Monster Hunter of the One Piece World

"Lord Sherwin, the Godfather sent me to take you to the port to choose a ship."

As Sherwin and the others walked out of the royal palace, a member of the Capone family who had been waiting for some time immediately came forward.

"Go on, I don't think anyone would be foolish enough to mess with us now," Uncle Cody said with a smile, waving at Sherwin.

So, Sherwin temporarily parted ways with Cody and the others, taking the cats with him and following the underling to a port in Gules.

This port was normally not open to the public and could only be used by members of the three great families. However, it now belonged solely to the Capone family.

"Lord Sherwin, you may freely choose any ship in this port. If any equipment is missing on board, just let me know, and we'll take care of it," the underling said respectfully.

Sherwin didn't rush to pick a ship. Instead, he turned his head to look at Sanji Meow lying on his shoulder.

The little yellow cat stretched its neck out, and the pair of ears with curly tufts twitched like radar dishes.

After a moment, he nodded and said, "No one around here. Doesn't seem like there an ambush, meow."

"No ambush?" Sherwin raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. "That not really Capone Bege style."

The underling twitched at the corners of his mouth and forced a smile. "Lord Sherwin, you must be joking. We may be a mafia family, but we accept our losses."

Sherwin gave a noncommittal shrug, then turned to the two cats on his shoulders. "Come on, which ship do you like best?"

"Klee likes the biggest one, meow!"

The little ragdoll cat immediately pointed to a ship that was at least five or six stories tall. It was hard to judge the full size of it, since it was too massive to see clearly.

"A ship that big... the three of us can't manage it alone." Sherwin gave a wry smile and patted Klee Meow little head.

"Once we have more crewmates, then we can trade up for a bigger ship."

"Alright then..." Klee Meow swished her tail, reluctantly shifting her gaze to the smaller ships. But after staring for a long while, she still couldn't decide. In the end, she shook her fluffy little head. "Klee can't pick... better let Big Brother Sanji choose, meow."

Sherwin turned to look at Sanji Meow again. Both of them had the same idea—Klee Meow preference came first.

If she didn't have a favorite, then Sanji Meow would make the choice. After all, among the three of them, Sanji Meow had the most nautical knowledge.

Letting Klee Meow pick first wasn't just because they spoiled her… even if that was the main reason… but don't forget, Klee Meow was a lucky cat under the protection of the Clover Constellation. When there no definite answer, following Klee Meow instincts was never wrong!

Now that she hadn't chosen a clear target, it meant there wasn't a major difference between the ships here. So in truth, any one of them would do—it just needed to suit their needs. And that was something only Sanji Meow could determine.

While Klee Meow was still stuck in her decision paralysis, Sanji Meow had already made up his mind.

"That ship over there is pretty good, fits our needs well, meow." Sanji Meow pointed toward a small sailboat tucked in the corner.

It was a single-mast sailboat. Judging by its size, it was even a bit smaller than the Going Merry. Among all the ships in the port, it ranked near the bottom in terms of size—practically indistinguishable from the smallest one.

And... it didn't even have a figurehead. Just a very ordinary inclined foremast.

Still, considering Sherwin current crew size, a ship of this model was actually just right—at the very least, it was far better than the wooden raft they started with.

Though... who knew how Capone Bege would react once he found out they'd chosen such a tiny ship? Maybe he'd cough up another mouthful of blood.

Anyway, the Capone underling expression at the moment was a sight to behold.

But hey, that what underlings are for. He quickly adjusted his attitude, praising Sanji Meow sharp eye while giving a detailed introduction of the ship specifications.

Sherwin listened half-heartedly, not really paying attention… it not like he understood any of it anyway.

How tall it was, how long it was, how deep its draft was—did that even matter?

Well, that last part might be a little important, but Sherwin and the others have three space storage items already, and they'll probably have more in the future, so it not that big of a deal.

So Sherwin waved his hand to interrupt the underling explanation.

"Enough, saying all that is useless. Better to just get on the ship and see for ourselves."

Following the underling lead, Sherwin and the others took a tour of the ship. Overall, they were quite satisfied.

Not only was it fully furnished with all kinds of furniture and daily necessities, but it also had a private bathroom. Even the warehouse was fully stocked with dry rations and fresh water.

Most importantly, Capone Bege hadn't done anything suspicious to the ship… or maybe he just didn't expect Sherwin to actually pick such a small boat.

So, just to be safe in case Bege had secretly tampered with it, it was better to sail it away quickly.

"Hey, uh… what your name again?"

Sherwin finally realized he hadn't even asked the guy name.

"Just call me Robbie, Lord Sherwin."

"Mm, Robbie, you know how to sail this boat, right?"

"Of course. Operating this kind of small vessel isn't complicated." Robbie looked slightly confused.

After all, in this world, sailing was considered a basic life skill. Sailing a large ship might be a different story, but for a small boat like this, even kids could handle it with ease.

If you had to compare it, it was probably like riding a bicycle—or maybe an electric scooter—before Sherwin crossed over.

"Oh, that good, then. Teach us how to sail it."

Having grown up inland, Sherwin had barely even been to the coast, let alone out at sea, so he didn't think there was anything wrong with not knowing how to sail a boat.

"…"

Robbie stared at Sherwin speechlessly, trying to confirm whether he was actually joking.

After realizing that Sherwin truly didn't know how to sail, Robbie quickly adjusted his mindset and began teaching him seriously.

Just like he said, operating a small boat like this wasn't complicated. Plus, Sherwin did at least have some experience riding a wooden raft… Though most of the time it was Sanji Meow steering, he had picked up a bit himself.

So after a thorough lesson from Robbie, Sherwin began practicing how to operate the single-masted sailboat near the port. And before long, he...

"Ahem... Sanji, you've probably already got the hang of it, right? From now on, you're our helmsman!" Sherwin patted the little yellow cat on the head and entrusted him with the important role.

Robbie: "..."

"Hmph~ Sherwin, you really are a dumb two-legs Meow!"

Unlike the useless Sherwin, Sanji Meow quickly mastered the proper way to steer. As he skillfully navigated the boat through the waves near the port, he proudly mocked him.

Sherwin, would never stoop to argue with a Felyne.

So he pretended not to hear it.

"Alright, we're taking the boat. Tell Bege to send the fine sword and the money I asked for to the inn as soon as possible… You guys should know where I'm staying."

Sherwin spoke to Robbie, seemingly completely unaware of the complicated look in the other eyes.

"Then I'll take my leave, lord Sherwin."

Robbie, who had just been kicked off the ship, adjusted his expression, bowed slightly to Sherwin, and then left the port.

Sanji Meow steered the now-officially-theirs boat toward the dock where the Cody merchant ship was moored.

"By the way, should we give this ship a name?" Sherwin suddenly asked as he held Klee Meow in his arms, recharging his cat-energy.

He'd just remembered that in the manga, all ships seemed to have names... Even if they were definitely going to switch ships later, and this one didn't even have a figurehead, it was still the first proper ship they'd obtained. Naming it for the sake of commemorating it seemed appropriate.

"Yes, yes! Let call it… the Toot-Toot Forward, Meow!" Klee Meow immediately chimed in, proposing a very on-brand name.

"That name fine," Sherwin didn't mind, but he still reminded her, "But we're going to replace this ship sooner or later. Klee, are you sure you want to use that name on this one?"

"Uuuh..."

The little ragdoll Felyne instantly fell into inner conflict.

"Oh right," Sanji Meow clapped his paw, "I was actually thinking of naming it the Beautiful Big Sister, Meow."

"...That a name I wouldn't use even if we changed ships!" Sherwin gave the yellow cat a fierce glare and just decided to name it himself.

"Since it just a temporary ship anyway, let call it Explorer One."

Klee Meow, who was still struggling with indecision, and Sanji Meow, who was feeling petty, didn't object.

And so, the name of the first ship of the Felyne Investigation Team was settled.