"What? Red-Haired has already arrived, and the Marines already know I've been scavenging the research institute?"
When Sherwin received the call from Huamei again, he was more than a little speechless. Red-Haired had arrived far too quickly—and if you're coming, why make such a massive scene?
"Didn't you guys stop them?"
"I was planning to intercept him, but before I could even have the Dodo Advance surface, that guy split the ice apart with a flying slash. There was simply no time to stop him meow."
Huamei tone was equally helpless.
Technically, if they had immediately monitored the movements around Future Island the moment they knew Red-Haired was coming, they might have had a chance to intercept the Red-Haired Pirates before they got close.
However, the crew was composed entirely of Felynes asking them to stand guard for a short while was fine, but expecting them to stay on high alert for several days straight was out of the question. Even Huamei herself didn't have that kind of patience.
"Forget it, let him come. We're just about finished over here anyway. Don't worry about him just leave him hanging."
Although it didn't impact Sherwin much, having his whereabouts exposed by Shanks for no reason left him feeling somewhat annoyed.
After giving Huamei her instructions, he pushed the matter of Red-Haired to the side for the moment and continued copying the data in the second research institute with the Felynes.
If Red-Haired couldn't wait and decided to leave...
Then let him leave.
It wasn't as if Sherwin was the one looking for him he was the one looking for Sherwin.
Just as Sherwin was thinking this, he suddenly felt a faint, oppressive sensation...
"Is this... Conqueror Haki?"
Sherwin and the others, who were in the middle of their work, all turned their heads toward the same direction—the exact source of that Haki.
"Does Shanks really need to go that far?"
Sherwin grumbled, a black line of frustration appearing on his face.
Even though Shanks had suppressed the intensity of his Conqueror Haki significantly—meaning ordinary people would only feel a slight palpitation or a sense of oppression rather than fainting—using such a wide-range burst of Haki just to bait Sherwin out felt like a massive overreaction.
Captain Gorilla, who had returned to the harbor, shared a similar sentiment.
"The... the Hunter has already left! If... if you also want the technology Vegapunk left behind, I... I can take it upon myself to provide you with a copy!"
Even with Shanks dialing back the Haki, Captain Gorilla was standing directly in front of Red-Haired, making the pressure far harder to bear.
He quickly and tremulously blurted out his bottom line, hoping only that Shanks would leave as soon as possible.
"Ah... so he came here for Vegapunk technology? My apologies, I have no interest in those things. I'm simply looking for the Hunter."
Shanks withdrew his Conqueror Haki. He hadn't been certain if Sherwin had truly left, so he had used the Haki as a probe—or rather, a notification. Now that the test was over, he just had to wait for Sherwin response.
Once the pressure vanished, Sherwin turned to Purah Meow and the others and said decisively, "Ignore him. We continue."
What a joke. You expose my whereabouts and then try to force me out? Life doesn't work that way. Keep waiting!
And so, Shanks stood there like a fool at the bow of the Red Force, braving the biting cold wind for over half an hour, yet there was still no sign of Sherwin...
"It seems... they really have already left..."
Shanks scratched his head and looked toward his first mate and external brain with a dry laugh. "Beckman, it seems we've arrived a step too late."
Benn Beckman shook his head with some helplessness and said, "There no helping it their ship mobility is just too high... Speaking of which, when you contacted Morgans earlier, why didn't you ask him for the Hunter contact information, or have him help set a time and place to meet with the Hunter?"
"Oh right! I could have done that!"
A look of realization dawned on Shanks as he slapped his thigh hard.
Benn Beckman: "..."
"Fine, since we aren't welcome here, let head out for now. You contact Morgans later and properly set up a meeting."
Sighing helplessly once more, Benn Beckman waved his hand with a lack of interest. The Marine Captain standing guard at the pier couldn't hear what Shanks and Beckman were saying on the ship, but seeing that they seemed to be planning to leave, he breathed a sigh of relief.
However, before he could finish exhaling, he saw Shanks and the others, who had intended to depart, suddenly turn back and look toward the woods behind them.
Immediately after, the Marine Captain and his men could also hear a series of heavy "thump-thump-thump" footsteps rapidly approaching.
Accompanied by the footsteps that were now close at hand and the rustling sounds of the brush, they soon saw a massive snow-white figure emerge from the forest.
It was an elephant made entirely of snow, yet it possessed a mechanical design. What was truly miraculous was that this mechanical elephant gave off a contradictory feeling of being both ancient and high-tech at the same time.
And Sherwin, whom Shanks had been looking for, was sitting boldly atop it along with Robin and the Felynes.
"Wow! So many people meow!"
(=ΦωΦ=)
Klee Meow lay on Sherwin shoulder, poking her little head out to look down.
"Red-Haired Shanks? What are you doing here?"
Before Shanks could speak, Sherwin took the initiative to play dumb.
"Eh? Didn't Morgans tell you? I have something I need to talk to you about."
Shanks easily believed Sherwin performance, or rather, he didn't care about such small details.
"Oh..." Sherwin nodded, looking at the Marines on one side and then at Shanks, continuing to act oblivious. "So that Conqueror Haki just now was from you?"
"That right," Shanks nodded along, then complained, "But you didn't react at all, making me stand here whistling in the cold wind for ages."
Sherwin shrugged. "I didn't know it was you."
While the two of them were chatting aimlessly, the nearby Marines were so nervous they were on the verge of fainting.
After all, the bounties of Sherwin and Shanks combined already exceeded seven billion Berries, while the highest-ranking officer among them was only a Captain...
Consequently, these Marines didn't dare say a word about holding Sherwin accountable for the research institute they were afraid of making even the slightest sound lest they be given an excuse to be wiped out.
However, Sherwin and Shanks had no intention of making trouble for these Marines in the first place. As the Dodo Advance emerged from the water and switched back to its normal form, Sherwin and the others returned to their own ship.
"This isn't the place for a chat. Let go. I remember there an uninhabited island not far from here. Not only is it free from distractions, but the climate isn't nearly as harsh."
Sherwin greeted Shanks and then had the Dodo Advance head in the direction of that uninhabited island.
Shanks quickly had the Red Hair Pirate sailors follow, then, after a moment of silence, he suddenly shouted toward Sherwin ahead,
"Wait a minute! Since your ship has been underwater this whole time, how could you possibly have not known I was already here?!"
"Tsk... how did he suddenly get smart? Unfortunately, still not smart enough..."
Sherwin clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath.
However, he did not answer Red Hair question, only having the Dodo Advance speed up.
"Captain..." Benn Beckman patted Shanks on the shoulder while suppressing a laugh.
"The man already gave you a way to save face. Why did you have to go and expose it yourself?"
Shanks: "..."