The sea is vast for fish to leap, the sky high for birds to fly.
Storm sat cross-legged atop the head of the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, the fierce winds at high altitude causing his robes to flutter loudly.
He turned to look behind him.
Below on the azure sea, the sinister and terrifying Impel Down rapidly shrank into a tiny black dot.
Only when Impel Down completely vanished from sight did Storm reluctantly withdraw his gaze.
He had worked diligently in Impel Down for so long.
His key performance indicators far surpassed those of Deputy Warden Shiryu.
At this moment of parting, Storm couldn't help but feel a tinge of reluctance and regret.
There would never be another such excellent "monster farming paradise" on the seas again...
Ahem!
Storm quickly cast aside these minor feelings of regret.
He began taking stock of all the gains from this "Infinite Hell Hunting Plan."
One after another, [Grand Prize Trophies] emerged from the void, neatly arranged together in a dazzling and spectacular display.
First to catch Storm's eye was naturally the six-star Death Trophy—
[Diamond Trophy: Catalina Devon]
In addition, there was another five-star Death Trophy—
[Platinum Trophy: Byrnndi World]
Both Catalina Devon and Byrnndi World were prisoners Storm had personally dealt with.
These two lifers of Infinite Hell had not only contributed their [Grand Prize Trophies] but also their Devil Fruits!
With a thought from Storm,
The porcelain-white Dragon Scales of the Blue-Eyed White Dragon parted like waves to either side.
Three Devil Fruits of varying shapes and colors appeared before Storm.
[Zoan-Type Chameleon Fruit]
[Mythical Zoan Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit]
[Paramecia-Type More-More Fruit]
Setting aside the [Chameleon Fruit]—
This ordinary Zoan-Type Devil Fruit was simply too trashy.
Storm didn't even know how to handle it.
He couldn't be bothered to think about what to do with this [Chameleon Fruit].
Storm's focus remained on the [Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit] and the [More-More Fruit].
"One is the so-called meta-defining Mythical Zoan, the other a straightforward and brutal Paramecia..."
As Storm looked at these two Devil Fruits, he unconsciously rubbed the [Devil Ring] on his finger.
If among the three Devil Fruits Aokiji had offered back then there had been either the [Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit] or the [More-More Fruit],
The [Clay-Clay Fruit] would never have been in the picture at all...
Suppressing his wandering thoughts, Storm continued examining the other [Grand Prize Trophies].
Apart from Catalina Devon and Byrnndi World,
Other prisoners had been directly blown apart by "Clay Dragon Bullets" in Infinite Hell.
These individuals had also provided Storm with corresponding Death Trophies.
Unfortunately, none of these Death Trophies were six-star [Diamond Trophies].
The explosive power of "Clay Dragon Bullets" was still too weak against true powerhouses...
However, there were two more five-star Death Trophies.
[Platinum Trophy: Pleshy]
[Platinum Trophy: Bade Wan Grace]
Storm had some recollection of these two names.
Before infiltrating Infinite Hell, he had secretly investigated the prison's inmate roster.
Among them were the basic profiles of these two individuals.
Storm recalled the prisoner list he had reviewed earlier.
The owners of these two names were both notorious pirates with bounties exceeding 500 million Belly! Pleshy, also known as "Crafty" Pleshy, a user of the Paramecia-Type Teleport Fruit.
His bounty surpassed 800 million Belly.
Bade Wan Grace, nicknamed "Gray Cat," a user of the Paramecia-Type Launch Fruit.
His bounty was 600 million Belly.
(Character names and Devil Fruit abilities are sourced from the USJ stage play.) To be fair,
apart from a very few exceptions,
pirates with bounties exceeding 500 million Belly were rarely pushovers.
Whether it was Pleshy or Bade Wan Grace,
before being imprisoned in Impel Down, they had once been fearsome pirates who commanded respect.
Moreover, both possessed Devil Fruits that were fairly decent.
The Paramecia-Type Teleport Fruit allowed its user to teleport any object they touched to a designated location at will.
The Paramecia-Type Launch Fruit enabled its user to create firearms out of thin air and fire unlimited attacks.
"These two Devil Fruits aren't exactly weak, but they're not overwhelmingly strong either… just average, I'd say!"
When Storm had initially combed through the prisoner list of Infinite Hell,
his goal had been to see if there were any inmates with overpowered Devil Fruits that he wasn't aware of.
But after careful scrutiny, he ultimately concluded that Catalina Devon and her ilk were still far stronger!
Whether judging by raw strength
or Devil Fruit abilities,
the most formidable criminals in Infinite Hell were those who would later become members of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Of course,
Infinite Hell also housed top-tier powerhouses like the Demon Heir and the Solitary Red.
But the former wielded the Paramecia-Type Combine Fruit, while the latter was simply a non-ability user.
Storm didn't even spare them a second glance.
As for Pleshy and Bade Wan Grace,
Storm had once considered hunting their Devil Fruits, but time simply didn't permit it…
Besides, the Teleport Fruit and Launch Fruit were clearly far weaker compared to fruits like the More-More Fruit.
So Storm had no choice but to give up on them.
Yet now, he unexpectedly saw their names among the Death Trophies.
Five-star Death Trophies
only included three names: [Byrnndi World], [Pleshy], and [Bade Wan Grace].
But there were still plenty of ordinary Platinum Trophies.
Storm counted them carefully.
There were a staggering twenty-three! Combined with the previous ones, the number of Platinum Trophies in Storm's possession now reached twenty-six—an absolute windfall!
As for the four-star Golden Trophies…
Infinite Hell also held a vast number of prisoners with bounties exceeding 100 million Belly.
Under the saturation bombardment of the Clay Dragon Bullets, these criminals had virtually no chance of survival.
Storm skimmed through them briefly.
The number of Golden Trophies was simply too vast to count.
And almost all of these Golden Trophies were Death Trophies! This meant that the majority of prisoners in Infinite Hell with bounties over 100 million Belly had been wiped out by Storm.
"Cleaning up trash is everyone's responsibility!"
Storm had no interest in the Golden Trophies.
Four-star trophies were practically useless to him at his current stage.
Only the five-star [Platinum Trophy] could enhance Storm's abilities.
As for the six-star [Diamond Trophy], that was meant to elevate the upper limits of his strength! Storm's gaze swept past countless Golden Trophies and twenty-six Platinum Trophies before finally settling on the Diamond Trophies.
Apart from Catalina Devon,
there were two other powerful criminals in Infinite Hell who had been blasted unconscious by the "Clay Dragon Bullet."
Both of them were Storm's "acquaintances"—
[Diamond Trophy: Vasco Shot]
[Diamond Trophy: Sanjuan Wolf]
These two six-star trophies were standard Diamond Trophies, not Blood Diamond Trophies.
This meant Vasco Shot and Sanjuan Wolf hadn't been killed by the explosion—just knocked out.
"Three Diamond Trophies!"
"Twenty-six Platinum Trophies!"
"And countless Golden Trophies!"
"This is the full haul from this 'Infinite Hell Hunting Plan'!"
With a thought, Storm made all the [Grand Prize Trophies] vanish into the void.
The only one left behind was Catalina Devon's Blood Diamond Trophy! A six-star Blood Diamond Trophy!
Previously, Storm had considered using a [Diamond Trophy] to make a "wish."
He wanted to see if a six-star trophy could grant him a second [Devil Ring]! But back then, he only had one [Diamond Trophy], and the risk of making a wish outright was too great.
In the end, he used that six-star trophy to boost his [Strength] attribute.
Yet even then,
Storm had considered one thing.
Normally, a [Diamond Trophy] could only be used for wishing or stat boosts—one or the other.
But under special circumstances, such as with a [Blood Diamond Trophy], it could do both!
The [Blood Diamond Trophy] was Storm's true hope!
"Haa—"
Storm took a deep breath.
First, he used the stat-boosting ability of this [Blood Diamond Trophy] to raise the star level of his [Clay-Clay Fruit] by one.
[Clay-Clay Fruit: ★★★★★★★] (Seven Stars)
At this point,
Storm's [Clay-Clay Fruit] officially reached seven stars!
It was also the only attribute or ability of his to reach that level!
"ROAR—"
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon seemed to sense the elevation of the [Clay-Clay Fruit]'s limits and let out a pleased Dragon Roar in response.
After boosting his fruit ability, Storm turned his attention back to the [Blood Diamond Trophy].
The crimson aura enveloping the trophy had completely dissipated, leaving behind an ordinary Diamond Trophy floating silently in the void.
"One wish left!"
Storm's eyes locked onto the [Diamond Trophy].
"Lady Luck is smiling!"
He connected with the [Grand Prize Trophy] and made his wish.
Under his gaze, the [Diamond Trophy] erupted in a dazzling radiance.
The crystal-clear trophy ultimately transformed into an unremarkable silver-gray ring.
[Name: Devil Ring Replica]
[Stars: ★★★★★★] (Six Stars)
[Description: A product of ancient super-technology, a replica crafted in imitation of the true [Devil Ring]]