Hi there, been lurking and writing up my character. Not to be inopportune but

[quote=@ProPro]
I also have no idea what arena contestants you're talking about. The only time I remember an animal fighting in an arena was the Corrida Colosseum tournament for the flare flare fruit, which had the fighting fish and the bull, both of which were natural obstacles for the combatants to deal with. If you have something else you can remember, please cite the specifics and I'll gladly consider the statement.
[/quote]

Both the Fighting Bull and the Fighting Lion (different block, beaten by Orlumbus) weren't treated as arena obstacles like the Fighting Fish but as actual contestants and Ucy showed some intelligence despite being there almost entirely to act as Luffy's mount. There's also guys like the Kung Fu Dugongs, who do martial arts and have a code of honor to them and one even formed an all-animal pirate crew in anime filler. An animal having higher intelligence wouldn't really be out of place at all, is what I'm getting at, especially a rare one.

EDIT: Also, for what it's worth, I do like the character. It's pretty unique and different, it's creative and funny and it stands out a lot from the rest of the posted CSes in a good way.