I'm A Plunderer In The World Of One Piece.

"Hah… hah! You're really a tough one."

Mr. 3 stood clad in full-body wax armor—his Candle Champion Cup—appearing like a walking fortress.

In front of him stood Zoro, all three swords drawn.

The wax encasing his blades, Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu, had already been cleaved away.

With Wado Ichimonji gripped between his teeth, Zoro locked eyes with Mr. 3, the corner of his mouth twitching into a confident smirk.

"Right back at you. Gotta hand it to you, you've got some impressive durability."

"I'll definitely turn you into a wax statue, Three-Sword Style swordsman!"

Despite his threats, Mr. 3 was struggling. This swordsman was beyond troublesome—he had no issue seeing through Mr. 3's wax clones and moved faster than he could keep up.

If it weren't for the regenerative properties of his Candle Champion Cup, Zoro would have sliced him to pieces by now.

As the fight dragged on, Mr. 3 realized something: their new boss wasn't worried about them killing his comrades—because he knew they couldn't.

This swordsman was beyond them.

What Mr. 3 didn't realize was that in the original timeline, his schemes and powers had pushed Zoro into a tight corner—trapping him, Nami, and Vivi in a massive candle execution setup.

That version of Zoro was nowhere near the warrior before him now.

Because Shirogai had boarded the ship.

Thanks to his training, Zoro had grown exponentially.

---

Was he being underestimated?

Mr. 3 clenched his teeth, bitterness welling inside.

Why did that guy get the boss's attention, while he—a seasoned agent—was used as nothing more than a stepping stone?

He remembered the humiliating moment Shirogai had defeated him effortlessly—no flashy attacks, just overwhelming presence.

Even now, Mr. 3 couldn't deny it.

Shirogai was no ordinary pirate. The only reason his name hadn't yet shaken the seas was because he'd only just begun his journey.

Given time, The Plunderer would be a name known across all four seas.

If he had the chance, Mr. 3 would gladly serve him—not as a disposable assassin, but as a real subordinate.

Too bad Shirogai didn't see him that way.

Frustration boiling over, Mr. 3 shifted tactics.

No more head-on fighting.

Zoro slashed forward—one swing shattered the Champion Cup.

But the broken wax fragments surged upward, reforming into a Candle Prison midair, locking Zoro inside.

Mr. 3 sneered.

"Let's see you get out of that!"

Zoro scoffed.

"I've already cut through steel during my sparring with Shirogai. You think wax scares me?"

His eyes flared with fighting spirit.

"Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri!"

Zoro's blades tore through the hardened wax, shredding it into pieces. The cage collapsed instantly.

Mr. 3 stared in disbelief.

"You… you broke the Candle Prison like it was nothing?!"

---

From the wax house, Shirogai—watching through [Mind Lurker] embedded in Miss Goldenweek's thoughts—grinned.

"Mr. 3's adaptable, I'll give him that."

---

"Game over."

Zoro's eyes narrowed as he charged again.

"Three-Sword Style: Oni Giri, Double Attack!"

Blades flashed.

A painted tree toppled in two clean halves.

Zoro blinked.

"...I missed?"

He looked up. Mr. 3 was standing to the side—untouched.

The wax man laughed, baring his teeth.

"Hah! You've fallen for Miss Goldenweek's Color Trap. You can't touch me now."

Nearby, Miss Goldenweek peeked out from behind a tree.

"Color Blending: Laughing Yellow + Bullfighting Red."

Zoro's mind was being manipulated by the colors painted around him, turning him into a puppet without him realizing it.

He frowned. "That little girl's power? But she never even got close..."

Mr. 3 chuckled.

"She didn't have to. I had her paint Laughing Yellow inside my armor beforehand.

When you cut it open, your sword got stained. Then, when you destroyed the prison, she marked the nearby trees with Bullfighting Red.

Now your body instinctively targets those trees. You can't hit me!"

He conjured two wax spears and hurled them at Zoro.

Zoro dodged sideways.

"What kind of trick is this...?"

He slashed again, only for his blades to turn mid-swing and destroy yet another painted tree behind him.

His back was exposed.

"Die!"

Mr. 3 launched another barrage of wax spears.

Zoro dodged using Soru, barely avoiding the piercing strikes.

He sheathed Yubashiri and Wado Ichimonji, relying solely on Sandai Kitetsu for now.

"Damn..."

No matter how he attacked, the swords veered toward the painted targets.

Yet Zoro didn't lose his cool. He smirked instead.

"So that's how it works."

---

Inside the wax house, Shirogai sighed and stood from the rocking chair.

"Mr. 3 lost."

He stepped outside into the jungle, stretching casually.

"Zoro's improving fast. Guess using Mr. 3 and Goldenweek for training wasn't enough."

With the Marine Six Styles,faint signs Armament Haki, and Observation Haki he'd drilled into Zoro, the swordsman had far surpassed his original Small Garden self.

"Time to step in myself."

The atmosphere shifted—the presence of a true threat radiated through the forest.

---

Back on the battlefield, Zoro smiled, eyes locked on Mr. 3.

"I figured it out."

Mr. 3 frowned.

"There's no way you broke the Color Trap already!"

Zoro glanced at Miss Goldenweek, who continued to repaint targets behind trees.

"My attacks are being redirected to those marked trees, right?

So all I need to do is cut all of them at once."

He sheathed Sandai Kitetsu, taking a low stance, aura intensifying.

"If I treat every tree around me as the enemy…"

Mr. 3's eyes widened.

"You're going to cut them all?! I won't let you!"

He quickly formed more spears.

"Candle Spear!"

But Zoro vanished.

"Where—?!"

The next moment, Zoro reappeared behind him, drawing his blade slowly.

A concentrated energy pulsed from his sheath.

One strike, and it was over.

"One-Sword Style: Annihilation."

---

More Powerstones = More Chapters = Everyone's Happy.