Looking at the completely unharmed [Clay Clone] ahead of him, Lightning immediately sensed that something was wrong and instinctively took several steps back.
As far as he knew,
in Impel Down, there was only one person capable of manipulating clay—
the newly appointed Jailer Chief of the deep-sea prison, who had just been sent to Extreme Cold Hell that morning!
Lightning stared at the [Clay Clone] and softly spoke the name.
"Vongola Storm?"
"You know me?"
Storm's voice exploded beside Lightning's ear like a thunderclap.
Lightning instantly felt a chill run down his spine.
Because he could almost feel the breath drifting over from behind him!
Lightning burst out with the fastest speed of his life and fled the spot.
Only after escaping more than ten meters did he dare turn his head toward where he had been standing.
Storm stood there, gazing in his direction with an air of complete calm.
When did this guy appear?
Still shaken, Lightning's heart pounded wildly like a war drum.
Could he have been standing there watching the whole time while I attacked!?
"A special half-yellow, half-white appearance, and enormous double-wielded scissors."
Storm started walking toward Lightning, one step at a time.
"You're the prisoner who was originally imprisoned in Extreme Cold Hell—
"the Revolutionary Army's senior officer, Scissors Man, Lightning."
Having his identity exposed by his enemy in a single breath, Lightning's face turned exceedingly grave.
Before he could say anything, the Jailer Chief continued his verbal pressure.
"I'm curious."
Storm kept approaching Lightning, asking one deadly question after another in the calmest possible tone.
"Why would a prisoner who had already appeared on the death list be alive and kicking in front of me?
"Why don't you have the slightest trace of frostbite on your body? Even the aura you're giving off is so healthy.
"Why would you know my name when I only arrived at Impel Down not long ago—"
Afraid that Storm would continue voicing even more terrifying deductions, Lightning instinctively raised both hands, wanting to interrupt him.
"Rotating Flying Scissors!"
Lightning swung his arms forcefully.
The giant scissors his arms had transformed into flew straight out with his movement.
The two enormous scissors unfolded and spun at incredible speed in midair, seeming to become two razor-sharp discs.
Whoosh—
The two giant scissors howled as they tore through the air, carrying enough force to cleave metal and jade asunder, seemingly intent on splitting Storm in two.
Storm stood motionless where he was, allowing the giant scissors to attack him.
Slice—slice—
The two giant scissors struck Storm's body almost simultaneously, leaving two wounds deep enough to expose bone.
Lightning could practically see the wintry scenery of the distant forest through Storm's wounds.
Yet what drove him to despair was—
despite suffering such severe injuries, his opponent did not shed a single drop of blood!
"You should have realized this sooner."
Storm's clay-transformed body instantly healed completely.
"Your attacks are useless against me!"
The instant his voice fell,
[Shave]!
Storm's feet slammed heavily against the ground. The powerful recoil sent him forward at astonishing speed, and he appeared in front of Lightning in an instant.
His right fist had risen at some unknown point, its surface covered in black [Armament Haki]. The fist shot forward like a nail.
[Tekkai: Serious Punch]!
At this critical moment,
Lightning promptly released the power of the [Bari Bari no Mi], transforming the surface of his body into the sturdy blades of scissors.
Clang—
Storm's [Cannon Fist] slammed into Lightning's body, instantly producing a crisp sound like metal striking metal.
Lightning flew backward with the impact, soaring dozens of meters before crashing through several large trees in succession and finally coming to a stop.
Dust mixed with fragments of snow and danced through the sky.
Amid the smoke,
Lightning knelt on one knee, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. A clearly visible fist mark remained on his body.
Although the special power of the [Bari Bari no Mi] had helped reduce some of the damage,
[Armament Haki]'s restraining effect against Devil Fruit Users still remained.
Storm's iron fist had left Lightning seriously injured.
No wonder he's a monster who could fight Shiryu of the Rain to a standstill!
Lightning coughed up a mouthful of congealed blood and looked ahead with a resolute gaze.
But no matter what, I absolutely can't let him discover Paradise's existence!
Impel Down, Level 5.5, Newkama Land.
This was the "paradise" that the Okama King, Emporio Ivankov, had devoted himself to creating.
As Ivankov's loyal follower,
Lightning would never allow anyone to interfere with the Okama King's grand plan!
Especially not an Impel Down jailer!
A lackey of the World Government!
Lightning transformed both hands into giant scissors again, then stabbed the scissors into the ground beneath his feet.
As a [Bari Bari no Mi] user,
Lightning could not only turn every part of his body into scissors,
he could also cut through any hard object and manipulate the pieces he cut away as though they were sheets of paper.
In a short moment,
Lightning cut the ground beneath his feet into one "Frozen Soil Fragment" after another.
Under the influence of the [Bari Bari no Mi], these "Frozen Soil Fragments" stacked together like sheets of paper.
Lightning manipulated the Frozen Soil Fragments and hurled them like paper airplanes.
Though the Frozen Soil Fragments looked thin and light, they were still hard, icy chunks of frozen earth at their core.
Under Lightning's control, the attack power of these Frozen Soil Fragments was no weaker than that of ordinary cannonballs.
"KEEP OUT! (No Passage)"
The Frozen Soil Fragments bombarded Storm from all directions, as if intending to bury him completely.
Faced with this attack, Storm advanced instead of retreating.
[Kami-e: Clay]!
Storm strolled through the dense barrage of Frozen Soil Fragments, his body constantly changing shape with the movement of the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!—
Every Frozen Soil Fragment that crashed down erupted with a deafening roar, making the earth tremble.
Yet when Storm passed through this "deadly barrage," he still looked completely unharmed.
Not even the hem of his clothes had been dirtied by dust!
"Is this all the strength of a Revolutionary Army senior officer?"
Storm spread his fingers. White clay surged forth and instantly transformed into several thick Clay Strips.
The tip of each Clay Strip was covered in a thin layer of [Armament Haki] to increase its destructive power.
"Then the offense and defense will switch!
"Clay Rain!"
Storm manipulated the Clay Strips and unleashed a storm-like assault on Lightning.
Every Clay Strip that slammed into the ground could easily blast out a massive crater.
Lightning dodged one strip, then a second.
But he had no way to dodge the third, or the fourth...
Bang!
One Clay Strip struck Lightning's body. The clay attack wrapped in [Armament Haki] instantly made his body seize up.
The next moment, an endless number of Clay Strips closed in together, directly burying Lightning beneath them.
Boom boom boom—
Amid an unbroken series of explosions,
a new [Big Trophy] appeared in front of Storm.
[Platinum Trophy: Lightning]
[Trophy Star Rating: ★★★★★]
"Another Platinum Trophy in the bag!"
Storm put away the trophy and recalled the clay.
On the crater-riddled ground, Lightning lay at the bottom of the largest crater, covered in injuries.
If not for the rise and fall of his chest, he would have looked completely dead.
Looking at Lightning, who had been thoroughly defeated, Storm lightly furrowed his brow.
He was delighted to obtain a Platinum Trophy.
But how to deal with Lightning had become a minor problem.
Although Storm had known for a long time that there was a hidden "Level 5.5" inside Impel Down,
he had never previously considered doing anything to the perverted "New Humans" in Newkama Land.
The trophies provided by okama and those provided by prisoners were exactly the same.
Since that was the case,
why should Storm go out of his way to visit Newkama Land and cause trouble?
It was his first time visiting Extreme Cold Hell.
Storm had not expected to run into someone from Newkama Land so quickly.
And not just anyone—he had encountered Newkama Land's "second-in-command"!
"The commotion from that battle was a little too loud."
"If the entrance to Newkama Land is near this forest, the people inside should have noticed what happened by now."
"In that case..."
Storm thought for a moment, then looked toward the [Clay Clone] watching the battle nearby. An idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.
A few seconds later,
a tall, powerfully built human appeared in the forest of Extreme Cold Hell.
He was abnormally tall, standing over six meters high. His golden hair spilled down his back like a lion's mane.
But the most eye-catching feature was the enormous white mustache on his face, curling upward in the shape of a crescent moon!
Whitebeard the Third.
Edward Teach had returned to the world!
Storm's [Clay Fruit] had already awakened, and he had also previously obtained the [Color Change] ability.
The "Whitebeard the Third" he created was no longer as crude and comical as before.
At that moment,
the "Whitebeard the Third" standing proudly in Extreme Cold Hell looked extremely similar to Whitebeard in his forties!
Even if the real Whitebeard had appeared here,
upon seeing "Whitebeard the Third,"
he would have been unable to stop himself from wondering whether he had truly fathered an illegitimate son with Miss Buckingham back then!
Storm looked at the [Clay Clone] in front of him—
no!
He should be called "Edward Teach" now!
Storm looked at Edward Teach and could not help nodding in satisfaction.
The next moment,
Storm stepped forward and collided with Edward Teach.
His entire body seemed to turn into a drop of water as it merged into Edward Teach's body.
"Move, Edward Teach!"
Storm concealed himself inside the "Whitebeard the Third humanoid mech."
He was like a rookie Gundam pilot, constantly familiarizing himself with the abilities of this new body.
After adapting to the new body, Storm began experimentally imitating the real Whitebeard.
"Gurarara—ptooey!"
"Gura! Gura—
"Guraarara—
"I'm Whitebeard the Third!!"
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