"Uro, you want to fight with me..."
Jekai said, "Although I'm not a combatant, in this Sea of Trees, there aren't many qualified to fight me! Divine Concealment!"
He waved the feather fan, stirring up a silent wind, swiftly blowing towards Marika.
Among the Disaster Pirates, only a few can block his abilities, and the rest can be casually teleported elsewhere by him.
However, as Marika was supposed to be blown away, she suddenly crossed her hands, and Haki surged out from within, forming a defense, allowing the ghostly wind to blow without vanishing.
"You..."
Jekai was slightly stunned, "You can block it too?"
Sage wasn't affected by his power, as expected, since he's someone to be taken seriously.
The fact that the Sword Princess and Former Seven Warlords of the Sea weren't affected was unexpected, but still within his plans.
Only this 'Uro' left Jekai startled.
Concerning the members within the Disaster Pirates, he had studied them deeply, and for Marika, he was particularly attentive, assigning her a remarkably powerful individual.
But no matter how powerful, Jekai believed none were stronger than himself.
He was confident he could defeat Jozu and Vista, and was a figure that could stand shoulder to shoulder with Marco, with sufficient strength in Ability Development as well.
So why couldn't Marika be moved?
Jekai's eyelids twitched, feeling something was slipping from his control.
"Ah... it really is your ability, making us suddenly disappear, including interfering with Observation."
Marika looked up at Jekai, "So all I need to do is defeat you."
"If you can!"
Jekai's face, always smiling and unchanged, turned completely gloomy.
"Tengu Wind!"
He waved the feather fan again, the previously silent wind transformed into numerous wind blades, blowing towards Marika from the depths of the surrounding forest.
Yet, as the wind approached her, the outward emanating Haki caught each blade before getting close, using attack as defense, forcibly deflecting the wind blades.
Swish!
In the next instant, Marika stepped forward, quickly turning into a blur, rushing straight towards Jekai, throwing a fierce punch.
Jekai stepped back, fanned the fan, and disappeared before the punch landed.
Bam!!
A massive tree was struck by Marika's punch, shattered into fragments that scattered outward.
Internal Destruction!
Gin knows it, Urouge knows it, even Hawkins knows it.
There's no reason Marika wouldn't.
Actually, she learned this technique in the same batch as Lily.
"Did it disappear?"
Having missed with her punch, Marika looked around but didn't find anyone, her hair flew out instantly, layered with Haki, thrusting around like a giant web or as if a swarm of snakes had been unleashed.
The extending strands penetrated the surrounding trees, the specific Haki technique churned them into fragments upon penetration, shattering them one by one.
"Your wind comes from within the forest, but you don't have the means to regenerate trees yet need them... let's see where you'll appear without them," Marika said with a smile.
Aramaki, clicking his tongue beside her, was about to regrow a tree but suddenly shivered all over, instinctively shifting into his wooden form.
Boom!
A shockwave struck, shattering Aramaki entirely, as sawdust flew, he grew back within another tree trunk, watching Sage with a grim expression.
"Stop messing around, I'm fine alone because I'm confident facing you all. Sometimes abilities are fair, even I can't break Observation's interference, so your sacrifice should be the same."
Sage raised his fist, smiled: "Without Observation... is it really advantageous for you?"
Aramaki's expression changed, he pondered, and helplessly rubbed his forehead, "I told you, old man Jekai shouldn't mess with these things, better to go all in from the start."
He didn't know exactly who had the upper hand, but he knew that if Sage's punch made less noise, he might not have noticed at all.
This Disaster, a master of Body Techniques, Aramaki would never believe he didn't know assassination techniques.
Without Observation, neither side could detect each other, it did seem like a disadvantage for them.
Aramaki's hands transformed into branches, plunged into the nearby ground, merging with the trees, becoming a giant Tree-man.
"This is the only way now, Jekai originally said they'd drain you, then I'd catch you. Now it seems that can't happen... something impossible anyway, why not fight head-on? But since Jekai used to look after me, I just went along with him."
The branches piercing the ground seemed to be absorbing something, as they surged wildly, enlarging the Tree-man, causing nearby trees to weaken and wither, shrinking progressively.
"Hey! Aramaki, what are you doing, why aren't you following my plan!"
Jekai appeared atop a tree yet to wither, shouted loudly.
"Old man, it's useless now, you're held up, what's the point of plans? Let's just use the most direct means to fight the Disaster!"
The tree expanded again, rising high, numerous roots intertwined like knotted muscles, supporting the continuously swelling tree body.
Taller than giants by far, its volume seemed to level with this mountain peak's summit.