"Art is all about playing with colors?"
Storm raised his right hand, and the Little White Dragon obediently leaped onto his palm.
His index finger slowly traced along the Little White Dragon's Dragon Body, fingertips brushing against its white Dragon Scales.
The neatly arranged pale scales instantly transformed into a more majestic silver-gray hue.
Storm's finger finally paused before the Little White Dragon's head.
Painting the dragon.
Adding the pupils!
With a gentle touch to the Little White Dragon's eyes, its pure white Dragon Eyes suddenly turned sky-blue.
This action seemed to breathe true soul into the creature.
"Ha—"
The fledgling dragon's first cry was feeble.
"Haha."
Storm couldn't help but chuckle as he channeled the power of the [Clay-Clay Fruit] into the Little White Dragon.
The creature, originally no larger than a housecat, began expanding rapidly like an inflating balloon.
One meter, five meters, ten meters...
Within mere breaths.
The Little White Dragon had grown into a White Giant Dragon nearly fifty meters long! The white dragon raised its head and let out a piercing Dragon Roar that shattered the clouds.
"ROAR—"
"Pity though, clay remains just clay."
With a wave of Storm's hand, the White Giant Dragon quickly shrank back to its original size.
"A dragon like this lacks a true soul."
After preliminary testing of the [Color Change] ability's effects, Storm was reasonably satisfied.
After all, this was just an ability obtained by wishing upon a [Silver Trophy]—one couldn't ask for more...
Storm had no intention of investing further resources into the [Color Change] ability.
His current focus remained.
On the newly acquired [Life Return]! Along with [Armament Haki] and [Observation Haki]! Especially [Haki]! These abilities had just been obtained, all currently at "★" level.
But Scorching Hell housed numerous prisoners, each a "great pirate" with bounties exceeding tens of millions of Belly.
Consulting the prisoner list, Storm selected some particularly despicable scum, easily hunting several additional [Silver Trophies].
He invested these new Silver Trophies into his abilities—
[Armament Haki/Observation Haki/Life Return: ★★★★]
"The enhancement limit of Silver Trophies is four stars."
A faint red glow flashed in Storm's eyes as he activated [Observation Haki], scanning his surroundings.
"I need higher-grade Golden Trophies! Stronger opponents! The Warden Beasts!"
In Impel Down, the Warden Beasts roamed extensively.
Even in the sixth level's Infinite Hell, their presence could occasionally be spotted.
Normally, Impel Down's Wardens didn't restrict the Warden Beasts' movements.
Storm's luck held.
His [Observation Haki] soon detected a Warden Beast within Scorching Hell.
Locking onto his target, Storm immediately gave chase.
Impel Down housed four Warden Beasts—soon to become five.
This time, Storm had found Minozebra.
A truly peculiar creature.
It sported long pink curly hair while wielding a massive spiked club.
From abdomen upward and waist downward, its body maintained the appearance of a zebra.
Only the abdomen retained human characteristics—two neat rows of eight well-defined abs.
"Aside from the stomach, it's like a giant pink zebra walking upright..."
As Storm looked at Minozebra.
The Warden Beast also spotted the human presence.
In the simple mind of a Warden Beast, there was no distinction between "warden" and "prisoner."
Minozebra snorted heavily, nearly sucking back the thick string of snot dangling beneath its nose.
This action was merely its way of identifying Storm through scent.
After confirming the smell.
An unfamiliar stranger.
Minozebra's previously vacant eyes instantly turned fierce.
It kicked off with its two horse legs, charging forward with wind-like speed.
"So fast!"
The thought had barely crossed Storm's mind.
Minozebra was already right in front of him.
The pinker the hair, the fiercer the strike.
Minozebra swung its spiked club, smashing it down toward the unfamiliar human.
The massive weapon tore through the air, unleashing a sharp, explosive sound.
[Paper Art - Clay]! Storm's body rapidly undulated and deformed, like soft clay being kneaded and reshaped.
He precisely sensed Minozebra's attack trajectory, manipulating his clayified body to morph accordingly.
Storm's torso contorted into an impossible arc.
Minozebra's heavy club barely grazed the edge of his clothes.
Boom! Missing its target, the weapon struck the ground instead.
The earth shattered instantly, the Scorching Hell's surface collapsing into a crater several meters wide.
Whether in speed or strength.
Minozebra was monstrous in every way!
After dodging, Storm reflexively swung his right fist forward.
White clay surged out, enveloping his fist and swelling it into a colossal mass.
Giant Clay Fist! Thud! The massive punch landed squarely on Minozebra's abdomen.
The sheer force sent the beast flying several meters back.
Its black hooves carved deep grooves into the ground, kicking up dust. But upon closer inspection, Minozebra's abdomen was completely unharmed—only the surface of its abs slightly reddened.
The defensive power of a Warden Beast was terrifyingly strong! "Sniff!"
Minozebra snorted again.
Its simple brain couldn't comprehend why the earlier strike hadn't killed the stranger.
But it didn't matter.
One strike wasn't enough.
Then it would try two! Tireless, Minozebra raised its weapon and charged once more.
Seeing this, Storm didn't stay put—he closed the distance himself.
With [Shave], he matched Minozebra's agility.
The gap between Warden Chief and Warden Beast vanished in an instant.
Minozebra swung its spiked club.
Meanwhile, Storm threw another punch.
But this time.
His fist was wreathed in wisps of black energy—none other than.
[Armament Haki]! Storm's Haki-clad fist collided head-on with Minozebra's club.
BOOM!!
With an ear-splitting roar,
A visible shockwave of white air surged outward in all directions.
No matter where one stood within the vast Scorching Hell, the thunderous commotion could be heard clearly.
Though there was a gap in base attributes between Storm and Minozebra,
the difference wasn't as vast as one might expect, thanks to the enhancement of [Armament Haki].
Gritting his teeth, Storm stubbornly withstood Minozebra's assault.
As he held firm, the inky-black hue of the [Armament Haki] wrapped around his right fist grew increasingly vivid.
The stalemate lasted roughly half a minute.
Then, Storm's right arm trembled slightly.
Seizing the opportunity, Minozebra swung its weapon, forcefully sending the human flying backward.
Storm was flung over a dozen meters before crashing to the ground.
As he landed, his chest heaved violently, his once-steady breathing now ragged.
The rate at which [Armament Haki] drained his stamina had exceeded his expectations.
When first awakened, [Armament Haki] hadn't been this taxing.
But at four stars,
Storm felt as though his stamina pool had been unplugged, pouring out uncontrollably.
'Physique is the foundation—my teacher wasn't lying.'
Storm took several deep breaths.
Just then, a shrill whinny echoed from ahead.
"Neighhh—!"
Storm focused his gaze.
Minozebra stood in place, its spiked club pointed mockingly at him, its elongated horse face twisted into a taunting, almost human-like sneer.
Fighting with a battle cry?! Storm's eye twitched violently.
After working diligently in Impel Down for so long,
today, he was being mocked by a damn horse!
"Haa—"
Storm closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The next moment,
he raised his right hand, unleashing the power of the [Clay-Clay Fruit] without restraint.
He had intended to fight the Warden Beast as an ordinary man, but all he got in return was ridicule.
No more pretending! Time to cheat!
Minozebra, that Grand Prize Trophy of yours is mine today! Not even Magellan can stop me!
I said it! Storm's greatest strength had never been his martial arts or Haki,
but the [Clay-Clay Fruit], which, empowered by the [Devil Ring], he could use without any cost!
Storm released the full might of the [Clay-Clay Fruit].
Endless white Clay piled up before him, forming one small white hill after another.
Under Storm's control, the surfaces of these mounds rippled and shifted, rapidly sprouting heads and limbs.
Dozens of Clay Giants, each standing roughly ten meters tall, now towered over the scorched earth of Scorching Hell.
The scene resembled nothing less than the legendary awakening of mountain giants!
Minozebra stared at the sudden appearance of these white behemoths, its tiny eyes bulging wide.
The complexity of the sight far exceeded the processing capacity of Minozebra's brain.
Minozebra—blue screen of death!
The Warden Beast had malfunctioned.
But the Warden Chief wasn't about to stop.
Storm commanded his army of Clay Giants, sending them swarming toward Minozebra.
What followed was a brutal, merciless beatdown that lasted a solid half-hour.
Truly, it was—
Minozebra's ability to withstand beatings truly exceeded Storm's expectations—
He could swear to the devils in Scorching Hell that he absolutely harbored no intention of deliberate retaliation—
But in the end.
The monster still fell beneath the iron fists of the Gundams.
A brand-new [Grand Prize Trophy] popped up before Storm's eyes.
[Platinum Trophy: Minozebra]
[Trophy Rating: ★★★★★]