Magellan ultimately agreed to Storm's suggestion.
After all, wasn't there no better way to go about it...?
However, regarding the duel between the two, Magellan did make one request: as the warden, he needed to observe the entire battle and might intervene to stop it if necessary!
Both Storm and Shiryu readily agreed to Magellan's request.
Magellan strongly suspected that these two didn't take his warning as the warden seriously, but he couldn't find any evidence to prove it.
A few minutes later.
The group left the warden's office and arrived at the prison yard outside.
Scorching Hell, a sea of flames.
Storm and Shiryu stood on opposite sides of the yard, their gazes colliding in the air.
The air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder.
Shiryu's eyes resembled those of a hungry wolf, fixated on Storm, his right hand resting on the hilt of his named sword, Thunderclap.
This time, he would not let his guard down! "You brat! Die!"
Without any warning, Shiryu instantly drew his named sword, Thunderclap, and swung it heavily forward.
The blade, shimmering with a sinister blood-red light, traced a perfect arc in the air.
In the next moment, Thunderclap sliced through the air, unleashing a crescent-shaped Soaring Slash!
Swoosh—
The ferocious and brutal Soaring Slash crossed over half of the sea of flames in Scorching Hell, heading straight for Storm.
The momentum of the Soaring Slash suppressed the surrounding raging flames, forcing them to cling tightly to the ground, nearly extinguishing them.
Facing Shiryu's Soaring Slash, Storm remained completely unfazed.
He lifted his right leg, channeling all his strength into his foot, and kicked forward with force.
Tempest Kick! In an instant.
Storm unleashed several razor-sharp vacuum slashes to meet the incoming crescent-shaped sword energy.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Soaring Slash and the vacuum kicks collided.
Boom!
Accompanied by deafening roars, the two shockwaves canceled each other's power in mid-air.
The rolling shockwaves spread out in all directions, extinguishing many of the surrounding flames.
"Six Styles! Tempest Kick!"
Shiryu's perception was not weak; he immediately recognized the essence of Storm's abilities.
Considering Storm's Navy background, it was no surprise that he could use Six Styles.
Shiryu tightened his grip on Thunderclap, dark Armament Haki swirling around the blade.
In the next moment.
Shiryu's figure left an afterimage as he closed in on Storm at an incredible speed.
And Storm was waiting for this moment! White clay surged from his body, wrapping around him and causing his form to swell and grow.
By the time Shiryu reached Storm, the latter had transformed into a small giant-like creature!
Shiryu's eyes narrowed slightly, and the Thunderclap in his hand suddenly glimmered with cold light, slicing toward the clay giant.
The attack from Thunderclap fell like raindrops from the heavens, the sharp sword light almost forming a line.
"Drizzle!"
But Storm's reaction was swift.
The clay giant swung its massive fist, crashing down toward the incoming named sword.
The white clay was also enveloped in Armament Haki, adding to its power.
"Giant Armament Fist!"
The fist, wrapped in Armament Haki, collided violently with the named sword.
It was as if a thunderclap had sounded in Scorching Hell, the intensity of the battle capable of splitting the heavens and shattering the earth.
Crash!
Shiryu's right arm muscles bulged as he concentrated all his strength into Thunderclap.
He had initially thought Storm was just a clever little brat.
He never expected the opponent's true strength to be this formidable!
Shiryu gritted his teeth, struggling against the clay giant.
But on the other side, Storm was multitasking, manipulating another offensive tactic.
The power of the Clay-Clay Fruit silently assimilated the ground of Scorching Hell.
'Not good!'
Shiryu's heart suddenly sank.
The ground beneath his feet suddenly softened, transforming from a hard floor into soft clay.
Losing support from below, Shiryu's body tilted, and his original strength began to wane.
The clay giant, embodied by Storm, pulled its right fist back slightly before smashing it down heavily.
Bang! Shiryu was immediately sent flying dozens of meters away, rolling on the ground like a tumbling gourd.
When Shiryu finally managed to stabilize himself and looked up ahead, he was astonished to find that the ground beneath Storm had been completely assimilated into clay.
Clay-Clay Fruit, Awakening Power!
"Clay Barrage!"
Storm transformed the entire ground into clay, and dozens of clay tendrils sprouted from the earth, all attacking his opponent.
Shiryu gripped Thunderclap tightly, retreating while continuously swinging his sword.
The blood-red blade created a wall of protection in front of him, like a shield.
As soon as the clay tendrils made contact with the sword light barrier formed by Thunderclap, they were severed.
He squinted slightly, his mind racing.
Yet a portion of the clay tendrils transformed into a "barrage," relentlessly bombarding Shiryu.
But the majority of the remaining clay tendrils, under Storm's will, began to merge together. The tendrils, originally only the thickness of an arm, expanded in diameter through continuous fusion.
It was as if a human arm had suddenly grown gigantic, transforming into a giant's arm!
At this moment.
Each clay tendril now had a diameter of nearly a meter! "Clay Great Barrage!"
Storm manipulated these enlarged clay tendrils, launching an unceasing assault on Shiryu.
Shiryu understood that the protective area of the sword light barrier formed by Thunderclap was ultimately limited.
It could withstand the previous "Clay Barrage."
But it could not defend against the current "Clay Great Barrage"! Shiryu was well aware of this, and he ceased swinging Thunderclap, focusing instead on enhancing his perception.
His eyes glowed a deep crimson as he utilized Observation Haki to track the attack trajectories of the thick clay arms.
Boom! Boom! Boom!—
Each clay giant fist that struck the ground of Scorching Hell erupted with a loud roar.
With all his might, Shiryu, fully employing Observation Haki, frantically dodged amidst the relentless onslaught, like a rat scurrying through a melon patch.
The barrage of clay fists continued for several minutes.
Shiryu finally realized something was off.
He had initially thought that Storm, with his stamina, could not maintain such a scale of attack for long.
But he was nearly exhausted from running, while the clay fists showed no signs of stopping.
The clay seemed endless, the continuous attacks leaving Shiryu no time to catch his breath.
Through the gaps in the clay giant fists, Shiryu caught a glimpse of Storm on the other side.
What left him feeling uneasy was that Storm still appeared calm and collected.
It seemed as if the previous battle had not drained him of any energy at all.
'I must interrupt that brat's rhythm of attack!'
After dodging for a while longer, Shiryu finally found a brief moment to catch his breath.
He swung Thunderclap with all his might, directly severing one of the clay giant fists.
He then kicked the severed clay fist forward, disrupting the trajectory of another clay giant fist.
With this maneuver, Shiryu finally created a fleeting opportunity for himself!
He gripped the named sword Thunderclap, channeling his strength into the blade, and fiercely slashed toward Storm.
The blood-red Soaring Slash swept through the air, its form irregular and twisted, resembling lightning.
The Great Sword Master's full-powered Soaring Slash easily tore through the ordinary clay structure of the clay arm.
The blood-red sword energy surged toward Storm.
Storm remained unfazed; with a thought, a massive shield, towering over him, rose before him.
"Clay Shield!"
The dark Armament Haki wrapped around the surface of the clay shield, enhancing its defensive capabilities.
In the next moment.
Shiryu's Soaring Slash struck the clay shield with precision.
However, the clay shield, enveloped in Armament Haki, had a defensive power that was incomparable to the previous clay.
Shiryu's slash could not break through the clay shield.
Such an attack could not threaten Storm behind the clay shield either.
Nonetheless.
Shiryu still managed to gain a rare moment of respite through that Soaring Slash.
The relentless clay giant fists finally ceased their assault at this moment.
"Ha... Ha..."
Shiryu stood in place, breathing heavily.
Just as he was about to advance with his sword and continue attacking Storm, he suddenly noticed that the clay giant fists, as if receiving an invisible command, began to rapidly retract toward Storm.
'What is that?'
Shiryu instinctively heightened his alertness.
But the changes in the clay did not shift according to his will.
Storm gathered all the clay around him, stacking it together.
As the clay continued to transform.
A towering giant Buddha statue emerged from the depths of the sea of flames in Scorching Hell.
This giant Buddha was immensely large, but even more imposing were the countless "arms" behind it! A hundred? A thousand?
Countless white arms piled together, blocking out the sun, innumerable.
Storm sat cross-legged atop the head of the white giant Buddha, launching his final attack at Shiryu.
Awakening: Clay-Clay Fruit: True Thousand Hands!
Endless clay giant fists pounded down onto the ground of Scorching Hell.
In an instant, the ground shattered, and the space collapsed.
Accompanied by countless fragments and bursts of flame.
Shiryu was directly knocked from Scorching Hell into Extreme Cold Hell.
[Diamond Trophy: Shiryu of the Rain]
[Trophy Star Rating: ★★★★★★]