In his balloon form, Joy Boy floated up and down before Aramaki's large eyes before suddenly expanding in size.
His body stretched and twisted rapidly, his limbs crackling with the distinct black and red lightning of Conqueror's Haki.
"Hahahaha! Interesting, interesting!!"
Joy Boy's laughter carried waves of Conqueror's Haki, causing the massive wooden avatar Aramaki had created to stumble backward from the sheer force of the sound.
"How much elasticity can your body handle?"
As he spoke, he reached out with both hands and grabbed Aramaki's tree-trunk-like arm. His rubberized muscles compressed like springs, building up tension.
Boom!
The compressed energy exploded forth, and Aramaki's entire right arm was blasted into a cloud of wooden splinters! However, from the severed stump, countless vine-like tendrils sprouted like carnivorous plants.
Aramaki had already shifted his real body elsewhere—what Joy Boy had just destroyed was merely an elemental extension, causing him no real harm.
At the end of the day, Admirals weren't chosen solely for having powerful Devil Fruits; their mastery of Haki was also among the best in the world.
Aramaki burst into laughter.
"Plants can regenerate, you bastard!"
From the severed limb of the wooden titan, dense vines shot out like serpents, coiling tightly around Joy Boy's limbs.
"Let's see how much water I can drain from you!!"
The vines writhed wildly at Aramaki's command, but they failed to absorb even a single drop of moisture—Joy Boy's rubberized body had suddenly liquefied, slipping through the gaps in the vines!
Floating within the white liquid was Joy Boy's ever-present, almost idiotic grin.
Then, his body rapidly re-solidified, and he shot high into the sky like a stretched-out rubber band.
"A truly free man won't be bound by some measly vines!"
Among the Admirals, Aramaki had always prided himself on his composure. But seeing Joy Boy bouncing around in the sky, he finally lost his temper and roared,
"You damn flea! Freedom my ass!!"
Swinging his massive wooden arms, he unleashed a swarm of spores that burst in the air, releasing a dense pink mist.
This was a lethal botanical toxin—ordinary people would die within seconds of inhaling it.
But Joy Boy simply opened his mouth and took a deep breath, sucking in all the pink fog in an instant.
Aramaki froze in surprise, but before he could react, Joy Boy let out an explosive sneeze, spraying two jets of white gas from his nostrils.
The white mist twisted and writhed in the air before taking shape—a massive, white giant resembling Joy Boy himself.
Joy Boy wiped his nose with a smirk and murmured,
"Nika—Imagination Manifestation."
The white giant lunged at Aramaki from above. Aramaki scoffed, throwing a powerful punch that blew a hole straight through the giant's chest.
However, the attack had no effect on its movements. The giant swung its own fist and struck Aramaki square in the face.
A shocking sight followed—despite being made of mist, the white giant's punch sent Aramaki's massive wooden avatar staggering backward, nearly falling into the sea.
Even Aramaki himself was dumbfounded. He touched his wooden cheek, where a dull pain lingered.
The white giant's attack had connected physically, meaning it was imbued with an incredibly strong level of Haki.
Swish!
Aokiji suddenly flashed into view, landing on Aramaki's shoulder. Glancing down at him, he asked,
"You alright, Aramaki?"
Aramaki frowned and replied,
"I'm fine… but this ability is seriously weird."
Aokiji narrowed his eyes at the white giant, which was now dancing in place, and muttered,
"If Carl took him seriously, then he's bound to be exceptional."
With that, Aokiji clapped his hands together, sending a powerful wave of freezing air surging forward. The frost shot into the white giant's body, locking its movements.
The giant tried to move, but its limbs stiffened, as if it had turned into an awkwardly frozen puppet.
At that moment, Kuma appeared, using his ability to launch himself toward the scene. He raised his massive paw and struck the frozen giant with a powerful shockwave.
Boom!
The white giant instantly disintegrated into countless floating gas clusters.
Up in the sky, Joy Boy let out a strange shriek and clapped his hands. The scattered gas below suddenly started swirling, gathering toward a central point.
"Yata no Kagami."
Buzz!
A golden flash streaked across the sky, and Borsalino appeared behind Joy Boy, swinging a long leg in a sweeping kick.
Bang!
The kick sent Joy Boy hurtling through the air.
From below, Akainu's voice roared,
"Meteor volcano!"
A barrage of magma fists rocketed toward Joy Boy. But he suddenly stopped midair and spun rapidly, transforming into a white tornado.
Every magma fist that touched the tornado was deflected, unable to reach Joy Boy inside.
Akainu lowered his smoldering fists, then transformed his lower body into magma, launching himself upward like an erupting volcano, heading straight for the swirling mass.
From below, the tornado was soon engulfed in a layer of molten red, and the sound of fierce combat echoed from within.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After a series of thunderous clashes, the tornado dispersed, revealing Joy Boy and Akainu, now separated.
Joy Boy exhaled sharply, his fists glowing red-hot, while Akainu, now reformed, wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth.
It was clear—Akainu had been at a disadvantage in that close-quarters exchange.
He spat a mouthful of blood onto the frozen ground and looked up again.
High above, Borsalino's Yasakani no Magatama rained down like a storm, but Joy Boy effortlessly danced through the barrage of light bullets.
Then, in a display of incredible agility, he started bouncing off the light itself, using the impacts as propulsion to propel himself through the air like a playful acrobat.
Having witnessed Akainu's failure in close combat, Borsalino didn't take any chances. He once again activated Yata no Kagami, instantly pulling away to maintain his distance.
Seeing this, Joy Boy let out another laugh. His arm stretched and inflated into a massive hand, reaching out to grab Borsalino.
But before he could succeed, two long vines coiled around his legs from below.
Aramaki, his arms now fully transformed into thick, muscular vines, yanked down hard and roared,
"Get down here, you bastard!!"
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+160 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg