Watching the man who had just halted him with a single kick now stand there grinning, Aramaki's irritation spilled over his face.
He raised a hand and ruffled his slightly disheveled dark-green curls. Behind his sunglasses, his gaze darkened.
With a sharp ptoo, he spat the cigarette from his mouth.
"Hey, hey… Straw Hat," Aramaki's voice carried the sting of wounded pride,"just because you've barely climbed onto that so-called 'Yonko' throne doesn't mean you get to stick your tail up in the sky!"
He rolled his shoulders, flexing the arm that still tingled faintly from blocking Luffy's blow.
"Acting this cocky? That's a great way to get yourself crushed."
Then, his tone hardened, his teeth grinding slightly as he emphasized every word:
"Sure, my status is a little… special now—being part of the 'God's Knights'…"
"But no matter what—"
"I'm still a bona fide… former Marine Admiral, you bastard!!!"
He bit down hard on the words former Admiral, as if that identity alone still defined his strength and authority.
"Admiral?"
Standing atop the fractured ruins, Luffy let out a faint, unmistakable smirk at the word.
There was no mockery in it—
Just a calm declaration born from a vast gulf of growth.
"Sorry, moss-head old man." Luffy rolled his wrist, the air around him beginning to thrum with rising battle intent.
"The me right now… is countless times stronger than I was two years ago."
"…What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means…" Luffy's eyes sharpened.
"An Admiral… isn't anything special anymore."
The moment the words fell—
Luffy didn't enter his most stamina-draining Fifth Gear.
Instead, he took a deep breath.
His entire body flushed red, blazing steam bursting from his skin!
Gear Fourth — Snakeman!
His frame tightened, streamlined—like a coiled serpent ready to strike.
Without warning, his right arm snapped back, compressing to its absolute limit—
"Gomu Gomu no—"
But instead of firing straight, his fist began to twist and refract along its path at a speed the naked eye could barely follow!
The air screamed, torn apart by countless afterimages!
"Jet Culverin!!"
The trajectory was wild, unpredictable—impossible to track—yet every strike carried the piercing force of Gear Fourth Haki, instantly sealing off every avenue of escape around Aramaki!
Behind his sunglasses, Aramaki's pupils shrank slightly.
"Oh?" he let out a low hum of mild surprise—but his reaction was anything but slow.
"Forest Realm—Thousand Shields!"
He slammed his left hand against the ground beside him!
In an instant, the earth cracked open as countless thick, resilient vines burst forth—
Interweaving, layering, hardening—
Forming a massive, composite wooden shield at his side!
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!"
Luffy's Snakeman barrage slammed relentlessly into the shield!
Each impact sent violent tremors through it, splintering wood flying, deep dents and cracks forming across its surface—
Yet Aramaki's control over plant life was absolute.
Every damaged section was instantly reinforced by fresh vines, regenerating faster than it could be destroyed.
He endured the entire barrage head-on.
"Not bad… but still too green!" Aramaki grinned.
After all, since leaving the Marines and joining the God's Knights—
He hadn't exactly been idle.
(Second-stage Deep Sea Contract enhancement.)
"This place… is about to become my domain!"
As his words fell, Aramaki threw his arms wide and laughed toward the sky.
"Full power—"
"Forest Awakening: Genesis of All Life!!"
From his body, a vast surge of life force—no, something more like predatory vitality—erupted outward like a green tidal wave!
This wasn't mere plant growth anymore—
It was a complete rewriting of the environment itself.
The ground beneath their feet.The surrounding metal ruins.Scattered machinery and debris.Even the dust drifting through the air—
Everything that wasn't alive began to turn into wood under that unnatural force.
Metal sprouted growth rings, cracked open, and burst into towering trees.
Concrete softened into fertile soil, instantly overrun by roots and vines.
Even the air grew thick, saturated with spores and an oppressive density of life that made breathing feel heavy.
In just a few breaths—
A radius of several hundred meters had transformed into a primordial forest—
A plant hellscape completely under Aramaki's control.
"HAHAHAHA! See this, Straw Hat?!"
Standing atop a towering, grotesque ancient tree, Aramaki looked down at Luffy—now seemingly small within the sea of vegetation.
His voice rang with absolute dominance.
"Here, I am God! Every bit of stamina you burn becomes nourishment for this forest!"
"You hit me just now, didn't you? Let me return the favor!!"
"Forest Realm—Rampaging Vine Execution!!"
From every direction—above, below, all around—
Thick, spiked vines the size of barrels surged toward Luffy, twisting and crushing like a living execution chamber!
At the same time, the ground beneath him softened—
Roots shot up like grasping hands, clawing at his legs!
Luffy's Snakeman speed and Observation Haki surged to their limits—
Weaving through the gaps between vines and wooden spears, fists snapping out in rapid succession to blast approaching plants apart.
At first—
He held his ground.
Gear Fourth's power and Snakeman's agility kept him from being overwhelmed, even forcing Aramaki's plants into moments of defense.
But gradually—
The disadvantage began to show.
This domain wasn't just attacking.
It was draining.
With every breath Luffy took, the life-saturated air seemed to invade his body.
With every brush against the plants—even the slightest contact—a sliver of his stamina was siphoned away.
Worse still—
Aramaki's attacks were endless.
Destroyed plants regenerated instantly, growing thicker, stronger, more relentless—
While Luffy's energy steadily declined.
"—!"
A single misstep.
As Luffy dodged a massive wooden hammer crashing down from above, a sudden root surged beneath his foot—
His movement faltered for just a fraction of a second.
And in that instant—
"Got you! Forest Realm—Giant Timber Fist!!"
Aramaki roared with laughter.
A massive tree disguised among the ruins suddenly came alive—
Its trunk condensed into an enormous, hardened wooden fist, coated in powerful Armament Haki—
Seizing that fleeting opening—
It shot forward with terrifying speed, smashing into Luffy's side!
THUD—!!!
Luffy's eyes widened as blood burst from his mouth—
His body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through multiple layers of newly formed wooden walls—
Before slamming into a heap of twisted metal and plant-infused debris.
Dust and smoke billowed.
"Tch."
Aramaki withdrew his wooden fist, standing atop the tree, tilting his head slightly. Beneath his sunglasses, his expression held a trace of confusion—but far more of swelling arrogance.
"Strange… really strange!!"
"A guy who beat Kaido shouldn't be this weak, right?"
"Did CP0 wear you down earlier? Or is that so-called 'Fifth Emperor' title… a bit watered down?"
"Or maybe—"
He grinned wider.
"I've just gotten that strong!!"
"HAHAHA! Maybe I should go grab your crewmates next—drag them here one by one…"
"…and drain them dry right in front of you. I wonder what kind of face you'll make then!"
He licked his lips.
Around him, the forest stirred violently, responding to its master's rising excitement.
Within the crater below—
The dust slowly began to settle.
"…Is that so?"
A low voice echoed from the depths—
Completely unlike Luffy's usual bright tone.
Aramaki's grin faltered slightly.
Then—
A completely different kind of Haki erupted.
Not the scorching steam of Gear Fourth—
But—
A fountain of white steam surged upward from the crater, carrying a rhythmic, almost cheerful drumbeat—
Yet beneath it lurked a chilling fury.
Luffy rose slowly from the ruins.
White hair. White eyebrows. That same rubbery body.
But—
The signature radiant grin of his Nika form was gone.
In its place—
An expression of absolute seriousness.
His lips pressed into a cold, sharp line.
The aura around him was no longer pure joy and liberation—
But a terrifying pressure infused with anger… and killing intent.
Gear Fifth — Nika Form.
Luffy lifted his head slightly.
Through the lingering dust and writhing vines, his gaze locked precisely onto Aramaki atop the tree.
That look—
Made even Aramaki, standing within his own domain, feel a flicker of… cold.
"…Warm-up's over."
Luffy's voice was calm.
He raised a hand, brushing dust from his body casually—
Yet the surge of Conqueror's Haki that accompanied the motion caused the entire forest domain to tremble.
"Now…"
"…it's my turn."
Watching him, Aramaki's composure visibly wavered.
It wasn't just the awakening.
It was something deeper—
Something he couldn't defend against… couldn't counter.
"Conqueror's coating…?! What the hell!!!"