Shank gaze flickered back and forth between Sherwin and Kaido Meow, seemingly unable to grasp the current situation for a moment.
And indeed, it was quite the puzzle. While one could argue that an Animal Kingdom-type Fruit capable of transforming into a dragon might have a similar counterpart, Kaido signature moves were a different matter entirely.
Shanks was well aware that Sherwin had clashed with Kaido before, but he didn't believe for a second that a single encounter would allow Sherwin to replicate Kaido techniques so perfectly.
Thunder Bagua might not be on the same level as Divine Departure, but it certainly wasn't a move one could master effortlessly.
As for the idea of Kaido personally teaching it, that was even more impossible Sherwin and Kaido were bitter enemies.
That left only one possibility...
A look of sudden realization dawned on Shank face, and his gaze instinctively drifted toward the direction of Karakuri Island.
Could this Felyne Kaido be some kind of "clone" created through Vegapunk technology? Was that why Sherwin had specifically come to Vegapunk hometown—to search for related data?
Due to his unique status, Shanks knew far more about Vegapunk than the average person. While he wasn't clear on the specifics of the scientist research, the idea of cloning someone or transferring one person abilities to another was, within Shank understanding, something Vegapunk could potentially achieve.
Furthermore, Kaido had indeed been held by the World Government for a long period in the past...
Thus, through a mix of known intel, speculation, and mental leaps, Shanks completed a logical loop in his mind.
Sherwin didn't know exactly what Shanks was thinking, but based on the complex gaze directed at Kaido Meow—a mixture of sympathy and curiosity—he knew the man had definitely misunderstood something.
"Um... things aren't what you think..."
Sherwin rubbed the bridge of his nose helplessly. "I'm not sure what you've associated this with, but the truth is definitely different from whatever you're imagining."
Sherwin was absolutely certain Shanks could never guess that Kaido Meow was actually a dimensional counterpart of Kaido summoned from another world.
"Don't worry, I get it, I get it. This Kaido Meow has absolutely nothing to do with that Kaido!"
Shanks nodded vigorously in agreement, mistakenly assuming Sherwin was hiding Kaido Meow "true" identity from the Felyne himself.
"..."
"What do you even know!"
Sherwin looked at Shanks, who was constantly winking at him, utterly speechless. He had no idea what the man thought he had figured out.
"I wouldn't say there absolutely no connection..."
Deciding it was best to explain, Sherwin took the initiative to bring up the matter of the Sakura Dragon Fruit.
"We once visited Punk Hazard, a former Science Force research base abandoned by the World Government.
Inside, we found a manmade Devil Fruit created by Vegapunk. It used Kaido Lineage Factor, so the replicated ability was Kaido Azure Dragon power.
Somewhere along the line, something went wrong, causing the Azure Dragon to become a Sakura Dragon. Afterward, I gave that fruit to Kaido Meow, who was the most suitable for it."
"I see. I thought you had specifically gone out and found another Mythical Zoan fruit that could turn someone into a dragon."
However, after hearing Sherwin explanation, Shanks became even more certain of his previous guess, and he even filled in the blanks regarding Kaido Meow backstory...
In his mind, Sherwin had likely found both Kaido Meow and the Sakura Dragon Fruit at that place called Punk Hazard.
Fearing that Kaido Meow might be troubled by his identity as an "experimental subject" or even a "cyborg," Sherwin must have found a way to wake him up elsewhere and then handed him the Sakura Dragon Fruit.
Shanks even doubted if the Sakura Dragon Fruit actually existed. It was possible that Kaido Meow already possessed the "original" fruit ability, and Sherwin had simply given him a weird-looking piece of fruit to eat, tricking him into believing it was a manmade Devil Fruit...
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? At the same time Sherwin found a Felyne who looked so much like Kaido and could use Kaido own techniques, he also managed to find a manmade Devil Fruit replicated from Kaido specific ability.
It wasn't really Shank fault for misunderstanding. After all, who could have imagined that the Felynes by Sherwin side were all summoned from another world, and that he could even choose specific banners during the summoning process?
Without knowing about the Palico Summoning Vouchers or their summoning rules, Shank deduction was actually quite logical.
Seeing Shank "I've seen through everything" expression, Sherwin knew that the misunderstanding, far from being cleared up, had only deepened.
But he couldn't be bothered to explain further. Let him misunderstand it wasn't a big deal anyway.
"Cough... Anyway, that how it is. Do you have any way to help Kaido awaken Conqueror Haki as soon as possible? I plan to give the other Kaido a little surprise, and he also wants to have a fight with the one who looks so much like him."
Sherwin pulled the conversation back to the main topic. "But without Conqueror Haki, I'm worried my Kaido will be at a disadvantage."
"It would be great if we knew how that Kaido awakened his Conqueror Haki back then..." Shanks was quite interested in the idea of giving Kaido a surprise, so he immediately started brainstorming with Sherwin.
"But looking at your Kaido, his personality isn't quite the same as the other one. Even if we knew, it probably wouldn't be a direct fit..."
After pondering for a while, he proposed, "How about I use my Conqueror Haki to stimulate him first and see what happens? If that doesn't work, let me spar with him. Perhaps I can force out his Conqueror Haki that way."
In regards to Conqueror Haki, Sherwin, the Hunter, didn't have much of a say. After all, he didn't possess it himself, so he could only try Shank methods for now...
However, Sherwin wasn't particularly optimistic about either approach...
Although Shanks had long been considered by most netizens to be the character with the strongest Conqueror Haki in One Piece, based on Sherwin own feelings, while Shank Conqueror Haki was indeed powerful—even possessing a pressure that surpassed most Elder Dragon-level monsters and approached Super Elder Dragon-level monsters like Kaido—it still lagged significantly behind those Unbound-level monsters in his inherited memories, not to mention the Forbidden-level Black Dragon family.
Kaido Meow had fought Unbound-level monsters like Gaismagorm. With Shank Conqueror Haki still being debated as to whether it even reached the Super Elder Dragon level, Sherwin really didn't think it would cause Kaido Meow to have any special reaction.
As for the second method, neither Shanks nor Kaido Meow would actually fight to the death. Therefore, the possibility of using a spar to force out Kaido Meow Conqueror Haki was equally low...
If just having a fight was enough to succeed, Kaido Meow would have awakened his Conqueror Haki long ago during their usual training sessions.
But even though Sherwin was skeptical, he didn't refuse Shank kindness...
Since he didn't have any better ideas, he might as well let Shanks try. There was nothing to lose, anyway.
Regrettably, things unfolded exactly as Sherwin had predicted. Although Shank Conqueror Haki was indeed stronger than Kaido when fully unleashed—living up to the title of the "Most Domineering Man in the Pirate World" bestowed upon him by netizens—this level of pressure really didn't amount to much for Kaido Meow...
Not only him, but even Haibara Meow, whose individual combat strength wasn't high, remained perfectly calm.
While the little kitten hadn't been as unlucky as Kamijou Meow, who could run into an Unbound-level monster just by going out to fish, she had experienced the Rampage! The collective pressure of so many Elder Dragons appearing at once was not something a typical Super Elder Dragon-level could compare to.
This caused Shanks to once again doubt whether his Conqueror Haki had somehow malfunctioned...
The subsequent battle was the same since both sides were clearly holding back, it amounted to nothing more than providing some entertainment for Sherwin and the rest of the Red Hair Pirates.