The floor between the Scorching Hell and the Frozen Hell was violently blasted open by Storm.
Above was a blazing sea of fire.
Below was a frigid ice plain.
The enormous temperature difference between the two hells created a terrifying pressure imbalance.
The moment the ground shattered, an unprecedented storm erupted within the Scorching Hell.
"My Scorching Hell!"
Hannibal, watching from afar, clutched his head in terror.
"My Scorching Hell has been breached by Storm!!
Magellan! What the hell were you stopping?!"
It had clearly been agreed beforehand that Magellan had the authority to end the battle at any time.
Yet even as the Scorching Hell was shattered by Storm, Magellan merely stood by and watched.
In truth, Magellan himself was completely stunned.
He had originally believed Storm's challenge to Shiryu was nothing more than reckless provocation.
But he had never expected—
Storm's strength to be this overwhelming.
That towering thousand-armed Buddha…
Magellan could not even imagine how many people in Impel Down could withstand such an attack.
Hannibal's shout finally snapped him back to his senses.
Braving the violent winds, Magellan rushed forward and released the power of the Venom-Venom Fruit.
His already tall and imposing body instantly transformed into a venom-covered form.
Two ferocious venom dragons grew from his body, crossing in midair to form a massive "X."
"Stop, Storm!"
Magellan roared.
"The battle is over!"
Storm sat cross-legged atop the Buddha's head, looking down at Magellan below.
A subtle emotion stirred in his heart.
Once upon a time, the Warden of Impel Down had seemed incomparably powerful.
Now—
he looked no more threatening than a small purple sweet potato.
Defeating Shiryu of the Rain with such ease caused Storm's confidence to swell.
There are no rivals before me.
From now on, I stand in the sky.
Storm took a deep breath.
He glanced at the star rating of the Devil Ring, then at the star rating of the Clay-Clay Fruit.
The arrogance that had just risen quickly subsided.
Without even nine-star strength, how could he call himself invincible?
With a thought, Storm dissolved the white Buddha.
The massive clay statue melted like wax, flowing back into the shattered ground.
Cracks sealed. Ruptures vanished.
In a short time, the Scorching Hell was completely restored.
The violent storm also gradually subsided.
Storm descended to the ground and nodded toward Magellan.
"Warden."
Magellan didn't know how to respond to this overly powerful subordinate.
In the end, he put on a stern expression and spoke in a businesslike tone.
"Are you satisfied with this result?"
"Not really."
Storm shook his head seriously.
"Shiryu was much weaker than I imagined."
This was his honest assessment.
In Storm's view, Shiryu's endurance was far below expectations.
The so-called "Iron Wall of Impel Down" couldn't even withstand a single sustained exchange.
Storm hadn't even coated his clay fists with Armament Haki.
A simple clay fist had been enough to knock him down.
And this was called the second wall?
Of course, Magellan couldn't hear Storm's inner thoughts.
But Storm's attitude alone gave him a splitting headache.
This troublemaker…
"Storm," Magellan said helplessly, "can you stop targeting Shiryu now?"
Unable to do anything else, he shifted the topic.
"Can you focus your energy on your duties?"
Storm caught the keyword instantly.
"Of course, Warden! I love my job!"
He spoke with great enthusiasm.
"However, managing the first five levels presents no challenge for me.
I formally request to go to the sixth level—Infinite Hell."
"No."
Magellan rejected the request without hesitation.
"There is no room for negotiation."
After saying that, he turned away and waved to Hannibal.
"Hannibal! Go to the fifth level and bring Shiryu back!"
"Huh? Me?"
Hannibal pointed at himself.
"Back to the Frozen Hell again?"
Magellan and Hannibal walked away together.
Only Storm remained.
He watched their retreating figures and quietly shook his head.
He had expected this outcome.
Infinite Hell was of paramount importance.
Even many prisoners in Impel Down didn't know a sixth level existed.
Although guards were technically qualified to enter, Storm's seniority was too shallow.
He was Navy-affiliated, not a long-serving loyalist like Hannibal.
Trust could be earned—but time waited for no one.
A new era was approaching.
Storm exhaled slowly.
Since that was the case, he would proceed according to his original plan.
He summoned the Diamond Trophy and infused it into the Clay-Clay Fruit.
[Clay-Clay Fruit: ★★★★★★☆]
A six-and-a-half-star Devil Fruit ability.
In the following days, Storm maintained his daily training, continuously deepening his mastery of the Clay-Clay Fruit.
With new inspiration, he developed several additional awakening techniques.
More importantly, he refined new types of special clay—
super-light clay, softer and lighter than ordinary clay;
and heat-resistant clay, far harder and completely unaffected by the Scorching Hell's flames.
The latter was crucial.
Previously, clay's softness limited its lethality.
Now, hardened clay struck like iron.
Building upon this, Storm refined it even further—
creating smooth, lustrous, ceramic-like clay.
At night, Storm used the assimilation ability of the Clay-Clay Fruit to secretly infiltrate Infinite Hell.
He gathered intelligence on its environment, prisoner cells, and surveillance Den Den Mushi.
This was reconnaissance.
Infinite Hell was vast, and the number of prisoners was immense.
But in Storm's eyes, only a handful were worth hunting.
Caterina Devon.
Bondi Waldo.
Avaro Pizarro.
San Juan Wolf.
Basque Jot.
To succeed, he needed maximum gains in the shortest time possible.
That day, all preparations were complete.
The Infinite Hell Hunting Plan officially began.
Impel Down, Level One—Crimson Hell.
Storm strode toward his target.
Before the target could react, he raised his fist and slammed it forward.
Bang!
The deputy warden was sent flying.
Storm's first target—
was Shiryu of the Rain.
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