Joy Boy, in his inflated balloon form, bobbed up and down before Aramaki's massive eyes, then suddenly began to expand further.
His body stretched and twisted at high speed, his limbs crackling with black and red lightning, the unmistakable power of Conqueror's Haki.
"Hahahaha! Interesting, interesting!!"
His laughter surged outward, carrying a shockwave of Conqueror's Haki that actually forced the towering treant body Aramaki had formed to stagger backward.
"How much elasticity can your body endure?"
As he spoke, Joy Boy stretched both arms forward, grabbing Aramaki's trunk-like limb. His rubberized muscles compressed like tightly coiled springs, gathering immense force.
Boom!
The compressed elasticity released explosively, blasting Aramaki's entire right arm into a storm of shattered wood.
However, from the broken section, countless vine-like tendrils sprouted instantly, writhing like carnivorous plants.
Aramaki had already shifted his true body elsewhere. The limb Joy Boy destroyed was merely an elemental extension, causing no real damage.
After all, an Admiral's strength was not defined by Devil Fruit power alone. Their Haki stood among the very best in the world.
Aramaki laughed loudly. "Plants regenerate, you bastard!"
Dense vines erupted from the severed limb, coiling tightly around Joy Boy's arms and legs like serpents.
"Struggle all you want, I will drain you dry!"
The vines constricted violently, but no matter how they tightened, they could not extract even a trace of moisture.
Joy Boy's body suddenly melted into a white, fluid-like form, slipping effortlessly through the gaps between the vines.
From within the flowing mass, his foolish-looking grin reappeared before Aramaki's eyes.
In the next instant, his body solidified again and snapped upward like a stretched rubber band.
"How could someone truly free be bound by a bundle of vines?"
Aramaki's composure faltered slightly as he watched Joy Boy bounce through the air.
"You damn pest! What is so free about you?!"
He swung his massive arm, releasing a cloud of spores that scattered and burst midair, forming a thick pink mist.
These were lethal plant toxins. Ordinary people would die within seconds of inhaling them.
Yet Joy Boy simply opened his mouth wide and inhaled sharply, drawing all the poisonous fog into his body.
Aramaki froze for a moment.
Before he could react, Joy Boy sneezed loudly, blasting two streams of white gas from his nostrils.
The expelled gas gathered instead of dispersing. It twisted in the air before forming into a white giant figure resembling Joy Boy himself.
Joy Boy chuckled, wiping his nose.
"Nika, Figment Manifestation."
The white giant lunged downward toward Aramaki.
Aramaki scoffed and threw a punch, blasting a massive hole through the figure.
Yet it did not slow down in the slightest. The giant countered with a punch of its own, striking Aramaki squarely in the face.
Despite being composed of gas, the blow forced Aramaki's enormous body to stagger backward repeatedly, nearly pushing him into the sea.
Aramaki's expression shifted to disbelief as he touched the face formed within the treant.
It hurt.
That strike had connected with his real body, meaning the gas construct was infused with extremely powerful Haki.
Aokiji appeared in a flash, landing atop Aramaki's shoulder.
"Are you alright, Aramaki?"
Aramaki frowned. "It is not serious, but this ability is extremely troublesome."
Aokiji narrowed his eyes at the white giant dancing midair.
"Anyone taken seriously by someone like Lloyd is bound to be dangerous."
As he spoke, Aokiji slammed his hands together, releasing a concentrated beam of freezing air that shot directly into the white giant.
The giant stiffened instantly, its movements becoming rigid, as if its joints had frozen solid.
At that moment, Kuma propelled himself forward and struck the giant with his palm.
A paw-shaped shockwave burst outward, scattering the giant into countless fragments of drifting gas.
Joy Boy, still hovering in the sky, let out an odd cry and clapped his hands.
The scattered gas immediately began to stir, converging once more.
"Yata no Kagami."
A flash of golden light flickered.
Kizaru appeared behind Joy Boy, his leg sweeping out in a swift kick that sent Joy Boy flying.
As Joy Boy was launched backward, Akainu's voice rose from below.
"Meteor Volcano!"
A barrage of molten fists shot upward, hurtling toward Joy Boy in midair.
Joy Boy halted himself instantly, then began spinning rapidly, transforming into a roaring white cyclone.
Every magma fist that collided with the spinning vortex was deflected away, unable to penetrate and reach him.
Akainu lowered his steaming arms, then transformed his lower body into magma, propelling himself upward like an erupting volcano.
From below, the white cyclone was soon engulfed in crimson magma, and the sounds of fierce combat echoed from within.
Boom, boom, boom!
After a series of explosive clashes, the cyclone dissipated, revealing Joy Boy and Akainu separated in midair.
Joy Boy panted slightly, blowing on his overheated fists, while Akainu's body reverted from magma as he descended.
After landing, Akainu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
It was clear that in their close combat exchange, he had come out at a disadvantage.
He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground and looked up.
High above, Kizaru unleashed Yasakani no Magatama, a relentless rain of light descending upon Joy Boy.
Yet Joy Boy weaved through the barrage with ease, his movements fluid and unpredictable. Soon, he even began leaping and dancing atop the light projectiles themselves.
Each step triggered a chain explosion, converting the light into propulsion, allowing him to rapidly close the distance.
Having witnessed Akainu's outcome, Kizaru chose not to engage at close range.
Using Yata no Kagami once more, he widened the gap between himself and Joy Boy within moments.
Joy Boy burst into laughter, extending his arm outward.
It stretched endlessly, expanding into a colossal hand that covered the sky as it reached for Kizaru.
Before he could grasp him, however, two thick vines suddenly wrapped tightly around his legs.
Below, Aramaki gripped the vine-like extensions of his arms and yanked downward with force.
"Get down here, you bastard!"