It isn’t easy to make a distinction here but one difference between this & the Queen feat is the deformation of the exoskeleton.
Exoskeleton typically deforms when it receives a very strong physical impact.
I've always attributed this to Sanji already being in a highly diminished state. He recovered quickly, but Queen's Germa attacks were hurting him.
Now compare that to S-Shark having no effect with a freebie Fishman Karate strike. The only hint of pain Sanji showed that arc is when he got shot with a laser, and he recovered from that quickly as well.
The exoskeleton and healing factor are incredible, but not without limits, and the former appears stronger when Sanji's in a good condition.
Moreover like I already pointed out using Vergo as an example there is the question of kinetic energy & momentum from S-Shark’s punch. Durability doesn’t make you immovable. For that to be possible you will have to add insane weight on top of durability & we’ve seen even someone like Linlin get set flying by Jinbe before. Fishman Karate + Fishman Strength from a hybrid Lunarian that can use Haki didn’t even move Sanji’s head back.
Also the sound effect used here also shows what Oda’s emphasizing here. With exo scenes there is usually a sort of metallic sound emphasizing the exoskeleton like ガン (gan) or バッキン (bakkin) where as with that S-Shark scene Oda used ドスン！here which emphasize heavy impact and a ドン！to emphasize the feat so exo is not the focus here.
The evidence is in the text imo but if that isn’t enough the fine details show that it isn’t just the exoskeleton at play.
I think this is a case of sweating the small stuff. What you're describing can be found across countless series and stories. Comics have this kind of stuff, as do a lot of shounen.
In agreement with this take 🫂
If anything we need a proper explanation as to why Sanji’s able to retain his emotions even though he’s awakened his Germa abilities & that not only fits perfectly narratively but the logistics of that & Kuma overriding his programming are pretty much the same.
I think there's something to be said for there not being any real evidence of the emotion-suppressing side effects of Germa science in kids that didn't develop them having a similar impact on an adult that already did.
PoL is something I regard as a possibility, but not one I necessarily believe to be true. I think, narratively, it would be more powerful if there was no "power" of any kind involved beside Sanji's willpower to believe in himself.
I don’t think so otherwise there would’ve been no point in Sanji gaining invisible via sheer physical speed imo though I see the logic in your argument ^^
Light-based or light-manipulation powers don't have to have anything to do with speed.
For all we know, Sanji's intended powers were designed by Judge to counteract Vegapunk's research in lasers. Hell, Judge might've designed Ichiji and Niji with offense in mind, Sanji with defense and Yonji for support. That's kind of what it looked like on Whole Cake Island.
I’d say it again if you don’t think Sanji’s brothers are capable of replicating the same feat then the question is why? The argument that Sanji’s exoskeleton is stronger than his brothers because he has a stronger base is not really a valid argument imo.
I'm always surprised when people think Sanji's exoskeleton isn't clearly better.
I know scaling and power creeps and all, but I don't think Sanji could get hurt by those "anti Germa" bullets from WCI, nor do I think his siblings could take a Fishman Karate strike from S-Shark.
Ichiji got destroyed by Katakuri pretty quickly off panel, and seemingly without needing to stab him, just a plain old beating.
Also, Sanji having an INSANE foundation of feats prior to the Germa awakening should perhaps not prove it but make it all the more likely. The Raid Suit might not have been enough for brothers to survive King's attack intended to split Sanji in two.
