As Kizaru and the other two stood locked in a three-way standoff,
an unusual rustling quietly arose...
Immediately afterward, dozens of thick, tough, dark green vines covered in thorns and barbs burst from the ground beneath Samuel Kronos!
The vines moved blindingly fast, instantly wrapping the dying Samuel, who barely had a breath left in him, into a tightly bound, dark green cocoon.
Then the vines abruptly contracted, pulling hard and dragging the "cocoon" across the ground at astonishing speed,
rolling and hauling it straight toward the back of a half-collapsed metal barricade at the edge of the battlefield!
Kizaru, Enel, and Kuzan all remained still.
It was not because they had no time to react. The instant the vines broke through the ground, all three had sensed the newcomer's Haki!
The vines dragged Samuel all the way behind the barricade and stopped at a pair of feet.
A tall figure stepped out of the shadows behind it.
The newcomer was bare-chested, wearing a pair of worn-out work pants.
His dark green curls were somewhat disheveled, and he wore his signature sunglasses, though several cracks now marred the lenses.
It was Aramaki, the former Marine Admiral and current member of the World Government's Holy Knights!
Aramaki casually held a Standard-Issue Saber in his right hand.
But what drew the most attention was the area beside the Shikawa Kokoro tattoo on the left side of his chest,
where a hideous sword wound cut across almost his entire left chest!
The flesh around the wound curled outward, exposing bone deep beneath.
A chilling will to sever emanated from the wound, proving that it had been inflicted with Conqueror’s Haki Coating!
Aramaki was somewhat pale, and his breathing was heavier than usual.
First, he glanced down at Samuel, who lay at his feet