"Mmm..."
(=`н=)
Shalmeow landed back on the deck, puffing out her cheeks and looking thoroughly unhappy.
It wasn't that Shalmeow couldn't accept being hit. After all, powerful as the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was, it wasn't invincible. But Cat Princess hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit like the Glint-Glint Fruit or the Warp-Warp Fruit, nor did she know any Observation Haki. The main reason she had landed that hit was that Shalmeow had underestimated her too much.
After all, ever since gaining the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's powers, Shalmeow had hardly ever come off worse.
Getting hit because she had underestimated someone annoyed the cat much more than being hit by an evenly matched opponent, even though she hadn't actually suffered any real damage, and Cat Princess's true strength was actually far greater than Shalmeow believed.
What made Shalmeow even unhappier was that Cat Princess, who had just "glared" at her, was still giggling away as she traced figure eights through the air like a bee.
"Phew-"
(=｀3)
Now thoroughly serious, Shalmeow pursed her lips and gently blew a breath at Cat Princess in midair.
Crackle!
"Myaaaaaaaah~~~"
(`)
Lightning instantly erupted across Cat Princess's body, shocking her so badly that even her screams came out in a tremor.
Then the flames beneath her skirt went out as well, making a series of sputtering noises like a motorcycle that wouldn't start, and she continued screaming as she fell from the sky.
Except...
"Aaaaaaaah-"
Cat Princess's screams as she fell were utterly devoid of emotion, making it obvious they were fake.
"Heh~ Perfect score!"
(`)
Sure enough, just before she hit the deck, Cat Princess performed a nimble somersault, landed steadily on the legs she had already extended from beneath her skirt, and struck a standard gymnastics finishing pose...
Then Shalmeow, transformed into lightning, slammed into her