Through his battle with Ivankov, the Queen of Kamabakka Kingdom, Storm had completely mastered the powers of the awakened Clay-Clay Fruit.
With the awakening of the Clay-Clay Fruit, he could forcibly assimilate the surrounding environment.
Coupled with the seemingly endless "natural energy" of the Devil Ring, Storm now only needed sufficient preparation time.
He could completely transform an entire island into a "Clay Island"! Rounded up, Storm now possessed "island-destroying combat power"!
"It would be best to develop a few more 'Awakening Techniques'—single-target, area, and range damage..."
"The reference for developing Awakening Techniques would be those who have developed their Paramecia-type fruits to the awakened level..."
"Doflamingo, Katakuri, Tesoro, and Douglas Bullet..."
Storm pulled back his somewhat scattered thoughts and turned his gaze toward the six-star Grand Prize Trophy he had just obtained.
The Diamond Trophy! After confirming that "six stars equals awakening," Storm gained a new understanding of the power level associated with six stars.
Based on his past experiences, a four-star Golden Trophy corresponded to a bounty of about one hundred million Belly.
In simpler terms, a four-star level roughly corresponds to the "Supernovas" in the pirate ranks.
Then, a six-star level would likely correspond to the "Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea"! "If this level difference is correct, then eight stars would be the level of Admirals and Emperors?"
Storm gently rubbed the Devil Ring on his finger.
"Then it seems the strength of the Devil Ring is even higher than I previously anticipated!
"Nine stars must already be at the level of 'Ancient Weapons,' right?
"Truly the crystallization of the wisdom of the Ancient Kingdom!"
With the Devil Ring in hand, maximizing the development level of the Devil Fruit was undoubtedly a choice that would yield countless benefits without any drawbacks.
Storm gazed at the dazzling Diamond Trophy in the void.
In the past, he would have unhesitatingly poured this Diamond Trophy into the Clay-Clay Fruit!
But now, Storm quietly changed his mind.
The Grand Prize Trophy possessed the powerful ability to grant wishes.
His greatest reliance—the Devil Ring—was obtained through a wish made with the Grand Prize Trophy!
If one Devil Ring was this powerful, then wouldn't two Devil Rings be even more extraordinary?
Storm had ten fingers on his hands.
He wanted more than one Devil Ring, more than two, more than three...
To be fair, as a "special Paramecia," the strength of the Clay-Clay Fruit was decent, but it was certainly not top-tier!
Setting aside the "superhuman abnormal evolution mythical fruit" Nika Fruit, which could transform into Nika, and the Op-Op Fruit, which could perform immortal surgeries...
The Paw-Paw Fruit, which could manipulate conceptual abilities, and the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, which had causal effects...
Compared to these Paramecia Devil Fruits, the Clay-Clay Fruit was simply too "weak."
In Storm's view, there were roughly two methods to enhance the strength of the Clay-Clay Fruit.
The first was to diligently develop the Clay-Clay Fruit's inherent abilities, advancing it all the way to "nine stars."
The second was to hunt other powerful Devil Fruits, mixing them with the Clay-Clay Fruit to increase its strength! For example, two Bomb Fruits could make the Clay-Clay Fruit more "artistic."
Whether it was MR.5's Bomb Fruit from Baroque Works or Gladius's Bomu Bomu Fruit from the Donquixote Family, both could allow Storm's Clay-Clay Fruit to "evolve" into—
"Zoan-Type Human-Human Fruit Mythical Creature Type Deidara Form"! Even excluding these two Bomb Fruits, there were other Devil Fruits that could help enhance the strength of the Clay-Clay Fruit.
But regardless of which Devil Fruit it was, Storm needed more Devil Rings to harness their power!
In the end, it all came back to the Devil Ring! "The only question now is..."
"Can the six-star Diamond Trophy grant a wish for a Devil Ring?"
"Even if it's a weakened version, a six-star Devil Ring?"
The wish-granting ability of the Grand Prize Trophy was not omnipotent.
For instance, when Storm defeated that Chameleon Fruit user, he had used the opponent's Grand Prize Trophy to make a wish.
At that time, he had fantasized about using a Silver Trophy to wish for a Devil Ring.
But the result was only a three-star Color Change ability...
The strength of the Diamond Trophy was far superior to that of the Silver Trophy.
But could the Diamond Trophy really grant a wish for a Devil Ring? Storm had no way of knowing.
He only had one Diamond Trophy, and the risk of trial and error was too high.
What if the wish failed?
If he didn't obtain a Devil Ring, that would be one thing.
But if he accidentally received some ability like "New New Human Martial Arts" or "Free Gender Transformation"...
That would be a pure waste! Storm pondered for a long time and ultimately chose to put away the Diamond Trophy.
"If only I had a second six-star trophy..."
Having made his decision, Storm would temporarily refrain from using this unique Diamond Trophy.
If it were simply for "adding points," one Diamond Trophy couldn't bring about a qualitative improvement.
But if the "wish succeeded," two Devil Rings would undoubtedly help Storm undergo a qualitative transformation in strength! "Among the six-star powerhouses in Impel Down, Ivankov from New Kama Land counts as one, and there are also some in Infinite Hell."
"The rest... is it Shiryu of the Rain?"
A thought flashed through Storm's mind, and he quickly buried it deep within.
He called forth his Grand Prize Trophy again to check his ability panel.
Previously, when Storm disguised himself as Edward Teach and declared his dreams to Ivankov and others, he had clearly sensed a certain "burst of momentum" occurring within him.
"Could it be... Conqueror's Haki?"
Storm checked his Haki attributes, only to find five-star Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
Behind Conqueror's Haki, it still displayed the word "unawakened."
"Could it be that the previous burst of momentum was merely my illusion?"
Storm's brow furrowed slightly.
"Impossible! That feeling was definitely not an illusion!"
Storm closed his eyes, trying to relive the sensation of that previous burst of momentum, but unfortunately, he felt nothing.
"Or perhaps... the awakening of Conqueror's Haki requires more accumulation and a more special timing?"
Storm struggled with this for a while but ultimately found no clues.
"A bit frustrating!"
Storm looked toward the restored Extreme Cold Hell.
Suddenly, he extended his right hand, re-assimilating the earth into clay, and controlled the clay to pull out the Queen of Kamabakka Kingdom buried underground.
Being blasted in the face and then directly buried in the pitch-black underground, even someone as miraculous as Ivankov now looked quite haggard.
But Storm couldn't care less.
He manipulated the clay to wrap around Ivankov's right foot, shaking him like a small animal.
The unconscious Ivankov was forcibly "rebooted" by this inhumane shaking.
He opened his unfocused eyes, momentarily unable to comprehend what was happening.
"Who am I? Where am I? My head hurts so much!"
At that moment, Storm's voice came from below.
"Queen of Kamabakka, are you ready?"
Ivankov looked up at the sound and saw Storm, who wore an unhappy expression, standing on the ground below.
"Eh? Vongola Storm! Why are you standing upside down in the sky?"
As soon as he said this, Ivankov finally regained his senses.
It wasn't "Vongola Storm standing upside down in the sky"! It was he, Emporio Ivankov, who was being hung up!
"Hey! Wait, wait a minute!"
Ivankov clasped his hands together, pleading repeatedly.
"I'm already seriously injured; I can't fight anymore!"
"Is that so?"
Storm glanced at the Queen of Kamabakka indifferently.
"You seem quite energetic right now. Clay Barrage!"
One long strip of clay after another shot into the sky.
They completely blocked Ivankov's words before he could even speak.
...Battle Boundary...
[Platinum Trophy: Ivankov]
[Trophy Star Level: ★★★★★]
"Well, defeating him once caused the quality to drop, but a Platinum Trophy is still pretty good!"
Storm manipulated the clay arms, holding the once again unconscious Ivankov, and returned to New Kama Land.
When he arrived at the 5.5th floor, none of the transvestites who had just been controlled by the clay giant hand managed to escape.
Setting aside Whitebeard III, who had been standing in the corner the whole time, these transvestites showed no courage whatsoever!
Storm glanced at the transvestites, manipulating the surrounding clay to knock them all unconscious! In an instant.
A continuous stream of Grand Prizes flashed before Storm's eyes.
But upon closer inspection, most of these trophies were Silver Trophies.
There was only one Golden Trophy.
"Queen of Kamabakka, what have you been working so hard for!"
Storm tossed Ivankov beside Inazuma.
"Can't you recruit a few more powerful subordinates?"
Storm's complaints naturally went unheard by the still-unconscious Ivankov.
Silver Trophies and Golden Trophies had no point-adding effect for Storm at this moment.
Since that was the case...
"Let's make a wish!"
The Golden Grand Prize Trophy in the void melted quietly at Storm's will.
But to his disappointment, the four-star Grand Prize Trophy still did not grant a wish for a Devil Ring.
"Another new ability!"
Storm looked at his ability panel.
[Name: Death Wink]
[Star Level: ★★★★]
[Effect: Releases a strong explosive wind through rapid blinking]
[Comment: Cutely explosive!]
"Ugh! Art has arrived!"
Most of the household chores had been taken care of.