Aramaki panted slightly, his expression growing increasingly grim.
His legs, which had transformed into tendrils, returned to their normal state. Instinctively, he wanted to absorb moisture to replenish his strength, but then he remembered the sensation from earlier when he made contact with the ground of Grindstone Island.
The land beneath his feet, resembling soft clouds, along with the white ocean below, was filled with PYROBROIN particles—identical to those found in seawater.
The moment he made contact, instead of regaining his stamina, his legs nearly gave out.
The sunlight above wasn't enough to sustain him in this battle.
This unusual environment—combined with Doflamingo, who was practically riding his face—made him uneasy.
"Come at me, you world-government-defecting bastard!"
Aramaki roared as he once again transformed into his towering treant form, glaring up at Doflamingo floating in the sky.
"Fuffuffuffuffu~"
Doflamingo laughed at the sight of Aramaki's forced bravado.
"What a loyal dog. It's a shame your master isn't here. You look a little... scared."
"What?!"
Aramaki's pupils shrank as if struck by a nerve. Bloodshot veins spread through his eyes in an instant.
"Fuffuffuffuffu, I'm talking about you!"
Doflamingo's grin widened, radiating an almost radiant arrogance.
"Hey, Aramaki, why don't you consider switching masters? Now that you've left the Holy Land, I've always had a soft spot for capable, loyal dogs."
His Observation Haki had already sensed Aramaki's anxiety and faint traces of fear.
It was obvious—Aramaki had realized the peculiarity of the island's clouds.
But.
It was already too late.
"Doflamingo, I will take you back to the Holy Land to face judgment!!!"
Aramaki bellowed, his treant form growing even more grotesque and demonic.
Ever since he ate the Mori Mori no Mi and became a plant-based lifeform, he had never felt such rage.
He was always the one toying with his enemies.
When had he ever been treated as a mere stepping stone for someone else's training?!
When had he ever been mocked and ridiculed like this?!
When had he ever been treated like some disposable pawn?!
And worst of all, by a mere lowly ex-Celestial Dragon—a man stripped of his divine status, reduced to nothing more than filth!!!
Yet, what enraged him even more was the unmistakable sense of crisis rising within him.
If nothing unexpected happened…
Then something unexpected was about to happen.
"Endless Vine Lance!"
The colossal treant's body bristled like a porcupine, unleashing dozens of massive vines.
The vines twisted and coiled together, merging into an enormous, thick war lance, gleaming with a dense coating of blackened Busoshoku Haki—of the highest, entwined caliber.
This further enhanced its destructive power.
"Boom! Boom!"
With a thunderous roar, the war lance shattered the sound barrier, hurtling toward Doflamingo in the sky.
"Sometimes, size alone doesn't equate to strength."
Doflamingo leaped higher, widening the distance between them.
"Seimei Kikan—String-String Frui: Artificial Muscle—Full-Body Enhancement."
For the first time since mastering Seimei Kikan, Doflamingo activated this technique.
Unlike before, when his threads could only mimic the basic structure of muscles—the bundled fibers visible to the naked eye—
Now, with heightened precision and control, countless nano-threads emerged from his body, forming a structure akin to myofibrils—
And then, they continued to intertwine—
Forging dense, iron-like white muscles, as if he were donning an exoskeletal battle suit.
"Hahh… Hahh…"
Doflamingo exhaled heavily, suppressing the rampant urge to destroy.
This new form—even with his enhanced skeletal structure—was pushing his limits.
It was an overwhelming, uncontrollable force surging within him.
A sheer, violent increase in power—
Exploding. Soaring. Overwhelming!!!
If he had to describe it—
It was a fundamental, qualitative leap in strength.
"Then let's put it to good use—let me properly discipline you, Aramaki, you little mutt."
Doflamingo raised his now reinforced, muscle-bound leg.
His muscular fibers extended and elongated, forming a thick, pillar-like whip—its tip transforming into a massive morning star.
From slow to fast—
The morning star accelerated past the sound barrier, igniting sparks as it crashed into the enormous wooden spear.
"BOOM!"
"CRACK."
For a brief moment, there was a stalemate—
Then, the seemingly indestructible wooden spear, hardened like steel and coated in Haki, shattered.
"Impossible!!!"
Aramaki's eyes widened in disbelief as the massive morning star smashed into his treant face.
"BOOM!!!"
The colossal treant crashed into the ground of Grindstone Island with a resounding impact.
"You ever heard of the whiplash effect?"
"Vine Forest!"
After a brief pause, Aramaki's form dissolved into an overwhelming sea of vines, engulfing the entirety of Grindstone Island.
As a special Logia user, he hadn't taken any real damage from the previous attack—only expended some stamina.
Now, countless spears of entwined vines sealed off every possible escape route, converging toward the center.
It was almost like a reverse Birdcage.
Doflamingo chuckled at the sight.
"And what makes you think this will trap me? Fine, I'll play along, little mutt—String-String Frui: Birdcage."
With a short burst of preparation, endless threads shot out from Doflamingo's hands.
From top to bottom, they formed an enormous prison of strings, melding against Aramaki's vine formation.
"Lahahaha! You're finished, Doflamingo! No one has ever escaped this technique!"
Emerging from the vines, Aramaki cackled, preparing to drain Doflamingo's nutrients.
No matter how powerful the opponent—once pierced by his vines, they would be drained dry—reduced to nothing but a husk.
His earlier failure was simply because he couldn't reach Doflamingo's actual body.
"...???"
Something was wrong.
No matter how hard he tried, no nutrients were flowing back.
No—
His vines weren't even touching Doflamingo's flesh.
"They're being… cut?"
A look of pure disbelief spread across Aramaki's face.
As a Woods man, his trees were an extension of himself—
Yet he could feel it—
The tips of his vines were being sliced apart by an impossibly fine, razor-sharp mesh of threads.
Then, from the severed tendrils, a pink figure leapt out—
Doflamingo's cold, ruthless voice rang through the battlefield:
"Aramaki, you've strayed from the path. Pure power is the only thing that truly matters. Let me show you paradise."
"Demon Form—Artificial Muscle: 100% Output!!!"
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+145 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg