In the depths of this Sea of Trees, a newly grown Tree-man looked up in disbelief, watching the light reach above.
The power of wind and thunder, the burst of Instant Teleportation, the impact of Fist Bone, the penetration of Weiguo, and the True Damage inherent in Sage himself.
In the midst of the dual-hand impact, a black-red flash emerged, moving so fast it precluded any reaction, slamming directly into Aramaki's body.
"Great Red!!!"
Boom!!!
Like a bowl cover, the center of the island was shrouded in black-red light, radiating outward, destroying everything around.
Trees, ground, even the utopian world inside the waterfall itself, were all obliterated in this expansive light shockwave.
Crash!
The peak at the island's center was shattered and blasted apart by the impact, resulting in debris of varying sizes being scattered.
What should have been an elevating landscape of the island was forcibly blasted into a bowl shape, inciting waves along the sea at its edges.
"Hmm..."
In a corner of the outside Sea of Trees, Moriah shielded his face with his hand, sneering towards the center:
"Heehahaha, so it's Sage making a move? The power is truly great..."
Seated on Jozu, Hawkins casually drew a Tarot Card, saying, "It's over."
"Indeed..."
Beside him, Urouge chuckled oddly: "No one is a match for the Captain."
On the other side.
Lily swung her sword in vain, frowning as she watched Marco retreat into the sky: "Did he escape?"
"Oho! Sage has made a move!"
Nearby in the Sea of Trees, Renedia, sitting on Weevil's shoulders, cheered and pointed a hammer towards the center, "I can sense it now, Weevil, let's head in that direction!"
"Alright, Big Sis!"
Weevil nodded dumbly, carrying his long knife as he headed in the direction Renedia pointed, leaving behind a trail of corpses.
In the center, Marika shielded herself and took several steps back with a smile:
"Has the power weakened? It should be capable of destroying an entire island, but... it's enough."
This move by Sage had the power to completely destroy an island.
It's clearly weakened now, likely out of concern for those under his command.
Yet, it's still enough.
In the massive bowl-shaped hollow at the center, the trees reduced to dust ceased growing, even grass was gone, turning the place into a desolate land.
In the core of the hollow, Aramaki, his body scorched and cracked like it had been burned, panted heavily, struggling desperately when a pair of boots appeared in his sight.
Tap!
That foot stepped on his head, embedding it into the ground below, saturated with Supreme King's Entanglement, shaking his spirit and preventing Elementalization.
Sage looked down with a sinister grin, "Still not good enough, Gin!"
Compared to Kizaru and Aokiji, the gap was too wide.
That kind of top-tier power certainly wasn't something that world recruitment could bring forth.
Though this guy wasn't bad, far exceeding the likes of Katakuri whom Sage had encountered.
There indeed exists a ceiling on the sea.
On this pinnacle, of course, stands Kaido.
Beyond this line, though battle strength is hard to classify, a serious fight would eventually settle the outcome.
Passing this line means surpassing the so-called vice-emperor level, classified by 'Weak Grand Admiral', 'Strong Grand Admiral', and 'Strong Four Emperors' levels that Sage had defined long ago.
Aramaki could be deemed a 'Weak Grand Admiral', standing on this level line.
But faced with someone like Sage, a 'Strong Grand Admiral', he still falls short.
Especially with someone like him, who easily overwhelms beyond surpassing.
Haki was Sage's weak point, but constant battles with formidable foes kept enhancing it.
At this point, it had improved significantly compared to the past, and although Aramaki might match him, Sage possessed infinite Haki, be it consumption or dueling, Aramaki would ultimately lose.
In terms of Physique, his threefold physique, aside from Big Mom and Kaido, disregarded anyone else.
Moreover, this move entailed numerous Haki techniques and attributes; even with the perception of subordinates on this island, the power was restrained somewhat, focusing destruction on the island's center, which Aramaki couldn't withstand.
With his face against the ground, Aramaki gritted through clenched teeth, "I, I'm Aramaki... bastard!"
He could still move, only temporarily immobilized under the Conqueror's Haki suppression.
Sage wouldn't give him any opportunity to act either.
"Whatever, it's all the same. Your abilities seem decent, so I'll take you in and see who among my subordinates can use you."
Sage withdrew his foot, his toe laced with Haki again, ready to kick towards Aramaki.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a gust of wind suddenly echoed from the side, akin to the feeling of a blade slicing through air, accompanied by a unique...
"Vibration?"
Sage paused momentarily, not looking back, and at once threw a punch to unleash a shockwave.
Boom!!
The blade and the Haki shockwave clashed, erupting in strange vibrations, causing cracks to appear on the ground.
The figure behind Sage was Ogrin's body; though it should have been headless, a mask with a long red nose had formed on it now, and in its hand was a gleaming naginata.
The vibration emitted from the blade.
"Accursed Aramaki! Cursed calamity! My plan is entirely ruined! I had expectations for you, Aramaki! Why didn't you follow my plan!"
The red mask let out a venomous roar, the voice strikingly familiar.