Marine Admiral Aramaki, codename Ryokugyu, falls!

His face was much paler than before, but his eyes remained resolute.

He glanced at the direction Imu had fallen, then at Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji who were being besieged.

He then took a deep breath and slammed both palms onto the ground.

"This isn't over yet, you bastards! Remember my name— Aramaki!!"

"Forest of Thorns!!"

The power of the Woods-Woods Fruit was unleashed to its fullest extent, and the surrounding forest, spanning thousands of meters, responded to his call. Countless giant trees, vines, and branches rose from the ruins, converging like green rivers.

The trees gathered, piled up, and compressed around him, forcefully enveloping him and shaping him into a colossal forest giant over three hundred meters tall.

The giant was made entirely of interwoven giant trees and vines, its surface covered with thick, iron-like wooden armor, its arms as thick as pillars, and its fists as large as small mountains.

Its eyes were two orbs of emerald green light, within which surged something mad and unwilling.

Ryokugyu stood at the heart of the giant, protected by layers of wooden armor. His hands continued to Hand Seals, activating the power of the Woods-Woods Fruit to gather more forest and allow the giant's body to continue to expand, solidify, and strengthen.

He didn't want to run away.

From the moment the World Government was defeated, he knew he couldn't escape.

But he didn't want to die like that.

He is Marine Admiral, and the Awakening of the Woods-Woods Fruit.

Even if he dies, he will fight with all his might to take a few down with him.

Three elite Night Owl Guard approached simultaneously from three directions.

One of them made the first move. His Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotated in his eye socket, and in the instant his ocular power surged, a Semi-Complete Susanoo, a hundred meters tall, rose from the ground around him.

His entire body was covered in cyan Chakra Armor, and a long, slender Chakra spear materialized in his hand.

He controlled Susanoo thrust the spear straight forward, the spear piercing through layers of wooden armor and precisely stabbing into the chest of the forest giant, pinning the giant, who was actually Ryokugyu, to the spot.

The giant Ryokugyu let out a deep roar, his arms flailing wildly as he tried to grab the spear and pull it out.

However, the other two Night Owl Guard had already completed the Hand Seals.

"Wind Release: Gale Tornado!"

Fire Release: Blazing Flames!

Wind Release Chakra and Fire Release Chakra intertwined, compressed, and merged in the air, forming a raging tornado wreathed in flames.

Composite Ninjutsu: Wind Dragon's Flaming Breath.

The tornado, like a burning dragon, crashed into the forest giant's body from the side. Fueled by the wind, the flames spread wildly, igniting, burning through, and charring the layers of wooden armor on the giant's body.

Ryokugyu let out a painful roar at the giant's heart, feeling flames piercing through the wooden armor and scorching his skin.

But his roar quickly turned into a howl.

"So close--!!!"

"Even if I die, I'll take one of them down with me!! Drink up------!!!"

Ryokugyu's eyes turned completely mad. He no longer cared about the consequences. He pushed the power of the Woods-Woods Fruit to its limit and began to frantically drain his own life force.

His skin instantly withered, his hair turned white from the roots, his cheeks sunken, and his eye sockets became deep-set, yet his giant form continued to swell.

His 300-meter body was forcibly increased to nearly 400 meters, and his huge fist grabbed the spear that was piercing his chest. The muscle tissue under the wooden armor writhed like a living thing, tearing the Chakra spear in half.

Shattered Chakra fragments exploded in the air, the spear-wielding arm of the Semi-Complete Susanoo trembled violently, and countless cracks appeared on its armor.

Ryokugyu's giant arm suddenly shot out, its five fingers spread wide, and grabbed Susanoo's shoulder armor, tearing it apart with force.

"Go to hell!!!"

The azure Chakra Armor was ripped apart, and fragments scattered like glass. The pupils of the elite Night Owl Guard inside suddenly contracted.

"Damn it! Susanoo!!"

But the next second, the Night Owl Guard's Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly, and the Semi-Complete Susanoo, which was originally a hundred meters long, began to expand wildly.

With a terrifying amount of Chakra combined with the surging power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, the armor re-condensed, strengthened, and expanded as it tore apart. Almost a second before Ryokugyu's giant finger pierced through his body, a 300-meter-tall blue Complete Susanoo stood on the battlefield.

The Susanoo's hand gripped the tree spirit's arm that pierced through its armor tightly. Its massive fingers were less than a meter away from the Night Owl Guard within the Susanoo's body, but it could not advance an inch further.

Forbidden Technique: Twin Dance Dragon Slayer Slash!

The remaining two Night Owl Guard members arrived at the same time.

Two figures passed each other on either side of the giant tree-man, and the swords, imbued with Armament Haki and Chakra, unleashed a slash that instantly cleaved the tree-man, which Ryokugyu had transformed into, in two.

The slash entered from the right shoulder and exited from the left hip, cleaving the giant's torso diagonally in two.

At the same time, the fire dragon of Wind Dragon's Breath completely engulfed the giant tree-man, flames surging from within and erupting from the cracks, igniting every inch of the giant's wooden armor, every vine, and every cell.

Amidst the flames, the tree-man's enormous eyes stared intently at the Susanoo before him, filled with resentment.

"Damn it... so close... so close... Is this it... Is this where I'm going to end it all...? What a pity... Sakazuki- senpai... Take care..."

With a reluctant murmur, the giant treant completely lost all its power and collapsed with a crash.

The raging flames were engulfed by the tornado and completely consumed.

The Kakkō illuminated the entire sea, and also the faces of everyone on the battlefield.

That's all!

Marine Admiral Aramaki, codenamed ' Ryokugyu,' has fallen!

The last bit of power of the Woods-Woods Fruit dissipated along with his life. The forests whose life force he had drained turned to ashes in the flames, which were then scattered by the sea breeze and drifted into the distance.

The rest of the navy were filled with rage at Ryokugyu's demise.

Akainu stood at the edge of the ruins, the magma on his fist already solidified.

His gaze shifted from the direction where Ryokugyu had fallen to the Six Paths greyish-white figures in front of him.

His lips were pressed tightly together, and the muscles in his face twitched slightly.

He didn't shout or yell; he just stood there, his shoulders slightly slumped.

But a rare hint of sadness flickered in his usually gloomy eyes.

Akainu has always prioritized missions above all else, and rarely shows any emotional fluctuations.

But Ryokugyu's death revealed a trace of sadness in him, which shows that Ryokugyu was not a tool to him, but a comrade.

"Aramaki..." he murmured Ryokugyu's real name, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.