One Piece: From Marine to Legend

Magellan finally agreed to Storm's suggestion.

After all, was there a better way to settle things?

However, as the director, Magellan imposed a condition—he would personally oversee the battle and intervene if necessary. His authority would not be questioned.

Neither Storm nor Shiryu hesitated in accepting his terms.

Magellan, however, had a strong suspicion that neither of them took his warning seriously. Yet, he had no solid proof.

A few minutes later, they exited the director's office and arrived at the open space outside the prison.

The Burning Hell lived up to its name. Flames roared, the sea of fire stretching across the floor, its intense heat distorting the air.

Storm and Shiryu stood opposite each other in the open clearing, their gazes locked in a fierce clash.

The atmosphere was thick with tension, like a powder keg waiting for a spark.

Shiryu's eyes gleamed like those of a hungry wolf, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt of his blade—Thunderstorm, a famous sword stained with countless lives.

'This time, I won't be careless,' he thought coldly. 'Die, little devil!'

Without warning, he unsheathed Thunderstorm, slashing forward in a single, decisive motion.

The blade shimmered with an eerie, blood-colored light, tracing a perfect arc in the air.

Then—

Swish!

A crescent-shaped flying slash tore through the air, its energy howling like a beast.

The force of the attack carved through the flames of the Burning Hell, pressing the inferno close to the ground and nearly snuffing it out.

Storm, however, remained unfazed.

With practiced ease, he raised his right leg, gathering power into his foot before unleashing a series of rapid, devastating kicks.

"Tempest Kick!"

Several razor-sharp vacuum slashes burst forth, streaking toward the incoming sword energy.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The shockwaves from the impact detonated mid-air, nullifying the attacks in a blinding collision of force. The resulting burst of wind roared outward, momentarily extinguishing the surrounding flames.

Shiryu narrowed his eyes.

"Six Styles… Tempest Kick!" he muttered, recognizing the technique immediately.

It wasn't surprising that Storm, with his Marine background, had mastered these techniques.

Shiryu's grip on Thunderstorm tightened. A layer of Armament Haki flowed over his arm and blade, turning the already deadly weapon even more formidable.

Then—

He vanished.

A blur of afterimages trailed behind him as he lunged forward with terrifying speed.

Storm's eyes sharpened. 'Just as I wanted!'

White clay erupted from his body, rapidly encasing his form. His muscles expanded, his body swelling in size.

By the time Shiryu reached him—Storm had transformed into a towering clay giant.

Shiryu's expression darkened, but his attack did not falter.

Thunderstorm flashed in the firelit air, slicing toward the massive figure in a deadly flurry of slashes.

The sword's movements were precise and relentless, each strike sharper than the last.

Storm, however, did not retreat.

The clay giant's massive fist swung forward, colliding directly with Thunderstorm.

"Giant Armed Fist!"

Clay—hardened by Armament Haki—met steel.

BOOM!

The clash echoed like thunder, shaking the very foundations of the Burning Hell.

Shiryu's muscles bulged as he poured his strength into Thunderstorm, trying to overpower Storm through sheer force.

But the impact sent a jarring shock through his arm.

'What kind of monstrous strength is this?!' Shiryu gritted his teeth, refusing to yield.

Yet Storm had another trick up his sleeve.

The power of his Clay-Clay Fruit seeped into the ground beneath them, spreading its influence silently.

Shiryu's instincts flared.

'Something's wrong!'

But it was too late.

The hard stone beneath his feet softened, turning into thick, sticky clay.

His footing collapsed.

His stance broke.

And in that instant—

Storm's clay fist drew back slightly, then smashed forward with overwhelming force.

BANG!

Shiryu was launched dozens of meters away, his body tumbling across the burning ground like a ragdoll.

The world spun around him as he struggled to steady himself.

Finally, he forced himself upright—only to witness the terrifying sight ahead.

The entire battlefield had been transformed.

Beneath Storm's feet, the Burning Hell's ground was no longer stone—it was now pure clay, molded and reshaped by his awakened abilities.

Shiryu's pupils contracted.

"Devil Fruit Awakening…"

Storm smirked.

"Clay Rain!"

From the clay-infused ground, dozens of elongated clay tendrils shot up, whipping toward Shiryu like serpents.

WHIP! WHIP! WHIP!

Shiryu immediately reacted, swinging Thunderstorm in a flurry of precise slashes.

The blood-red blade cleaved through the approaching clay tendrils, severing them with ruthless efficiency.

Still, Storm remained composed.

His mind shifted strategies.

'If small attacks aren't enough—'

More clay tendrils merged, combining and thickening.

From thin strands, they expanded—each one growing into massive, pillar-like arms, nearly a meter in diameter.

Shiryu's eyes flickered dangerously.

"Clay Rainstorm!"

The giant clay arms descended.

Each strike slammed into the battlefield with the force of a collapsing building.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Shiryu moved instinctively, activating his Observation Haki to track the attacks.

His eyes glowed a deep crimson as he narrowly dodged the onslaught, weaving through the rain of destruction.

The battlefield was chaos—clay exploded from the ground, fire, and smoke swirling through the air.

The violent bombardment of clay fists lasted for several minutes.

Shiryu finally realized that something was wrong.

At first, he believed that Storm wouldn't be able to sustain an attack of this scale for long. After all, unleashing such a relentless barrage should have exhausted his stamina. But now, after dodging and weaving for so long, he was the one feeling fatigued, while Storm's attacks showed no sign of slowing down.

The clay seemed endless, its continuous strikes giving him no time to catch his breath.

Shiryu's sharp eyes locked onto Storm, peering through the gaps between the massive clay fists hammering down on him.

What frustrated him the most was that Storm still looked composed—unshaken, unaffected, as if the battle had cost him nothing at all.

A dangerous glint flashed in Shiryu's eyes.

"I have to disrupt this kid's attack rhythm!"

Finding an opening in the storm of blows, Shiryu reacted instantly.

He swung Thunderstorm with precise force, severing a giant clay fist in half. Then, with a sharp kick, he sent the broken fragment flying forward, colliding with another clay fist in mid-air.

The brief disruption allowed Shiryu to carve out an opportunity—an instant to go on the offensive.

Gripping Thunderstorm tightly, he infused it with his full power. A deep red aura shrouded the blade as he slashed through the air.

A blood-red flying slash tore forward like a jagged bolt of lightning, its path irregular and unpredictable. The sheer force behind it ripped apart the clay in its way.

The sword's energy surged toward Storm with an unstoppable momentum.

Yet, Storm remained unshaken. Without hesitation, he raised his hand, and a towering shield formed in front of him.

"Clay Shield!"

The massive structure, as tall as a fully grown man, hardened instantly. The surface gleamed as Armament Haki spread across it, enhancing its defensive strength.

Then—

Boom!

Shiryu's flying slash struck the clay shield head-on.

A sharp screech echoed as the crimson sword energy ground against the hardened surface. However, unlike the previous clay constructs, this one didn't crumble.

The reinforcement of Armament Haki made it nearly impenetrable.

Shiryu's attack had failed to reach its target.

But that didn't mean it was for nothing.

Storm's clay assault—those relentless fists that had been hunting him down—finally stopped for the first time since the battle started.

"Hah… Hah…"

Shiryu exhaled, taking in a much-needed breath.

He barely had time to recover before he gritted his teeth and prepared for another assault.

Just as he was about to advance, his instincts screamed at him.

His eyes snapped to the movement in front of him.

The massive clay fists that had bombarded him moments ago were no longer attacking. Instead, as if following some silent command, they began retracting—drawing inward, converging around Storm.

'What… is he doing?'

A sense of unease crept into Shiryu's mind.

The clay continued gathering, piling together at an alarming speed.

Then, it began to shift.

Right before Shiryu's eyes, the clay started molding itself into an enormous, humanoid shape.

Layer upon layer, it grew, towering higher and higher until it loomed over the battlefield like a deity descending upon the scorching hell.

Then—

A colossal Buddha statue emerged.

Its massive body was sculpted from pure white clay, giving off an eerie yet overwhelming presence. But even more terrifying was what lay behind it—

Hundreds—no, thousands—of massive arms stretched outward from its back, stacked together so densely that they blocked out the sky.

It was an overwhelming sight.

A chill ran down Shiryu's spine.

"That's—!"

Before he could react, Storm's voice rang out.

"Clay Style: True Several Thousand Hands!"

With that declaration, the towering Buddha moved.

The countless clay arms, each as large as a warship, came crashing down in unison.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The entire Burning Hell trembled under the sheer force of the attack.

The ground split open, cracks spreading like veins across the fiery landscape. The very space around them seemed to warp from the impact.

Shiryu's instincts screamed at him. He had to move.

Now!

Summoning every ounce of his strength, he pushed his Observation Haki to its limit, attempting to predict the trajectory of the descending fists.

But there were too many.

The onslaught was overwhelming—an inescapable storm of destruction.

A colossal fist slammed into the earth just inches from him, sending a shockwave that sent him flying. He twisted mid-air, trying to regain control, but before he could react—

Another fist struck.

Then another.

And another.

Shiryu was helpless.

The impact sent him plummeting straight through the floors of Impel Down.

From the Burning Hell, he was smashed straight into the Freezing Hell below.

The world around him spun, the searing heat above giving way to an unbearable cold.

Then—everything stopped.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

Only Storm remained standing atop his Clay Buddha.

Then—

A mechanical chime rang.

[Diamond Trophy: Shiryu the Rain]

[Star Rating: ★★★★★★]

Storm exhaled slowly, his clay construct beginning to recede. The battle was over.

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