Rampant Plymouth tore Port Vale's unbeaten home record apart as they took their tally to 15 goals in three games with a five-goal rout.
Steve McPhee squandered an outstanding chance to score his eighth goal of the season as the home side made a bright start.
But Argyle responded with a devastating spell of four goals in 12 minutes which ended the game as a contest.
Marino Keith opened the scoring from close-range in the 35th minute before David Friio headed in unmarked three minutes later.
Steve Adams curled a third from 25 yards just before the interval and Paul Wotton clattered in a long-range free-kick two minutes after the break.
McPhee finally offered some crumbs of comfort for the dumbstruck home fans when he buried a consolation goal from Sam Collins' long throw in the 52nd minute.
But man-of-the-match Friio scored the goal of the game 11 minutes later with a fiercely struck 30-yard shot which left Dean Delaney clutching at thin air.
Port Vale: Delaney, Pilkington, Brightwell, Collins, Brown,
Birchall, Lipa, Cummins, Littlejohn, McPhee, Paynter. Subs:
Brain, Bridge-Wilkinson, Boyd, Armstrong, Burns.
Plymouth: McCormick, Worrell, Friio, Wotton, Coughlan, Gilbert,
Adams, Norris, Stonebridge, Keith, Evans. Subs: Capaldi, Bent,
Lowndes, Sturrock, Aljofree.
Referee: L Probert (Gloucestershire)