Nekomamushi

"Master Nekomamushi" is a feline mink and the guardian of the Whale Forest on Zou, dubbed the "Ruler of Night". He rules over the Mokomo Dukedom during the night hours, from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM.

Appearance
Nekomamushi is a large feline mink with sharp teeth, claws, and a very thick striped tail. He has wild, bushy hair resembling a lion's mane running around his neck and down his back, and has a scar running from the right side of his forehead down to his cheek. His outfit consists of a large robe with circle designs on it, a haramaki around his waist, sandals, and light colored pants and shirt. In addition, he smokes with a pipe.

During his fight against Jack, he lost his left arm.

Personality
Nekomamushi is the other ruler of the Mokomo Dukedom, alongside with Duke Inuarashi, and takes great pride in it by proclaiming the country to be his when the night comes during his first encounter with Jack.

Unlike his former friend Inuarashi, Nekomamushi is aggressive and merciless. Inuarashi has described him as an "obstinate and stubborn imbecile", comparing him to Jack himself.

He took care of Bepo and the other Heart Pirates when they arrived on Zou, indicating a welcoming personality.. He does not expect guests to help him defend Zou. However, he does not look kindly upon intruders, going so far as to devour them if he ever see one.

Just like a cat, he likes to lick his paws.

Inuarashi
Though they were once friends, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi are currently on very bad terms with each other. Because of this, they avoid meeting face-to-face.

Heart Pirates
Nekomamushi took the Heart Pirates under his wing as even though they were pirates, Bepo is a native of Zou. He did not expect them to help fight Jack, but Bepo insisted on defending his home, which made Nekomamushi smile.

Jack
Upon night falling, Nekomamushi was immediately aware of Jack's invasion. He wasted no time in rushing to the scene and immediately attacking the pirate. When Jack destroyed the Mokomo Dukedom with poison gas and crucified Nekomamushi, he swore to never forget Jack's face even in death and that his malice would follow the pirate until death.

Abilities and Powers
As the leader of the Whale Forest Guardians, he has authority over the forest's inhabitants. During night time, he also becomes the main authority figure of the Mokomo Dukedom.

His fighting ability is said to be equal to his daytime counterpart and former friend Inuarashi. Indeed, both were shown to be able to fight on even footing with one of a Yonko's three strongest subordinates for an extended period of time, further proving their combat abilities.

Nekomamushi possesses incredible physical strength, as he was able to flip Jack over in his mammoth form. He is also very fast, as he was able to travel from the Whale Forest to Kurau City in a matter of seconds. Like most of the minks, he is capable of using Electro.

Weapons
Nekomamushi wields a staff which has a fire-shaped trident on each end.

Past
In the past, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi were friends. For unknown reasons, they came to hate each other and they decided that Inuarashi will rule Zou during the day while Nekomamushi would rule during the night.

When Bepo and the Heart Pirates arrived on Zou, Nekomamushi took them under his care because even though Bepo is a pirate, he is still a native of the island.

When Jack and the Beasts Pirates invaded the Mokomo Dukedom, Nekomamushi arrived to challenge Jack when dusk arrived, flipping him over and forcing him to revert to human form.

Nekomamushi also told Bepo that he did not mind if he and his crew choose not to fight, but the Heart Pirates were willing to help. The battle against the Beast Pirates lasted for five days with Nekomamushi and Inuarashi taking turns fighting against Jack. Even though the Mink Tribe had the upper hand, they could not defeat Jack.

On the fifth day of the battle, Jack lost his patience and used one of Caesar Clown's poison gas weapons. With the Mink Tribe rendered helpless, Jack tortured the strongest of them, including Nekomamushi and Inuarashi. During the torture, Jack cut off Nekomamushi's left arm. The torturing ceased when Jack heard about Doflamingo's defeat and capture, causing Jack to leave Zou in order to rescue him, leaving behind some of his subordinates. The Mink Tribe was saved right after Sanji's group arrived.

Trivia

 * Brook’s voice actor, Chō, made-up a song about “going off to meet the Cat Viper”. It impressed Oda enough that he decided to integrate Cat Viper into the manga.
 * "Neko Mamushi", although not written in kanji, means "Cat Viper", which the VIZ translation used as his name.
 * His relationship with Inuarashi seems to be based on the idea that a cat and a dog cannot go along well with each other, evident by their rocky relationship.
 * His appearance and pipe-smoking habit are based off the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

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Nekomamushi