"It… it Bucks!"
"What he doing here?!"
"Old nice guy Cody ship seems to be arriving today…"
That gang of mob members instantly fell into chaos.
Although Sherwin had mocked him for mimicking Red-Haired Shanks way of speaking, this burly uncle actually did seem pretty respectable… at least in this area, he probably had some real clout.
Because after a brief panic, those gang members who had just been facing off with each other all turned their weapons toward him in unison—clearly thinking that he alone was more troublesome than the other two rival gangs combined.
"What? Just you lot, and you think you can make a move on me?"
Bucks narrowed his eyes and slowly swept his gaze around.
Honestly, if you ignored who he was warning, he really did give off a bit of that Red-Haired vibe.
"You're nothing but a stray dog forced out of your hometown by the Demon Sheriff. Don't think the Caste Family will be afraid of you!"
"Y-yeah! You're just one guy—we've got the numbers on our side!"
If only their voices weren't trembling so much, those lines might've been a bit more convincing.
But still…
To have survived under a future member of the Blackbeard Pirates, Uncle Bucks really had some strength.
Sherwin was starting to see him in a new light.
Even if Lafitte wasn't as strong now as he would be after the main story started, he still wouldn't be a weakling.
After all, being remembered by Vice Admiral Tsuru and recognized by Blackbeard wouldn't be possible if he didn't have real strength.
And since he hadn't been hammered by Teacher Kaido, it unlikely his strength skyrocketed suddenly either… not everyone has the talent and willpower of a striving admiral.
"I'll say it one more time—either leave now, or come and test my swordsmanship, and see which side really has the upper hand!"
Maybe it struck a nerve—Bucks expression instantly turned grim. As he drew the rapier hanging at his waist, he gritted his teeth and spat out the threat.
All the gang members took a step back in unison, clearly not as confident as they had claimed just moments ago.
"Sherwin-nii…"
Klee Meow tugged at Sherwin sleeve again, her little face full of grievance.
She finally had a rare chance to set off fireworks, but it looked like Uncle Bucks was going to mess things up. The little plushie was feeling a bit sulky.
Since Bucks didn't seem like he was here to cause them trouble—in fact, it looked more like he was helping—Sherwin decided to observe for a while longer.
"Let keep watching, just a little more…" So while rubbing Klee Meow little head, he softly consoled her: "If it doesn't work out, I'll take you to the beach to bomb fish later."
"Okay then…"
Klee Meow pouted her lips but obediently stopped sulking.
While the one human and one Felyne whispered among themselves, Bucks had already clashed with the gang members…
Though he said the iconic line "Give me some face," in the end, he wasn't Red-Haired Shanks—his face wasn't as valuable as he thought.
Still, while his reputation might not carry much weight, Bucks strength definitely backed up his earlier tough talk.
A whole gang armed with guns couldn't handle him in close combat. Bucks easily deflected the bullets flying toward him with his sword and even had spare energy to counterattack while protecting Sherwin and the others.
With strength like that, no wonder he managed to escape from under Lafitte hand.
What didn't match Uncle Bucks burly build, though, was that his sword style was actually agility-based—his moves mainly composed of thrust techniques. No wonder he used a rapier.
It was just unclear what level Uncle Bucks strength ranked at within the world of One Piece.
Sherwin stood to the side, watching seriously, using Bucks as a reference to evaluate his own swordsmanship and overall ability.
If it was just about finesse in swordsmanship, then Sherwin hunter-style swordplay—which was mainly used for hacking down large monsters—couldn't compare at all. But when it came to raw destructive power, Uncle Bucks sword techniques were far inferior.
You have to understand, the battle skills of Hunters were developed gradually for the purpose of slaying large or even giant monsters, always striving for stronger destructive power and more efficient burst output. While the pirate world also had Sea Kings, they weren't the main combat targets for humans in this world.
Of course, if it came down to a real fight, Bucks definitely wouldn't be a match for Sherwin. Even without using Armament Haki, Sherwin could easily overpower him with sheer strength and speed advantage.
But if the two of them had similar stats and fought in a one-on-one duel, Sherwin chances of winning might actually be a bit lower… the key would be whether he could seize the right moment to land a heavy blow on Bucks.
While Sherwin was comparing himself with Bucks from all aspects, the gang members were already showing signs of losing.
In fact, if Bucks hadn't wanted to avoid causing trouble for Mr. Cody and held back from going all out on the gang, this fight would've ended long ago.
Seeing that the group of "wallets" was about to be beaten so badly by Uncle Bucks that they'd grab their buckets and run, both Sherwin and Klee Meow had gloomy expressions.
Klee Meow was gloomy because she couldn't blow up the bad guys anymore, while Sherwin frustration naturally came from… his plan to black-eat-black—wait, no, white-eat-black—seemed like it was about to fall apart.
But heaven never bars one way. Just as that useless bunch of gang members was preparing to flee, the silent Sanji Meow suddenly twitched his ears and reminded them, "Someone else is coming, meow."
Right after that, even Sherwin could hear the heavy sound of countless footsteps. A flood of black-suited men poured into the secluded alley, instantly blocking both ends completely.
"This is bad…"
With a grim face, Bucks forced back the opponent in front of him with a sword strike, then quickly retreated to Sherwin and the others.
"Stick close to me, I'll find a way to break through with all of you."
"Uh… actually, it doesn't have to be that complicated… just knock them all down."
Judging from the looks of it, Uncle Bucks probably couldn't handle things anymore, and seeing that he really had come to protect them, Sherwin decided not to keep observing and came clean with him.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Bucks clearly thought Sherwin was still acting tough and couldn't help but scold angrily,
"Do you have any idea how terrible it would be if Klee and Sanji fell into these people hands?! This is not the time to be showing off!"
Sherwin didn't bother arguing with him. He turned and patted Klee Meow little head, chuckling softly, "Klee, it up to you. Try to control yourself a bit…"
"Yay! Klee will do her very best, meow!"
The little plushie, who had long been itching to move, didn't even wait for Sherwin to finish his sentence.
Cheering loudly, she pulled out all sorts of "boom-booms" she'd made from her backpack and hurled them all toward the black-suited men in one go—her little paws moving so fast they left afterimages!
"...Eh? What was Sherwin-nii just saying again, meow?" Klee Meow, who had tossed out dozens of bombs in the blink of an eye, turned back with a confused expression and asked.
"Oh… I was going to say, watch the power of your bombs. Don't go too overboard…" Sherwin replied in a calm tone, face blank as he watched the countless explosives flying through the air.
Klee Meow: "...Ehe~"
"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom——!!!"
Just as Klee Meow was tapping her head and acting cute, the bombs she had thrown were set off.
In an instant, the explosions roared into a chorus. Sherwin and the others eardrums rang from the shock, and their vision was completely engulfed by crimson firelight and pitch-black smoke.
Moments later, the blasts subsided and the smoke cleared, revealing the alley that had now been completely flattened, and a group of black-suited gangsters sprawled all over the ground in a disorderly mess...
Mm, people in the world of pirates really are tough—Sherwin didn't even notice anyone missing an arm or a leg.
Of course, that probably had something to do with Klee Meow only using the most basic "boom-boom" type bombs.
Clang.
Out of sheer shock, the sword in Bucks hand fell to the ground.
Only, Sherwin didn't have time to chat with him right now. Looking at the scene caused by Klee Meow, he held his forehead and sighed, then said to the two little cats beside him,
"Let hurry and check their pockets. We should try to recover whatever we can to reduce the losses."
With that, he took the lead and walked over to the black-suited gangsters lying all over the ground.
The original Klee, after causing trouble every time, would always do her best to make amends. While chatting with Klee Meow, she had also mentioned similar behavior, so Sherwin didn't plan to change this good habit of hers...
Even if that meant it would probably be a lot more work for him, Sherwin didn't find it troublesome.
Raising a cat means that while you enjoy the healing they bring, you naturally also have to take responsibility for the messes they make.