"Art is all about playing with colors?"
Storm raised his right hand, and Little White Dragon obediently hopped onto his palm.
His index finger slowly traced along Little White Dragon's body, his fingertip gliding over its white dragon scales.
The neatly arranged pale scales transformed directly into a more imposing silver-gray.
Storm's finger finally stopped in front of Little White Dragon's head.
Drawing the dragon.
Adding the finishing touch!
Storm lightly touched Little White Dragon's eyes, and those pure-white dragon eyes suddenly turned a deep sky blue.
The action seemed to grant Little White Dragon a true soul.
"Haah—"
The young dragon let out its first cry, its voice faint.
"Haha."
Storm could not help laughing. He injected the power of the [Clay Fruit] into Little White Dragon's body.
Little White Dragon, which had originally been no bigger than a house cat, rapidly expanded as if it were an inflating balloon.
One meter, five meters, ten meters...
In just a few breaths.
Little White Dragon had grown into a white giant dragon nearly fifty meters long!
The White Dragon threw back its head and roared, its dragon cry splitting the clouds and shattering stones.
"Roar—"
"What a pity. Clay is still only clay in the end."
Storm waved his right hand, and the White Giant Dragon rapidly shrank back to its original form.
"A White Dragon like this doesn't possess a true soul."
After conducting a preliminary test of the actual effects of [Color Change], Storm was fairly satisfied.
After all, this ability had only been obtained by making a wish with a [Silver Trophy]. He could not ask for more...
Storm had no intention of investing resources into the [Color Change] ability.
His current focus.
Was still on the newly acquired [Life Return]!
As well as [Armament Haki] and [Observation Haki]!
Especially [Haki]!
Storm had only just obtained these abilities, and all of their levels were still "☆".
But there were countless prisoners in Scorching Hell, each one a "Great Pirate" with a bounty exceeding ten million Beli.
Following the prisoner list, Storm picked out some scum he disliked and easily hunted down several [Silver Trophies].
He invested the newly obtained Silver Trophies into several abilities—
[Armament Haki/Observation Haki/Life Return: ★★★★]
"The maximum level Silver Trophies can raise an ability to is four stars."
A faint red light flashed through Storm's eyes as he quietly activated [Observation Haki] to investigate his surroundings.
"I need higher-level Golden Trophies!
"I need stronger opponents!
"Prison Beasts!"
In Impel Down, Prison Beasts had an extremely wide range of activity.
Even in the sixth floor, Infinite Hell, Prison Beasts could occasionally be seen.
On ordinary days, the guards of Impel Down would not take the initiative to restrict the Prison Beasts' activities.
Storm's luck was fairly good.
His [Observation Haki] soon detected the presence of a Prison Beast in Scorching Hell.
Storm locked onto the target and immediately hurried over.
There were four Prison Beasts in Impel Down—a number that would eventually become five.
The one Storm had discovered this time was Mino Zebra.
It was an extremely unusual creature.
It had long, pink, wavy hair, yet held a gigantic spiked club with a huge ball of spikes.
Everything above its abdomen and below its waist retained the appearance of a zebra.
Only its abdomen still possessed human features—two rows of eight neatly arranged abdominal muscles.
"Other than the belly, it looks like a giant pink-haired zebra walking upright..."
As Storm looked at Mino Zebra.
The Prison Beast also noticed the human presence.
In the simple mind of a Prison Beast, there was no distinction between "guard" and "prisoner."
Mino Zebra sniffed hard, nearly sucking in the long strand of snot hanging beneath its nose.
It had only wanted to identify Storm through his scent.
After confirming the smell.
He was an unfamiliar stranger.
Mino Zebra's originally vacant gaze instantly turned fierce.
It spread its two equine legs and charged forward, its speed as swift as the wind.
"So fast!"
The thought had only just flashed through Storm's mind.
Mino Zebra had already charged in front of him.
The pinker the hair, the harder the beating.
Mino Zebra swung the Spiked Club in its hand, smashing it viciously toward the unfamiliar human before it.
The enormous club tore through the air, erupting with a sharp sonic boom.
[Paper Arts: Clay]!
Storm's body rapidly rose and fell, changing shape like a soft lump of clay that could be kneaded and reshaped at will.
He precisely sensed Mino Zebra's attack route and manipulated his clay-transformed body to change form.
Storm's body caved inward at an inconceivable angle.
Mino Zebra's heavy, powerful club barely grazed the hem of his clothes.
Boom!
Having missed its target, Mino Zebra's weapon slammed directly into the ground.
The earth immediately cracked apart, and the floor of Scorching Hell was instantly smashed into a massive crater several meters across.
Whether speed or strength.
Mino Zebra was monstrous in every respect!
After dodging the attack, Storm swung his right fist forward without hesitation.
White clay surged out, wrapping around his fist and causing it to swell to enormous proportions in an instant.
Giant Clay Fist!
Bang!
Storm's giant fist landed solidly against Mino Zebra's lower abdomen.
The tremendous force sent Mino Zebra flying several meters away.
Its two black hooves carved two deep trenches across the ground as dust billowed into the air.
But on closer inspection, Mino Zebra's abdomen was completely unharmed. Only the surface of its abdominal muscles had reddened slightly.
The Prison Beast's defenses were equally terrifyingly strong!
"Slurp!"
Mino Zebra sniffed again.
Its simple brain could not understand why the previous strike had failed to kill the unfamiliar human before it.
But it did not matter.
If one swing could not kill him.
Then it would use two!
Tireless, Mino Zebra swung its weapon and charged once more.
Seeing this, Storm did not remain where he was. Instead, he took the initiative and closed in.
With [Shave] enhancing him, he burst forth with agility nearly equal to Mino Zebra's.
The distance between the Jailer Chief and the Prison Beast rapidly closed.
Mino Zebra swung the Spiked Club.
Storm swung his fist as well.
Unlike last time.
This time, wisps of black energy coiled around Storm's fist. It was unmistakably—
[Armament Haki]!
Storm's Haki-wreathed fist collided violently with Mino Zebra's Spiked Club.
Boom!!
Accompanied by a deafening roar.
Visible white waves of air transformed into rolling shockwaves that spread and erupted in every direction.
Throughout vast Scorching Hell, no matter where they were, everyone could hear the astonishing commotion erupting here.
Although there was a gap between Storm's basic attributes and Mino Zebra's.
With [Armament Haki] enhancing him, the difference between them was not as great as one might have imagined.
Storm gritted his teeth and stubbornly withstood Mino Zebra's attack.
As he persisted, the [Armament Haki] wrapped around his right fist grew increasingly distinct and pronounced in its pitch-black color.
The two remained locked in a stalemate for roughly half a minute.
Storm's right arm trembled slightly.
Mino Zebra seized the opportunity, swung its weapon, and forcibly sent the human before it flying.
Storm flew backward more than ten meters.
When he landed, his chest heaved violently, and his previously steady breathing had become ragged.
The rate at which [Armament Haki] consumed stamina had exceeded his expectations.
When [Armament Haki] had first awakened, the consumption had not been so outrageous.
But four-star [Armament Haki]...
When using it, Storm felt as though someone had opened a floodgate in his stamina pool, sending it rushing away.
Physique is the foundation. Teacher, you truly never lied to me.
Storm gasped several times.
Just then, he suddenly heard a neigh from ahead.
"Neigh—"
Storm focused his gaze.
Mino Zebra stood where it was, its Spiked Club pointed at him. Its long, narrow equine face wore a humanlike mocking expression.
A battle had to be fought with neighs!
The corner of Storm's eye twitched violently several times.
He had worked diligently at Impel Down for so long.
Yet today, he had actually been mocked by a horse!
"Phew—"
Storm closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The next moment.
Storm raised his right hand, releasing the power of the [Clay Fruit] without limit.
He had intended to fight the Prison Beast as an ordinary person, but all he received in return was mockery.
No more pretending!
He was going to cheat!
Mino Zebra, he was taking your [Big Trophy] today!
Even Magellan could not protect you!
That was what he said!
The strongest ability Storm possessed had never been martial arts or Haki.
It was the [Clay Fruit], which he could use without consuming anything under the enhancement of the [Demon Ring]!
Storm released the power of the [Clay Fruit] without reservation.
Endless white clay piled up before him, forming one small white hill after another.
Under Storm's control, the surfaces of the hills rippled and changed, rapidly growing heads and limbs.
One Clay Giant after another, each averaging around ten meters tall, stood proudly upon the land of Scorching Hell.
The scene looked exactly like a group of mountain giants awakening from myth and legend!
Mino Zebra stared at the white giants that had suddenly appeared before it, its tiny eyes widening until they were perfectly round.
The complexity of the scene before it had already exceeded the normal processing capacity of Mino Zebra's brain.
Mino Zebra: system crash!
The Prison Beast malfunctioned.
The Jailer Chief wasn't going to let up.
Storm controlled dozens of Clay Giants, sending them swarming toward Mino Zebra.
A horrific "horse"-beating went on for a full half hour.
It had to be said.
Mino Zebra's ability to take a beating had genuinely exceeded Storm's expectations—
He could swear to the devils in Scorching Hell that he hadn't had the slightest intention of getting revenge—
But in the end,
the monster still fell beneath the iron fists of the giants.
A brand-new [Big Trophy] appeared before Storm's eyes.
[Platinum Trophy: Mino Zebra]
[Trophy Star Rating: ★★★★★]
It's the end of the month!
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