Without Capone Bege interfering, there were no further surprises in the battle. Seeing that Vito was beginning to falter, Sanji Meow finally unleashed the finishing blow he had been preparing.
"Sea-Land-Air Triple Skewer SHOOT, meow!"
He first leaped onto Vito's chest and hooked his claws into the man's red suit. Then, pushing off with all four limbs, he sprang upward, flipping halfway over as he rose. With his head down and feet up, he delivered a rising kick to Vito's chin, launching his towering body three feet off the ground.
Immediately afterward, Sanji Meow curled into a ball in midair and fell alongside Vito. The instant his opponent hit the floor and bounced, he stretched out his whole body. Using the force of his descent, he straightened both hind legs and stomped hard on Vito's stomach, with his front paws slamming down right after them.
The blow folded Vito's body like a shrimp. Having "landed," Sanji Meow leaped up again, performed a forward somersault in midair, and instantly arrived above Vito's head. Then he stretched out and hammered his black hind paws into the man's forehead.
Vito, who had only just sat upright, was kicked flat onto the floor again. The back of his head struck the floor with a heavy thud.
Thud!
As Vito the Weird Gun "fell straight asleep," Sanji Meow landed lightly on the floor.
The little yellow cat licked his paws, rubbed them haphazardly over his face, then twitched his ears with their curled tufts. With a look of disdain, he said, "What a shame. In my eyes, you don't qualify as an ingredient, meow."
Although everyone had seen Sanji Meow dominating Vito throughout the fight, the spectators in the hall still couldn't help crying out when he actually defeated him.
"H-he's incredible!"
"The Mink Tribe is that strong?!"
"The Mink Tribe? I thought they were humans who'd eaten a Cat-Cat Fruit."
"Idiot! Even if there really were a Cat-Cat Fruit, how could there be two of them?!"
The Mink Tribe was rarely seen even on the Grand Line, and fewer still in the Four Seas knew that the race existed.
"You're amazing, big brother Sanji, meow!"
"Nice work, Sanji."
Xie Wen and Klee Meow were the first to step forward and congratulate Sanji Meow on his victory.
"Heh heh, naturally. I only chose to become a chef because I liked cooking more, meow." Sanji Meow wagged his little head proudly. "But that doesn't mean I'm bad at fighting, meow!"
"Yes, yes, our Sanji is the most dependable of all." Xie Wen was generous with his praise too. He picked Sanji Meow up and gave him a thorough kitty massage, making the little yellow cat purr nonstop in contentment.
"I can't even beat Xie Wen's cat..."
Uncle Bax sank into gloom.
Cody, on the other hand, remained quite composed. Clearly, he knew something about the Mink Tribe's fighting abilities.
"Hmph!"
With an ugly look on his face, Capone Bege spat out his cigar, then stepped on it and ground it hard beneath his foot twice. All the while, his sinister eyes remained fixed on Xie Wen, who was playing with the cats.
"Hmm?" Noticing his gaze, Xie Wen turned his head and raised an eyebrow. In a teasing tone, he asked, "What's wrong? Do you have any more advice for us, Boss Bege?"
Bege continued staring at Xie Wen without a word, though his expression gradually settled. A moment later, once his face had returned to normal, he took out another cigar and lit it. Only after drawing deeply on it did he slowly say, "I underestimated you. In that case, let's leave this matter here."
With that, he turned and roared at his other subordinates, "What are you standing around for?! Hurry up and drag that disgrace Vito away!"
But Xie Wen had no intention of letting Bege off so easily.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" he said. "Your Capone Family has been picking trouble with me from beginning to end. Now you think you can just call it quits? Did you ask me?"
Bege turned back and asked darkly, "Then what do you want? To go to war with our Capone Family?"
"Why not?" Xie Wen spread his hands. "Your subordinate couldn't even beat my cat. I don't see what's so intimidating about you."
He had previously avoided clashing with these people for two reasons: first, he hadn't had a clear idea of their strength, and second, he hadn't wanted to drag Uncle Cody into it. But now he knew that Uncle Cody could protect himself, and Vito had shown him that Capone Bege's current strength was even lower than he had estimated. Naturally, Xie Wen no longer felt quite so constrained...
Well, of course, he still had to keep an eye on Klee Meow.
"Hahahahaha!" Capone Bege couldn't help bursting into laughter. Then, with a vicious expression, he said to Xie Wen, "Don't tell me you think beating Vito means you're strong enough to take on our Capone Family?"
"Uh... doesn't it?" Xie Wen shrugged.
Klee Meow took the opportunity to climb onto his shoulder. Looking fierce yet adorable, she bared her claws and declared, "Klee is going to blow you bad guys to smithereens, meow!"
Sanji Meow also took two steps forward and said cockily, "Perfect. That was only my warm-up, meow."
"Mr. Cody?" Bax had been about to step forward and help, but Cody stopped him.
"Let's see what Xie Wen intends to do first. He's not someone who acts recklessly."
The merchants around them had certainly had their eyes opened today. Two of Gures's Three Families had been wiped out in the blink of an eye, and now even the third was being challenged.
So, although the Capone Family no longer had time to restrict their movements, the vast majority stayed. They merely retreated a little farther under the protection of their respective guards.
Apparently, enjoying a good show really was human nature, even in another world.
"Hahahahaha!" Capone Bege threw his head back and laughed, then viciously swept his hand forward. "Kill them!"
At his command, the members of the Capone Family launched their attacks on Xie Wen. At the same time, a large force poured out of Bege's body and joined the assault.
"Leave Capone Bege to me. You two handle the others." Xie Wen drew his blade and deflected the incoming bullets with Foresight Slash as he spoke to the two cats. Then he added a pointed reminder, "Klee, no bombs!"
Klee Meow, who already had a little paw inside her backpack, immediately puffed out her cheeks. If a bomber cat couldn't throw bombs, how was she supposed to play?!
Still, the little ragdoll cat was obedient. Reluctant as she was, she followed Xie Wen's instructions and didn't take out any bombs. Instead, she waved her little paws through a haphazard series of gestures in front of her-
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, meow!"
"Little sister Klee, leave some for me, meow!"
Seeing Klee Meow take out nearly a third of the enemies with a single fireball, Sanji Meow hurriedly cried out. At the same time, he picked up his pace and unleashed a barrage of fierce kicks on the gangsters in front of him.
"Level 1 Cooked Meat, meow!"
While the cats rapidly dealt with Capone Bege's subordinates, Xie Wen lunged in front of Bege and casually swung his blade at him.
My stomach started acting up in the middle of the night, and it's still acting up today. I happened to eat something spicy yesterday too...
And after making several trips to the bathroom during the night, I think I caught a bit of a chill as well...
Yep, fate's familiar little combo.
Maybe one of these days I'll write an unlucky protagonist based on myself. _(`"∠)_
Before you continue