The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Facing the tall candle wall, Artoria didn't detour. With two swings, she carved a triangular passage wide enough to walk through.
"My candle wall solidifies as hard as steel! How can it be cut so easily?!" Mr. 3 was shocked. Looking at Artoria's empty hands, he realized, "Ah, a Devil Fruit user. This will require more effort."
Forgive his lack of experience—he had never seen a swordsman who could easily cut steel. After all, he was a former South Sea loan shark criminal, not accustomed to true strength.
"Hmph… It doesn't matter. Even if you come, my plan has already succeeded!" Mr. 3 adjusted his mindset, kicking the wax sphere encasing Tom and Camie away.
With the tavern side engaged with fishmen, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine could ambush—they didn't need to finish them, just distract them.
Mr. 3 created the candle walls, blocking others while protecting the mermaid and cat from explosions. Then he would capture them, kick them to the duo at a distance, and let them catch the sphere.
After that, they could retreat calmly or destroy the tavern at will.
This was the high-IQ Mr. 3's battle plan in a short time. Most went as expected, making him proud.
"Not chasing the sphere, but trying to defeat me? By the time my companions take it, you won't catch up~"
Although confident, Mr. 3 relied on psychological tactics: if they chased, he could ambush; if not, their impatience would widen his advantage.
Mr. 3's strategy emphasized stability.
Unfortunately, Artoria was unmoved: "When Tom wants out of that sphere, he'll find a way. I just need to deal with you."
"Get out? Nonsense… what!!!" Mr. 3 widened his eyes as he saw a thin sword pierce the candle sphere.
The rolling sphere stuck into the ground like a lollipop, wobbling slightly. Tom's sword was remarkably resilient.
Then the thin sword retracted and pierced from another angle, sawing the sphere in half.
Tom and Camie rolled out, still dazed, eyes spiraling in circles—not because of wax shackles, but from dizziness inside the sphere.
Mr. 3's mindset cracked slightly. His steel-like wax was supposed to be impenetrable. And why could a cat wield a sword to cut it?
"Originally, I wanted to avoid unnecessary fights. Since that's impossible, let's finish you first, then deal with the cat!"
The "3" hair on Mr. 3's head ignited. Swinging his right hand, he sprayed wax forming a massive sword, slashing diagonally at Artoria:
"Melting Sculpture: Candle Sword!"
"Ability to produce candle-like liquid from the body and shape it freely?" Artoria didn't dodge, slicing the wax sword apart.
Mr. 3 leaped back, swinging his left hand. A spear formed, launching at Artoria:
"Melting Sculpture: Candle Spear!"
Artoria lightly dodged and slashed toward Mr. 3, having assessed his abilities. Though interesting, his combat skills were worse than Da Ye's; speed and strength were similar. Time to end it.
…
Meanwhile, Zhang Da Ye, lacking combat finesse, ran into a small problem.
Mr. 5 was like a hedgehog—touch him anywhere, he could explode.
Zhang Da Ye dodged a booger, slashing at Mr. 5's head. Mr. 5 exploded before contact:
"Explosion Fist!"
Boom! The blast centered on his fist, knocking Zhang Da Ye back a few steps. Big noise, mediocre actual damage.
Mr. 5 stepped forward, kicking at Zhang Da Ye's waist as Zhang swung at his calf.
"Leg Explosion!"
Boom!
Mr. 5 clutched his calf, blood seeping between fingers: "You actually hurt me… I underestimated you!"
The direct contact threw Zhang Da Ye through the air, rolling, but only soiled his clothes and scorched his sword—no real harm.
What use is this explosion ability?
Zhang Da Ye set his sword down, taking out a half-human-height firecracker and match, igniting and throwing it.
Mr. 5, having a revolver, could detonate any air around him.
Seeing the firecracker, Mr. 5 smirked: "Let's see. I ate the Explosion Fruit. Any part of me can explode; explosions don't harm me!"
"Oh." Zhang Da Ye coldly acknowledged, then mimicked Tom, plugging his ears.
Sizzle… The fuse burned out. The anticipated blast didn't occur. The tall firecracker split in half, shedding layers.
Inside, a smaller firecracker burned its fuse. It kept shedding layers, spinning down to a nail-sized firecracker.
[Jerry's Prank Firecracker: or call it the Russian Doll Firecracker. Guess the power of the innermost micro firecracker?]
Mr. 5 was frustrated. Every time he braced for an explosion, the firecracker shed a layer without detonating.
Now, the tiny remaining piece insulted his abilities. He picked it up, trying to throw it at Zhang Da Ye.
But…
BOOOOOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted, yet the smoke barely covered Mr. 5's immediate area. The ground only scorched.
When the smoke cleared, Mr. 5's coat was tattered, body blackened, lips swollen red like sausages.
"Hic~~" Mr. 5 staggered, coughing black smoke: "I… I am… Explosion Fruit user… exp… explosion… doesn't… affect… me…"
Plop. Mr. 5 collapsed.
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A/N: A prime example of wasted potential—a fully developed Explosion Fruit could've decimated one or two Yonko in Wano.
By the way, Mingo had an Explosion Fruit subordinate, likely "Explosion" or "Blast" Fruit. Also, Crocodile had a digging granny, a swimming pervert, a 10,000-kg weight limit subordinate, and a knife-transforming subordinate. Mingo's had a 10,000-ton limit and weapon-transforming subordinate, plus an artistic fruit subordinate like Jora.
Comparing combat power, Crocodile's side is tough…