In the forest arena, composed of endless green plants, the battle was about to end.
Before the final confrontation, the powerhouses gathered for support. At this moment, Aramaki's expression was frantic and impatient. He stood across from Shiro, who seemed calm and unbothered, a stark contrast. The psychological gap between the two was apparent.
Before the battle, Aramaki had believed that with his strength, he could easily handle a mere kid. But now, reality was cruel. No matter what he tried, he couldn't even land a hit on his opponent, let alone drain Shiro's life essence!
One of the greatest advantages of Aramaki's Fruit ability was to continuously absorb his enemy's life force, replenishing his own strength. Against weaker opponents, this ability made him nearly invincible without even needing to touch them. Yet, against Shiro, this proud ability had completely failed. Naturally, Aramaki felt this was unacceptable and was desperate to change the tide of the battle.
"The position of Admiral won't go to some kid!" Aramaki muttered under his breath.
Shiro smirked, responding with a sneer.
"Is that so? Well, let's settle this once and for all!"
If Aramaki had known just how terrifying Shiro was, he would never have chosen such a reckless strategy. Shiro had already observed and understood Aramaki's abilities and strength during their time in battle. Yet Aramaki still only had a superficial understanding of Shiro.
Ever since Shiro arrived at the island for the World Military Draft, he had only shown his earth element powers and his mastery of the sword. His Haki, both Armament and Observation, remained hidden.
Faced with such a massive information gap, Aramaki's eagerness to finish the fight quickly was a fatal mistake. Even if their strengths were comparable, Aramaki's underestimation of his enemy would lead to his defeat.
Despite his opponent's apparent madness, Shiro didn't feel the need to reveal his full power.
"Arrogant kid! We'll see who's laughing soon!" Aramaki's anger flared even higher. In all his years, he'd never encountered such an infuriating opponent.
Suddenly, under Aramaki's control, the entire forest arena began to tremble. The ground shook, and the ring started to dissolve. A terrifying forest giant materialized, towering over the battlefield. Aramaki stood proudly atop its head, his hands gripping his cane as he raised it high into the sky.
The giant, composed of countless trees, also raised a massive vine axe, which transformed into a gigantic weapon of destruction. Aramaki's Armament Haki flared violently, covering both the giant and its weapon.
However, Shiro remained unphased, standing still as if the world around him didn't matter.
"Why isn't he doing anything?" whispered some of the Navy officers.
Even Fleet Admiral Akainu and Sengoku the Buddha were perplexed. "What is that kid up to?"
The scene was strange, indeed. While Aramaki was clearly gathering power for a massive attack, Shiro didn't even flinch.
"Central Authority…" whispered Fujitora, seated in the viewing area reserved for the participants. He stared intently at Shiro, intrigued by his calmness.
Shiro had earned quite the reputation during the Summit war. Even after the destruction of Marineford, Shiro had escaped unscathed and established Central Authority in the Calm Belt.
"Such a person wouldn't underestimate his enemy,"
Fujitora thought to himself. He had also heard that Shiro possessed the formidable power of Thunder. So far, however, Shiro hadn't used his Rumble abilities at all, meaning he was still holding back.
On the other hand, Aramaki had no idea of the kind of opponent he was facing.
"Die, kid!" Aramaki roared, his patience exhausted. The power he'd been building up finally exploded as the forest giant's colossal axe came crashing down, aiming to obliterate Shiro.
Despite the terrifying display, Shiro simply smiled and stood his ground.
"He's given up? Foolish kid!" Aramaki thought, convinced of his victory.
The giant axe fell, the sky and earth seeming to bend under its weight. But just as the axe was about to connect, Shiro moved.
"Oh, you're so scary!" Shiro mocked, mimicking Borsalino's tone. Then, his expression sharpened.
Suddenly, a powerful Haki blast erupted from Shiro, cutting through Aramaki's Observation Haki like a knife through butter.
"What?! My Observation Haki—it's not working?!" Aramaki was stunned. His ability to sense and predict his opponent's movements had been completely nullified.
Even so, Aramaki remained a top powerhouse. Despite the strange disruption, he pushed forward, determined to crush Shiro with the attack. Victory was within reach—or so he thought.
Just as the axe was about to strike Shiro's head, Aramaki felt a strange energy surge around his opponent. To his horror, one of those energies felt eerily similar to his own Woods-Woods Fruit power.
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The fanfic is finished on p@treon/tambeerg