"Ow! That really hurt!" Aramaki clutched his severed wooden arm with his remaining hand, crying out in exaggerated pain and distress.
Before the sound finished echoing, a mocking smile flashed across his lips. "Just kidding!"
He immediately activated his ability to regrow his severed fist, the massive wooden appendage sprouting back to full size within seconds.
The enormous tree face that had formed on his trunk twisted into a wild grin as Aramaki's voice filled with arrogance and supreme confidence. "Ha ha ha! On this vast earth, my Forest-Forest Fruit is a source of life that can rival the ocean itself! I am nature incarnate! I am invincible! Your little water tricks are nothing compared to the power of the forest!"
Jerry sneered in response. "Sure, sure. I just hope your thick lips can back up all that big talk."
As he spoke, Jerry's figure suddenly vanished from his position like a ghost, reappearing directly in front of Aramaki's massive wooden face in the blink of an eye.
"Time for some pest control!"
"Huh?!" Aramaki clearly hadn't truly grasped Jerry's level of strength. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but suddenly a sense of mortal crisis surged through his consciousness.
He tried to move defensively, but realized it was already far too late.
CRACK!
Jerry swung his fishing rod with devastating force, the impact connecting perfectly with its target.
Aramaki's wooden face instantly twisted and deformed under the tremendous blow, as if it had been struck by a massive sledgehammer wielded by a giant.
The future Admiral candidate couldn't help but scream in genuine pain as the countless roots beneath his feet tore up huge chunks of soil. His entire body went flying sideways before crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust and debris.
The next second, Aramaki slowly pushed himself upright and roared with fury. "You bastard! That actually hurt!"
In his rage, he thrust his hand deep into the soil beneath him. Suddenly, countless thick roots erupted from the ground around Jerry like awakening serpents, spreading and growing wildly as they reached for their target.
"Woods Binding: Execution!"
However, Jerry had already foreseen the attack through his Observation Haki. He moved with fluid grace, seeming to glide slowly but actually passing through the jungle of twisting and lunging roots with incredible speed and precision.
Not a single speck of dirt touched his clothes as he demonstrated the physical embodiment of walking through a field of thorns without getting scratched.
Under Aramaki's wide-eyed stare, Jerry's figure appeared directly in front of him once again.
At some point, two miniature water dragons had manifested around Jerry's fishing rod, spiraling gracefully as they wove between crackling streams of Armament Haki that danced like electric serpents.
"Water Blade: Sky Render!"
Jerry called out calmly as he spun and thrust forward. The attack struck like a thunderclap, hitting Aramaki's massive wooden face head-on.
The water dragons suddenly expanded dozens of times their original size, becoming thick and powerful torrents that coiled rapidly around the fishing rod. Combined with the explosive penetrating power of advanced Haki, the twin dragons actually pierced completely through the tree-man's face in one devastating strike, their shocking force spreading throughout the entire battlefield.
Aramaki's howl of agony lasted only a moment before cutting off abruptly.
CRASH!
The tree-man collapsed weakly to the ground, his body now sporting a gaping hole that went straight through from front to back.
But Jerry turned his attention to the area behind the fallen giant and commented with amusement, "Playing dead already? That's not very sporting."
There, a small plant was taking root and sprouting at an astonishing rate, growing into a full-sized person within seconds as Aramaki's human form reappeared.
"Cough!" After completing his regeneration, Aramaki suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood.
He clutched his right side, which was still bleeding freely, and stared at Jerry with obvious disbelief. His voice came out strained and difficult. "Conqueror's Haki coating?! You can actually..."
At that moment, he was shocked to realize that the young pirate's attack hadn't just damaged his outer form—its invisible penetrating power was terrifyingly strong, able to accurately locate and damage his true body even when hidden within his tree-man transformation.
As the user of the Forest-Forest Fruit, Aramaki could sustain himself through photosynthesis alone. After deciding that regular eating was too much trouble, he hadn't consumed actual food in years.
Combined with some tragic events from his past, he'd spent recent years immersed in painful memories, unable to move forward with his life. He'd been lying around this island for ages, rarely visiting the town except when the mood struck him, only taking action when he sensed the arrival of pirates—a group he'd always despised.
Thanks to his powerful Logia-type ability and strong mastery of two types of Haki, he'd grown accustomed to the weakness of others over the years. This casual dominance had made him overconfident.
"How can a mere human defeat me—the incarnation of nature itself!" he roared, preparing to transform into his tree-man form once again.
"Ha." Jerry smiled without saying anything more, his body swaying as he brought up a powerful gust of wind with his kick.
Aramaki suddenly stopped his transformation, abandoning his original plan in favor of drawing the katana at his waist to slash through the air.
After a sharp ringing sound, both fighters separated and flew in opposite directions.
The next instant, Jerry displayed amazing aerial agility. He spun half a circle, planted one foot on empty air, and used Moonwalk to cancel his momentum before transforming into a fierce warrior charging fearlessly forward.
Seeing this display, Aramaki reluctantly gave up the idea of assuming his tree-man form. He'd realized that his usual fighting style couldn't create any chance of victory in this particular battle.
But he wasn't ready to surrender. He spread the five fingers of his left hand, forming a hardened branch that swayed menacingly in the air while waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Simultaneously, he gripped his sword hilt with his right hand and took the initiative, sweeping the blade across in a fierce attack against Jerry's rapid approach.
However, facing his enemy's assault, Jerry simply swung his fishing rod to meet the strike head-on.
After the two fighters exchanged dozens of rapid blows, a gleam flashed in Jerry's eyes as he pressed forward aggressively.
His fishing rod struck to the left with the force of thunder itself.
The sound of clashing weapons still echoed when both combatants suddenly froze, their weapon-holding hands bouncing apart in opposite directions from the tremendous impact.
When Aramaki staggered back half a step, Jerry cleverly used the recoil force to twist his body and advance rather than retreat.
That nimble movement—graceful as a swallow in flight—carried deadly intent.
With a sudden burst of Conqueror's Haki, Jerry seemed to absorb the momentum of the entire world around him, becoming incredibly powerful.
Amid the domineering thunder that rose up toward the sky, he spun around and swung his right arm. A fierce gust of wind whistled through the air as his elbow shot forward with devastating force.
In that moment, every alarm bell in Aramaki's mind started ringing. Under the stress response, every muscle in his body tensed like a drawn bowstring.
The violent, overwhelming aura pressing down like a mountain completely crushed any thought of avoiding the attack.
At the critical moment, he let out a hysterical roar and stomped heavily on the ground, forcibly eliminating the remaining momentum from his previous movements. All the Armament Haki in his body concentrated on his left hand, which remained in its wooden form.
Aramaki opened his palm and turned his five fingers into claws, attacking Jerry with lightning speed. He tried to catch Jerry's elbow with his palm while his fingers transformed into five sharp wooden spears, attempting to stab other vital points on his opponent's body.
A muffled impact echoed as palm met elbow. Before Aramaki's secret sneer could spread across his face, his rising expression froze completely.
Words of disbelief escaped his mouth as he felt a surge of overwhelming power and piercing pain from the point of contact. His left palm, which he'd struck out with everything he had, was blasted away instantly.
Before Aramaki could retreat, Jerry—who had been spinning with his elbow attack—turned his head while maintaining his assault posture. Two cold, penetrating eyes immediately locked onto his enemy.
As his body continued turning, Jerry's left fist traced a perfect arc through the air and struck Aramaki with tremendous force.
"Time to take a nap," Jerry whispered calmly, his lips barely moving.
"Maelstorm Abyss Breaker!"