"Now, now, no need to get worked up, little girl. I'm old enough to be your grand—"

The old man's kindly smile was met with Aramaki's sudden fury.

Without another word, she shot sharp, arrow vine tentacles from her fingers straight at his face.

The old man's expression stiffened, a hint of awkwardness flashing across his face.

Yet, he remained calm even taking a leisurely sip of wine before his right hand blurred—the sword in his grip slicing horizontally through the air.

Swish!

"Guh—!" Aramaki's face twisted as she watched the ten-meter-long hollow vines from her fingers get cleanly severed, writhing on the ground like venomous snakes before rapidly withering away.

'Who the hell is this old man?' Aramaki's mind raced.

Had she been cursed with terrible luck lately?

Why did she keep running into these strong opponents?

And each one seemed absurdly strong.

This old man looked like nothing more than a simple farmer.

But that casual swing of his sword—its speed, power, and sheer dominance—was top-tier.

What shocked Aramaki most was the ravenous hunger she felt emanating from that glowing green blade the moment it cut her.

"That's a Cursed Sword. I can't let it hit me again."

Aramaki stared at her severed fingers, cold killing intent flashing in her eyes.

The thought of fleeing vanished as Life Force surged from within her.

Ssss—

In the blink of an eye, the bloody stumps sprouted new flesh.

Within mere seconds, her fingers regrew, pristine and unharmed.

The old man's face lit up with envy. "See? This is the ability I want. Absorbing Life Force, incredible regeneration—hahaha, just like that old vampire. Ah, when you get to my age, you can't help but yearn for youth again."

"Engulfing Barrier!" Aramaki paid him no heed.

With a delicate shout, countless vines, flowers, and leaves erupted wildly from her graceful figure.

As her Devil Fruit Ability activated, the area within a hundred-meter radius around Aramaki instantly transformed into a lush forest.

Towering trees sprouted from the ground, their roots digging deep into the ice below.

Despite the frozen surface lacking soil, vibrant six-colored flowers bloomed everywhere.

Coiling vines, like massive pythons dangling from the treetops, slithered and intertwined, tightly sealing off the perimeter of the domain and trapping everything within.

"Devour!"

Aramaki's feet suddenly split apart, morphing into dozens of thick roots shimmering with black Busoshoku Haki, whistling as they shot towards the old man.

At the same time, every plant within the enclosed domain lunged towards the old man, wrapping around him.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The old man tilted his head back, draining the wine bottle in his hand before tossing it aside.

One of Aramaki's tendrils lashed out mid-air, shattering it.

BOOM!

Though it was just an empty bottle, the moment it exploded, it unleashed a torrent of crimson sword energy like a massive scarlet porcupine, its countless razor-sharp spikes piercing through the ground, riddling it with gaping holes.

The old man swung his sword downward, severing the roots and flowers entwined around his legs.

"Seven Stars Sword - Dubhe!"

His face suddenly turned a sickly green, his eyes gleaming ghostly white, making him appear utterly terrifying.

His frame and withered yellow hair, illuminated by the sword in his hand, made him look like a vengeful spirit awakened from the dead.

The three-foot-long sword rippled with emerald waves spanning twenty meters in diameter, unleashing countless eerie green sword beams that clashed relentlessly with the roots sprouting from Aramaki's feet.

"As expected of an Admiral, heheheheheh. Your Haki mastery is impressive. But..."

A sinister grin spread across the old man's skeletal face as the green glow from his sword intensified, instantly bursting through the countless vines binding him.

"The sword commands the wielder. I am the sword, the sword is me—Haki Infused Sword Technique! Seven Stars Sword - Merak!"

A blinding green sword beam, like a radiant star unleashing divine light, expanded infinitely.

In the blink of an eye, under Aramaki's disbelieving gaze, it obliterated her Devour Domain.

"This old man does not hide his name. Remember it, little girl—I am called..."

"Gamma Laser Beam!!"

From over a thousand meters away, Kizaru's body erupted in golden and black radiance, splitting him down the middle—his left side pitch black, his right side gleaming gold.

His eyes, one black and one gold, exuded an eerie malevolence.

Twin beams of black and gold shot from his eyes, spiraling through the air before merging into a bizarre ray.

In an instant, it pierced through the brilliance of the green sword beam and struck the old man, blasting his body hundreds of meters backward.

"Borsalino!"

Aramaki's spirits lifted, though her face was now pale.

Not only had her domain failed to achieve its purpose, but it had also been forcibly shattered, severely draining her Life Force.

Kizaru's body exploded into countless points of light, reappearing instantly before Aramaki.

In his hand, a black-and-gold sword of radiant energy materialized out of thin air.

"Be careful with Aramaki, that old ghost might be the great swordsman Ganzui from the old era."

Kizaru's was completely different from his usual nonchalant demeanor, as if he were an emissary from the underworld.

Aramaki froze. "Ganzui? Who's that? I've never heard of him."

"He was a commander of the Rocks Pirates over forty years ago, a comrade of Caesar, Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin."

"The Rocks Pirates? That bastard Rocks—nine out of ten of the great pirates in the New World are remnants of his crew. That bastard Caesar is one, and now this Ganzui pops up. These bunch of old geezers, why won't they just drop dead already?"

Aramaki's expression darkened as he drew the longsword at his waist.

A green glow enveloped the blade, making it look somewhat similar to Ganzui's Seven Stars Sword.

"Borororo! Old Zui! You bastard, weren't you off hunting for John's treasure? Spent decades on it—did you find anything? Hahaha!"

A wild laugh echoed across the sea as Caesar flew in, followed by a hundred-meter-long azure dragon.

The sickly green glow around Ganzui faded, revealing his withered, half-dead appearance.

He chuckled as he looked at Caesar.

"Long time no see, Kai—"

"BORO BREATH!"

Instead of a greeting, a massive pillar of fire erupted from the dragon's maw, blasting Ganzui hundreds of meters away.

"Wororororo! Ganzui! You old bastard, back then you bullied me for being young and left me with scars that still ache today! You've gotten so old—come on, let's see how you fare now!"

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