CHAPTER 176- Dimensional Severance — The End of Aramaki’s Conceit

BOOM!!

The massive shockwave tore through the Forest of Hatred in an instant.

The aftermath of the blast scattered like a storm of destruction, sweeping across the battlefield.

As the smoke and flames faded, all eyes locked onto the ground once more.

The battlefield that had just been leveled… was regenerating.

Under everyone's stunned gazes, the shattered forest quickly regrew, the mangrove roots and vines rising again from the soil like hydras reborn.

Within just a few breaths, the battlefield returned to its previous state—completely intact.

At the heart of the reborn forest, atop a towering vine, Aramaki's face emerged once again, sneering.

Nagli stood atop one of Fujitora's levitating boulders, chewing a cigarette as he rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Nature-Logia users are always such a pain," he muttered. "Looks like this one'll be a real slog."

Beside him, Blue Oni Dorry and the others remained silent.

Breaking the vines was easy. But dealing with Aramaki—who had fused himself with the entire island—was something else entirely.

For a moment, everyone looked instinctively toward Luo Yu.

Aramaki, sensing their hesitation, broke into manic laughter.

"Haha! What's wrong? Just now realizing how formidable I am?"

"Trying to find my real body is like searching for a needle in the sea. You'd be better off surrendering!"

"Oh really?"

Luo Yu looked at Aramaki's face, which appeared on one of the central vines, and smiled faintly.

"If I can't find you… then I'll just make you come out on your own."

"Fujitora, I'll need one breath."

"One breath?" Fujitora lifted an eyelid, smiling lightly. "That's fine by me."

"Aramaki, my friend—brace yourself. Because if there's no accident, the accident's arriving soon."

"Gravity Blade: Light Pulse."

Fujitora's cane-sword flashed as he swung it skyward.

A series of violet gravity rings burst into the sky.

At first, Dorry and the others blinked in confusion. Clearly, they had never seen such a move—it didn't even seem aimed at the enemy.

But before that thought could settle, a deafening howl of wind broke the clouds above.

Everyone looked up.

Massive meteors—one after another—were materializing in the upper atmosphere.

Dorry and the rest instantly went pale.

In that moment, they understood why Fujitora was considered Admiral-class.

Fujitora calmly sheathed his blade.

"Meteor Shower."

On the battlefield below, Aramaki's expression twisted with fury.

"Fujitora, you really did side with this arrogant admiral?! Don't think I believe your nonsense about 'unexpected surprises!'"

"I want to see how he finds me now!"

BOOOOM!

Seven or eight searing hot meteors plunged from the heavens.

Like divine punishment, they struck the island with cataclysmic force.

The Forest of Hatred was annihilated instantly.

Explosions and fire spread for thousands of meters in every direction, shaking the very ground beneath their feet.

The impact resembled a natural disaster.

Even the veteran warriors like Dorry tensed, their nerves stretched to the limit.

But amidst the chaos, dozens—no, hundreds—of Aramaki clones emerged across the terrain, sprouting like fungal spores from the soil.

"Haha! What's wrong? There's over a hundred of me here now!" Aramaki's voice echoed across the island. "Let's see how you find the real me!"

Unbeknownst to them, near the far edge of the island, atop a hidden root system, another Aramaki stood.

Unlike the confident one on the battlefield, this version wore a dark, grim expression, visibly nervous.

"Damn it… This is way more trouble than I expected," he muttered. "If I'd known Fujitora was on his ship too, I wouldn't have stuck my neck into this mess."

"I should've just left that matter with the Celestial Dragon for another day…"

He clenched his jaw, still peeking at the battle from afar.

"Hopefully they won't find me out here. If they wear themselves out, I'll just wait and slither away quietly."

"Good thing this is Sabaody Archipelago—without the soap trees, I wouldn't be able to move so freely."

"For now… I'll keep those clones active and scare them a bit. Gotta save face, even if I lose."

But just as he looked back toward the battlefield, his expression changed drastically.

His connection—his control over the battlefield—had paused.

The seamless link between him and the forest… was interrupted.

Normally, he could control his body and environment with just a thought.

But now, his Logia transformation wasn't responding.

His face turned pale.

Panicked, he looked up.

The brilliant midday sun… was gone.

In its place was a black moon, hanging ominously in the sky, casting shadows over the world.

Darkness fell like a curtain.

Aramaki's expression collapsed into horror.

His greatest trump card wasn't brute strength.

It was the seemingly immortal nature of the Mori Mori no Mi—the Forest-Forest Fruit.

As long as a single sprout or root remained, he could regenerate endlessly.

Even if it cost a heavy toll on his nutrients and stamina, it was still the ultimate assurance of survival.

But now… that black eclipse—like some ancient celestial omen—had cut off his ability.

In an instant, his invincibility was shattered.

Fujitora's words came echoing back.

"If there's no accident, the accident is about to appear."

Too fast. It had come too fast.

With his greatest weapon stripped away, and Luo Yu—whose reputation was spreading like wildfire—closing in…

And with five elite Special Forces surrounding him—

Aramaki finally broke.

Without another word, he turned and fled at full speed.

But—

Just a hundred meters into his retreat, the black eclipse vanished.

Sunlight returned.

And with it, came death.

A bone-chilling killing intent wrapped around him like a vice.

Aramaki instinctively turned to look back.

And what he saw left him speechless.

Luo Yu—who hadn't even drawn his blade until now—was swinging it… from tens of thousands of meters away.

Yet the pressure was real.

The overwhelming killing intent was unmistakably targeted at him.

Before he could react—

Luo Yu's blade, Muganbo, cut through the air.

"Dark Binding – Dimensional Severance – Nirvana!"

BOOOOM!!

A single slash descended from the heavens.

It didn't just slice through the terrain—

It ripped through space itself.

And most terrifying of all…

The moment the technique locked onto him, Aramaki felt like he was sinking into a swamp of spiritual gravity—dragged toward the slash with nowhere to run.

No matter how he moved, no matter how he twisted—

He couldn't escape.

"It came so fast…"

"So fast…"

With death closing in, Aramaki had no choice but to throw himself into the attack head-on.

BOOM!!

The slash landed.

For a moment, the entire world went dim.

Even the flow of air… froze.

Time itself seemed to stop.

And then—reality resumed.