Yamato and Ace really were best friends neither wanted to acknowledge their biological fathers, both being single-mindedly intent on recognizing someone else (or a cat) as their father...
After seeing through her thoughts, Sherwin scratched his head speechlessly, then looked over at Kaido Meow, who was currently squinting his eyes and rolling onto his belly, looking quite comfortable under Shirahoshi practiced petting.
"Kaido, what do you think?"
"Meow?"
(=ω=)
Kaido Meow opened his eyes and tilted his head in confusion. "You can just make the decision on this kind of thing, Hunter. Why are you asking me, meow?"
"That naturally because..."
Sherwin gaze shifted back and forth between Kaido Meow and Yamato several times before he rubbed his brow and helplessly exposed Yamato intentions: "This girl is probably trying to find paternal love from you..."
"...Meow?!"
"Eh?!!"
"Wow—"
"Pfft, cough, cough, cough..."
"Is Brother Kaido going to be a father, meow? Hooray!"
The people and Felynes present expressed their shock in various ways, then turned their curious and surprised gazes toward Yamato.
Even Issho, who was already blind, opened his eyelids in astonishment and turned his sightless eyes in her direction.
Having had her thoughts laid bare by Sherwin, Yamato didn't feel embarrassed or try to explain herself. Instead, she admitted it with total confidence.
"That right! Compared to that bull-headed gorilla who tried to kill me several times, this Kaido who stood up for me is much more like my father!"
"But..."
(=ω=)
Kaido Meow never expected that his brief rant about Kaido behavior would inspire Yamato to "adopt a cat as a father." He scratched his ear with a helpless expression. "I'm not even thirty yet meow. Your age might even be older than mine meow..."
"Eh—?!"
Yamato also hadn't expected that this majestic-looking Maine Coon with such a mature and steady temperament was actually so young.
Things had truly become a bit awkward now.
Fortunately, Sherwin stepped in to save the situation at this moment.
"Ahem... Since you can't be father and daughter, being siblings is also an option."
Although Kaido Meow hadn't explicitly stated his position, he clearly cared about Yamato, the "Daughter of Kaido," so Sherwin didn't refuse her joining them.
Anyway, she wasn't constantly shouting about becoming Kozuki Oden anymore. The rest could be handled by Kaido Meow, her "guardian Felyne," to slowly educate her...
Who hasn't had a phase of idolizing someone?
"Eh? A brother?" After Yamato expression contorted in conflict for a while, she still insisted, "But I still want to recognize him as my father!"
Do you really want a Felyne father that badly?
Sherwin looked at the persistent Yamato wordlessly, complaining silently in his heart.
However, this did fit the setting where almost everyone in the world of pirates was single-minded.
"No meow! That just too strange meow!"
(ω≡ω)
But Kaido Meow refused to agree on his end, shaking his head desperately in rejection.
"Eh~ Why not meow?"
(艸)
The mischievous Haibara Meow covered her mouth and giggled, "That way, won't she have to call us auntie or elder sister Meow?"
"Yay, yay! Klee wants to be an auntie too Meow!"
(=＞＜=)
With Yamato stubbornly refusing to change her mind and the group of troublemaking Felynes egging her on, the reluctant Kaido Meow finally held his nose and accepted this "daughter" who was about the same age as him.
Of course, the troublemaking Felynes didn't actually become aunties, but instead followed what Sherwin said—everyone would address each other based on their own relationships.
"Great!"
Once the dust settled, Yamato immediately cheered and threw herself into Kaido Meow fluffy body, calling out "Father, Father" incessantly...
She settled into the role quite quickly.
However, Shirahoshi, who had been grooming the big cat just a moment ago, pouted unhappily.
"I haven't finished grooming Big Brother Kaido yet! Sister Yamato, don't come and disturb us!"
The slightly jealous Mermaid Princess hugged the large Maine Coon and twisted her body, snatching him back from Yamato embrace.
"I can help too!"
Yamato hesitated for a moment before pouncing forward to compete with Shirahoshi for attention...
having finally managed to feel paternal love from Kaido Meow, she, who had been emotionally deprived for a long time, naturally wasn't in the mood to look after her "little" sister.
"What are you playing Meow? Klee wants to play too Meow!"
(=＞＜=)
Seeing this scene, the fun-loving Ragdoll couldn't help but dive in, and the other troublemaking Felynes were drawn in as well, turning into a rowdy ball of chaos centered around Kaido Meow.
"Hmm... looks like Kaido is going to have quite the headache from now on."
A gloating smile spread across Sherwin face.
He was no stranger to such scenes. After all, Sherwin "Katou Cat Hand" was every bit as irresistible to cats as catnip and feather wands if it weren't for that, he wouldn't have been so obsessed with finding a clone-type Devil Fruit ability.
Now, finally, someone... or rather, some cat... can experience my hardships!
Sherwin watched with amusement for a while as Seijuro Meow struggled to deal with Yamato, Shirahoshi, and the other mischievous Felynes like Klee Meow who were joining in the fun.
Eventually, Denjiro and the other members of the Akazaya Nine, along with Kozuki Hiyori, finished their business and returned, bringing with them the sword they had promised Sherwin: Enma, one of the 21 Great Grade Blades.
Returning with them was an old man wearing a Tengu mask, with a pair of massive wings on his back and tall wooden geta clogs on his feet.
That right—Hiyori had escaped from the Beast Pirate pursuit at the very beginning, so there was no way she could have been carrying katana around with her.
In the original story, both Enma and Ame no Habakiri were kept in the possession of Kozuki Sukiyaki, who went by the alias Tenguyama Hitetsu.
Looking at it this way, Hiyori most likely had been in contact with "Tenguyama Hitetsu" for a long time, though she probably had no idea this man was actually her grandfather.
After all, in the original manga, Kozuki Sukiyaki didn't reveal his identity to the others even after Luffy defeated Kaido.
It seemed he had made up his mind to no longer involve himself with the Wano Country that had fallen under his watch... It was no wonder Kozuki Oden abandoned his position as Shogun to head out to sea without a second thought it was all in the genes.
Of course, in the manga, there was his grandson Kozuki Momonosuke to inherit the Shogun title, so it was somewhat understandable for the previous failed monarch to remain in the shadows.
But now, Kozuki Momonosuke had not yet arrived from twenty years in the past. What choice would this former Shogun make now?
Sherwin looked at "Tenguyama Hitetsu" with interest. Unfortunately, because of the mask, he couldn't see the man actual expression the only thing he could tell was that the other party was also sizing him up through the mask.
The reason Kozuki Sukiyaki followed along had little to do with Enma, and was mostly due to Sherwin evaluation of Kozuki Oden...
Denjiro and the other plan to have the united samurai discuss the position of Shogun first was not going smoothly.
There were far more people than they had imagined who did not want the Kozuki clan to inherit the Shogunate.
Besides Sherwin words, another reason for this was that the Shoguns of the Kozuki clan for the past few generations had not performed well.
Kozuki Sukiyaki and Kozuki Oden went without saying, but even looking back another generation, Sukiyaki father had nearly had the Shogunate stolen by the Kurozumi Daimyo of that time.
Previously, no one had brought it up because it seemed no one had ever considered changing the Shogun, but following Sherwin "reminder," these old matters were all unearthed together.
For Sukiyaki, who had already gone into hiding under a pseudonym, whether the Kozuki clan inherited the Shogunate was not that important.
However, like Denjiro, he could not be certain that Sherwin truly had no designs on Wano Country that "disparaging" evaluation of Kozuki Oden might have been a form of testing and positioning.
After all, Kozuki Sukiyaki knew of the existence of the Ancient Weapon Pluton, and he also knew about Nico Robin. It would be abnormal if he didn't make some sort of connection.
It was for this very reason that he had followed along specifically, wanting to confirm Sherwin true intentions.
In truth, Sherwin himself hadn't expected that his momentary outburst would lead to Wano Country remaining in a state of chaotic division even after Kaido was driven out...
Of course, even if he knew, he wouldn't care much. After all, this was all the Kozuki family own doing Sherwin had merely spoken a few truths.