The White Giant Stands in the Scorching Hell! (Seeking Follow-ups!)

"Art is about playing with color?"

Storm raised his right hand, and Little White Dragon obediently hopped into his palm.

His index finger slowly traced along the dragon's body, the tip gliding over scales of white.

The orderly rows of pale dragon scales instantly transformed into a more imposing silver-gray.

Storm's finger finally stopped before the little dragon's head.

Painting the dragon.

Dotting the eyes!

Storm lightly touched Little White Dragon's eyes, and those pure-white orbs suddenly shifted to a sky-like azure.

This single motion seemed to grant the little dragon a true soul.

"Haah—"

The hatchling's first cry was faint, barely audible.

"Haha."

Storm couldn't help but chuckle. He poured the power of the Clay Fruit into Little White Dragon's body.

The dragon, originally no larger than a house cat, swelled like a balloon being inflated.

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 raised its head and roared to the heavens, a cry that pierced clouds and split stone.

"ROOOAR—"

"Pity. Clay is still just clay."

Storm waved his right hand, and the White Giant Dragon rapidly shrank back to its original size.

"A white dragon like this has no true soul."

After a preliminary test of Color Change's actual effects, Storm was fairly satisfied.

After all, this was a power obtained by wishing upon a Silver Trophy—he couldn't ask for much more...

Storm had no intention of investing resources into the Color Change ability.

What he was focused on now.

Was the Life Return he'd just acquired!

And Armament Haki and Observation Haki!

Especially Haki!

Storm had only just obtained these abilities, and all of them were ranked at just "☆".

But the Scorching Hell held a massive number of prisoners, every single one a "Great Pirate" with a bounty exceeding ten million Berries.

Storm went through the prisoner list, picked out some scum he found distasteful, and easily hunted down several Silver Trophies.

He poured these newly acquired Silver Trophies into a few of his abilities—

Armament Haki / Observation Haki / Life Return: ★★★★

"The limit of a Silver Trophy's enhancement is four stars."

A faint red gleam flickered in Storm's eyes as Observation Haki quietly activated, scanning the surrounding environment.

"I need higher-grade Golden Trophies!

"I need stronger opponents!

"The Prison Beasts!"

In Impel Down, the Prison Beasts roamed across a wide range.

Even the sixth level, Infinite Hell, occasionally saw the figures of Prison Beasts.

On ordinary days, the jailers of Impel Down didn't actively restrict the Prison Beasts' daily movements.

Storm's luck was fairly good.

His Observation Haki quickly detected the presence of a Prison Beast within Scorching Hell.

Storm locked onto the target and immediately headed over.

There were a total of four Prison Beasts in Impel Down—soon to become five.

The one Storm had discovered this time was Mino Zebra.

It was a creature with a very peculiar appearance.

It had a head of pink, wavy long hair, yet in its hand, it held a massive spiked club.

From above the abdomen to below the waist, its body retained the form of a zebra.

Only its abdomen retained a human characteristic—two rows of eight neatly aligned abdominal muscles.

"Aside from the belly, it's like a pink-furred zebra standing upright..."

As Storm looked at the Mino Zebra.

This Prison Beast also spotted the human's presence.

In the simple mind of a Prison Beast, there was no distinction between "guard" and "prisoner."

The Mino Zebra sniffed hard, nearly sucking back the thick snot dangling beneath its nose.

This action was merely its attempt to identify Storm by scent.

Having confirmed the smell.

It was an unfamiliar stranger.

The Mino Zebra's originally dull eyes instantly turned fierce.

It kicked out its two horse legs, charging forward with speed like a gust of wind.

"So fast!"

The thought had just flashed through Storm's mind.

When the Mino Zebra was already before him.

The pinker the hair, the harder the hit.

The Mino Zebra swung the Spiked Club in its hand, slamming it viciously toward the unfamiliar human before it.

The massive club tore through the air, erupting with a sharp shriek.

[Kami-e: Clay]!

Storm's body rapidly undulated and deformed, like a lump of soft clay kneaded and reshaped at will.

He precisely sensed the Mino Zebra's attack trajectory, manipulating his clay-like body to shift its form.

Storm's body caved into an absurd arc.

The Mino Zebra's heavy, powerful club barely grazed the edge of his clothes.

Thud!

Failing to hit its target, the Mino Zebra's weapon smashed directly into the ground.

The earth instantly cracked and shattered, the floor of Scorching Hell cratering into a massive pit several meters in diameter.

Whether speed or strength.

The Mino Zebra was monstrous in both!

After dodging the attack, Storm swung his right fist forward without hesitation.

White clay surged out, wrapping around his fist and causing it to instantly swell and enlarge.

Giant Clay Fist!

Boom!

Storm's massive fist landed solidly on the Mino Zebra's lower abdomen.

The immense force sent the Mino Zebra flying several meters away.

Its two black horse hooves carved deep grooves into the ground, dust swirling into the air.

But if one looked closely, they would see the Mino Zebra's abdomen was completely unharmed, only the surface of its abs slightly flushed.

The Prison Beast's defense was terrifyingly strong too!

"Sniff!"

The Mino Zebra sucked its nose again.

Its simple brain couldn't figure out why that last blow hadn't killed the unfamiliar human before it.

But it didn't matter.

If one club couldn't kill.

Then two clubs would!

The tireless Mino Zebra swung its weapon and charged forward once more.

Seeing this, Storm didn't stay put but instead moved in to close the distance.

With [Shave]'s boost, he burst forth with agility nearly matching the Mino Zebra's.

The distance between the Jailer Chief and the Prison Beast shrank rapidly.

The Mino Zebra swung the Spiked Club.

And Storm threw his fist.

Unlike last time.

This time, Storm's fist was wreathed in wisps of black aura—it was—

[Armament Haki]!

Storm's fist, wrapped in Haki, collided fiercely with Mino Zebra's spiked club.

Boom!!

A deafening roar followed.

A visible white shockwave erupted, spreading in all directions like rolling waves.

Throughout the vast Scorching Hell, no matter where one stood, the astonishing clamor from this clash could be heard.

Although Storm's base stats fell short of Mino Zebra's, with the boost from [Armament Haki], the gap between them wasn't as wide as one might expect.

Storm clenched his teeth, stubbornly holding his ground against Mino Zebra's attack.

And as he persisted, the [Armament Haki] coiled around his right fist grew darker and more distinct.

The two remained locked in stalemate for about half a minute.

Then Storm's right arm trembled slightly.

Mino Zebra seized the opportunity, swinging its weapon to forcibly send the human flying.

Storm flew backward for over ten meters.

When he landed, his chest heaved violently, and his once-steady breathing turned ragged.

The stamina drain from [Armament Haki] was more severe than he had anticipated.

When he first awakened [Armament Haki], the consumption hadn't been this extreme.

But at four-star [Armament Haki], Storm felt as if someone had opened a floodgate in his stamina pool, letting it gush out uncontrollably.

'Physical constitution is the foundation—my teacher never lied to me.'

Storm gasped for breath several times.

Just then, he heard a horse's neigh from ahead.

"Hee-hee-hee—"

Storm focused his gaze.

Mino Zebra stood in place, its spiked club pointed at him, its long horse face twisted into a human-like sneer.

Fight with a laugh!

Storm's eye twitched violently.

He had worked diligently in Impel Down for so long, and today, he was being mocked by a horse!

"Huff—"

Storm closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The next moment, Storm raised his right hand, unleashing the power of the [Clay Fruit] without restraint.

He had wanted to fight the Prison Beast as an Ordinary Person, but all he got in return was ridicule.

No more pretending!

This Humble One was going all out!

Mino Zebra, your [Big Trophy] is mine today!

Even Magellan can't protect you!

This Humble One said so!

Storm's strongest ability had never been martial arts or Haki.

It was the [Clay Fruit], used without cost under the boost of the [Demon Ring]!

Storm released the power of the [Clay Fruit] without holding back.

Endless white clay piled up before him, forming one white hillock after another.

Under Storm's control, the hillocks' surfaces rippled and shifted, quickly sprouting heads and limbs.

Clay Giants, each averaging about ten meters in height, stood proudly across the land of Scorching Hell.

The scene was like a mythical revival of a legion of mountain giants!

Mino Zebra stared at the white giants suddenly appearing before it, its tiny eyes wide as saucers.

The complexity of the sight before it had exceeded the normal processing capacity of Mino Zebra's brain.

Mino Zebra, crashed!

The Prison Beast had malfunctioned.

The chief jailer would not let up.

Storm manipulated dozens of Clay Giants, swarming the Mino Zebra all at once.

A brutal beating that was a "tragedy for horse-kind" lasted a full half hour.

He had to admit.

The Mino Zebra's ability to withstand blows truly exceeded Storm's expectations—

He could swear to the devils in Scorching Hell that he had absolutely no intention of deliberately 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: ★★★★★]

End of the month!

Since I only started publishing this month, I won't ask for votes.

Next month, remember to save your monthly tickets for me!

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