Hannyabal had no idea what was going on inside Ian's head.
Hearing Ian's modest remark, the Chief Jailer beamed and nodded vigorously.
"Exactly! Exactly! That bastard Shiryu is nothing compared to you!"
After saying that, he hesitated for a moment before adding:
"Ahem… Ian, uh… it's time to head to Blazing Hell."
Ian blinked, pulling his mind away from thoughts of "clay artistry."
"I haven't even eaten yet."
"I—I'll have someone deliver your meal straight to the cell!"
Blazing Hell — Private Solitary Cell
Fed and satisfied, Ian sat cross-legged on the scorching stone floor.
The fearsome temperature of the fourth level didn't bother him in the slightest.
With four-star Physique, this kind of heat was nothing more than warm air.
He summoned his System Treasure Box and stared at the newly appeared entry:
[Armament Haki: ☆]
"So it was Armament Haki awakening."
Ian clenched his fist and gingerly guided the unfamiliar power.
A faint, transparent layer—almost invisible—coated his knuckles.
"No coloration? Huh. Looks a bit different from how Armament Haki is usually shown… must be because the level's too low."
He dismissed it and closed his eyes, gauging the stamina drain.
"Using Haki eats more energy than the Six Powers for sure.
As for its strength…"
He conjured a human-sized clay statue.
Boom!
One punch—coated in Armament Haki—and the statue shattered like brittle glass.
"Definitely stronger than normal strikes."
Ian waved off the haki and created several clay clones.
Since Iron Body awakened his Armament Haki…
Then perhaps Paper Art could awaken—
Observation Haki?
Under his control, the clay clones attacked simultaneously, unleashing a storm of strikes.
Ian exhaled slowly, relaxed his muscles, letting his body go loose—moving like fluttering paper, slipping through every blow.
He didn't know how long he kept at it.
But eventually—
A new entry appeared.
[Observation Haki: ☆]
Time Passed… and Solitary Ended
By the time his confinement ended, Ian had:
Gained beginner-level mastery of Armament and Observation Haki
Fully absorbed the four-star Six Powers upgrades
And unexpectedly awakened a new technique—
[Life Return: ☆]
The Six Powers pushed the human body to extremes.
Life Return was the ultimate expression of that principle: precise, absolute control over one's physical form.
Muscles, organs, hair—
so long as Ian willed it, he could control it.
He knew the ability had terrifying potential…
But solitary time was over. Experimentation would have to come later.
Fourth Layer — Warden's Office
This time, Ian finally found Magellan in his office, not the bathroom.
"Ian… sorry."
Magellan looked genuinely guilty.
"I shouldn't have sent you to solitary."
Ian simply stared at him.
If apologies worked, what would laws be for?
"I investigated the whole incident," Magellan continued.
"Shiryu… Shiryu is just a lunatic!
Don't lower yourself to his level."
"Lower myself?" Ian chuckled dryly.
"So he tries to cut me down, and I'm supposed to smile and forgive him?"
"I know it's unreasonable," Magellan said, wincing.
"But—"
"If you know it's unreasonable, then don't say it."
Ian cut him off.
"If there's nothing else, Chief, I'll get back to work.
Haven't patrolled the prison in days—my hands are itching."
Itching…?
Magellan watched Ian's departing figure, a faint chill crawling up his spine.
He'd been worried Shiryu would turn into a homicidal maniac.
But now…
Was Ian heading in that direction too?
"It's just my imagination… just my imagination!"
Magellan squeezed his legs together and sprinted into the bathroom.
Outside the Office
"IAN!!"
Ian turned to see Sadie—freshly recovered—cracking her whip playfully.
"Don't forget to properly discipline those jailer beasts!"
"I don't have that kind of hobby," Ian replied, waving her off before stepping into the elevator.
Back to Patrol Duty
Clean uniform, refreshed body, focused mind.
Ian resumed his tour of Impel Down.
But thanks to the much-gossiped incident of "Chief Guard vs. Deputy Warden", every prisoner already knew—
Shiryu the Bloodthirsty, the monster who cut down colleagues for fun—
Had been beaten down by the new guy.
Their fear of Shiryu shifted instantly to Ian.
His patrol was smooth… too smooth.
That wouldn't do.
He needed Treasure Chests.
So Ian found himself a convenient excuse:
Today, he disliked striped uniforms.
Then he marched straight to the strongest prisoner on the fourth level—
A pirate worth 91 million Berries,
an Animal-type Chameleon Fruit user.
Even in Impel Down, Devil Fruit users were rare on the upper floors.
Ian wanted to see whether a 90+ million pirate could produce—
A Golden Chest.
The result?
White Silver Treasure Box.
He clicked his tongue.
So his suspicion was confirmed.
Bounties exceeding 100 million correspond to Golden Treasure Boxes.
Which meant—
"Looks like the Golden Chests…"
Ian's eyes gleamed.
"…are waiting for me down in Freezing Hell."
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