One Piece : Strongest Vice-Captain Mr. 3!

After completely sealing off Stainless's movements, Mr. 3 didn't rush to attack. Instead, he lowered his head slightly, sensing the candle-like lake beneath his feet, which was as agile as his own hands and feet.

'Though it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, I didn't expect I could actually pull something like this off.'

Mr. 3 thought to himself, feeling a sense of quiet satisfaction.

When he was in the Kuja Island, transferring the residents using his powers, he had tried to extend the fluid wax in all directions from his center.

At that time, the wax's coverage was limited to about fifty meters. His control over the wax and his ability to shift between solid and liquid states were still lacking, and it drained his mental energy significantly.

But after enhancing his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), the flaw was resolved!

In fact, even the original Mr. 3 could expand the fluid wax in all directions to form a field.

However, the precision, strength, and speed of the wax, compared to the current Mr. 3's (the one who has crossed over), were vastly different.

From a fundamental perspective, the two fields weren't even the same level of technique!

'Maybe... this wax field could actually be worth developing further...'

Mr. 3's thoughts were in a whirlwind as various ideas flashed through his mind.

He slowly turned around and looked at Stainless, who was desperately trying to break free from the solid wax that was about to shatter: 

"Well then, let this Vice-Admiral of the Navy Headquarters be the one to test the power of this move!"

Stainless felt a chill from the intense, fiery gaze Mr. 3 gave him, and an ominous premonition immediately filled his mind. He pushed even harder, trying to break free from the restraints of the solid wax.

Meanwhile, in the headquarters hall where Buggy and his officers were gathered...

Watching Mr. 3 quickly subdue the Navy Vice-Admiral in just a few exchanges, everyone stood frozen in place, their eyes wide open, mouths agape, their faces filled with shock.

"Mr. 3 usually doesn't make a move much, I thought he was more of a refined, intellectual type, but who would've thought he's this strong?!"

"You're full of it! He toyed with the mighty Navy Vice-Admiral the whole time, holding him in the palm of his hand—if that's not a tactical mind, then what is?!"

"Have you ever seen a tactical guy who can throw a terrifying fire punch with such destructive power?"

"Enough arguing, anyway, Mr. 3 is amazing!!" (booming cheer)

The underlings raised their weapons high, cheering Mr. 3's name.

This stunning display by Mr. 3 also successfully eliminated the doubts they'd had ever since joining the Buggy Pirates:

Captain Buggy... Does he really have the strength to match those fancy titles of his?

The answer was clear. 

Even someone like Mr. 3, who combined both brains and brawn, was willing to follow Buggy's lead. 

Captain Buggy...

He must be very strong, like some kind of monster!

In an instant, their admiration and respect for the clown Buggy deepened, becoming more pure and fervent.

While Mr. 3 was thinking about how to apply his candle abilities, he never imagined that the praise for his performance would unexpectedly shift to Buggy, the guy who had barely done anything in the whole fight!

Unlike the naive underlings, Buggy, Alvida, and the others—who knew Mr. 3 well—looked completely dumbfounded.

Buggy blinked his now innocent-looking eyes, sniffed, and quickly sucked back the snot that had nearly dripped from his nose. He was the first to break the silence:

"Huh? Who's the guy fighting Vice-Admiral Stainless? He looks so familiar, but why does he seem so strange?"

Mohji, the beast tamer, rubbed his eyes with his chubby hand and mumbled, "He kinda looks like Mr. 3... not sure though, let's wait and see."

By the time Cabaji had already hopped on his unicycle, he shook his head and immediately denied the thought: "This guy looks way too handsome, and he's holding his own against the Vice-Admiral—he can't be Mr. 3!"

Alvida, who was carrying her heavy spiked club on her shoulder, puffed her cheeks slightly, clearly a bit annoyed.

"I've already told you guys, just charge in directly! If Mr. 3 can overpower a Vice-Admiral, why can't we do the same?" 

Buggy immediately shot her a disdainful look. "Fair point. But if you're so confident, you can step in now."

Alvida nodded, her beautiful eyes firm and serious. She said earnestly, "A true showdown between men should be fair and square, without interference from others."

"Ugh!" 

Buggy, Cabaji, Mohji, and Richie all raised their middle fingers in perfect unison towards her.

Across from them, Hancock, who had been watching the whole time, was equally stunned.

From her perspective, Mr. 3's strength was undeniable and his potential vast, but what was even more terrifying was his unpredictable and deep intellect. 

At his current level, defeating a seasoned Vice-Admiral with extensive battle experience would be incredibly difficult.

However, Mr. 3's display of power wasn't to the point of being impossible to accept.

After all, after awakening the Conqueror's Haki, a person's overall combat ability is significantly boosted!

"Marigold, when Mr. 3 fought us, he didn't have this kind of overwhelming pressure, right?" Sandersonia, with green hair, asked in surprise.

Marigold, standing beside her, nodded. "I thought so too. Just that giant wax fire punch from earlier was much more powerful than the one we managed to block."

"Could it be that he held back in our fight?" 

Confusion was clear on both of their faces.

Hancock lifted her beautiful eyes, casting a brief glance at them. She slowly said, "His Devil Fruit ability is much stronger in an open area. Of course, Mr. 3 is definitely stronger now that he's awakened Conqueror's Haki."

Upon hearing this, a hint of unwillingness crossed Hancock's stunning face. Damn Mr. 3, how did he manage to control Conqueror's Haki in such a short time?

"I see!" 

The two serpent sisters nodded repeatedly in realization.

When their gazes returned to Mr. 3 in the distance, he, who had been silent for a long time, finally made his next move.

"Candle Fist!"

Mr. 3 raised his right arm, grayish-white wax fluid seeping from his skin, and as it enveloped his fist, it released a faint heat, solidifying into hard wax.

Unlike the terrifying destructive power of Grand Candle Eruption, this time, he merely compressed the wax to harden it, equipping his arm with a shell of wax as tough as steel armor—without any added miniature explosives.

Using Grand Candle Eruption at such close range would be equivalent to a mutual destruction with Stainless!

With an overwhelming force, the Candle Fist hammered toward Stainless, shattering both the cracked wax restraints on him and the impact itself!

Boom!

Mr. 3's punch landed solidly on Stainless' chest, sending him flying.

However...

Watching Stainless, who had been sent flying more than ten meters away, Mr. 3's expression grew serious. He discreetly shook his right arm behind him, which was beginning to feel numb and shaky.

"Iron Block!"

Stainless steadied himself, his shirt exploded open, revealing his chest muscles, which had been reinforced with both high-level Armament Haki and an enhanced version of the Six Styles, now as tough as iron.

"Heh, that was a pretty stupid move, Mr. 3."

Stainless snorted coldly, and in that punch, he had detected Mr. 3's most fatal weakness.

That was, Mr. 3's overall physical condition was not that strong!

A punch relying purely on power not only failed to inflict much harm, but it also helped him break free from the solidified wax restraints, allowing him to pinpoint a weakness that could change the course of the battle.

It was indeed a "stupid move"!

But, having learned from the previous mistake, Stainless remained vigilant, fully aware that he could not afford to underestimate Mr. 3 again.

"Is that so?"

Mr. 3 chuckled softly, raising his right index finger, he gently flicked it toward Stainless, who was still within the candle domain.

Whoosh!

The fluid wax squirmed and twisted, condensing into a pure white ghostly hand, which lunged fiercely toward Stainless!

Stainless' eyes flashed, and his sword rang out with a sharp sound as he swiftly countered, slicing the ghostly hand in two!

Thud, thud.

The demon hand, split in two, reverted back to a normal candle and merged into the Candle Domain.

Before Mr. 3 could sigh in relief, his eyes suddenly contracted, and a sharp sense of danger surged toward him.

From within the Candle Domain, another candle demon hand appeared. It split into two, then four, and eventually multiplied into a dense jungle of countless hands, like a swarm of demonic claws stretching out from hell!

But that wasn't all. Hidden among the candle demon hands were bizarre candle weapons—giant hammers, large swords, long spears, and even harpoons. Their cold gleams flickered ominously, creating a terrifying scene.

This was the technique Mr. 3 had invented in a moment of inspiration based on the Candle Domain—its name was...

Domain Unleashed: Candle Purgatory!

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