if it weren't for Kozuki Oden, Inuarashi himself didn't really want to be Kaido enemy either… that overwhelming strength was simply too despair-inducing.
"Uncle, do you also have a grudge against that big loach, meow?"
(=ω=)
Klee Meow, however, asked back with curiosity at this moment.
Not waiting for Inuarashi to answer, the little kitten continued talking to herself,
"That guy is really strong, meow. Klee bombs couldn't even blow him up. But Klee is already designing a bomb with even~~~~ greater~~~~ power, meow! Next time, I'll definitely blow that big loach into a roasted loach, meow!"
(=`=)
As she spoke, she stretched out her arms and made a "huge" gesture.
Sherwin: "..."
Although it was a good thing that the cats were working hard, every time he heard Klee Meow mention her planned "ultimate weapon," Sherwin felt uneasy deep down.
And what made Sherwin even more uneasy was that whenever he asked Klee Meow about information regarding that "ultimate weapon," the little kitten would keep it secret and refuse to say anything, insisting that she wanted to give him a "huge surprise."
After that, he also tried to probe indirectly, but the attempt was seen through by Haibara Meow, that little schemer, which resulted in all the cats participating in its production guarding against Sherwin like he was a thief.
However, Inuarashi didn't take Klee Meow words seriously.
Even though he had seen in the newspaper that this little cat nicknamed "the Sun That Runs Away" was extremely accomplished in bomb-making,
anyone who hadn't personally witnessed Klee Meow bombs would find it hard to understand the true extent of that accomplishment.
Instead, the identity of the little kitten as a user of the Flame-Flame Fruit was far more eye-catching.
So in Inuarashi view, Klee Meow words were nothing more than a child adorable fantasy and couldn't be taken seriously.
"Is that so? Then you're really amazing," Inuarashi said with a smile, humoring her.
"Then I'll look forward to hearing the news of you defeating Kaido with your bombs."
"Mm! Klee will work hard, meow!"
You stupid dog! Shut up already!
The corner of Sherwin mouth twitched, his steps unconsciously shifting half a pace forward.
He had almost rushed up just now to give that loose-mouthed stupid dog a hard slap.
On the other side, Huamei Meow also instinctively pressed her ears down. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints, and even the fur on her tail bristled slightly.
However, just like Sherwin, Lord Huamei managed to restrain the impulse to scratch Inuarashi into a mottled mess.
"Ahem. Duke Inuarashi, may I ask—does your Mink Tribe have any written records of your own history? If so, could I take a look at them?"
Robin cleared her throat and spoke up in time, cutting off Inuarashi before he could continue courting disaster.
"Historical records?" Inuarashi paused slightly, then shook his head.
"Sorry, we don't have such a custom. If you're interested in the history of the Mokomo Dukedom, you could ask some of the older Minks. They should know more."
Clearly, he had no intention of telling Robin about the Road Poneglyph hidden in the Whale Tree Forest.
Sherwin rubbed his chin. It seemed that seeing that Poneglyph text wouldn't be so easy after all…
Especially given that he had no intention of getting entangled with Kozuki Oden.
Although Sherwin couldn't remember the exact method of entry, he still remembered that the Road Poneglyph was hidden inside that enormous "Whale Tree." So if Shermie Meow were to sneak over and take a look, finding it shouldn't be too difficult.
But Sherwin had no intention of doing that.
Or rather, before being explicitly refused by Inuarashi, he had no intention of doing that.
"I think you should know who she is, right?"
Sherwin pointed at Robin.
Actually, he wasn't certain whether Inuarashi even recognized Robin.
Although, with that guy Doflamingo "help," information about Robin had spread to more people, Zou location was far too special, and it was unclear whether they even had the means to learn about such things.
Fortunately, Inuarashi nodded and said, "Nico Robin, the survivor of Ohara. It said she the only person in this world who can read the Poneglyphs. Kaido previous attack on you was probably because of her, right?"
"Yes. Since you know all this, then could you let her take a look at the Poneglyph on Zou?"
Sherwin got straight to the point. "In fact, this is one of the reasons we came to Zou."
"H-how do you know there a Poneglyph here?!"
Inuarashi sprang to his feet in shock, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Are we fighting, meow?!"
(=ω=)
Jinx, who had been feeling a little bored, excitedly pulled out her weapon…
Only to be smacked on the back of the head by Lord Huamei.
"Don't think about fighting all day, meow! Even if we really have to fight, wait until the Admiral has negotiations break down with the other side first, meow!"
"Oh…"
Under Lord Huamei glare, the little blue cat reluctantly put away his weapon.
"…Ahem!"
Sherwin, whose emotions had been abruptly interrupted, coughed hard twice, pulling Inuarashi attention back to him, then replied,
"As for the reason, I could actually give you several—like having seen relevant information in other Poneglyphs, or intelligence obtained from Rayleigh—but I don't intend to lie to you. The information about the Road Poneglyph on Zou was something I learned from a guy called Oda."
"Oda? Someone from Wano Country?" Inuarashi was puzzled for a moment, then suddenly reacted. "You know Mr. Rayleigh?!"
"We met once at the Sabaody Archipelago."
As for the fact that his relationship with Rayleigh was actually quite ordinary, Sherwin naturally wasn't going to mention that.
With Rayleigh as a connection, Inuarashi guard clearly relaxed, but he still didn't agree immediately…
"Sorry, I may need to think about this a bit longer," Inuarashi hesitated for a moment before tossing the ball to Nekomamushi.
"That Poneglyph is mainly being guarded by that old cat, so if you can get his approval, I have no objections here."
As expected… Rayleigh face didn't work very well against the Oden virus.
What a pity I haven't met Shanks yet—if I could use the name of that man with the Face-Face Fruit ability to pull some strings, maybe the success rate would be much higher?