When Aramaki sensed something was off, he couldn't stop. Despite the realization that there were energy fluctuations on his opponent's body that felt eerily similar to his Fruit ability, as a top powerhouse, the only thing he could do was continue attacking and try to knock his opponent down.
He had underestimated his opponent. The kid standing before him, was not as simple as he appeared—there was something hidden beneath the surface.
Boom!
At last, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of thousands of Marines, the mighty axe of the forest giant struck Shiro's body. But what made everyone's scalp tingle in disbelief was that Shiro, calm as ever on the battlefield, merely raised his left hand and blocked the devastating blow from Aramaki.
At that moment, with the collision of their immense forces, shockwaves rippled through the arena, stunning everyone. Even the likes of Fleet Admiral Akainu, Borsalino, and others were left speechless—it was impossible for them to handle such a blow so effortlessly.
In just a brief moment, all eyes were on Shiro. Even Aramaki himself was in shock. He couldn't believe it—the power he sensed from this kid, it felt so similar to his own Devil Fruit, the Woods-Woods Fruit! That power was even suppressing his abilities. If not for his mastery over the Woods-Woods Fruit, his attack would have crumbled under Shiro's power.
"Ha!" Aramaki's disbelief turned into frustration.
Shiro smirked in response. No matter what Aramaki discovered, it was too late now. The outcome was already set in stone.
Hum—
In an instant, Shiro activated his god-level camouflage ability. A split second later, Aramaki, who stood atop the forest giant's head, was hit hard. His left arm exploded, blood flowing as he was knocked back into the audience area.
Boom—
With the loss of Aramaki's control, the forest giant collapsed, crashing down and filling the arena with debris. Shiro, however, remained calm, sheathing his sword with ease.
Thanks to his god-level camouflage ability, Shiro had copied Aramaki's attack and returned it to him with precision. Though Shiro had to withstand the initial blow, he had been prepared, while Aramaki was caught off guard. The same attack that Shiro blocked with mere shockwaves left Aramaki heavily injured, even destroying his arm.
This marked the second arm of an Admiral-level master that Shiro had removed—the first being Akainu.
As the battle came to an end, the entire arena fell into stunned silence. No one could comprehend what had just transpired. Even the top experts hadn't seen it clearly. How could Aramaki be struck down from such a distance?
"Yeah hahaha! In front of the boss, even natural ability users are just trash in the end!" Enel laughed, seemingly aware of the inevitable result. However, his expression quickly changed as he remembered that he himself was a natural ability user.
Damn boss!
Meanwhile, in the core area of the island, high above the arena, Hancock and Robin watched the ring, by Den Den Mushi.
"As expected of the man who conquered me. My husband is truly strong!" Hancock admired, her eyes glowing with affection.
"So strong… He really deserves this fame!" Robin agreed.
For a brief moment, the two women locked eyes, but quickly turned away, snorting in annoyance. If Shiro were present, he'd definitely have a headache seeing this.
Soon, when the crowd had finally processed what they witnessed, a thunderous cheer erupted.
The youngest Admiral in Naval history was born!
The excitement among the Marines was palpable. After all, who wouldn't want to follow someone with such immense power and potential?
Shiro's appearance could even bring about unprecedented changes for the Navy. With him, the Navy might finally wash away the humiliation of past defeats.
Shiro could feel the fanatical admiration in the eyes of the countless Marines around him. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
"Yeah haha, time to get to work!" Enel stood up, stretching.
"Mr. Enel, where are you going? Aren't you going to help with what comes next?" A voice asked with a teasing smile.
"If I help, the boss would never need me again. Besides, I've got other things to handle. As for the rest, isn't that your job?" Enel replied lazily before disappearing with a crackle of thunder.
The voice smiled in response, a grin curling at his lips. It seemed the Navy's central core was far more transparent than expected.
Shortly after, Navy personnel came to invite Fujitora to attend the Admiral ceremony.
The moment everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived.
As the Admiral Ceremony commenced, Fujitora and Shiro exchanged glances, silently communicating. The time had come for Shiro to reveal his true identity.
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The fanfic is finished on p@treon/tambeerg