"Send Storm to the Extreme Cold Hell!"
After all, Magellan was the Warden of Impel Down, and his reaction speed was the fastest among them.
"We absolutely cannot let him clash head-on with Shiryu again!"
However.
No matter how quickly the Warden spoke.
It couldn't outpace the fury rising in the Deputy Warden's mind.
"Korayaro! (You bastard!)"
With a clearly slurred roar.
Shiryu, his face bruised and swollen, climbed up from the wreckage-strewn ground.
He had just returned from his "vacation" in the Extreme Cold Hell and hadn't even had time to retrieve his weapon before being dragged straight to the Warden's office.
Yet even without his Named Sword [Thunderclap Rain] in hand.
Shiryu remained a formidable Great Sword Master.
Bare-handed, he charged at Storm with lightning speed, his raised right fist gleaming with a dark, heavy hue.
Armament Haki! "Die, you brat!"
In his rage, Shiryu unleashed unimaginable speed, closing the distance to Storm in an instant.
Even Magellan was caught slightly off guard.
But Storm, who had been wary of a sneak attack, clearly tracked Shiryu's trajectory.
He swung his right fist at Shiryu, white Clay coating its surface, reinforced with powerful [Armament Haki].
Armament Giant Fist! Boom! The two Haki-clad fists—one large, one small—collided violently.
A thunderous explosion erupted in the Warden's office.
Shockwaves radiated outward from the point of impact, blasting everything in their path.
A violent gale seemed to tear through the room, sending debris flying in all directions before crashing against the walls.
The cacophony of shattering objects filled the air.
"So strong!"
"Both of them are insane!"
"Ah—my office!"
The bystanders—Sadie, Domino, and Hannyabal—were forced to retreat to the sidelines, distancing themselves from the epicenter of the clash.
But Magellan had no such concerns.
"You two—"
Deep purple venom dripped from Magellan's forehead, and in the next moment, his entire body was coated in terrifying poison.
As the Warden of Impel Down.
Magellan's combat prowess within the prison was on par with that of a Navy Admiral!
"Poison Dragon!"
In the blink of an eye.
Magellan unleashed an enormous, deep-purple Poison Dragon.
The terrifying creature, reeking of noxious fumes, opened its maw and swallowed the two combatants mid-struggle.
During their last encounter in the prison cafeteria.
Magellan's Poison Dragon had merely served as a deterrent.
But this time, within the confines of his office, he fully unleashed the horrifying power of the [Venom-Venom Fruit].
As the dragon's venom splattered onto the floor.
The two figures caught in its jaws were revealed.
Shiryu was drenched in poison, kneeling on one knee, his face pale and purple—clearly suffering severe poisoning.
In contrast.
Storm was encased in a suit of white Clay armor, shielding him completely without a single gap.
Once the venom dissipated, the pockmarked Clay armor vanished.
Storm emerged unscathed before everyone's eyes.
"Hannyabal!"
Magellan stared at Storm for a moment before suddenly calling out the jailer's name.
"Send Storm to the Extreme Cold Hell!"
The Warden repeated his earlier command, adding more details.
"Three days in solitary confinement! No visitors are allowed without my direct orders!"
Hannyabal carefully avoided the poison puddles on the floor and approached Storm, tugging at the hem of his coat.
Storm obliged without resistance, following Hannyabal out of the Warden's office.
The two walked side by side down the corridor of the Scorching Hell.
Only when they were completely out of earshot did Hannyabal finally exhale in relief.
"Storm, you… sigh…"
Hannyabal shook his head, his expression troubled.
"I told you before—don't provoke Shiryu. That guy's a complete madman!"
"I didn't provoke him first. Remember? He started it!"
Storm reminded him.
"Back in the cafeteria, Shiryu was the one who swung his sword at me first.
"You expect me to just stand there after getting slashed?"
During their last cafeteria brawl, if not for the unique properties of the Clay-Clay Fruit,
Storm might have been seriously wounded by Shiryu's attack.
How could he not seek revenge for such a grudge? The only regret Storm had now
was that his punch earlier hadn't been strong enough to knock Shiryu out in one hit! If that "Workplace Face-Breaking Punch" had packed enough force,
Storm could've gotten a glimpse of the Deputy Warden's Grand Prize Trophy!
What a shame!
Hannyabal had no idea about Storm's disappointment,
but he still couldn't help stealing glances at him.
True, Shiryu struck first, but did he really come out on top?
If Hannyabal remembered correctly,
in both fights between Storm and Shiryu, Shiryu had always been the one worse off.
As for Storm? Had his clothes even gotten dirty once?
And if they had, it was probably from Shiryu's blood. Hannyabal mentally shook his head and decided to drop the Shiryu topic.
Though he worried Shiryu might retaliate later,
given the strength Storm had just displayed…
his concern might be unnecessary.
"Magellan is genuinely furious this time."
Hannyabal shifted the conversation to the Extreme Cold Hell.
"The fifth level is no place for humans.
"Once Magellan cools down, I'll try to get you transferred to a different floor."
"No need."
Storm quickly stopped him.
He appreciated Hannyabal's kindness,
but he wanted to go to the Extreme Cold Hell!
Storm's public beating of Shiryu in the Warden's office
had been primarily for revenge,
but his secondary goal was getting sent to the Extreme Cold Hell!
If Shiryu could earn solitary confinement there by assaulting fellow jailers,
why couldn't Storm do the same?
Storm needed a large number of Golden Trophies to further enhance his abilities,
and the Extreme Cold Hell was packed with prisoners with bounties exceeding hundreds of millions.
Storm had been itching to hunt for trophies there!
Publicly beating Shiryu
was all part of Storm's prison infiltration plan!
Hannyabal, of course, knew none of this.
He assumed Storm was stopping him out of concern for his standing with Magellan.
"Storm!"
The latest novel is first published on 69shu!
Hannyabal was first moved to tears, then quickly regained his composure.
"Don't worry! I'll definitely help you switch floors!"
"Hannyabal."
Storm was deeply touched, then once again declined the offer.
"You wouldn't want Shiryu to find out you tried to interfere with the Warden's orders, would you?"
"Sh-Shiryu?"
Hannyabal immediately stammered.
A man's reputation is like a tree's shadow.
Hannyabal never cared about exposing his ambitions in front of Magellan.
Because he knew Magellan was actually a good person.
But Shiryu?
That bastard would genuinely pull out his sword and slash people!
"I'm sorry, Storm."
Hannyabal's spirits instantly plummeted.
"I'm just too useless..."
Storm felt a bit guilty inside.
But for the sake of the "Trophy Hunting Plan," he had to let Hannyabal suffer a little longer.
Before he could even offer words of comfort,
Hannyabal inexplicably "ignited" with passion again.
"Someday, I will become the Warden of Impel Down!"
Storm patted Hannyabal on the shoulder.
"...Keep it up."
Having decided to stick to official procedures,
Hannyabal and Storm headed straight to the Warden Chief's office on the first floor of the sea level.
"Though I think it's completely unnecessary, let's leave our weapons here."
Hannyabal pointed at the [Goethite Sabre] on Storm's waist and couldn't help but comment.
"Speaking of which, I've never seen you use a sword. Why do you always carry it around?"
"Because it looks cool, of course!"
"Huh?"
"Ahem, actually, I used to wield a sword in my younger days."
"Younger days..."
Hannyabal rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
"How old are you even now? Ugh, why did I bring this up?"
Storm took out both the [Goethite Sabre] and the [Sea Stone Baton], placing them on the designated weapon rack.
Just then, a nearby Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
Buru buru—
It wasn't Impel Down's communication Den Den Mushi.
It was Storm's personal one.
Storm glanced at Hannyabal and casually picked up the receiver.
"Ara ara—"
Without letting the person on the other end finish speaking, Storm succinctly replied.
"Going to jail now. Don't disturb me."
Click!
After dropping that line, Storm hung up immediately.
Hannyabal looked over curiously.
"Who was it?"
"Who cares? Definitely not Magellan."
Storm put away his personal Den Den Mushi and nudged Hannyabal out of the office.
"Let's head to Extreme Cold Hell together! I heard from the wardens that you can cross it barehanded without protective gear?"
"Huh? Ahahaha!"
Hannyabal let out a dry laugh.
"Well, I am the man who'll become Impel Down's Warden after all..."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
Paradise, on the calm open sea.
Aokiji rode his bicycle, utterly bewildered by the dial tone in his receiver.
What... did he just hear? "Ara ara, must be because I slept too long. My brain's still foggy."
Aokiji scratched his messy afro.
"Must've dialed the wrong number just now."
Buu buu!
His personal Den Den Mushi immediately made a distinctive sound.
Its shaking movements conveyed only one meaning—
The number was correct!
"How could this be?"
The skeptical Aokiji dialed again.
But this time, all he heard was a dial tone.
Storm's Den Den Mushi was no longer reachable!
"I remember Storm went to Impel Down to be a Warden, right?"
Aokiji and the Den Den Mushi stared at each other, the harsh dial tone carrying far across the sea.
"Who the hell imprisoned him?!"
He privately thought.
Magellan was a [location]- and [time]-restricted Admiral.