One Piece: From Marine to Legend

A biting cold wind howled through the Freezing Hell, carrying with it an unforgiving frost that seeped into every crevice. Storm sat cross-legged inside his solitary cell, his breath escaping in wisps of white mist. The frigid air was as brutal as the rumors claimed, yet it had little effect on him.

Storm raised his right hand and flexed his fingers a few times, confirming that there was no stiffness in his joints.

"Fortunately, I upgraded my endurance attribute to five stars earlier," he muttered, watching the ice crystals form on the iron bars of his cell. 

"Otherwise, even a four-star physique wouldn't be able to withstand this level of cold."

His gaze drifted past the frost-covered bars to the cell across from him. Inside, a prisoner with a bounty exceeding 100 million berries lay motionless, his body encased in a thick layer of ice. The freezing temperatures had claimed yet another victim.

Frozen to death…

Storm clicked his tongue.

"What a waste of a golden trophy..."

He quickly dismissed the thought and activated his Observation Haki, scanning the area beyond the thick walls of his prison. Through his heightened perception, he could sense Hannyabal and a group of guards in protective gear retreating from the Freezing Hell. The sight almost made him laugh.

So much for the rumor that he can endure extreme heat and cold.

"Well, at least he's finally gone," Storm whispered to himself, feeling a wave of relief.

The truth was that he hadn't entered Freezing Hell willingly just to be confined. He had a mission and a plan, and that plan involved trophy hunting.

Compared to the upper floors, this frozen wasteland held far more powerful prisoners—many of whom carried bounties of well over 100 million berries. Even better, due to the intense cold, no surveillance Den Den Mushi could function here. The delicate creatures simply couldn't withstand the sub-zero temperatures.

This made Freezing Hell a rare "blind spot" within Impel Down.

And that meant—

Storm finally had free rein.

Instead of launching into immediate action, Storm took a moment to sharpen his blade. He summoned his trophy, the platinum reward he had earned by defeating the four Jailer Beasts.

He had already used one but still had three platinum trophies left. Now was the perfect time to strengthen himself further.

Taking a deep breath, he tossed one Platinum Trophy into his Clay-Clay Fruit ability.

[Clay-Clay Fruit: ★★★★★★]

Now, only two Platinum Trophies remained.

Initially, he had considered investing them into his physical attributes. However, supplies in Freezing Hell were scarce. If he boosted his physique too much, his metabolism would increase, and he might find himself starving for days.

"When my confinement ends, I'll invest in Endurance instead," he reasoned, tucking away the remaining trophies.

His focus shifted back to his Clay-Clay Fruit, now upgraded to six stars. At that moment, something inside him clicked.

His Devil Fruit had awakened.

Excitement surged through him as he reached out, pressing his palm against the frozen ground of his cell. Instantly, the solid permafrost softened beneath his touch, transforming into pliable white clay.

Storm's right arm sank into the ground as a steady stream of clay gushed out from the gap where his hand met the floor.

"This is it—six stars!"

The difference between five and a half stars and six stars was more than just a slight improvement—it was a transformation.

In an instant, the power of the Clay-Clay Fruit surged through him, affecting not just his body but also his surroundings. This was the hallmark of the Paramecia Awakening.

Zoan Awakening granted users immense recovery and vitality.

Paramecia Awakening allowed users to influence their environment.

And now, Storm had stepped into the realm of 'Awakened Devil Fruit Users'.

He released more clay, letting it spread across the entire floor of his cell. The frozen ground softened, morphing into a large clay bed. Without hesitation, Storm flopped onto it, rolling around like an overjoyed child. His grin stretched from ear to ear.

For a brief moment, his excitement mirrored that of someone infected with the 'Nika Virus'—pure, unrestrained joy.

Once he had familiarized himself with his awakened abilities, Storm wasted no time.

"Alright," he murmured, standing up. "Time to hunt some golden trophies."

Since this was only confinement—not imprisonment—he hadn't been fitted with seastone shackles. Even if he had been, it wouldn't have mattered.

Thanks to his Devil Ring, he could still use his Clay-Clay Fruit even while bound by Seastone.

Storm had tested this long ago when he first obtained a Seastone Baton from the Marines' Equipment Department. The result?

Seastone did not affect him.

With this in mind, Storm stepped forward and pressed his palm against the Seastone fence blocking his cell. The moment his fingers made contact, the bars melted into white clay, crumbling apart like dried earth.

A freezing wind howled through the now-open doorway. Storm took a confident step forward, free at last.

His next objective was clear—harvest golden trophies from the prisoners.

The tier of a trophy was largely determined by the power of the defeated opponent. In the world of pirates, the best indicator of strength was the bounty amount.

Just as he had predicted—

Every pirate with a bounty exceeding 100 million berries granted a golden trophy upon defeat.

Storm wasted no time. He moved through the Freezing Hell, systematically eliminating prisoners one by one.

One Golden Trophy

Two Golden Trophies

Five…

Ten…

By the time he had cleared out his section of cells, his inventory of golden trophies had reached fifteen.

"This still isn't enough," he murmured.

Luckily, he had another target in mind.

The Army Wolves.

Before heading off, he decided to use some of his trophies. He summoned his system menu and started upgrading.

One by one, he used twelve golden trophies to enhance his skills:

[Armament Haki / Observation Haki: ★★★★★]

[Iron Body / Paper Art / Shave / Finger Pistol: ★★★★★]

Because the strength level of the Army Wolves was still uncertain, Storm deliberately left behind three gold trophies.

He had previously upgraded the endurance attribute to five stars, but the other two physique attributes were still only at four stars. These three gold trophies were prepared for upgrading strength and speed.

Everything was ready—except…

"Army Wolf!"

A sharp red light flashed in Storm's eyes as his Observation Haki swept through the dense forest ahead like a gust of wind.

"Found it!"

Raising his right hand, he created a towering Clay Clone and sent it charging into the thick forest.

The true owners of the dense forest quickly noticed the movement.

Rustling sounds followed.

A pack of Army Wolves, covered in snow-white fur, emerged from the trees, their glowing blood-red eyes making them look even more dangerous. They weren't as massive as the guard beasts in Wild Beast Hell, but their aura was no less threatening.

"Owoooo—"

A soul-stirring howl echoed through the forest.

The eight Army Wolves that had surrounded the area seemed to receive an order and lunged toward the Clay Clone together.

They moved so fast that their speed nearly rivaled that of the Minozebra.

But no matter how fast the wolves were…

They couldn't outrun the clay of an awakened Clay-Clay Fruit user.

Under Storm's control, the Clay Clone threw a powerful punch forward. Its enormous arm exploded like a cannonball, splitting into eight thick, evenly-sized clay tendrils.

Each tendril's tip morphed into a clenched fist, striking the incoming Army Wolves with terrifying precision.

They had charged like a thunderstorm—

Only to collapse one after another under the relentless barrage of clay fists.

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

With eight crisp impacts, the entire pack of Army Wolves was knocked unconscious.

[Gold Trophy: Army Wolf] x8

"It really is a gold trophy!"

A flicker of excitement flashed in Storm's eyes.

But just then—

A shadow hiding in the darkness suddenly sprang into action.

An orange-yellow blur streaked through the air.

In an instant—

The Clay Clone, which had just displayed its overwhelming strength, was decapitated.

Plop!

The headless Clay Clone collapsed like a crumbling mountain, its massive body crashing into the dense forest.

The orange-yellow shadow came to a halt, revealing its true form.

His hair and clothes were split down the middle—half orange, half white. A massive lightning-shaped scar ran from his forehead down to his right eye.

More importantly..

Instead of human arms, he had two gigantic scissors.

A high-ranking officer of the Revolutionary Army, Inazuma.

Before Inazuma could step forward to confirm his kill—

The "corpse" of the Clay Clone let out a strange, unsettling sound.

"Gunyo.. Gunyo.."

The severed clay body suddenly softened as if influenced by some unseen force.

Under Inazuma's shocked gaze, the Clay Clone's severed head and body melded back together seamlessly.

"Hello..."

Its emotionless white eyes locked onto Lightning, and a mocking smirk formed at the corner of its lips.

"That hurts..."

*******************************

Please consider leaving a review!

If you would like to gain early access, you can join me at www.patre on.com/bookbattalion