A cruel smile twisted across Aramaki's face. With a single clench of his hand, the wooden spikes that had pierced Daz Bonez began to writhe, greedily draining the life from his flesh. Daz Bonez's body withered rapidly, his agonized groans echoing through the battlefield.
Hearing the sound, Crocodile felt his chest tighten as if pierced by blades. Among his subordinates, Daz Bonez had been the most loyal—carrying out every mission without complaint. Watching him suffer was unbearable.
Aramaki, savoring the moment, mocked cruelly.
"Such loyalty. A pity he's just a little too confident."
The words snapped the last thread of restraint within Crocodile. He gently laid Daletz's limp body on the ground before spinning back, eyes burning red with fury.
"I'm going to kill you!"
Transforming into a raging sandstorm, he surged toward Aramaki. But the Forest-Logia user only sneered. With a casual wave of his hand, thick black vines erupted from the ground, weaving into a wall that swallowed the sandstorm whole.
In an instant, Crocodile was bound and hurled to the ground at Aramaki's feet.
Stepping down hard on his chest, Aramaki taunted,
"So this is the strength of a 'boss'? Pathetic. Tell me, as a pirate, is it really worth risking your life for some kingdom?"
"You bastard! The King will never forgive you!" Crocodile snarled.
"The King?" Aramaki scoffed. "You mean that feeble monarch cowering inside? Is he supposed to frighten me?"
"No," Crocodile spat blood, his voice firm. "The King I'm talking about… is Uchiha Chiga, the Purple Kirin. He told me to guard this land. And when he returns, you'll die a miserable death!"
Aramaki froze for a moment, then his expression darkened.
"You mean… Uchiha Chiga?"
"Yes!"
With a roar, Aramaki's boot smashed into Crocodile's face.
"Don't speak that name! He's the one who shattered everything I believed in!"
Once, Aramaki had been a fanatic loyalist to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. But it had all been destroyed by Chiga alone.
Panting with hatred, he raged further.
"And Akainu… that traitor! I revered him, but he betrayed us just like Uchiha Chiga! They both deserve to die!"
Blood dripped from Crocodile's mouth, but his grin widened. He looked up at Aramaki with contempt.
"You? Challenge the King? You're nothing but a clown. Your downfall will be glorious to watch! Hahahaha!"
Aramaki's face darkened further. Grinding his teeth, he hissed,
"Enjoy your laugh. I won't let you die quickly."
A wooden spike sprouted in his hand, its tip glistening with Armament Haki. He advanced step by step toward Crocodile.
The Baroque Works agents could no longer stand idle. Mr. 2 charged with reckless courage, and even the usually timid Mr. 3 followed, shouting as he rushed forward.
But Aramaki's men intercepted them, and chaos erupted as both sides clashed.
Unbothered, Aramaki stopped before Crocodile, licking the edge of the wooden spike with sadistic delight.
"Now then… let's savor this properly."
Crocodile's defiance didn't falter. He glared straight into Aramaki's eyes, refusing to even blink.
"No!" Vivi's desperate cry rang from the city walls. Cobra beside her clenched his fists, despair weighing heavy on his heart. Crocodile's courage was admirable, but their enemy's strength was overwhelming.
Then—two brilliant beams of golden light tore through the sky. A scream echoed. The wooden spike clattered to the ground—still gripped in a severed arm.
Aramaki staggered back, clutching at the stump where his arm had been. Black smoke hissed and sizzled where he touched it, nearly consuming his other hand before he recoiled.
The shocking scene silenced everyone. The fighting stopped. All eyes widened at the sight of Aramaki—an Admiral-level figure—reduced to a cripple in an instant.
Beads of sweat rolled down his face as pain wracked his body.
"Lasers? Kizaru? No… impossible. That power could never harm a Logia like me…"
Crocodile, still battered, seized the moment to sneer.
"What's wrong? Lost an arm already? Keep going!"
Aramaki ignored him, scanning desperately for the attacker.
Then, an indifferent voice echoed behind him.
"Are you looking for me?"
"Na–Nani!?"
Every hair on Aramaki's body stood on end. He spun, but before he could react, two more golden beams ripped through him. His legs vanished from the knees down, and his body collapsed, pinned in the sand.
Crocodile's eyes widened as he stared at the man who had appeared. His voice trembled.
"K–King… you've returned?"
Aramaki's body quivered violently at the name. Moments ago, he had spat hatred toward Uchiha Chiga. Now, with the man himself standing before him, he dared not even raise his eyes. The gap between them was immeasurable.
Without sparing him a glance, Uchiha Chiga snapped his fingers. Instantly, the vines binding Crocodile withered to dust.
Crocodile staggered to his feet, ready to give thanks, but froze at a shout from behind.
"Boss!"
He turned in disbelief. Daz Bonez, who had been pierced through moments ago, now stood alive and whole. The crowd gasped as they watched him walk forward. A swirling gray vortex had enveloped him, healing his body completely as though nothing had happened.
The battlefield was stunned into silence.
Aramaki, however, dropped all pretense of pride. He cried out desperately,
"Chiga-sama! I was wrong! Please, spare me!"
But Uchiha Chiga wasted no words on him. With a mere thought, Aramaki felt his essence ripped away, as though something vital had been stolen.
Before he could comprehend what was happening, countless vines erupted from the ground, coiling around him tightly. When they finally dispersed, nothing remained but a shriveled husk—Aramaki, the Forest Logia, reduced to a lifeless corpse.