The uninhabited island Sherwin mentioned couldn't store a magnetic charge it was just one of many relay-station-style islets in the Grand Line. It wasn't too far, and they didn't encounter any terrible weather along the way, so the two ships quickly arrived and docked.
"Ahahahaha! You must be the 'Hunter' Sherwin, right? I've wanted to meet you for a long time!"
After everyone had disembarked, Shanks, likely trying to ease the awkwardness, spoke some very stiff pleasantries. "I heard you know old man Rayleigh too he used to be our first mate!"
"Yeah, back in the East Blue, I took down a fishman pirate who had once saved his life. So, when I was at the Sabaody Archipelago, he came looking for a fight. If Vice Admiral Garp hadn't shown up later, things probably would have ended pretty badly for me."
Sherwin deliberately kept a straight face, looking at Shanks with a cold gaze as he spoke.
He wasn't exactly lying, either. His strength back then was much lower than it was now if the fight had continued, he most likely would have taken a beating from Rayleigh...
Well, to this day, Sherwin still didn't realize that he had actually been on the verge of outlasting the old man.
Regardless of what the situation had actually been, as soon as Sherwin said those words, the atmosphere between the two parties immediately became even more awkward.
"...Ha, hahaha, is that how it was?"
Shanks forced a smile onto his face. After a few dry laughs, he really didn't know how to follow that up, so he could only keep shooting glances at Ben Beckman, hoping he would step in to save the day.
However, even Beckman was a bit at a loss. It was one thing to accidentally expose Sherwin trail earlier, but now, a hard-won attempt to build rapport had gone completely sideways. How was he supposed to fix this?!
Right at that moment, Yasopp, the sniper of the Red Hair Pirates, stepped forward.
"Oh?! So you've been to the East Blue? I wonder if you've visited a place called Syrup Village that my hometown, you know."
"Syrup Village?" Sherwin pretended to think for a moment, then intentionally let a look of realization cross his face. "So you're the pirate father Usopp talks about."
Klee Meow on his shoulder cooperatively pulled at his ear and asked, "Sherwin brother, are you talking about that brother with the very long nose meow?"
(=ω=)
"Eh? You've seen my son?!"
Yasopp asked with great excitement, "He must have become a real man by now, right?!"
However, Sherwin decisively doused him with a bucket of cold water.
"What makes you think that?" Sherwin said with a sneer.
"Usopp mother fell gravely ill when he was very young. In order to make her happy, Usopp had to lie every day, saying that pirates were coming..."
"...So, now he basically can't do anything except lie. It only because the villagers of Syrup Village are very kind and help him out from time to time otherwise, I expect he would have starved to death long ago."
Without exaggeration or concealment, Sherwin told Yasopp about Usopp current situation and sneered again.
"So, as a completely irresponsible father, exactly what kind of confidence do you have to believe that Usopp could grow into a real man under those circumstances?"
"How... how cruel..."
After hearing about Usopp plight, Shirahoshi, overflowing with sympathy, instantly had tears welling up in her eyes.
She then glared at Yasopp with an expression of pure disdain. "Someone like you doesn't deserve to be called a father at all!"
Having been loved and protected by her family since childhood, Shirahoshi could not imagine that such an irresponsible father existed in this world.
"A fellow who abandons his children so casually shouldn't even live in this world!"
Baby-5, who had been abandoned by her own parents, wore a face full of loathing, looking as if she wanted to rush forward and stab Yasopp to death.
Robin expression was complex Yasopp actions reminded her of her own similarly irresponsible mother.
Yasopp face was filled with shame.
"I imagine you probably never sent any letters or money back to your wife and son, right? If you had sent money, perhaps your wife illness could have been cured. Even just sending a letter might have improved her physical condition by lifting her spirits, meow."
(ω)
Standing on Sherwin shoulder, Haibara Meow looked down at Yasopp with a cold, sidelong glance.
The other Felynes also cast looks of disdain toward Yasopp.
The shame on Yasopp face deepened, and he didn't even dare to look up and meet the eyes of Sherwin and the others.
Of course, shame was one thing, but regret was out of the question. After all, people in the pirate world were basically of this nature for the sake of so-called freedom and dreams, they could abandon everything.
Yet, when it came to "family," these same types of people were capable of giving everything...
The most typical examples were those guys from the Whitebeard Pirates.
As for Shanks, who stood nearby, he felt even more awkward because he was the one who had taken Yasopp away in the first place.
Furthermore, seeing that Sherwin knew Yasopp son, he had originally intended to bring up Luffy to see if he could start a conversation.
However, after hearing what Sherwin said, he wasn't sure if mentioning Luffy at this moment was a good idea anymore.
"However... Usopp has never hated you. On the contrary, he is proud of you as his father."
After showing his disdain for Yasopp, Sherwin changed the subject.
What could be done when people in this world were simply like this? Besides, this was ultimately someone else family matter, and he had no right to interfere.
Therefore, he simply told Yasopp everything about Usopp situation without bias.
To his surprise, as soon as those words were spoken, Yasopp—who had been barely holding it together—instantly broke down. He collapsed directly onto his knees and began to wail uncontrollably.
"Waaaaaah—! Usopp! Banchina! I've failed you both, ahhhhhh—!"
After having a good, long cry, Yasopp stood up, walked over to Sherwin, and gave a deep bow. "Thank you for bringing me news of Usopp."
With that, he turned and ran toward the Red Force without looking back. Likely prompted by Haibara Meow, he was off to write a letter to his son.
"Good thing I never got married..."
Lucky Roux took a bite of the giant meat bone that never left his hand and muttered quietly.
Beside him, a group of pirates nodded in agreement.
"Ahem... Sherwin, the truth is," Shanks said, seeing the atmosphere between the two sides finally soften. He hurried to state his purpose, fearing another mishap might occur.
"I came looking for you because there are some things I'd like to discuss. I hope you'll give me some face."
"So, is 'give me some face' a common catchphrase in the West Blue?" Sherwin rolled his eyes and couldn't help but retort.
"Huh?" Shanks paused for a moment, then answered honestly, "I haven't really noticed. Although the West Blue is my hometown, I didn't actually grow up there."
"Your hometown? Isn't it..."
Sherwin raised an eyebrow, then silently mouthed "Mary Geoise" at Shanks.
Even though Shanks had a good temperament, he was still an Emperor. Using such a weighty secret to provoke him wasn't exactly a wise move, but Sherwin just couldn't resist being a bit of a brat...
Yeah, I've definitely been infected by those little rascals of Felynes on the ship.
"!!!"
Shank expression instantly turned serious. At the same time, a surge of Conqueror Haki, far more powerful than before, erupted from his body.
Several pirates within the Red Hair Pirates collapsed unconscious because of it, while on Sherwin side, only Baby-5 fainted...
It couldn't be helped she had been with the investigation team for too short a time, and the Conqueror Haki resistance training Sherwin arranged had only just reached the second stage.
As for the newly summoned Kamijou Meow, although he wasn't even a Felyne comrade, his terrible luck meant he had encountered even more Elder Dragons than Huamei Meow.
He had long since grown accustomed to intimidating attacks like Dragon Pressure.
(=`ω=)
After Shanks unleashed his Conqueror Haki, Huamei Meow immediately refused to be outdone and activated her own Conqueror Haki.
Black lightning appeared out of thin air, and the clouds above everyone heads were split in two, as if the sky itself had been rent asunder.
Glancing with surprise at the bristling Huamei Meow, a calmed Shanks slowly withdrew his Conqueror Haki, then stared at Sherwin with a complex expression.
"This matter... how did you find out about it?"
After having teased him several times, Sherwin finally regained his usual steadiness. He stopped brushing Shanks off with perfunctory answers like "I have special intelligence sources" and instead used Kuma as a shield.
"I know Bartholomew Kuma. He was one of the survivors of God Valley, and most of the slaves who survived back then were rescued by him using the Paw-Paw Fruit."
While this answer didn't directly address Shank question, it served as a sideways confirmation that Sherwin was well aware of the events at God Valley.
"I see..." Shanks nodded, pressing no further. Then, looking at Sherwin with great sincerity, he said, "As far as I'm concerned, my only hometown is the West Blue."