The clearing in Little Garden was dominated by the slowly rotating "Extra Large Service Candelabra." White wax mist drifted down like fine snow, coating the three trapped individuals.
In mere minutes, the hardened wax had reached their chests, threatening to entomb them forever.
"I can't... I can't move my body..." Vivi looked at her gradually whitening form, tears of despair welling in her eyes. "We're going to die... we're really going to become wax statues..."
"No!! I absolutely refuse to die like this!!" Nami let out a shrill scream, struggling with all her might to no avail. "Someone help us!! Viktor! Luffy! Save us!!"
Amidst this atmosphere of dread, one person remained singularly off-beat. Zoro, trapped at the highest tier, was drenched in sweat.
But he wasn't struggling to escape; instead, he was painstakingly adjusting his still-movable left arm, trying to position his Wado Ichimonji in front of him at a specific angle.
"Hey, Nami," Zoro said with a deadly serious expression. "Take a look. How's this pose? Should the angle of the blade be a bit higher?"
"HUH?!" Nami snapped. Veins popped on her forehead as she roared at him, "What are you doing at a time like this?! We're about to die and you're posing?! Are you an idiot?!"
"Hmph, you don't understand." Zoro gritted his teeth, forcing the blade into a satisfactory position, his eyes sharp.
"Since I'm destined to become a statue, I might as well strike a cool pose. If I'm turned into a figure and passed down in an ugly position, that would be a life-long disgrace for a swordsman!"
"..." Vivi's face went blank, her tears forgotten. "This guy... is a lost cause."
"Gaga!!"
A giant spot-billed duck burst from the jungle. Atop its back, Luffy was waving his fist. "Everyone!! I'm here to save you!!"
Luffy rode Karoo like a cannonball, smashing into the battlefield and shattering a corner of the candelabra's base with a heavy punch.
"We're saved!!" Hope ignited in Nami's eyes. However, just as Luffy prepared to continue the destruction...
"No, I can't let you ruin my masterpiece." The little girl who had been calmly sipping tea and eating rice crackers—Miss Goldenweek—finally set down her cup. She picked up her brush and deftly painted a strange black symbol on the ground beneath Luffy's feet.
"Colors Trap: Black of Betrayal."
Luffy stepped right onto the black pigment. A second later, his fighting spirit vanished. He picked his nose and looked at the trapped Zoro and Nami with pure disdain, turning his back on them. "Tch... why should I save you guys? What a pain. I'm going home to sleep."
"HUH?!" Nami's eyes bugged out. "What nonsense are you talking, Luffy! Save us! We're turning into candles!"
"Don't want to." Luffy waved them off, genuinely preparing to ride away on the duck.
"Haha, how interesting." Miss Goldenweek tilted her head and flicked her brush again, splashing yellow paint directly onto Luffy's clothes. "Colors Trap: Yellow of Laughter."
"Pfft... HAHAHA!!" The indifferent Luffy suddenly collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach and rolling in hysterical laughter. "Hahaha! That's too funny! You guys look... hahaha! Like white snowmen!! My stomach hurts! I can't take it! Hahaha!"
Watching Luffy laugh himself into a fit instead of helping, the veins on Zoro's forehead pulsed violently. His gaze turned demonic. "Luffy... when I get out... I am definitely going to cut you!!!"
"It's over... it's really over this time..." Vivi whispered, her hope completely shattered. She shifted her leg slightly and felt a sticky sensation. The wax beneath her was no longer hard; it was becoming viscous.
Whoosh—
An intense heatwave suddenly swept out from the nearby trees. The temperature in the air skyrocketed instantly!
[Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!]
There was no sound of complicated hand seals, only the explosive crackle of flames consuming oxygen. A massive orange fireball, like a roaring fire dragon, lunged from the shadows.
It didn't strike the captives; instead, it wrapped with surgical precision around the base of the candelabra and the mechanism spraying the wax mist.
BOOM!!
The fire raged. If Mr. 3 were still alive, he might have used his powers to maintain the wax's hardness. But with the user dead, the residual wax had lost its source of vitality.
Encountering the high-temperature flames of the Uchiha, the iron-hard wax met its natural predator. It melted in an avalanche of liquid.
Splatter...
The hardened candles turned into boiling oil, flowing down like a waterfall.
"Ah! I can move! I can move!" Nami discovered her bonds were gone. The wax on Zoro also cracked and fell away.
He shook off the debris, his murderous aura mixing with his lingering rage, making him look like an Asura crawled back from hell.
Zoro slowly turned his head, his eye fixed on Miss Goldenweek, who was still holding her brush. "It's a bit of a shame I didn't get to finish the pose..." Zoro's hand rested on his hilt, his voice eerie. "But you, brat... you seemed to be having quite a lot of fun, didn't you?"
"Eek!!" Miss Goldenweek paled at the sight of Zoro's physical killing intent. Her brush clattered to the ground. She was just a little girl; faced with this level of terror, she turned to run.
As the candelabra was destroyed, the residual heat from Viktor's flames burned away the color traps on the ground.
"Urgh... cough!" Luffy finally snapped out of the laughter. He climbed up, scratching his head in confusion. "Huh? What happened? Why was I laughing?"
But he quickly spotted the fleeing girl. Despite his confusion, his intuition told him she was the culprit. "I don't care! You, the paint brat!!" Luffy roared, stretching his arm far back. "Gum-Gum—Bullet!!!"
BOOM!
A heavy rubber fist slammed forward. "KYAAAAA!!" Miss Goldenweek, her easel, and her paint buckets were sent flying into the clouds like a shooting star, becoming a distant twinkle in the sky.
The battle was over. Only then did Viktor step unhurriedly from the shadows. His longsword was already sheathed. Looking at the group covered in messy white wax, his face wore its usual smile.
"It seems... my timing was just right?" Viktor looked at Zoro, who was wiping his scabbard, and teased, "Zoro, that pose earlier wasn't bad. Very artistic. You should find a painter to capture it next time."
"Tch! Mind your own business!" Zoro's face flushed. He angrily sheathed his sword and looked away.
Luffy, hearing Viktor's suggestion, clapped his hands in realization. "Ah! Viktor's right! Besides a musician, I want a painter too! This is so hard to decide!"
"Why are you actually considering it, you idiot!" Zoro roared at Luffy.
Vivi's lip twitched as she hugged Karoo. "Are these people... really reliable, Karoo?" "Quack!"
"VIKTOR!!"
With a cry that carried a hint of a sob, Nami ignored the wax oil on her clothes and lunged forward, grabbing Viktor's arm.
Her eyes were watery with accusation. "Waaaah, I almost died! Hey! Why are you laughing, you jerk! I'm so mad!!"
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