Chapter 1196 Summary
Short Summary:
Killingham manifests Emporio Ivankov as a MMA from Sanji's subconscious as Sanji struggles to suppress memories from his two-year training on Momoiro Island. During that time, Ivankov had told Sanji to stop fighting recklessly without any regard for his own well-being, as this would not save the people he cares about. In the present, Sanji comes to accept Ivankov's teaching, causing the MMA to disappear as he confidently confronts Killingham.
Detailed Summary
Sanji tries his best to keep his traumatic memories with Ivankov repressed, but eventually it breaks through, leaving him screaming and Killingham assuming Sanji is screaming from the torture he is inflicting onto him. Sanji begs his memories to stop as Killingham thinks Sanji is begging him to spare him, which of course he refuses after the fight they had earlier, but Sanji tells Killingham he was not talking to him as he kicks him away. Killingham becomes angry and begins telling Sanji that his patience is wearing thin the longer this fight goes on, but Sanji kicks him in the face before he can finish his sentence. Killingham recovers as the two trade blows while the former taunts the latter over how he is still in tiptop shape, while Sanji is growing more and more tired. Killingham mockingly tells Sanji to beg his captain for help and apologize for not having Supreme King Haki, but that makes him think back to when they fought on Whole Cake Island, and he kicks Killingham while yelling that Luffy has placed all of his hopes on him, so he cannot go back a failure. Killingham, however, tells Sanji that there are tons of people in the world who cannot live up to their expectations and no matter what, he will always be one of them, which makes Sanji recall his biological father's cruel words to him.
In that brief moment, Killingham puts Sanji to sleep and conjures forth an MMA in the form of Ivankov, which is Sanji's worst nightmare. Though Killingham actually does not recognize Ivankov, he still merges with his nightmarish manifestation, thus becoming a hybrid of the two. Sanji, however, is surprised to see Ivankov as his nightmare and not his biological family before quickly realizing it is because Ivankov was the only person in his life who saw through his weakness. He begins to remember more of his time on Momoiro Island as Killingham kicks him in his fused state.
During his time on the island, Ivankov tried forcing Sanji to take a two-week break after winning another vital recipe, which Sanji objected to as he considers his injuries merely scratches. Ivankov counters by pointing out how while he defeated his opponent, he sustained more injuries, similar to his other thirty victories. Sanji does not see the problem because he is winning, but Ivankov tells him to stop taking hits he knows he can avoid, calling him reckless with no concern for his own well-being, and how that mentality will eventually destroy him if he does not develop a better state of defense. Sanji tells Ivankov to not talk like he knows him, so Ivankov asks his nearby okama what they have that Sanji does not, and they and him reply they all have "self-love".
Sanji states he does not care about loving himself since he loves the women of the world, but Ivankov states that having no self-love makes his love for others worthless, and while there is no problem with laying down his life for others, him dying as a result will render it moot. This causes Sanji to think back to his miserable childhood, revealing that his lack of self-love comes from the abuse his biological family inflicted onto him by calling him weak and a failure. Sanji tries to deny this as Ivankov states he will not pry into his past, but if he keeps sacrificing himself to win, he will eventually fail to save the people he cherishes.
In the present, Sanji reminds himself that it is his crew that has helped him find his worth, not Germa 66, but he does ultimately accept he has hit that wall Ivankov warned him about, and if loving himself will make him stronger, then he will give it a try. Just then, the Ivankov MMA vanishes, to Killingham's surprise, as he notices Sanji sitting on the rooftop above him. Sanji tells Killingham that he will not take another hit from him, and he will not let an arrogant man like him waltz into Elbaph thinking he owns it. Killingham begins to taunt Sanji for his "rebelliousness" until Sanji shuts him up by telling him to get off his "high horse".
