"Is this the so-called Priest Trial?" Zoro questioned, unimpressed.
The other Sky Soldiers were also somewhat dumbfounded and hastily shouted, "Master Gedatsu, aim for the enemy!"
Gedatsu finally reacted, conjuring another swamp cloud and hurling it towards the Merry. Before anyone else could act, Little 3 leaped forward, throwing out streams of white wax from his hands.
Instantly, the marsh cloud was completely encased in the hardening wax.
Thump! The wax-encased cloud was tossed into the cloud river.
Little 3 adjusted his glasses, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "If the so-called priests are all this weak, then this one is mine. Captain Luffy, you go on ahead; I'll catch up later. Gotta show off a little, or Marie will be disappointed in her third brother."
"Oh! 3, then I'll leave him to you!" Luffy agreed without hesitation.
Indeed, this spider priest's strength was quite ordinary, making him a suitable opponent for Little 3.
Receiving Luffy's go-ahead, Little 3 jumped onto a large tree and launched streams of molten wax at Gedatsu. The hardening wax swiftly formed two lifelike wax figures in front of the bewildered priest.
"What's going on? This is... wax? But how can wax figures be alive?" Gedatsu stammered, utterly confused.
"Heh heh! When I saw Cracker playing with his biscuit soldiers, I thought, if biscuit figures can move, why can't my wax figures? Since Captain Luffy has become one of the Five Emperors, I can at least match Cracker's style!" Little 3 declared with a confident grin. He then manipulated the two wax figures to relentlessly attack Gedatsu.
"3, it's just like that cookie man!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with amusement.
"Little Brother 3 is amazing!" Usopp couldn't help but admire.
Even Zoro, Sanji, and Law exchanged impressed nods. Little 3 drawing inspiration from Cracker's biscuit soldiers and adapting it to his Wax-Wax Fruit was a clever move, potentially making him significantly stronger.
Wax figures and biscuit figures served a similar purpose, and wax figures possessed the advantage of being considerably harder than their biscuit counterparts.
Their only real weakness was fire.
But that wasn't an insurmountable problem. If Little 3 had sufficient stamina, he could create an entire army of wax figures, making a mere flame attack inconsequential – simply melt one and create another.
Gedatsu's Kenbunshoku Haki was decent, allowing him to evade the wax figures' attacks with relative ease.
However, this defensive approach left him somewhat passive and failed to achieve his objective of stopping the Straw Hats.
Seeing their leader struggling, the remaining Sky Soldiers immediately rushed forward to assist.
Law glanced at his two subordinates. "Didn't you see? Why aren't you helping to deal with the small fry?"
"Ah? Oh! Brother 3, we're here to help!" Hina and Jinbe yelled, leaping off the ship and intercepting the charging Sky Soldiers. The few remaining soldiers were no match for their combined strength.
The Merry continued its course, showing no signs of stopping.
Gedatsu grew increasingly impatient. "Wait a minute! You can't pass through here! If I let you go, what would be the point of my Swamp Trial?! Stop!"
"Hey, hey, your opponent is me now!" Little 3 retorted, slightly annoyed. He created two more wax figures and sent them to pummel Gedatsu.
While he couldn't yet create and manipulate biscuit soldiers with Cracker's effortless skill, precisely controlling four wax figures to deal with Gedatsu posed no significant challenge.
As for the Sky Soldiers, despite their Wind Dial shoes and specialized attack equipment, they were no match for Hina and Jinbe.
Before long, all the Sky Soldiers were swiftly defeated by the duo.
Seeing the Merry sailing further away, Hina and Jinbe decided to leave Gedatsu to Little 3. After a brief lull, they grew bored and began experimenting with the Sky Soldiers' discarded equipment.
Little did they know, Gedatsu possessed both Observation and Voice of All Things, making him far from oblivious.
The four wax figures continued their relentless assault, but Gedatsu smoothly dodged each attack, seizing opportunities to counter with his Marsh Cloud Hamburger.
However, the swamp cloud engulfing the wax figures caused Little 3 no harm, and he simply created replacements.
Gedatsu grew increasingly frustrated by the seemingly endless barrage of wax figures.
Unbeknownst to him, Little 3 was carefully observing his movements, particularly when he utilized his Kenbunshoku Haki.
That's right, Little 3 was attempting to decipher Gedatsu's Observation Haki, hoping to awaken his own. It had to be said that Little 3 possessed a certain cunning, and his successes often stemmed from his opponents' lack of intelligence.
Clever was still clever, far better than stupid.
Annoyed beyond measure by the persistent wax figures, Gedatsu finally decided to unleash his full power.
He adopted a stance for a powerful punch, and the next second, a resounding bang echoed as Gedatsu shattered a wax figure with a lightning-fast blow.
It was too fast to even see!
"What's going on? What did he do?" Little 3 exclaimed in surprise.
"Jet Fist is my most powerful move!" Gedatsu announced with surprising enthusiasm. "See the Kazama on my elbow? It's an extinct species of Wind Dial! It allows my fists to generate immense explosive power! No one can withstand my punch!"
...asking for flowers...
BANG! Another wax figure exploded into pieces.
Bang bang! The remaining wax figures all shattered.
Little 3 calmly adjusted his glasses, showing no intention of creating more wax figures.
"Brother 3! We're here to help!" Hina and Jinbe, realizing the shift in the battle's momentum, immediately prepared to rush forward.
"No need! He's not my opponent yet! Don't forget how we graduated!" Little 3 declared confidently. He intended to meet Gedatsu's attack head-on, sensing that directly confronting and defeating the priest would trigger some form of personal growth.
This feeling was incredibly strong!
"Jet Fist!" Gedatsu roared, launching his attack.
"Wall of Candles!" Little 3 countered.
A loud bang reverberated as Gedatsu's fist smashed into the wall of wax. His entire arm plunged through the barrier, striking Little 3. However, Little 3 merely smiled slightly, his hands crossed in front of him, protected by a hardened wax shield.
"How... how is this possible?!" Gedatsu stammered in disbelief.
"Nothing is impossible! I have you to thank for this! Come again!" Little 3 replied, his smile widening with newfound confidence. He kicked Gedatsu back, then resumed his seemingly harmless stance, inviting another attack.
Gedatsu hesitated for a moment, a flicker of apprehension in his eyes, but he charged forward again.
"Jet Fist!"
Boom!
This time, Little 3 didn't even bother with the candle wall. His arms, encased in the wax shield, simply blocked his face, deflecting the blow effortlessly. The wax shield shattered under the force of Gedatsu's punch, but Little 3 remained completely unharmed.
"I saw it! I saw the face you were going to attack!" Little 3 exclaimed triumphantly.
"Nani! Masaka..." Gedatsu gasped.
"That's right! Kenbunshoku Haki! I can use it too!" Little 3 declared, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. "Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Gedatsu. Rest in peace. Wax Bondage!"
A massive ball of hardened wax erupted from Little 3's hands, completely encasing Gedatsu. The priest struggled frantically, but he was utterly immobilized. Moreover, the wax was incredibly durable, impossible to break.
"Wax Wax Iron Fist!" Little 3 roared, delivering a powerful, wax-enhanced punch.
Gedatsu fell silent.
"Brother 3, you're amazing! You actually awakened Observation Haki!" Hina and Jinbe exclaimed, their voices filled with envy.
"Well, it was just luck," Little 3 replied, displaying a rare moment of humility.
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