"Boom!"
"Crack! Crack!"
With a thunderous crash, massive ironwood trees splintered as Doflamingo smashed through them effortlessly.
Aramaki darted through the dense forest of ironwood, making a desperate dash toward the Numancia Flamingo at the edge of the battlefield. His mind reeled as he felt the pressure closing in behind him.
He had completely merged with the trees. How was Doflamingo still tracking him? He shouldn't be able to sense his life force after he'd fused with the wood. That was the whole point!
He was the tree! A plant!
"Are you confused? Scared? Because I can smell that stench of fear reeking from you!"
Sensing the turmoil in Aramaki's aura through his Observation Haki, Doflamingo chuckled darkly, deigning to offer an explanation.
Why was he so damn arrogant?
Sure, Aramaki could fuse with plants, shifting his presence and even concealing his life force. But he couldn't mask the fluctuations of his thoughts.
Doflamingo's Observation Haki had locked onto him the entire time.
Run! I have to run! This terrain is too restrictive. If I can grab one of Doflamingo's subordinates and drain their stamina, I might be able to turn the tables once I reach that island I spotted earlier!
The Numancia Flamingo was within sight now.
"Aramaki, little mutt... you're still too slow."
A devilish voice rang out.
"Shit—he's fast!"
Aramaki's pupils contracted as a massive, blackened iron fist filled his vision.
The reflective sheen of the Armament Haki-clad fist was like a mirror.
He could even see his own panic-stricken expression reflected in it.
At that moment, he had just shifted to the tree at the island's edge, half his body emerging, ready to leap toward the Numancia Flamingo.
Too late.
"BANG!"
The iron fist smashed into his face.
"AAAAAH!"
Aramaki's body was sent hurtling back toward the center of Molida Island.
"Doflamingo, you bastard! You're dead!!!"
With a furious roar, Aramaki fused with the vegetation once more, his wounds rapidly healing.
Yet Doflamingo remained utterly unfazed.
The Woods-Woods Fruit was a unique Logia.
It allowed Aramaki to manipulate and become plant life.
His true body could be a single vine, a root, or even a mere seed, making it incredibly difficult to pin him down.
And as long as he maintained contact with the land, he was nearly immortal.
It was like the Greek legend of Antaeus—the giant who could only be defeated when lifted off the ground.
As long as he touched the earth, he had unlimited regeneration.
But now, the tables had turned.
No land to draw strength from.
Unlike other Logia users, the Woods-Woods Fruit didn't allow for elemental flight.
He could only burn stamina to heal himself.
Each time he regenerated, the vines shrank little by little.
And Doflamingo? He had all the time and energy in the world.
He would bleed him dry.
"Birdcage."
Once again, endless threads surged forth, weaving into a massive dome. This time, however, it enclosed the entire island.
"Crack. Crack."
The already unstable floating island trembled as the cage's threads sliced through it, breaking it apart.
The remaining plant life curled inward, forming a compact sphere.
"Aramaki, little mutt, let's see where your limits lie! Caged Guillotine!"
Doflamingo's voice dripped with sadistic amusement.
Threads extended from the top and bottom of the Birdcage, linking together into chainsaw-like blades.
Then they began to spin.
"ZZZZZZZZZZZ!"
...
Time passed.
The Birdcage continued to shrink.
The Island's floating mass was now barely holding together.
Even the once-mighty ironwood trees were being shredded apart.
With no other options, Aramaki transformed parts of the trees into crude rafts just to have something to stand on.
But as the cage pressed closer and his stamina dwindled, despair gripped him.
His gaze lifted to the man hovering above, dread creeping into his bones.
"What do I do now...?"
...
Meanwhile, Doflamingo's smirk stretched wide.
His right leg bent slightly, gathering strength.
"Aramaki, little mutt... looks like you're at your limit."
"Then let me send you off for a bath in the White-White Sea! Right Kick!"
"BOOM!"
"PFFT!"
His massive right leg smashed into the Birdcage, distorting its shape as it sent the entangled Aramaki plummeting straight into the White-White Sea.
...
After a long silence—
A wooden plank bobbed to the surface.
Aramaki clung to it, coughing violently, barely keeping himself afloat.
"Hah... I survived..."
"Did you?"
A devilish voice echoed once more.
Aramaki's head snapped up.
That garish pink silhouette was still standing tall in the sky.
His body, which had been drained of all energy, suddenly tensed as he let out a miserable cry.
"No, please—spare me!"
He knew now—there was no escape.
His mind raced with curses toward the intelligence division.
Those damn traitors! They had leaked everything!
That bastard Doflamingo had known his Devil Fruit's weaknesses from the start.
That's why he had set the battlefield somewhere with no soil and no water.
Now, with his stamina completely spent, he had nowhere left to run.
"Where's that arrogance of yours now?"
Doflamingo flicked his left hand.
Threads wrapped in Armament Haki yanked the exhausted Aramaki up into the air, spreading his limbs wide.
Holding him at eye level, Doflamingo sneered.
"Fufufufufu... Aramaki, little mutt, I must say... that cocky attitude suited your face better."
"But as your new master, the first lesson I'll teach you today—
—is to never be so damn arrogant again!"
His right fist expanded, strings elongating into spikes, Armament Haki condensing over them once more.
"N-no—no, please!!!"
Aramaki's pupils shrank.
If those spikes hit him, they'd tear straight through him!
Yet bound by the threads, he couldn't even struggle.
"'No'... ?"
Doflamingo's grin widened.
His massive right fist drew back, preparing for the final blow.
"'No'? Aramaki, little mutt, according to your own words—
—you've lost your human rights."
"Time to learn who you really serve."
"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"
"PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!"
The brutal punches caved in Aramaki's face, sending teeth and blood flying.
By the time Doflamingo stopped, Aramaki was unconscious, his once-proud face an unrecognizable mess.
"Magnificent, Doffy!"
Trebol and his men had arrived, steering the Numancia Flamingo closer, their faces filled with admiration.
Satisfied, Doflamingo snapped a photo of Aramaki's ruined state with a Den Den Mushi before tossing him onto the deck.
"Trebol, have Judge send over Sea stone handcuffs. And some soil and water."
A doctor? No need.
This plant-man could heal himself just fine.
"Yes, Doffy."
After all, Aramaki wasn't just a prisoner.
He was a rare specimen.
And Doflamingo had big plans.
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+145 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg