Because of the Heavenly Yaksha sudden bout of emo, the rest of the journey was much quieter.
Sherwin didn't know why he had suddenly gone silent, but…
Whatever. The less he talks, the better. At least he won't disturb me petting the Felynes.
Before long, the toy carriage arrived at the royal palace of Dressrosa, and Sherwin finally met the CP0 agents Doflamingo had mentioned.
As the most special branch within the entire CP organization—and the one with the greatest authority—CP0 attire was clearly different from the other CP agents.
When not carrying out covert missions, the other CP agents generally wore black suits, while CP0 wore white suits.
Yeah… pretty flashy.
But paired with those indescribable masks on their faces, there was also a strange sense of comedic absurdity.
Especially since the three CP0 agents in front of him were arranged by height like a cellphone signal bar. The sight made it even more amusing to Sherwin.
Also…
These three CP0… I feel like I've seen them somewhere before…
Just as Sherwin stared intently at the white suits in front of him, racking his brain to recall the manga he had read in the past, the shortest of the three stepped forward and spoke first.
"'Hunter' Sherwin, you've been quite active lately."
It seemed that although he was the shortest in height, he was the leader among the three.
However, Sherwin attention was drawn instead to the mouth and cheeks that moved along as the man spoke…
"Huh?! You're not wearing a mask?!"
Sherwin only noticed the detail when the other party spoke.
Unlike his two companions, this CP0 agent wasn't wearing a mask. Instead, he had painted his entire face white, wore something like robotic earmuffs, and had done something to his eyes so that they looked like one black dot and one white dot.
Combined with his previous expressionless demeanor, it really was easy to mistake him for wearing a mask.
And those black-and-white eyes successfully stirred Sherwin memory…
Wasn't this the guy in the manga who interfered in the battle between Kaido and Luffy, then got smashed with a club by the enraged Kaido?
The only question was whether he died on the spot or got knocked into awakening Ryuo or Haoshoku coating by Kaido blow.
After recalling who he was, Sherwin eyes immediately narrowed.
Because he clearly remembered—in the original story, these guys had tried to kill Robin in Wano.
So they weren't invited by Doflamingo… they were here to cause trouble for Robin?
The way these CP0 agents had acted in the manga made Sherwin think a little too much.
"…"
Guernica hadn't expected Sherwin first concern to be his "mask," and what puzzled him even more was why the other man had suddenly put on a guarded expression.
Fortunately, there were all sorts of oddballs in this world. As a member of CP0, Guernica had seen plenty. People with personalities stranger than Sherwin were not uncommon to him.
So he quickly adjusted himself and said bluntly, "You don't need to worry about us. The World Government has no intention of interfering in disputes between the Seven Warlords. However, Doflamingo is still the king of an allied nation, so we're here only to ensure that you don't kill him. As for everything else, we won't interfere."
"!!!"
Doflamingo "bean-like eyes" beneath his sunglasses suddenly widened as he stared at Guernica in disbelief.
However, whether it was Guernica or Joseph and Gismonda behind him, none of them paid Doflamingo any attention. After giving Sherwin a nod, they consciously stepped aside.
To be honest, even Sherwin felt a bit troubled at this moment. Guernica completely unconventional move caught him off guard, leaving him unsure how to respond for a moment.
As one of the rare kings in the pirate world who was competent both in governance and in character, Sherwin had quite a good impression of King Riku.
So originally, he had planned to rescue Violet and King Riku first, then check if there was anything overlooked, and only after that flip the table.
And Doflamingo clearly did not want to clash with Sherwin either, so he had been constantly showing weakness and yielding, simply to avoid giving Sherwin an excuse to explode.
But now, this inexplicable CP0 agent had directly shattered the "tacit understanding" between the two of them, dragging the matter straight into the open…
It wasn't just Doflamingo—even Sherwin, whose plan had been disrupted, felt the urge to aim at that mask-like face and land a hard punch on it.
Fortunately, through his usual battle of wits with the little Felynes, the Hunter had developed excellent on-the-spot adaptability.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Sherwin immediately burst into laughter and pulled Trafalgar Law over from the side.
"Although I don't find Doflamingo pleasing to the eye, I didn't come here this time to cause him trouble…" He patted Law on the shoulder, ignoring his shocked expression as he continued,
"The one who actually wants trouble is this guy. Since he once did me and Kuma a big favor, we only came this time to repay that debt. As for how this gets settled…"
Sherwin turned and flashed a row of white teeth at the Heavenly Yaksha. "Why don't the two of you discuss it first?"
Sherwin explanation—Doflamingo believed it.
Because the Heavenly Yaksha did not know that Sherwin was already aware Vergo was his man. He did not know that Sherwin had a connection within CP through Kody.
Nor did he know that Sherwin had already learned he had issued bounties in the underworld under the name Joker.
So in his view, the grievances between himself and Sherwin amounted to nothing more than this: he had smashed his auction house when Sherwin became a Warlord, he had tripped him up a little and then been beaten up by two Felynes he had sent people to capture Shirahoshi, only to be counter-killed by Sherwin and extorted for two Devil Fruits…
Doflamingo: "..."
In short, the Heavenly Yaksha felt that the hostility between them had not reached a life-or-death level. At worst, it was just as Sherwin had said—mutual dislike.
Therefore, from Doflamingo perspective, Sherwin claim that he had only come to help Law was actually highly credible.
As a result, the Heavenly Yaksha mood instantly brightened. With that swaggering, lawless stride of his, he walked up to Trafalgar Law and, for the first time since Sherwin and the others had entered Dressrosa, looked at him properly.
"Fufufufufu… Isn't this my subordinate who went missing nearly ten years ago?"
In his excellent mood, Doflamingo regained his interest in toying with people hearts. Wearing his signature wicked grin, he spoke to Law with "sincere affection," "The position of the third-generation Corazon of the Donquixote Family—I've still been keeping it for you."
"Is that so? Unfortunately, what I want now is the position of young master… hm, the young master of the Trafalgar Family."
Although he had been somewhat dissatisfied at first about Sherwin pushing him out front, the moment Law saw Doflamingo same hypocritical expression as always, he instantly cast everything else aside and began trading barbs with him without the slightest hint of weakness.
"And besides, I wouldn't dare remain your subordinate any longer. After all, the second-generation Corazon—your younger brother, Mr. Corazon—was killed by your own hands. Whether becoming your 'family' or becoming 'Corazon,' neither is anything good."
Then he glanced at the CP0 standing off to the side watching the show and suddenly let out a light chuckle. "Speaking of which, what about the first Corazon, Vergo? Don't tell me you got rid of him too?"
Before Doflamingo could react, Sherwin immediately stroked his chin and muttered in feigned puzzlement, "Vergo? That name sounds awfully familiar…"
"You idiot, wasn't he the base commander of the G-5 branch? Their base even got blown up by that rotten Kaido, meow!"
(=`ω=)ジ
Haibara Meow seamlessly played along with Sherwin.
Well, it would have been even better if she hadn't smacked her own head with her little paw.
"..."
Feeling the gazes from the three CP0 agents behind him settle onto his back, Doflamingo mood immediately darkened again.
…