"Forbidden Forest!!!"
Flowers, grass, and trees grew wildly, transforming the barren wasteland into a dense forest in the blink of an eye.
"Rahahaha! I am a forest man who ate the Forest-Forest Fruit—the source of life that rivals the sea itself! I am nature incarnate!"
Aramaki transformed into a colossal tree giant, looking down at Gurd below as he roared with laughter. Raising a massive wooden fist, he smashed it toward Gurd!
"Brother Gurd, the Celestial Dragons are the gods of this world! Your Hoenn Government is nothing but an illegal organization unrecognized by the World Government—unworthy of human rights! Don't hold it against me!"
"Don't worry, I won't blame you. You still have to plant trees for me."
Gurd raised his arm to block the descending wooden fist.
BOOM!!!
The impact shattered the ground in layers!
The force was immense!
CRACK!
Fissures spread across the giant wooden fist before it exploded into splinters.
Gurd reappeared, cracking his knuckles with a wild grin.
A target this big—this was going to be fun.
"Kehahaha! Here I come!"
Gurd bent his knees, black-red lightning erupting around him as his clothes whipped violently in the wind.
His lips curled into a savage smirk.
The next instant—
Gurd shot forward like a streak of light, the ground beneath him exploding and sinking as terrifying shockwaves rippled outward!
A dazzling trail of Haki streaked across the sky!
Aramaki watched in horror as Gurd closed the distance with lightning speed—especially that fist, blazing like the sun itself. Cold sweat drenched his brow.
"He's too fast!"
"Hey hey, wasn't this guy supposed to be slow?!"
"What kind of explosive power is this?!"
No time to think!
Multiple giant wooden arms reached for Gurd, but the moment they got close, they were violently repelled—as if an invisible armor surrounded him.
It was the vacuum shockwave from his sheer speed!
In the blink of an eye, Gurd was right in front of Aramaki. His fist, carrying the force of thunder, brutally smashed into the tree giant's face.
BAM!!!
The air trembled as a sonic boom erupted!
Aramaki's head snapped violently to the left, his eyes rolling back, face caving in from the impact. His massive body crashed heavily onto the ground.
BOOOOM!
The earth shook violently, sending clouds of dust billowing outward.
"Uoooh! That hurt like hell!"
Aramaki clutched his head as he stood up, his brows and eyes twitching in pain and fury. If not for his roots connecting him to the earth, that punch might have sent him flying.
Even his base strength was monstrous!
Gurd licked his lips. "So you can still feel pain in this wooden form? Good. That puts my mind at ease."
"You bastard! Now I'm pissed!"
Aramaki's rage erupted. His wooden arms morphed into razor-sharp spikes, their tips coated in formidable Haki.
The surrounding trees twisted into flexible, thorned vines, writhing like demons as they encircled Gurd!
"Thorn Forest!"
Countless barbed tendrils stabbed toward him!
Gurd took a deep breath, his muscles swelling as he leaned back nearly ninety degrees, fists clenched.
ORA!!!
His fists became a storm of relentless blows!
ORA ORA ORA!!!
The vines shattered on contact—every single thorned tendril exploding in an instant!
Without hesitation, Gurd launched forward again, his fist plowing into the tree giant's chest as Haki surged violently!
BOOM!!!
"Waaahhhh!"
Aramaki screamed in pain as a massive hole was blasted through his chest, leaving only the edges connecting his upper and lower body. His enormous upper torso crashed to the ground.
Yet despite the agony, it wasn't enough to inflict meaningful damage.
From the earth behind him sprouted a tender shoot that within seconds grew into Aramaki's new body—completely unblemished.
"Dammit! You're terrifyingly strong after all!"
Transforming back into his tree-man form, Aramaki roared furiously: "But as long as I stand upon this earth, my stamina is limitless!"
"What a coincidence—so am I!"
Gurd smashed his fists together.
Such a perfect punching bag to test his skills on.
"Come at me with everything you've got!"
"Don't underestimate me!"
"Boom! BOOM! BOOM!!!"
The desert kept erupting!
On the other side of the riverbank, Aruba.
The workers paused, drawn by the commotion of battle, craning their necks to look.
"Someone's fighting over there!"
"Really?"
"That's a huge tree!"
The distance made details unclear, but the thunderous explosions suggested an intense battle.
"Back to work, no gawking."
Foremen hurried the laborers along.
Probably just some fool challenging Chairman Gurd. Nothing worth watching—another victory for the Chairman was inevitable anyway.
They'd yet to meet anyone who could defeat him!
News reached the palace as well.
Cobra clutched the Den Den Mushi, urgently demanding:
"Confirmed it's Admiral Ryokugyu?"
"Yes. Naval warships have docked at Rainbase Port led by the new Marine Admiral Ryokugyu. The powerhouse battling Mr. Gurd must be him."
Bell reported nervously from his aerial vantage point, surveying the combat below.
Unfamiliar with Ryokugyu's abilities, the colossal tree-man below could only be the Admiral—only someone of that rank could display such might.
Merely observing made his heart pound!
Even Crocodile paled in comparison to these two combatants reshaping the entire desert landscape.
"I'm heading there immediately!"
Cobra hung up.
He'd planned to discuss diplomatic matters with Gurd anyway when this erupted.
A Marine Admiral's personal visit revealed the World Government's intentions clearly enough—this was a warning.
But precisely for that reason, he couldn't ignore it. As king, mediating this conflict was his duty.
Alabasta couldn't endure another war.
"Jackal, we depart at once!"
"At your command, Your Majesty!"
The royal vessel, already prepared, sailed down the Sandora River, soon reaching the downstream estuary.
There, an impossible forest sprawled before them.
"Is this... a miracle?"
Cobra gaped.
His soldiers mirrored his awe.
For a desert kingdom like Alabasta, such lush woodland seemed divine.
"Ra-ha-ha, company's arrived."
Aramaki glanced sideways at the royal banners on the riverboat, though disengaging remained impossible.
Truthfully, he'd been on the defensive this entire time.
Gurd's speed might not be exceptional, but his explosive power and physical resilience were monstrous—the forests Aramaki conjured might as well have been paper before him.
Yet defeat wasn't an option.
In this battle of attrition, his opponent would exhaust first!
"Ha ha ha, Brother Gurd, there's no point in continuing this fight. How about we call a truce for now?"
"It's definitely time to end this."
Gurd had fought to his heart's content and was thoroughly satisfied.
But a truce wasn't acceptable—the battle couldn't end without someone admitting defeat.
"Hey, old man Aramaki."
Gurd raised both hands as if gripping the air, invisible ripples spreading outward in concentric circles from beneath his feet.
"You're about to lose."
"Lose?!"
Aramaki was startled but quickly realized the other was trying to intimidate him. No matter how hard he was hit, he could always regenerate.
"Just watch this!"
Gurd grinned, tightening his grip.
The earth began to tremble, the vibrations growing faster and faster. From the sky above, one could see the entire forest beginning to spin!
Like a clockwork spring being wound tighter and tighter!
"CRACK!!!"
Gurd clenched his fists shut!
In the next instant, the entire battlefield's terrain compressed to about a third of its original size. The extreme density crushed and deformed all the roots buried underground.
"CRUNCH!"
Aramaki's face twisted in agony as if struck by lightning!
His massive body rapidly shrank, reverting to human form. Clutching his crotch with both hands, his face turned green, and his legs trembled uncontrollably.
"WAAAHHHH!!!!"
(End of Chapter)