User blog comment:Neowitch/681 - Chicken Science/@comment-4754162-20120913020923/@comment-4493594-20120914090402

@Ayet: I probably should switch to more obvious humor...>_> It's supposed to be a pun. The first part of the sentence refers to the saying in which the "smart woman" is the actual reason why the guy is successful. The second part on the other hand is to be taken literally here since Caesar would have been pwned by Luffy if Monet hadn't stepped between them.

@Asura: Nah, it makes sense in a way. He learned new techniques but he's still an "average" human. Now if his Haki was Busoshoku instead of Kenbunshoku, that would be a different story. (I will keep on assuming that Sanji doesn't use Busoshoku until we see him do so.)

But my guess is that Oda needed an excuse to let Smoker take over the fight.