Earlier, Sanji had been in the kitchen, so he hadn't seen Seijuro Meow beating Patty until his head swelled up like a balloon, nor had he heard Zeff lecture about the Mink Tribe. So, truthfully, from the bottom of his heart, he had no intention of bullying such a weak-looking little kitty.
But now that his name was on the line, Sanji couldn't afford to care about that anymore. There was no way he'd let himself be called "Squid Tentacles"! Not even for a second!
Besides, knowing those bastard chefs at Baratie, once Sanji accepted that name, they'd never stop calling him that.
So, this was a battle for honor and dignity. Bullying a cat? Fine—he'd just go easy on him, that all.
Sanji was very confident in his own strength, but Sanji Meow was even more confident in his.
After all, he had kicked around a whole bunch of vicious pirates in the West Blue, many of whom had pretty high bounties. Compared to that, the pirates of the East Blue were clearly much weaker. A mere East Blue chef wasn't even worth his attention.
As for Sanji look of contempt, Sanji Meow didn't take it to heart at all. Because of his adorable Felyne appearance, he'd been underestimated more times than he could count.
He was already used to that. Even when people looked down on his most-prized cooking skills, he barely reacted—so why would he care if people doubted his combat power?
In fact, after hearing Sherwin tell them a story about a "boot-wearing, severing-type Felyne," Sanji Meow had even learned how to make good use of his appearance.
Of course, in this fight, Sanji Meow didn't plan on using those kinds of tactics—he wanted to defeat the two-legged beast who shared his name fair and square.
The two Sanjis walked out of the restaurant and onto Baratie deck. To give them enough space to fight, Zeff even deployed the "fins," making the once-narrow deck suddenly feel wide and open.
The technology and physics of the pirate world… honestly, they make zero sense!
Standing on the second-floor balcony, Sherwin couldn't help but mentally complain as he watched the "fins" unfold from both sides of Baratie.
Two massive, thick wooden planks had apparently been hidden under the ship this whole time, but somehow, before and after they were deployed, the ship waterline didn't change at all… That just so damn unscientific!
"Waaah~ Waaah~" Klee Meow, unlike Sherwin, wasn't thinking about any of that. She was tugging on Sherwin ear excitedly, shouting, "Sherwin-nii, can we put something like that on the Explorer One too, meow?"
"Our ship isn't really suited for stuff like that," Sherwin rejected Klee Meow idea right away, but then promised, "But once we build a new ship in the future, we can add that kind of feature."
Satisfied with that promise, the little ragdoll clung to Sherwin shoulder and loudly cheered for Sanji Meow.
"Go, Sanji-nii, meow! Other Sanji-nii, you do your best too~"
(≧≦)
Although it was just in passing, Klee Meow cheers still warmed Sanji heart for a moment—while also sparking a bit of jealousy toward the furry feline with the same name standing in front of him.
Thinking about his own brothers, and then looking at this guy little sister...
They were both named Sanji, so why did his own family have to be so tragic?!
If not for the sister who had always secretly helped him, and the mother who had always treated him gently in his memories, Sanji would probably be spiraling into full-on emo mode right now.
"Don't worry, I won't go too hard on you!"
Jealousy contorted Sanji expression. As he said those words, he couldn't help but grit his teeth.
By contrast, Sanji Meow remained much more composed.
"Doesn't matter if you go hard—I bet you won't even land a hit, meow."
That just how badass a Felyne with Observation Haki can be!
And to prove he wasn't just all talk, Sanji Meow decided to only use his Observation Haki to toy with his opponent for a bit. Mimicking the pose Sherwin often used during their sparring matches, he placed one paw behind his back, extended the other one forward, and beckoned Sanji with two teasing waves.
"Hmph!"
Provoked, Sanji didn't hold back. With a powerful push of both legs, he launched himself straight at the posturing Sanji Meow.
"Breast Meat!"
He unleashed a sweeping low kick aimed at Sanji Meow chest, catching him completely off guard.
The reason for his surprise wasn't because the move was particularly powerful—it was because...
"Huh? Sherwin-nii, this Sanji-nii move looks just like our Sanji-nii, meow… Even the name is the same, meow."
Klee Meow, watching Sanji unleash one kicking technique after another below, tilted her little head in confusion and looked up at Sherwin.
Sherwin shrugged and brushed it off casually. "Who knows? Maybe it just a coincidence. Or maybe all chefs think alike?"
Come to think of it, weren't Sanji kicking techniques taught to him by Zeff?
Sherwin turned his head toward Zeff beside him, and Zeff happened to be looking back at him as well.
"Did Klee just say those two have similar moves?"
Klee Meow hadn't lowered her voice when speaking, so not only Zeff, but several nearby chefs had heard her clearly.
"Yeah, Sanji said a chef hands are their life, so he only uses his legs in battle."
As Sherwin repeated the line, he didn't show the slightest bit of awkwardness about saying it in front of the original Sanji… After all, that was indeed something Sanji Meow had said before.
"Huh? Isn't that something the head chef used to say?" a nearby chef muttered loudly.
"Oh?" Sherwin, ever the master of playing dumb, raised an eyebrow. "You chefs really do think alike."
"Hahahahaha!" Zeff didn't think much of it—on the contrary, he was delighted that Sanji Meow shared his own thoughts.
"What a shame. If he weren't your companion, I'd really want to keep him here."
"Then you're going to be disappointed. Even without me, Sanji wouldn't stay here," Sherwin spread his hands.
"Because there aren't any pretty little female cats here."
"Even the perverted part is the same?!" Zeff and the chefs of Baratie were genuinely shocked this time.
"Hmm? So what you're saying is..." Sherwin kept playing dumb as he looked down at Sanji below, sighing, "The world really is full of strange wonders!"
Zeff and the others all nodded in agreement.
As expected, most people in the world of pirates are incredibly easy to fool—easier, in fact, than Klee Meow, who was currently hugging Sherwin head, staring at him suspiciously while inspecting him up and down.
While Sherwin and the others were chatting, Sanji Meow had already recovered from his initial shock. He stuck to his original plan, evading only with Observation Haki, and hadn't yet switched hands.
"Damn it! No wonder he a cat—he so damn agile!"
Having wasted so much effort, Sanji stopped attacking and locked his eyes onto the completely unharmed Sanji Meow, growing increasingly anxious.
After all, if he lost this round too, he'd have to change his name to Squid Tentacle.
"You bastard, is running away all you know how to do?!"
Helpless, Sanji had no choice but to try taunting a cat just to win.
"So this is the extent of your strength, meow?" Sanji Meow calmly stretched his legs, swishing his tail as he said, "Then it time to end this boring match, meow..."
"Cheek Meat SHOOT, meow!"
Sanji: "!!!"