41 The Little Kitty Combat Power

"Ahem... Klee, be good. Let your big brother handle it this time, okay?"

Hearing the Pyro Princess speak, Sherwin couldn't be bothered to pay any more attention to Capone Bege or Weird Gun Vito. He picked up the little plush kitty, stroked her furry cat head, and gently tried to persuade her.

In other situations, letting Klee Meow take action wouldn't be a big deal. But right now, they were inside a building, and there was a large crowd of innocent civilians around!

"But last time it was Sherwin who fought, meow... It Klee turn now, meow..." The little plush kitty twitched her ears and stubbornly raised her tiny paws, promising, "Klee will be careful not to make too big of a mess, meow!"

You said the same thing when you were doing experiments!

Of course, Sherwin couldn't bring himself to actually yell at her. Sure, if he just got a little more forceful, Klee Meow would probably behave and listen.

But Sherwin still preferred finding a reason she could accept rather than suppressing her thoughts outright...

That how it is when you're both a cat dad and a doting brother—you're terrified of your little sweetheart feeling even a bit wronged. Especially when you're the reason she might feel wronged? A hundred percent, absolutely unacceptable.

"What an idiot, meow..." Sanji Meow couldn't take it anymore and jumped into the (cat) conversation between the two.

"If we're talking about taking turns, then it should be my turn now, meow. Besides, the enemy boss hasn't even made a move yet, so you shouldn't be the one to go up either, Sherwin, meow."

You're just a chef cat, why are you butting in...

Sherwin looked at Sanji Meow, a bit exasperated.

But honestly, he knew Sanji Meow was stepping in to help him out. He also knew that even though this little guy didn't usually show it, he'd always cared about having to hide behind him and Klee Meow in battle.

Ever since Klee Meow joined the crew, Sanji Meow had been quietly training himself, and his strength was no longer what it used to be.

To say something that would probably make Uncle Bucks feel a little down—Sanji Meow now had the ability to defeat him without much trouble.

But Sherwin still wasn't sure if he could beat Weird Gun Vito. For the same reason he'd mentioned before—characters like this, who weren't the main focus, rarely experienced dramatic power-ups in a short time.

Even if Vito hadn't yet reached the level worthy of a nearly hundred-million bounty, he probably wasn't far off.

And unlike Klee Meow, Sanji Meow didn't have a Devil Fruit ability to protect him from serious harm.

So if he had to choose, Sherwin would still rather let Klee Meow go blow things up to her heart content.

But just as he was about to say no, Sherwin swallowed the words back down...

At this moment, Sanji Meow expression was unusually serious, showing that he wasn't just speaking up to get Sherwin out of a tough spot—he genuinely wanted to take on this fight himself.

Well, that made sense. The original Sanji might be a bit of a lecher, but when it was time to get serious, he always stepped up. He had a clear code of conduct, too.

Given how accurate this little cat version of him was, it wasn't surprising that Sanji Meow had the same sense of resolve.

"Sigh... Fine, I'll leave it to you then." Just like how Sherwin would take Klee Meow feelings into account, he couldn't bring himself to turn down Sanji Meow earnest request. All he could do was let out a helpless sigh, then reach out and ruffle the little yellow cat head.

"Just... don't lose, okay?"

He'd originally meant to remind Sanji Meow to be careful, but in the end, he changed it to a line of encouragement—because Sherwin knew, that what Sanji Meow wanted to hear more.

"Go get 'em, Sanji big brother, meow!" Klee Meow wasn't insisting on fighting anymore either. Instead, she waved her little paws and cheered Sanji Meow on.

"Don't worry about it, meow... Boss!" Sanji Meow tilted his head back proudly, gave Klee Meow a thumbs-up, then strutted confidently toward Weird Gun Vito.

Weird Gun Vito was already nearly fuming. His long tongue, reminiscent of Orochimaru, flicked out as he sneered in rage,

"Nyolololo... I'm really being underestimated here, lick... But don't worry, little kitty. A specimen like you is actually quite valuable, lick."

Maybe it was because of that ridiculously long tongue, but Vito had a habit of adding a "lick" at the end of his sentences—kind of like how Felynes always say "meow." Only, compared to the adorable Felynes, his verbal tic came off as utterly revolting.

"So I won't kill you, nor will I cause any irreversible damage... because that would lower your price, lick."

While he spoke, Vito slid his oversized revolver back into the holster at his waist. He bent down and looked at Sanji Meow—who barely reached the height of his legs—with a cruel grin.

But when it came to talking smack, Sanji Meow wasn't about to back down. He tilted his little head and gave an equally scornful smile.

"Is that so, meow? Then we're total opposites. As a chef, I prefer to evaluate ingredients only after they've been properly dealt with, meow."

"You've got a sharp tongue, don't you, lick..." Vito could no longer hold back his fury. He reached out with his massive hand to grab Sanji Meow.

Thanks to his agility, Sanji Meow dodged with ease. Taking full advantage of his small size, he scurried up Vito arm like it was second nature.

Maybe it was all those times he'd climbed onto Sherwin shoulder, but in the blink of an eye, Sanji Meow was already on Vito shoulder—and with a swift kick, he went straight for the man face.

"Cheek Meat SHOOT, meow!"

The strange gunman Viette never expected Sanji Meow to be this fast. What surprised him even more was that Sanji Meow strength wasn't lacking either—he kicked Viette straight into the air and sent him flying.

Are you kidding? Felynes take part in all kinds of large monster hunts. Sometimes, they even join hunters in taking down massive monsters. Underestimating their strength will cost you big time.

"D-damn it!" Viette scrambled up from the ground, his face full of disbelief—he even forgot to spit out his usual disgusting catchphrase.

After taking that kick, Viette didn't dare to be careless anymore. Although he still hadn't pulled out his signature revolver, the power and speed in his punches and kicks had clearly gone up a level or two.

Sherwin, who had been somewhat worried before, finally relaxed.

Viette… is this really all he got?

To be fair, with Viette skills, he wouldn't be considered weak in the West Blue. At the very least, Uncle Bucks wouldn't be able to beat him.

But compared to the version in the manga—who could easily capture post-timeskip Chopper and Nami—this guy seemed much weaker.

Even if Chopper and Nami being captured in the manga served the plot, the power gap here was just too much.

Looks like the normal world I lived in before crossing over can't be used to measure this absurd pirate world. So, this strange gunman Viette is one of those who benefitted from a "version update," huh?

Or maybe, to put it more reasonably: once someone enters the Grand Line and starts encountering stronger enemies, making it all the way to the New World is actually a process of rapidly growing stronger.

Those who can't keep up get eliminated along the way—or just stay put in the first half.

Either way, whatever the real explanation is, the weaker Viette is, the more it works in Sanji Meow favor—and Sherwin was happy to see it.

After exchanging blows for a bit, Sanji Meow also realized that his opponent strength was just so-so, and started fighting more smoothly.

He darted nimbly around Viette, leaping up and down his body, landing a cat-kick on him every now and then.

"Shoulder meat! Neck meat! Chest meat! Back meat! Ribs! Loin! Belly meat! Triple ground meat, meow!"

Viette towering frame was getting knocked around by the petite Sanji Meow, staggering this way and that. Everyone present was left gaping in shock.

And once Sherwin confirmed that even if Viette pulled out his gun, the outcome wouldn't change, he shifted his attention away from Sanji Meow and toward the grim-faced Capone Bege.

As for what Bege said earlier—"If you win, I won't pursue this matter any further"—Sherwin didn't believe that for a second.

Because Capone Bege was a true villain. Going back on his word was his norm, and he was known for using any means necessary to get what he wanted.

Sherwin didn't believe for a moment that Bege would just sit there and watch one of his men lose.

But what surprised Sherwin was that even after Viette drew his gun and still kept getting kicked, Capone Bege just looked even darker in the face—but didn't make a move.

Was he wary of me and Klee Meow strength?

Or was it...

Sherwin glanced at Uncle Cody, whose identity seemed rather mysterious.