After joining a lively feast in Cocoyasi Village, Xie Wen was in no hurry to leave.
There were over twenty villages in the Conomi Islands. Unless Xie Wen ignored everything else and simply raced through them all as fast as he could, just mapping them would take several days.
As for lodging... although both Genzo and Bont extended eager invitations, Xie Wen turned them both down and took the cats straight to Arlong Park to stay.
"Admiral~ Pet me, meow~"
"Big Brother Xie Wen, Klee wants pets too, meow!"
"Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo..."
"...Want some wine, meow?"
"Sanji's still little! Don't give him wine!" Xie Wen rapped Meow Jūshirō, who didn't act like an older cat at all, and snatched the wine flask from his paw. "And you stop drinking too! You reek of wine! Aren't you worried about making Klee breathe that in?!"
Xie Wen picked up the little black cat and brought his nose closer for a sniff...
"Nope, you need a bath."
"Th-there's really no need, is there? I can just sleep in another room, meow." Meow Jūshirō twisted, trying to escape Xie Wen's hands and make a run for it.
But how could Xie Wen, who had bathed countless kittens at the rescue shelter, possibly let him escape so easily?
Xie Wen's ten fingers clamped beneath Meow Jūshirō's forelegs like iron pincers. No matter how he squirmed, it was useless.
Since Palicoes were far tougher than ordinary cats, Xie Wen didn't have to worry about hurting Meow Jūshirō by using too much force.
Next, he tucked Meow Jūshirō under one arm, pinning him firmly between his armpit and elbow, then turned to look at the other three cats...
Although Palicoes licked their fur just like ordinary cats, they usually had other things to do, so they groomed themselves far