The next morning.
A group of wardens arrived, breaking the deathly silence of the Extreme Cold Hell.
"S-Storm."
Hannyabal, his speech faltering from the cold wind, shivered as he took out the keys and unlocked the cell door.
"Y-your solitary confinement is o-over!"
"M-Magellan ordered me to bring you to him."
Inside the cell.
Storm watched Hannyabal's sluggish speech and shook his head helplessly.
Even if this guy wanted to project a "tough boss" image in front of his subordinates...
You've only been in the Extreme Cold Hell for how long, and you're already frozen into this pathetic state...
Not convincing at all!
"Hannyabal."
"Huh?"
"Did you piss off the warden too?"
"N-no!"
Hannyabal was baffled by Storm's sudden question.
"Why would you ask that?"
"Because looking at you now, I can't tell if you're the one being punished or if I am."
Storm walked up to Hannyabal and raised his hand, releasing a clump of clay.
"Want me to make you a coat? Can't guarantee warmth, but at least it'll block the wind."
Hannyabal instinctively wanted to nod in agreement.
But when his peripheral vision caught the other wardens behind him, he "firmly" refused.
"N-no need!"
Hannyabal shakily raised his right arm, attempting to flex his muscles in a bodybuilder pose.
"I'm very strong—Achoo!"
Storm shook his head again and strode out of the cell first.
Hannyabal hurriedly gestured for the other wardens to follow.
The moment the group stepped outside,
the frigid winds of the Extreme Cold Hell hit them head-on.
Hannyabal shuddered violently.
Desperate to distract himself, he forced a conversation.
"Storm, while you were stuck in the Extreme Cold Hell these past few days, things haven't been peaceful up in the Scorching Hell."
Scorching Hell?
Storm's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Over the past few days, to replenish the energy deficit from his [Physique] upgrades, he'd "borrowed" quite a bit of food from the storage.
Could someone have noticed?
But judging by Hannyabal's tone, this didn't seem related to him...
"What happened?"
Storm played along, deliberately steering the topic elsewhere.
"Don't tell me Shiryu caused another mess?"
"Shiryu... Actually, this might involve Shiryu!"
Hannyabal leaned in conspiratorially—mostly to use Storm as a windbreak.
"Prisoners have been disappearing from the Scorching Hell! Including a Devil Fruit user!"
That guy you're talking about... wouldn't happen to be the [Chameleon Fruit] user, would you?
Storm remained silent, just glancing at Hannyabal.
"People are saying..."
Hannyabol dropped the suspense and continued.
"That Devil Fruit user, the 'Chameleon Man,'
received the 'Devil's Invitation,' which is why he vanished without a trace.
Even the surveillance Den Den Mushi didn't catch how he disappeared—like he evaporated into thin air."
As for the so-called "Devil's Invitation"...
Among the wardens of Impel Down, there was a widely circulated "hellish legend."
In recent years,
Impel Down would occasionally experience inexplicable disappearances.
Prisoners who had been securely locked away would suddenly vanish one day without a trace.
These eerie and mysterious disappearances,
paired with the hellish atmosphere of Impel Down,
gave rise to the rumor of the "Devil's Invitation."
In reality,
the so-called "Devil's Invitation" was simply Ivankov recruiting for the New Kama Land...
Well.
Come to think of it,
the Queen of Kamabakka Kingdom's invitation wasn't all that different from the "Devil's Invitation"...
Ahem.
The disappearance of the Chameleon Fruit user was discovered by the Impel Down wardens.
This had long been within Storm's expectations.
After all, there were simply too many Surveillance Den Den Mushi in Impel Down.
The floor housing the Scorching Hell was personally guarded by Magellan, making surveillance even stricter.
It was only natural that the prisoner's disappearance would be noticed.
'Thankfully, I was cautious in my earlier actions, leaving no clues and avoiding all Surveillance Den Den Mushi.'
Storm silently mused to himself.
'Otherwise, the one coming for me now might not be Hannyabal, but Magellan himself!'
Just then, Hannyabal spoke again.
"But your words just now reminded me, Storm.
"That 'Chameleon Man' was probably killed by that bastard Shiryu! And his body was destroyed too!"
Killed? And his body destroyed?
Hearing this, Storm's lips twitched slightly.
He had to admit, Hannyabal's intuition was sometimes quite sharp...
How had he guessed that the Chameleon Fruit user's body had been disposed of?
Yes!
After successfully obtaining the Chameleon Fruit,
Storm had also taken care of the original user's remains—the prisoner with a bounty of over 90 million.
After all, he wasn't some devil.
He couldn't stand the thought of leaving a corpse exposed in the wilderness.
So Storm had sent the body into the fiery depths of the Scorching Hell.
Cremation!
How many pirates who had fallen into the sea and been devoured by fish would have longed for such a dignified end?
Storm smoothly changed the subject. "You mentioned Shiryu earlier—what's that bastard up to now?"
"Shiryu... he's killed even more people."
Hannyabal pursed his lips and whispered.
"After we left Magellan's office that day, Shiryu was also sent to the infirmary to detoxify.
"But later, I heard from other wardens...
"Shiryu took his Named Sword, Thunderclap Rain, and slaughtered his way from the infirmary on the first floor all the way down to the fourth-floor Scorching Hell.
"If Magellan hadn't stopped him in time, that guy might've charged straight into the Extreme Cold Hell to find you..."
Storm blinked.
This reaction was perfectly in line with Shiryu's character...
Even as the Deputy Warden of Impel Down,
Shiryu cared little for his duties or responsibilities.
His only hobby was killing.
At first, he only killed prisoners.
Then, his blade turned toward his colleagues...
And eventually, he was locked away in the Infinite Hell...
Storm asked with great interest.
"How did Magellan deal with Shiryu? Did he lock him up in the lowest level, Infinite Hell?"
"Not that extreme..."
Hannyabal shook his head.
"But since that day, Magellan has insisted that Shiryu must not leave his sight."
"That... seems a bit difficult, doesn't it?"
Storm sensed something was off.
"Magellan isn't exactly normal—he spends about ten hours a day with diarrhea.
"Surely Shiryu can't be expected to stand guard beside him during those ten hours too?"
"Hahaha!"
Hannyabal couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"That's the real punishment Magellan, that big bastard, imposed on Shiryu, that super bastard!"
Amidst laughter and conversation.
Storm and Hannyabal finally left the area of Extreme Cold Hell.
The two boarded the prison elevator together, heading to the fourth level, Scorching Hell, and the Warden's office.
"What does Magellan want with me?"
Storm asked inside the elevator.
"Don't tell me he's planning another one of those 'peace talks' like last time?"
Hearing this, Hannyabal gave Storm a rather peculiar look.
After the last incident.
Unless Magellan's brain was completely filled with poison.
There was no way he'd let Storm and Shiryu stay in the same place again. "That kind of thing won't happen again."
Hannyabal shook his head and said seriously.
"As for why Magellan wants to see you, he probably just wants to lecture you on some grand principles."
It had to be admitted, Hannyabal's understanding of Magellan was spot-on.
The moment Storm stepped into the Warden's office.
He saw a massive, brick-thick tome on Magellan's desk—
Impel Down Warden Code of Conduct
At this moment, in the Warden's office.
Apart from Magellan, there was only Deputy Warden Domino.
Shiryu was nowhere to be seen.
"Warden!"
Before "Magellan's Lecture" could begin, Storm quickly spoke up, interrupting the spell.
"Good morning! Have you detoxed today?"
"Good morning, Storm!"
Magellan's face remained stern, showing no intention of joking.
"You haven't been at Impel Down for long. While your work has been outstanding, you've also made quite a few mistakes."
"Warden!"
Storm interrupted again.
"I don't provoke others unless provoked.
"Before I attacked Shiryu, he had already attacked me first!"
Magellan felt a headache coming on.
Storm's words were indeed the truth.
If Shiryu hadn't swung that inexplicable slash in the cafeteria.
The relationship between Storm and Shiryu would never have deteriorated to this point...
Just as Magellan was struggling to figure out how to discipline his subordinates.
Storm continued.
"Warden, I have a new solution to the problem."
"A solution?"
Magellan looked up at Storm.
"A solution to the problem between you and Shiryu?"
"Exactly!"
Storm nodded.
"The conflict between Shiryu and me boils down to the fact that neither of our previous two duels had a clear winner.
"Just let me fight Shiryu one more time, truly determine who's stronger, settle the score once and for all.
"Then all the issues between us will be resolved!"
Can't solve the problem.
Then just eliminate the one causing the problem! You're quite the clever one, Storm! Magellan was left speechless.
He had been holding back Shiryu and Storm to prevent a conflict from erupting.
Was it to protect Shiryu from being beaten up by Storm?!
Clearly, Magellan was protecting Storm, the newcomer! The Chief hadn't even had a chance to voice his opinion yet.
A cold voice echoed from the toilet in his office.
"You're digging your own grave!"