Even if Gusion were at his peak, let alone now when he's seriously injured, he wouldn't stand a chance.
With just one glance, all of Aramaki's stats were question marks. The invisible pressure he exuded frantically triggered Gusion's danger alarms in his mind.
Aramaki was incredibly fast, needing only a few breaths to nearly catch up with Gusion on land, forcing him to the edge of Birka Island.
Gusion didn't hesitate for a second and jumped straight into the White Sea, using Shunpo within it to dive downward.
Aramaki anticipated this, and at the shore, he manipulated tree branches to probe downward, shooting into the White Sea like a dense web.
A powerful Devil Fruit user can briefly make their abilities work in seawater if standing on land, and Aramaki was a master at this. His massive branches spread out, nearly the size of a city, stirring up the White Sea, aiming to fish Gusion out.
Holding his breath, Gusion dodged left and right using Shunpo, barely escaping the thick layer of the White Sea. But at the last moment, due to the relentless attacks, a branch pierced his arm.
Like a fish caught on a hook, Aramaki sensed this immediately and started pulling up, trying to reel Gusion in.
Gusion summoned Mazuko in his hand, instantly releasing its first form. With Ryuo and Armament Haki, he slashed at the branch.
Clang!
A dull sound rang out, leaving Gusion grim-faced. Aramaki's branch was far tougher than he'd expected. He nearly forgot that even Yamato, twelve years later, couldn't hurt Aramaki. After catching him, Aramaki had even reinforced the branch with Armament Haki, preparing for an attempt to cut it.
Seeing himself on the verge of being pulled back, Gusion made a split-second decision. With Mazuko, he sliced off his own left arm, blood spraying through the air as he sprinted downward in pain.
Above the sky, the thick clouds looked like an inverted earth, with branches poking out like a dense, downward-growing forest.
Not daring to stop, Gusion used Shunpo to accelerate downward, diving three or four hundred meters before the branches finally stopped extending. Turning back, he couldn't help but marvel at the strange sight of this upside-down forest.
Clearly, Aramaki's power had limits. After passing through the White Sea, his trees grew slower and eventually stopped.
But Gusion didn't dare relax and kept descending.
Sure enough, only moments later, the trees stirred the White Sea and split open a huge hole.
Aramaki himself jumped down from the hole. He could use the Marine Six Powers, so with Moonwalk, he didn't have to worry about falling to his death. Even if he had to jump off Sky Island after Gusion, he'd chase him to the end.
Gusion didn't look back, using Shunpo to drop straight down, far exceeding freefall speed—something Aramaki couldn't match.
One had to buffer with Moonwalk, the other risked everything with Shunpo to accelerate downward, quickly widening the gap.
High in the sky, Gusion deliberately darted through cloud layers to confuse Aramaki's line of sight. Once below 4,000 meters, he finally escaped Aramaki's lock-on.
Still, he didn't dare let his guard down. He'd need several hours to return, and would have to keep playing hide-and-seek with Aramaki.
He only slowed once he reached Blue Sea, to avoid a violent collision with the surface.
He wasn't worried about dying or being badly hurt from the impact. Rather, he didn't want to make a scene and get caught by Aramaki, who'd be falling from the sky.
After slowing down, Gusion completed his final chant: "Bakudō #73. Tōzanshō."
A pale blue triangular prism-shaped barrier appeared around him—a defensive kido that could repel physical and energy attacks. The downside was that its defense wasn't as strong as Danku, so he hadn't used it in battle before.
But right now, it was a lifesaver. After deploying Tōzanshō, he dove underwater, stopping only five or six hundred meters down.
Because the barrier's color was similar to seawater, once deep enough, he nearly blended in. With little light penetrating that deep, even a god couldn't spot him.
Inside this independent space, he could breathe. The space was small, but as long as he conserved energy and kept his metabolism low, he could last several hours.
Gusion took out a Supreme Bandage from his storage space and wrapped his severed arm. His healing ability wasn't that miraculous—he could only reattach or regenerate small wounds, not regrow entire limbs.
Besides, his soul energy was limited, and maintaining the barrier in deep sea consumed it, so he just used the bandage for emergency treatment.
He felt extremely frustrated. Since entering this dimension, it was the first time he'd been hunted with no escape. If not for his kido and ability to hide in the deep sea, he'd have been impossible to evade.
Aramaki, just you wait—next time, I'll be the one to cut you down.
At that moment, Aramaki finally arrived from the sky, a full minute later than Gusion. As he neared the sea, he used Moonwalk again to slow down, scanning the surface for any sign of Gusion.
Although Gusion had repeatedly hidden from him in the clouds, Aramaki had still estimated his general landing point. He was sure Gusion was in this area.
But looking around, he saw only endless sea. Not even a small island nearby. Where could Gusion have hidden?
Could he be underwater?
Thinking this, Aramaki smiled, "Let's see how long you can hold your breath."
He knew Gusion wasn't a fishman. As long as Gusion was human, even with amazing lung capacity, half an hour underwater would be the limit.
Aramaki, full of stamina, patrolled the sea leisurely using Moonwalk, waiting for Gusion to surface so he could cut him down.
Capture him alive? Too troublesome. The Five Elders only wanted Gusion dead. Capturing him would almost guarantee all-out war with Kaido, but killing him might not.
So Aramaki waited. Half an hour passed with no sign of Gusion. His composure faded—had he guessed the wrong spot? Had Gusion gone elsewhere?
Impossible. There were no islands for hundreds of miles. Even a god couldn't have escaped his sight and traveled that far in such a short time.
Could Gusion really have abnormal breath-holding talent?
Aramaki told himself to be patient. He'd wait a bit longer.
An hour passed...
Aramaki's face was full of confusion. Could anyone really survive suffocation and stay underwater for this long?
No human could hold their breath and survive this long at the bottom of the sea.
"Tough kid."
Aramaki sighed. "Even without a body, I guess my mission's accomplished."
He figured after an hour, Gusion had either drowned or been eaten by sea kings.
He took out his Den Den Mushi, which could directly connect to the Five Elders. That was how he'd received his mission.
"Moshi moshi, I've forced Gusion into the deep sea. He hasn't surfaced in an hour—he should have drowned."
He reported in.
Soon, relieved laughter and praise came from the other side.
Aramaki was in a good mood. He felt he'd be promoted to Admiral soon, maybe even faster than Borsalino.
Thinking of this, he smiled even more. Borsalino hadn't dared to kill Gusion and got nothing in return. According to intel, Borsalino was seriously wounded by a Yonko and was still being hunted.
In the end, Borsalino accomplished nothing, losing a battleship and many subordinates, while Aramaki had actively completed the Five Elders' mission.
One merited, one demerited—who'd get promoted was obvious.
To be safe, Aramaki decided to wait another hour, patrolling a few more times.
Another hour passed, and seeing nothing unusual, he left using Moonwalk, ready to return and enjoy the Navy's cheers.
…
Meanwhile, underwater, Gusion meditated, lowering his vital signs to the minimum, waiting for extraction.
When the time was up, a formless white light descended and enveloped Gusion—extraction began.
The next day, earth-shattering news exploded in the world of One Piece.
News birds flew across the world, spreading the shocking story.
The Beast Pirates' Fourth Calamity, the Thunderstorm Gusion, had fallen!
The killer: the Navy's new hero, Vice Admiral Aramaki!
There were rumors he'd already been given the "Green Bull" codename, and everyone in the Navy knew that color codenames meant you were a candidate for Admiral.
There was no doubt—Green Bull was a rising superstar in the Navy. His promotion was only a matter of time.
But while some in the Navy were excited, most marines and people around the world were worried. They realized the world's balance might shift.
For twenty years, the Navy had never directly clashed with the sea emperors, let alone killed a core officer in a Yonko crew.
What's the position of a Calamity in the Beast Pirates? They're the Yonko's right hand!
With such a heavy-weight killed by the Navy, one could imagine how furious Kaido would be.
…
Boom—
In the New World, at a temporary base on a small island, Kaido blasted a mountaintop away in rage.
Kaido, holding his kanabo and a newspaper, growled, "Green Bull!!!"
All around him, no one dared make a sound. Kaido was like a volcano about to erupt, ready to unleash disaster worldwide.
Who was Gusion? He was a Calamity, a strategist, and though he hadn't been with them long, his contributions were massive.
Even the most uneducated pirate believed Gusion was a big deal, helping Wano develop rapidly. The Beast Pirates were growing stronger thanks to him.
"Men, we're returning home—prepare for war."
Kaido's voice was low. At first, he considered Gusion just his daughter's friend, but then came to value his talents and the benefits he brought.
As time went on, with Wano's growth and their adventures together, he came to view Gusion as a trusted right hand.
Now the Navy dared sever his right hand—he'd make them pay!
This wouldn't just be a few bases destroyed. He'd reorganize the Beast Pirates, mobilize all their might, and attack Marineford directly!