Chapter 17: The Art of Combat
"Is art all about color?"
Storm raised his right hand, and the small white dragon obediently leaped into his palm. His index finger traced along the dragon's body, gliding over its pristine white scales.
As his touch passed over them, the originally pale dragon scales shifted, turning into a majestic silver-gray hue. The transformation was subtle yet striking, giving the little dragon a more refined appearance.
Storm's fingers finally halted just above its head.
A dragon needed eyes to truly come to life.
With a gentle motion, he tapped the little white dragon's eyes, and the once colorless orbs turned into a deep, sky-blue brilliance. At that moment, the tiny creature seemed to gain a soul of its own.
"Haa—"
The young dragon's first cry was soft and weak, barely above a whisper.
Storm chuckled. Injecting the power of the Clay-Clay Fruit into its body, he observed as the small white dragon, initially the size of a house cat, began to expand rapidly—like a balloon inflating in an instant.
One meter... five meters... ten meters...
Within seconds, the little white dragon had transformed into a massive beast nearly fifty meters long!
Its powerful roar echoed through the air, shaking the very foundation of Impel Down.
"ROAR—!"
The force of the dragon's cry shattered the silence, sending cracks running along the stone walls and causing loose debris to tremble.
But Storm merely shook his head.
"It's a shame… in the end, clay is just clay."
He waved his right hand, and the white dragon quickly shrank back to its original, cat-sized form, curling up in his palm.
"A creation like this… still lacks a real soul."
Despite this, he was satisfied with his initial test of Color Change. It wasn't an ability he had specifically sought out—it was merely a result of using a silver trophy to manifest a desire. Considering that fact, he couldn't expect too much from it.
Still, he had no intention of investing further resources into [Color Change]. His true focus was elsewhere.
Life Return.
Armament Haki.
Observation Haki.
Storm had just awakened these abilities, and their levels were still at their base state—only one star each. But with the abundance of criminals in Burning Hell, he had no shortage of test subjects. Every inmate here was a notorious pirate with a bounty exceeding ten million Berries.
Scanning the list of prisoners, Storm carefully picked out the ones he found particularly unpleasant. He wasted no time in hunting them down, easily collecting several silver trophies in the process.
Once he had amassed enough, he immediately allocated them to his abilities:
[Armament Haki: ★★★★]
[Observation Haki: ★★★★]
[Life Return: ★★★★]
"The limit for silver trophies is four stars…"
A faint red glow flickered in Storm's eyes as he activated Observation Haki, sensing the world around him in greater clarity. His perception expanded, detecting every subtle movement in the surroundings.
"I need a gold trophy."
"I need a stronger opponent."
Then, a thought struck him.
The Jailer Beasts.
These monstrous creatures roamed freely within Impel Down, acting as both guards and executioners. Even in Infinite Hell, the dreaded sixth level, they could occasionally be seen.
On an ordinary day, the jailers rarely interfered with the movements of these beasts, allowing them to patrol the prison at will.
Storm knew this was an opportunity.
Using Observation Haki, he swiftly pinpointed the location of one of these creatures lurking in Burning Hell. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward his target.
There were four Jailer Beasts in Impel Down—though in time, a fifth would join their ranks.
The one Storm had found was the Minozebra.
A strange and unsettling sight, the Minozebra had long, wavy pink hair, draped wildly over its face. In its grip, it wielded a massive, iron mace, easily capable of crushing bone.
Below its abdomen, its body retained the features of a zebra, standing upright on powerful hind legs. Its torso, however, remained humanoid—displaying eight sharply defined abdominal muscles, neatly arranged in two rows.
"Besides the stomach, it's basically a pink-haired zebra walking on two legs…"
Storm observed the creature carefully, his mind already calculating his next move.
Meanwhile, Minozebra had also taken notice of Storm's presence.
The beast's huge nostrils flared, sniffing the air aggressively. It let out a deep snort, inhaling the long strand of mucus hanging from its nose in one swift motion.
This was how it identified strangers.
A moment later, its dull expression turned sharp, filled with hostility.
To Minozebra, there was no distinction between "jailer" and "prisoner."
It only recognized one thing—an unfamiliar scent.
And to an unknown intruder, there was only one response.
KILL.
Storm barely had time to react before the beast launched forward at terrifying speed, kicking off the ground with its powerful hooves.
"So fast—!"
The thought flashed in his mind, but Minozebra had already closed the distance in an instant.
The massive iron mace swung downward, aiming to crush him in a single blow.
Storm responded instinctively.
Paper Art: Clay Style!
His body softened like pliable clay, shifting and twisting unpredictably.
Storm's movements became fluid—almost unnatural—his body folding and curving as if it had no bones.
The enormous mace whistled through the air, passing just millimeters away from his form.
The sheer force of the strike shattered the ground, sending debris flying as a massive crater formed beneath them.
BOOM!
Storm barely spared the destruction a glance.
He had dodged—but now, it was his turn.
Without hesitation, he threw a punch forward.
His right fist expanded rapidly, white clay surging outward as it ballooned to gigantic proportions.
Giant Clay Fist!
Bang!
Storm's giant fist struck the Minozebra's lower abdomen with full force. The impact sent the massive creature skidding backward, its black hooves carving deep grooves into the ground. Dust and debris flew into the air as it struggled to regain footing.
However, despite the sheer power behind Storm's attack, the jailer beast's abdomen showed no significant damage—only a faint red imprint on its sculpted muscles.
The defense of these creatures was terrifyingly strong!
The Minozebra sniffed the air again, its simple mind struggling to process why the human before it had not been flattened. But ultimately, it didn't matter. If one blow wasn't enough, it would just attack again!
With unwavering determination, the creature brandished its enormous mace and charged forward.
Seeing this, Storm didn't remain idle—he rushed in as well.
Utilizing Shave, he exploded forward with incredible speed, matching the Minozebra's agility in an instant. The distance between them vanished in the blink of an eye.
The Minozebra swung its weapon, while Storm threw another punch.
This time, however, there was a key difference—
A layer of black energy began to coil around Storm's fist.
Armament Haki!
The two attacks clashed.
BOOM!
A deafening shockwave erupted from the collision. Visible white air ripples spread outward, shaking the entire Burning Hell. No matter where one stood in this level of Impel Down, the tremors could be felt.
Despite the natural physical gap between them, Storm's proficiency over Armament Haki significantly closed that difference.
Storm gritted his teeth, straining against the overwhelming power of the Minozebra's attack. Yet, as he endured the pressure, the Haki surrounding his fist grew darker—stronger.
The battle reached a standstill for nearly thirty seconds before Storm's right arm finally trembled slightly under the force.
The Minozebra seized this moment.
With a sudden burst of strength, it swung its mace with renewed vigor, sending Storm flying backward.
The impact forced Storm to retreat over ten meters before he finally landed, his chest rising and falling heavily. His steady breathing had turned ragged.
'The energy consumption is way higher than I expected...' Storm thought.
At lower levels, the consumption of Armament Haki was manageable. But now that his Haki had reached four stars, it felt as if his stamina was being drained like water gushing from a broken dam.
'Physique is the foundation... the old man was right.'
Before he could catch his breath, a mocking neigh rang out.
Storm's gaze snapped forward.
The Minozebra stood proudly with its massive spiked club resting against its shoulder, a smug expression plastered across its narrow zebra face.
It was mocking him.
Storm's eyebrow twitched violently.
He had spent months enduring hardships in Impel Down. He had trained relentlessly and fought against powerful enemies.
And now…
He was being laughed at by a zebra?!
"...Alright, then."
Storm inhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a brief moment.
The next instant, his right hand rose, and an immense wave of clay surged outward.
Originally, he had planned to fight the jailer beast without relying on his devil fruit, to refine his Haki and combat skills.
But now?
Screw that!
He was going to cheat.
Minozebra, prepare yourself.
Today, you're giving me that trophy.
Not even Magellan can save you.
Storm unleashed his full power.
The ground trembled as mountains of white clay formed before him. These shifting mounds twisted and contorted, rapidly reshaping into colossal figures.
Head. Limbs. Torso.
One by one, gigantic clay golems took form, each towering at nearly ten meters tall.
They stood proudly upon the battlefield—like legendary mountain giants awakened from slumber.
The Minozebra's eyes widened.
It stared blankly at the dozens of clay giants now looming over it.
The sight was too complex for its simple mind to process.
It stood frozen—its brain had crashed.
Meanwhile, Storm showed no mercy.
"Charge!"
With a flick of his wrist, dozens of clay giants lunged forward, their enormous fists raining down upon the stunned Minozebra.
The brutal onslaught lasted for over half an hour.
And still…
The Minozebra refused to fall.
Even Storm had to admit—
The Minozebra's endurance was insane.
Storm could swear to the very demons of Burning Hell that he had no personal grudge against this creature.
But after being mocked by it…
Well, let's just say..
He was enjoying this a little too much.
Finally—
BOOM!
With a final earth-shattering punch, the last clay giant sent the Minozebra crashing into the ground.
Silence.
The once-proud creature lay motionless, completely defeated.
And in that instant—
A familiar notification flashed before Storm's eyes.
[Platinum Trophy: Minozebra]
[Trophy Star Rating: ★★★★★]
A triumphant smirk spread across Storm's lips.
He had won.