A cruel smile appeared on Aramaki's face. He clenched his fist, and the wooden spikes embedded in Turles's body began to writhe, greedily absorbing the nutrients from his flesh.
Turles's body withered away at a visible rate, and he let out a painful groan.
Hearing Turles's groans, Crocodile felt as if his heart was being torn apart. Of all his subordinates, Turles was the most loyal to him. He always diligently completed the various tasks assigned to him without ever complaining.
Aramaki reveled in the pleasure of absorbing nutrients, and scoffed,
"He's a good subordinate, but he's a bit overconfident."
These words brought Crocodile's anger to its peak. He silently placed the lifeless Turles on the ground, then turned around abruptly, glaring at Aramaki with bloodshot eyes.
"I'm going to kill you!!!"
Crocodile transformed into a sandstorm and charged forward. Aramaki smiled disdainfully, waved his hand, and a large number of black vines surged from the ground, forming a black curtain that rushed towards the sandstorm.
Before long, Crocodile was wrapped up and fell from the sky, rolling to Aramaki's feet.
Aramaki stepped on him and continued to mock him.
"Looks like you, the boss, aren't all that great after all. But there's one thing I don't understand: is it really worth it for a pirate like you to go to such lengths for a country?"
"You bastard! The king will not let you get away with this!"
"King? You mean the king in there? Is he very strong?"
"No! The king I'm talking about is the former Fleet Admiral Purple Kirin. He's the one who ordered me to guard this place. When he returns, you'll suffer a terrible death!"
Aramaki was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.
"You mean... Uchiha Senga?"
"Yes!"
Aramaki kicked Crocodile in the face, cursing angrily.
"Don't mention that name to me; he's the one who destroyed my faith!"
His faith referred to the former World Government, and he was a fervent supporter of the Celestial Dragons, all of which were destroyed by Senga.
Still not satisfied after kicking him, Aramaki panted heavily and said hatefully,
"And Akainu, he's a complete traitor! I admired him so much before! He deserves to die just like that Uchiha Senga!"
Crocodile coughed up a mouthful of blood, looked at Aramaki with the eyes of someone looking at a lunatic, and said,
"You think you can challenge the King? You're nothing but a clown! Your end will be absolutely miserable, I can't wait! Hahahaha!"
Aramaki's face was ashen, and he said through gritted teeth,
"You like to be stubborn, huh? Fine, I'll see how long you can keep up the act. Don't worry, I won't let you die so easily!"
As he spoke, he created a wooden spike and walked step by step toward Crocodile, whom he had kicked away.
The remaining Baroque Works members could no longer contain themselves. Mr. 2 took the lead and charged forward, and even the usually timid Mr. 3 mustered his courage and followed Mr. 2 into the Aramaki.
However, the henchmen that Aramaki brought were not to be trifled with either. They stopped the Baroque Works members, and a melee ensued.
Aramaki had already reached Crocodile's side. He stuck out his tongue and licked the wooden splinter in his hand, then said with a smile,
"Now, you'd better enjoy yourself."
He raised the wooden splinter in his hand, ready to stab, but Crocodile was truly tough; he didn't even close his eyes, just stared directly into Aramaki's eyes.
"Don't want!"
Vivi, inside the city, let out a loud shout. Cobra, standing beside her, looked grave. Crocodile's performance today was truly moving, but unfortunately, the opponent's strength was simply too great!
Just as everyone was in despair, two beams of golden light descended from the sky, a scream rang out, and an arm holding a wooden splinter spun out.
Aramaki reached out to cover the broken part of his arm, but as soon as his palm touched it, black smoke hissed out. If he hadn't pulled back quickly, his remaining hand would have been destroyed.
The sudden scene caused both sides fighting nearby to stop, staring blankly at Aramaki, who had lost an arm, completely unaware of what had just happened.
Aramaki trembled with pain, large beads of sweat sliding down his forehead. He thought to himself...
"A laser? Is that Marine Admiral Kizaru? No way! How could his attack possibly hurt me, a fellow Logia?!"
Crocodile on the ground didn't understand what was going on, but he knew one thing: Aramaki had suffered a great loss.
He immediately seized the opportunity to mock,
"What happened? How come you've lost an arm in such a short time? Keep going!"
Aramaki suppressed the urge to kill Crocodile and searched his surroundings, trying to find the person who attacked him.
A detached voice sounded from behind him.
Are you looking for me?
"What!?"
Aramaki's hair stood on end. He turned around abruptly, but before he could even see the person's face clearly, two more golden lights burst forth, and his legs disappeared from his knees, his entire body plunging directly into the sand.
As he knelt, Crocodile on the ground saw a face he would never forget. His eyes widened, and he said in a trembling voice,
"Wang... you're back?"
Aramaki was in so much pain that he couldn't speak, but when he heard "King," his body trembled.
He had just been talking about how Senga pain he was in, but when the person actually stood in front of him, he didn't even dare to lift his head.
Only now did he realize how vast the difference in skill was; from beginning to end, he didn't even have a chance to fight back before being reduced to a human stump.
Senga didn't even glance at Aramaki. He simply snapped his fingers, and the black vines binding Crocodile instantly decayed.
Crocodile got up from the ground, but before he could even express his gratitude, a voice from not far away made him freeze in place again.
"Boss!"
He turned his head stiffly, staring incredulously at Turles, who was jumping around there. Not only him, but everyone else was also dumbfounded at the sight.
A few people witnessed what had just happened to Turles. A gray vortex appeared out of thin air and enveloped Turles. A moment later, he stood up from the ground, and his wounds disappeared without a trace.
While everyone was still stunned, Aramaki suddenly shouted.
"Your Majesty, I was wrong! Please, spare my life!"
This guy is a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong, so naturally he has no backbone whatsoever.
Senga didn't want to waste words with this kind of person. With a thought, Aramaki felt a sudden emptiness in his body, as if he had lost something important.
Before he could even discover what he had lost, several vines surged from the ground and wrapped themselves around Aramaki's body.
When the vines dispersed, Aramaki Mu had become a dried-up human body.