One Piece: From Marine to Legend

Through his battle with the Okama King, Ivankov, Storm had fully mastered the power of the Clay-Clay Fruit after awakening.

With its newfound abilities, the awakened Clay-Clay Fruit could forcibly assimilate the surrounding environment, turning it into clay at will. 

When combined with the Devil's Ring, which serves as a limitless energy source, Storm could assimilate an entire island into a Clay Island—given enough time to prepare—turning it into his personal battlefield.

In simpler terms, Storm now possessed island-destroying combat power!

'It would be ideal if I could develop a few more awakening techniques—something that could deal single-target, group, and wide-range damage,' Storm mused. 'The best reference would be other Paramecia-type Devil Fruit users who have reached awakening...'

The names of Doflamingo, Katakuri, and Tesoro flashed through his mind.

With that thought, Storm set his contemplation aside and turned to look at the six-star trophy he had just won.

A dazzling diamond-like trophy floated before him.

Based on his previous experiences, a four-star Golden Trophy corresponded to a bounty of approximately 100 million Berries. In other words, a four-star level was roughly equivalent to a Supernova in the Grand Line.

If that logic held, then a six-star level would correspond to the Seven Warlords of the Sea!

'If that's the case, then eight stars should represent the Admirals or the Four Emperors, right?' Storm thought.

His fingers lightly rubbed the Devil's Ring on his hand.

'If an eight-star level is that powerful, then what about a nine-star level? Would that be equivalent to an Ancient Weapon?'

Storm's eyes glimmered with understanding.

'As expected, the Devil's Ring is far more powerful than I originally thought. It's truly the crystallization of the wisdom of the Ancient Kingdom...'

With this realization, one thing became clear—if he wanted to maximize his power, he needed to push both the Devil's Ring and his devil fruit abilities to their absolute limits.

Storm's gaze returned to the diamond trophy.

In the past, he would have immediately fused it into his Clay-Clay Fruit to boost its level. 

But now...

Storm hesitated.

The trophy can also be used in the system forge.

It was thanks to this ability that Storm had obtained the Devil's Ring in the first place.

If one Devil's Ring was this powerful…

Then what about two items of this level? 

Storm clenched his fist.

His fingers twitched as he imagined each of his ten fingers adorned with a Devil's Ring.

The Clay-Clay Fruit was strong—but it was far from the strongest.

Other Special Paramecia fruits could rival or surpass it.

For instance:

The Nika Fruit—classified as a Mythical Zoan, yet functioning like an evolved Paramecia.

The Op-Op Fruit—capable of performing immortal surgery.

The Press-Press Fruit—able to manipulate gravitational forces at will.

Compared to these, the Clay-Clay Fruit was too simple.

If Storm wanted to elevate it to the highest level, he had two choices:

Develop it to nine stars by adding more trophies.

Or fuse it with other devil fruits to evolve its abilities!

Some potential options included:

An explosive type of devil fruit could make the Clay-Clay Fruit more destructive and artistic.

Either Mr. 5's or Gladius' devil fruit would work.

With this fusion, Storm could create an ability similar to "Human-Human Fruit, Model: Deidara"!

Regardless of which path he took, one thing was certain—Storm needed more Devil Rings to wield multiple devil fruits.

And the only way to obtain more Devil Rings...

Was through the system's first function.

'The only question now is...' Storm thought.

'Can I use a six-star Diamond Trophy to wish for a Devil's Ring?'

In theory, the higher the trophy rating, the greater the system's chance to manifest his desire.

However, the system wasn't omnipotent.

Storm had learned that the hard way.

When he defeated the Zoan-type Chameleon Fruit user, he tried to use the trophy to wish for a Devil's Ring.

Instead of obtaining the ring, he had only received a three-star color-changing ability.

Would a six-star trophy be enough?

Storm didn't know.

And he only had one diamond trophy right now.

If the wish failed...

Best-case scenario, he would waste a powerful trophy.

Worst-case scenario, he might end up with something completely useless.

Or worse—

What if he accidentally obtained something like "Newkama Kenpo Techniques" or a permanent gender swap ability?!

That thought alone sent a shiver down his spine.

Storm sighed.

'No. The risk is too high.'

He made up his mind.

For now, he would hold onto the diamond trophy.

It wasn't worth wasting on an uncertain wish.

If he could obtain a second six-star trophy, he could afford to experiment.

'There are multiple six-star targets in Impel Down. Ivankov was just one of them...'

Storm's eyes flashed.

'The next potential six-star opponent… could be Shiryu of the Rain.'

The thought passed through his mind briefly before he buried it deep inside.

For now, he needed to focus.

Storm summoned his system again and checked his abilities.

Earlier, while impersonating Edward Teach, he had declared his ambitions before Ivankov and the others.

At that moment, he had felt a surge of power within himself.

And now…

It was time to see how far he could push it.

"Could it be... Conqueror's Haki?"

Storm checked his Haki attribute, but all he saw was the five-star Armament Haki and Observation Haki.

Beside Conqueror's Haki, the words "Not Awakened" were still displayed.

"Could it be that the previous burst of momentum was just my delusion?"

His brows furrowed slightly.

"Impossible! That feeling can't be an illusion!"

Storm closed his eyes, attempting to sense the surge of power once more. But no matter how hard he focused, he felt nothing.

'Or... does awakening Conqueror's Haki require more accumulation and a more specific trigger?'

Storm pondered for a while, yet he found no clue.

"Ahhh!! This is irritating!"

He let out a frustrated sigh and turned his gaze to the Freezing Hell, now restored to its original state.

Without hesitation, Storm extended his right hand, causing the earth beneath him to turn into clay once more. The terrain shifted as he manipulated the clay, dragging the Okama King up from his underground grave.

Ivankov had been hit head-on and buried deep beneath the surface. Even a "miracle human" like him looked worse for wear now. But Storm had no intention of showing mercy.

He willed the clay to wrap around Ivankov's right foot, lifted him, and then shook it vigorously as if toying with a small animal.

The violent motion roused Ivankov from unconsciousness. His unfocused eyes fluttered open as he muttered in a daze,

"Who am I...? Where am I...? My head is spinning..."

Just then, Storm's cold voice echoed from below.

"Okama King, are you ready?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Ivankov weakly turned his gaze downward.

There, standing on the ground with an unhappy expression, was Storm.

"Eh? Chief Guard Storm?! Why are you standing upside down in the sky?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Ivankov snapped back to reality.

'Wait a minute! Storm isn't upside down!'

He realized the truth—he was the one hanging upside down!

"Hey! 

W-Wait a minute!" Ivankov clasped his hands together in a desperate plea. "I'm already seriously injured! I can't fight anymore!"

Storm's gaze remained cold as he replied indifferently.

"And?"

His tone carried a trace of mockery.

"Aren't you still pretty energetic?"

The next moment, Storm raised his arm.

"Clay Rain!"

Dozens of long strips of clay shot up into the sky like spears, crashing down all at once.

Ivankov had no chance to speak further before he was completely engulfed.

[Platinum Trophy: Ivankov]

[Star Rating: ★★★★★]

Storm examined the trophy floating before him.

"Well, after defeating him once, the quality dropped, but a platinum trophy is still pretty good."

He manipulated his clay-like arm, grabbed Ivankov's unconscious body, and carried him back toward Newkama Paradise.

By the time he arrived on Level 5.5, none of the criminals who had previously been caught by his giant clay hands had managed to escape.

Except for Whitebeard III, who still stood quietly in the corner, the rest of the prisoners were paralyzed with fear.

Storm observed the trembling criminals, then willed the surrounding clay to move.

In an instant, he knocked them all unconscious.

A series of trophies materialized before him.

However, after inspecting them closely, Storm sighed in disappointment.

'Most of these are just silver trophies... There's only one gold trophy.'

He shook his head and muttered,

"Okama King, what have you even been working so hard for?"

Storm tossed Ivankov toward Inazuma's direction before turning back to the unconscious prisoners.

"Can't you recruit a few more powerful subordinates?"

Naturally, the unconscious Ivankov couldn't hear his complaints.

At this point, neither silver nor gold trophies held much value for Storm.

That being the case—

"System Forge!"

The gold trophy floating in the air began to melt under his will.

Yet, just as before, the outcome disappointed him.

Even a four-star trophy wasn't enough to grant him a Devil's Ring.

"Another skill?"

Storm shifted his focus toward his skill column, scanning the new entry.

[Name: Death Wink]

[Star Rating: ★★★★]

[Effect: Release a strong blast of wind by blinking at high speed.]

[Remark: So cute!]

Storm rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

'Not bad... but this is not what I wanted.'

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Bonus Chapter!

I will release 1 bonus chapters for every review till we meet ten reviews. [3/10].