Over the next two days.
Storm stopped hunting for trophies and focused on getting used to all the attributes and abilities he had recently gained.
With the "enthusiastic" cooperation of the Okama King, Ivankov.
Storm quickly adapted to his dramatically increased strength.
[Physique] reached six stars;
[Clay Fruit] reached six stars;
[Armament Haki] and [Observation Haki] remained at five stars;
All branches of [Rokushiki] also remained at five stars.
In Ivankov's words—
If he hadn't recognized Storm's face, he would have thought the Charlotte Family's greatest masterpiece had been thrown into Impel Down!
In other words.
In Ivankov's eyes.
Storm's strength was now almost on par with Charlotte Katakuri, the second-in-command of the BIG MOM Pirates!
Of course, he knew his own limits.
Setting aside Ivankov's flattery.
Storm knew he still had a considerable gap to close before he could match Charlotte Katakuri.
For one thing.
Katakuri's Observation Haki, which let him [Future Sight], was still far beyond Storm's reach!
But Storm wasn't discouraged.
He couldn't [Future Sight] now.
That didn't mean he never would!
Just as Storm hadn't understood "the art of clay" before, but now...
Impel Down, Extreme Cold Hell, solitary cell.
Storm flicked his right hand, sending clump after clump of white clay flying into the air.
By the time they hit the ground, the lumps had transformed into little white spiders.
The next moment.
It was as if an invisible force pressed down on the spiders. Their bodies suddenly squeezed inward and collapsed.
Then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A chain of explosions rang out in the solitary cell, blasting one deep crater after another into the floor.
After two days of constant practice.
Storm had successfully incorporated Death Blink's explosive technique into the [Clay Fruit].
Though the "clay" he created couldn't explode on its own.
He could still use it to create explosions.
By a generous interpretation of the term.
Storm could count himself as half an "artist"!
"Tomorrow, my confinement will be over..."
Storm turned the cell into clay, then smoothed out the cratered floor.
"So tonight, I'll start the first experiment!"
That evening.
After eating and drinking his fill, Storm left Newkama Land.
The moment he stepped into the forest outside, the ground turned to clay, and he vanished.
Storm hadn't passed through the ground of Extreme Cold Hell.
Instead, he had "merged" with the ground beneath Extreme Cold Hell—and with Impel Down itself!
Using the special effect of his Awakened [Clay Fruit].
Storm moved rapidly through the walls of Impel Down.
Following the directions in the [Impel Down Blueprint] he remembered, he slipped from Extreme Cold Hell to Scorching Hell without a sound.
The hunt was on...
After entering Scorching Hell, Storm didn't rush out of the wall.
Using the environmental camouflage of his [Color Change] ability, he searched through the cells until he found his target.
The prisoner with the highest bounty in Scorching Hell.
The Devil Fruit User Storm had taught a lesson to not long ago—the [Zoan Chameleon Fruit] User!
Storm crept up to the cell and expanded the range of the [Clay Fruit].
Then he captured the [Chameleon Fruit] User, whose bounty was nearly one hundred million Beli, in an instant!
Throughout it all.
The [Chameleon Fruit] User didn't make a sound before he was knocked unconscious.
A [Bronze Trophy] popped out of thin air.
Storm ignored it.
He turned the cell floor into clay and dragged the [Chameleon Fruit] User underground like prey.
After a few seconds of moving beneath the surface.
Storm finally emerged from the wall.
But he wasn't in Scorching Hell anymore. He was in Extreme Cold Hell!
And just like that.
A prisoner locked up in Scorching Hell had been transferred to Extreme Cold Hell without anyone noticing.
Storm carried the still-unconscious Devil Fruit User down to the ground.
The next steps were the heart of his experiment!
First, Storm took out the two fruits he'd prepared beforehand—"borrowed" from the food storeroom.
"I hope everything goes smoothly!"
Storm took a deep breath.
He pointed the [Demon Ring] at one of the fruits and released the power of the [Clay Fruit] sealed inside it.
As time passed.
The ordinary fruit began to change in an extraordinary way.
Its brightly colored skin slowly turned pale, like clay.
One after another, intricate Arabesque Swirl Patterns appeared across its pale surface.
Once Storm had transferred all the supernatural power contained in the [Demon Ring].
A [Clay Fruit] had been freshly made!
The appearance of this Special Paramecia fruit was identical to the one Storm had seen in Aokiji's office!
Storm first checked his ability list.
He found that his [Clay Fruit] ability, which had reached six stars, had now dimmed.
"I transferred the Devil Fruit power, so the original ability is unusable now... That makes sense!"
Storm could no longer feel the power of the [Clay Fruit] he'd grown completely used to, and it took him a moment to adjust.
Then he looked at the [Clay Fruit] he'd made.
[Name: Clay Fruit]
[Star Rating: None]
[Description: Paramecia Devil Fruit]
[Effect: N/A]
The information about the [Clay Fruit] shown on the [Big Trophy].
It was exactly the same as the [Clay Fruit] Storm had seen before.
This was a genuine [Clay Fruit]!
If someone else ate this [Clay Fruit].
They'd gain the power of the [Clay Fruit] just the same!
"The preliminary work is done!"
Storm set the [Clay Fruit] aside.
Then he looked at the [Chameleon Fruit] User he'd brought here by force.
Even now, the man hadn't regained consciousness.
But he wouldn't need to wake up.
Storm raised his right hand, instinctively trying to release the power of the [Clay Fruit].
Then he remembered that his [Clay Fruit] ability had just been transferred away...
Storm shook his head, stepped forward, and gripped the [Chameleon Fruit] User by the throat with one hand.
Crack!
A clear snap of breaking bone rang out.
The [Chameleon Fruit] User died instantly.
Storm then pointed the [Demon Ring] at the corpse's heart and tried to transfer its "Devil Power."
The process was extremely quick.
By the time Storm lowered the [Demon Ring].
He had gained a brand-new ability.
[Devil Fruit · Chameleon Fruit: ☆]
"The results are exactly as I expected!"
Storm looked at his new Devil Fruit ability, a hint of delight appearing on his face.
"I'd already noticed that some of the [Demon Ring]'s functions were a little like the [Dark-Dark Fruit].
"But the [Dark-Dark Fruit] can forcibly steal a Devil Fruit User's ability.
"Meanwhile, the [Demon Ring]'s description says it only works on [Devil Fruits]...
"Now it seems the [Demon Ring] can forcibly steal a User's ability too!"
Storm had no intention of trying out the [Chameleon Fruit] himself.
He guided the Devil Power inside the [Demon Ring].
Just as he had guided the power of the [Clay Fruit].
Storm transferred the "Devil Power" of the [Chameleon Fruit] into the remaining fruit.
Under Storm's gaze.
The fruit seemed to have been suddenly painted, its skin blooming with dazzling colors.
Tiny bumps grew all over its surface, dense as a chameleon's skin.
Zoan · Chameleon Fruit!
Storm held the Devil Fruit and looked at the [Big Trophy].
The information shown by the [Big Trophy] was the same.
[Name: Chameleon Fruit]
[Star Rating: None]
[Description: Zoan Devil Fruit]
[Effect: The eater can transform into a chameleon and has multiple transformation forms]
[Evaluation: Human-Human Fruit · Mythical Zoan · Ochumelov Form!]
"A genuine [Chameleon Fruit]!"
Storm weighed the Zoan Devil Fruit in his hand, and a weight lifted from his heart.
This "Devil Fruit Rebirth Experiment" had gone smoothly.
That meant the overall value of Infinite Hell was even greater than Storm had imagined!
Based on Storm's experience.
There weren't that many Devil Fruit User prisoners locked up in Impel Down.
There were almost no Devil Fruit User prisoners in the first five levels.
Storm didn't know whether those Devil Fruit User prisoners had been sent to Infinite Hell or put to some other use...
Perhaps they'd been used as test subjects for Vegapunk's Artificial Devil Fruits...
But one thing Storm could be sure of.
Infinite Hell definitely held many Devil Fruit Users!
Some of those prisoners even had extremely powerful Devil Fruit abilities.
There was even a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit in Infinite Hell—rarer than a Logia, according to legend!
[Zoan · Dog-Dog Fruit · Mythical Zoan · Nine-Tailed Fox Form]!
Storm sealed the "Devil Power" of the [Clay Fruit] back inside the [Demon Ring].
His [Clay Fruit] ability returned to its original Awakened state.
"The Mythical Zoan [Nine-Tails Fox Fruit]. Its ability is 'transformation'..."
Catarina Devon's face flashed through Storm's mind.
"This fruit and I are meant to be!"
Sorry, I'm a little late again...
Before you continue