Although Sherwin said they would slowly stroll their way over, in reality they were not moving slowly at all.
First of all, the first half of the Grand Line truly had nothing that could trouble them. For the Felyne investigation team that had already traveled through the New World for quite some time, the first half really was no different from a "Paradise."
Secondly, after multiple upgrades and now equipped with "intelligent AI," the Dodo Advance, even in its most basic form, was by no means slow when it came to sailing speed.
Lastly, pirate crews like the Bablin Pirates, who didn't read newspapers at all, were ultimately rare. Along the way, not a single fool came looking to cause trouble for Sherwin and the others. Instead, in order to train Shirahoshi, Sherwin proactively went to attack a few pirate crews himself…
As a result, the other pirate crews along this route began deliberately avoiding Sherwin and his group, to the point that Shirahoshi couldn't even find anyone to spar with.
Just like that, Sherwin and the others soon arrived near the Sabaody Archipelago once again.
"Shall we head to Sabaody Archipelago for a stroll first?"
Sherwin looked toward the Felynes and Shirahoshi.
Well, mainly Shirahoshi.
"I remember that mermaids and fish-men seem to have a deep obsession with the amusement park on Sabaody."
"That right! There an amusement park on this island too, meow!"
(=ω=)
Klee Meow immediately jumped onto Shirahoshi shoulder, gently tugging at her hair as she said, "Big Sister Shirahoshi! The amusement park here is super fun, meow! And there are these really magical bubbles, meow!"
"Hmph! Silly Klee! Did you forget that Fish-Man Island also has those kinds of bubbles, meow?"
(=へ=)
Haibara Meow narrowed her eyes and, as usual, started bickering with the little ragdoll.
"The bubbles on Fish-Man Island are used underwater, while the bubbles on Sabaody are used in the air—they're totally different, meow! Big Sister Haibara is the silly one! Bleh~~~"
(=＞＜=)
The little ragdoll made a face as she argued back confidently.
"No matter whether they're used underwater or on land, those bubbles are essentially just the resin of the Yarukiman Mangrove trees—they're all the same, meow!"
(=ˇˇ=)
As the scientific-minded Felyne, Haibara Meow began laying out facts and reasoning.
However…
"Klee is still little, so I can't understand what Big Sister Haibara is talking about, meow~"
(=3=)
The little ragdoll decisively started playing dumb.
Haibara Meow: "..."
"Alright, alright. Let hear what Shirahoshi has to say first."
Sherwin quickly stopped Haibara Meow, who was baring her teeth and about to pounce on Klee Meow.
If he didn't intervene soon, the two mischievous Felynes would definitely end up fighting, and as usual, the main target of their attacks would very naturally shift from each other to him—the Hunter.
For that reason, even if he ended up getting bitten a few times by Haibara Meow, it was worth it.
...
Although Shirahoshi had stayed inside the Hard-Shell Tower since she was six years old, she had heard other fish-men mention the amusement park on the Sabaody Archipelago, and she also held a special longing for it.
At the same time, she had heard about the slave auctions on the Sabaody Archipelago and the slave-catching crews operating there. Because of that, she felt both anticipation and fear toward that place.
Sherwin and the Felynes did not urge her. They simply watched quietly as Shirahoshi expression kept changing.
After quite a while, Shirahoshi finally nodded firmly and said, "I-I want to go to the Sabaody Archipelago and see it for myself!"
Then she shook her fair, tender fist as if cheering herself on and shouted loudly, "I'm not afraid of those slave traders! If they dare to try to capture me, I can knock them flying myself without Boss Sherwin having to step in!"
"Good! That how it should be, meow! It'd be even better if you smash that bunch of scum into minced meat, meow!"
(=｀=)
Jinx leapt onto Shirahoshi head, very satisfied with her answer.
"Uh… smashing them into minced meat is a bit…"
The mermaid princess, who had finally gathered her courage, was frightened back by the little mad cat bloody description. She twisted her fingers together and muttered hesitantly.
"Where did that spirit you had just now go? Bring it back out, meow!"
(=｀Д=)ジ
Seeing that Shirahoshi only managed to stay firm for such a short while, Jinx angrily raised her paw and gave her head a rapid series of smacks.
"Ugh! Big Sis, if you keep hitting me, I'm going to get angry!"
Encouraged—well, forced—by Jinx, Shirahoshi finally worked up the courage and lifted her hand to grab at the little blue cat on top of her head…
"I didn't tell you to bring out that spirit against me, meow!"
(=｀Д=)
Jinx grew even angrier. She twisted around, leapt down from Shirahoshi head, then grabbed her fish tail and bit down hard.
"Fish-Man Karate · Tail Whip!"
Shirahoshi swiftly swung her tail back and forth, the air whooshing as it lashed around, while Jinx hung tightly from it, refusing to let go.
The two stubborn girls ended up locked in a stalemate.
What Shirahoshi hadn't expected was that before she could shake Jinx off, another little troublemaking cat joined in.
"Meowhahaha! This looks super fun! Klee wants to play too, meow!"
(=｀=)
The little ragdoll pounced forward and accurately latched onto the tail that was still "flailing wildly," then went "nom" and bit down on it.
Of course, compared to Jinx, who had used a bit of force, Klee Meow bit much more lightly. Because of that, she couldn't hold on for long before being flung away.
But the little ragdoll didn't mind in the slightest. Instead, she happily repeated the game of "pounce → get flung off → pounce again" over and over.
Seeing how much fun she was having, Jinx immediately forgot about being upset with Shirahoshi. She loosened her jaws and started playing the same way as Klee Meow.
Soon after, Suika Meow, Link Meow, and Sanji Meow—those Felynes who usually enjoyed roughhousing—also joined in.
And when Shirahoshi saw this, she continued swinging her tail in cooperation…
Treating it as practice for Fish-Man Karate.
Thus, the faint trace of gunpowder tension that had just risen instantly vanished, smoothly switching over to the Investigation Team daily routine.
Huamei: "…"
"Too lazy to deal with you little idiots, meow!"
(=`н=)
Huamei rolled her eyes, then turned and threw herself into Sherwin arms, puffing her cheeks as she sought comfort.
Amid the Felyne playful squabbling, the Dodo Advance, under the control of the Dodo, slowly sailed into the harbor of the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Huh? That strange, meow…"
Nestled in Sherwin arms and enjoying the petting service, Huamei lifted her head and looked around.
"Why are there so few ships in the harbor? It not even half of what it was the last time we came, meow."
Sherwin followed her gaze and swept his eyes across the port.
Indeed, the number of ships didn't match the density expected of the Sabaody Archipelago, this special transportation hub. And…
"Most of them are actually pirate ships."
You had to know, ever since they set out, the pirates along their route had all fled at the mere hint of their approach. It had already been a long time since Sherwin and the others had seen any ships flying the skull-and-crossbones flag.
But thinking about it, it made sense. After all, the Sabaody Archipelago was the endpoint of every route in the first half of the Grand Line. Even if the pirates along their particular route had all run off, there was no way to predict when pirates from the other routes would arrive at Sabaody.
Even so, the proportion of pirate ships here is far too high.
"Let go. We'll visit Aunt Shakky first to catch up, then I'll take you to the amusement park."
Since he couldn't figure it out, Sherwin simply stopped thinking about it. He decided to go straight to Shakky and ask her directly.
And while he was at it…
He would check whether Doflamingo auction house was still there. If it was, he'd smash it again!
...