"You really pulled it off!"
Even though Zeff and the chefs at Baratie had already heard Sherwin and Klee Meow mention it, they were still startled. Let alone Sanji himself, who was at the center of it all.
"You... you... you actually learned it?!"Sanji, who had just been kicked flying by Sanji Meow, clutched his cheek and shouted in disbelief.
Well, it looked like he had mistakenly thought that Sanji Meow had learned his hard-practiced kicking techniques just from dodging earlier.
"Ptui! This is clearly my own move, meow!"
If it had been anyone else, Sanji Meow wouldn't have bothered explaining. But facing a human who looked so much like himself, he wasn't about to let any accusations of "copying" stand.
So, Sanji Meow decided to use a few moves that the other hadn't shown just now...
His two little black feline legs rubbed against each other rapidly in a short span of time, and a crackling, visible static charge burst into life along his legs.
"Diable Jambe: Level-One Ground Meat, meow!"
Unlike the original Diable Jambe that carried a fire attribute, Sanji Meow's version was, in principle, more akin to the Mink Tribe's combat style.
Sherwin had even asked Sanji Meow about it—he couldn't pull off something like this back in the Monster Hunter world. This move was something he'd stumbled upon after arriving in the One Piece world.
As expected, the power in the One Piece world was pretty much driven by sheer will...
Then why is it that when I try to will techniques from other anime into existence, they just don't work?
Sherwin, who had previously tried and failed to create his own breathing techniques, the unnamed Kamikaze style, and even Zoro's Asura: Nine Sword Style, thought bitterly.
"He can even do that move?!"
Zeff was practically about to yank off his own braided beard at this point.
Diable Jambe was his ultimate secret move. Even Sanji, who had inherited his cooking legacy, hadn't managed to master it yet. And now, a Mink who looked even younger had developed it on his own...
Though the attributes between the two were different, that didn't matter. Zeff knew full well that the underlying principle was similar—the differences came purely from racial talents.
"Ahem... What kind of joke is this... I didn't know Diable Jambe had an electric version..."
As expected of a future main character, Sanji actually managed to get back up after taking a full hit from the electric Diable Jambe. But due to the paralysis from the shock, his movements looked a bit stiff...
It looked just like someone struggling to stand up after squatting over the toilet for too long.
"Meow? You still won't go down obediently, meow?"Sanji Meow crossed his arms and shook his head helplessly.
"Then I'm going to kick it up a notch... You asked for this... Diable Jambe: Drive Prelude, meow!"
Sherwin: "Pfft—!"
Whenever Sherwin told stories, Sanji Meow would always pretend to be disinterested, though his ears would be perked straight up.
Sherwin had assumed that was the limit of this tsundere little cat's curiosity—but now it turned out that he'd secretly learned Klee Meow's mimicry shtick too... What a prideful and secretly attention-loving little yellow cat he was.
Once the initial surprise passed, a playful grin crept onto Sherwin's face.
Still… even though Sherwin didn't know much about kicking techniques, he'd sparred with Sanji Meow enough times to notice that this so-called "Drive Prelude" had traces of Dynamic Entry in it.
It looked like this move was either something Sanji Meow came up with on the spot—or was still in development.
"Wow wow! That's Kai-sensei's move, meow!"As a fan of Naruto Nyanja and the Investigation Team's #1 hypecat, Klee Meow didn't bother analyzing anything like Sherwin did. Instead, she immediately cheered with both paws in the air."Big bro Sanji is so cool! That's the power of youth, meow!"
Inspired by Klee Meow's cheer, Sanji Meow's fighting spirit surged even higher. He hadn't originally planned to pursue the attack, but now he dashed forward on all fours to catch up with the Sanji he had kicked into the air.
Then the little yellow cat leapt into the air, positioning himself above the still-falling Sanji and—
Curled up his body—and kicked downward.
"Diable Jambe: Morning Peacock, meow!"
Of course, this Morning Peacock was still the electrified version, and instead of punches like the original, it was executed with kicks. Honestly, calling it "Hundred Burst Kicks" might have been more fitting.
The little black feline legs left a trail of afterimages, crackling with electricity as they pounded into Sanji's abdomen.
Still mid-air, his body folded nearly in half as he plummeted straight down onto the deck. Even after landing, the electric shock in Sanji Meow's kicks left his body twitching uncontrollably.
"Hmm... These moves are a bit different now..."Zeff didn't know the references behind these two techniques, so he judged them purely from a technical perspective.
"Though they feel a bit unrefined—still incomplete, perhaps?"
Sherwin thought for a moment, then spoke up on Sanji Meow's behalf, "If you're interested, Old Man Zeff, maybe you could give Sanji a bit of guidance later?"
Zeff agreed without hesitation. Whether it was out of fondness for Sanji Meow or curiosity about the kicking techniques, he had no reason to refuse.
Meanwhile, after taking two consecutive Diable Jambes from Sanji Meow, not even Sanji—with his main character plot armor—could get back up…
It wasn't that he'd lost consciousness—Sanji Meow had held back just enough—but the paralysis from the electric shocks had completely robbed Sanji of control over his own body.
"Hehehe~ From now on, your name is Squid Legs, meow~"
Sanji Meow swaggered over to Sanji with an air of supreme arrogance, his steps brimming with the attitude of a cat who answers to no one.
He gently poked Sanji's unmoving eyebrows with his little paw, and declared smugly.
"Ughhhhhh..."
Sanji, whose tongue had already gone numb from the electric shock, couldn't even speak at this point. He could only let out muffled groans and garbled noises to express his resistance.
However, his defeat was already sealed. From now on, whenever he faced Sanji Meow, he would be forced to use that humiliating name—"Squid Legs."
What a pity… Sherwin had hoped Sanji Meow would be able to force out Sanji's modified physique ahead of time…
But Sanji—no, he should be called Squid Legs now—Squid Legs, even in the original story, had gone through countless brutal and even life-or-death battles.
He only managed to change—or rather, restore—his physique after using Germa's battle suit. It was perfectly normal that a restrained spar like this with Sanji Meow wouldn't be enough to bring it out.
In fact, thinking about it carefully now, it seemed that the battle suit was the decisive factor in awakening Sanji's modified physique.
"Ooh—! Big Brother Sanji won, meow! Big Brother Sanji is amazing, meow!"
(=`=)
Klee Meow jumped from Sherwin's shoulder directly onto the deck, hopping and cheering as she ran to Sanji Meow's side.
"Meow-hahahaha!" Sanji Meow patted her little head and said with mock modesty, "It's not that I'm strong. He's just too weak, meow."
Squid Legs: "Wuuuaaahhh!!!"
"What's your problem, meow? You still not convinced, meow?!" Sanji Meow stood with his hands on his hips, looking down at Sanji from above. "If you're not convinced, we can fight again, meow!"
"Alright, alright. You already forced him to change his name, can't you at least let him complain a little?" Sherwin came over, scooped up Sanji Meow, and placed him on his shoulder.
Klee Meow didn't even need to be called. She nimbly climbed onto Sherwin's other shoulder and instinctively started pawing at his ear with her little claws.
"Hmph! Who told him to act all high and mighty when he's no good at cooking or fighting, meow!" Sanji Meow scrunched his nose and said indignantly, "If he had just admitted defeat from the start, I wouldn't have kept pushing like this, meow!"
(=`ヘ=)
Sherwin actually believed that. Sanji Meow, though a little perverted and always trying to undermine him, was at heart a kind and good-natured cat.
If Sanji hadn't questioned his cooking at the beginning, and then stubbornly refused to admit defeat, Sanji Meow probably wouldn't have gone so far.
At most, he would've just called him "Squid Legs" a few times to vent and then returned his name.
It really came down to personality deciding fate. If it had been two Klees or two Seijuro Meows, their relationship definitely wouldn't have been this messy.