Devil Fruit… Awakening!**
"Although I think it's totally unnecessary, go ahead and put your weapons here."
Hannibal pointed at the Liquor-Iron Sabre hanging at Ian's waist and couldn't keep himself from complaining.
"Come to think of it… I've never once seen you use that sword. Why do you even carry it around?"
"Because it looks cool."
"…Huh?"
"Ahem— I mean, I used to use a sword. In my early years."
"Early years…?"
Hannibal rubbed his forehead, speechless.
"You're barely in your twenties! Why am I even having this conversation…"
Ian set the Liquor-Iron sabre down on the storage rack—along with the Seastone Baton.
Just then, a Den Den Mushi rang.
Buru buru—
Not the Impel Down line.
His personal Den Den Mushi.
Ian glanced at Hannibal, then answered casually.
"Ah-la-la—"
Before the voice on the other end could speak, Ian cut in bluntly:
"I'm about to go to jail. Don't bother me."
Click!
He hung up decisively.
Hannibal blinked.
"…Who was that?"
"Who cares. As long as it wasn't Magellan."
Ian pocketed the Den Den Mushi and pushed Hannibal toward the exit.
"Come on. Let's head to Freezing Hell."
"I heard from the guards that you can walk through Freezing Hell bare-handed, without a protective suit?"
"Ah? A-Ahahaha!"
Hannibal let out a dry laugh.
"Well… I am a man destined to become Chief Warden, after all…"
Meanwhile, far away—
On the calm seas of Paradise, the sound of a blind tone echoed over the water.
Kuzan sat astride his bicycle, frozen in confusion as he stared at the Den Den Mushi.
…What did he just hear?
"Ah-la-la… Must be because I napped too long. My brain's a bit fuzzy."
He scratched his messy afro-like hair.
"I must've dialed the wrong number."
Buu-buu!
His Den Den Mushi shook its head vigorously.
Meaning—
He did NOT dial the wrong number.
"…Huh?"
Kuzan tried calling again.
This time, all he heard was a dead tone.
Ian's line was already disconnected.
"Ian went to Impel Down as a guard, right…?"
He and the Den Den Mushi stared at each other in silence while the soulless beeping echoed.
"…Who the hell threw him in jail?!"
Freezing Hell — a world of biting wind and frozen death
Ian sat cross-legged inside the solitary cell, every breath turning instantly into white vapor.
"Just as cold as the rumors claimed."
He flexed his right hand.
No stiffness.
No numbness.
"Fortunately, I upgraded Endurance to five stars earlier.
At four stars, my body wouldn't have lasted in this place."
He looked out through the frost-coated bars.
In the cell directly opposite his—
A notorious criminal with a bounty in the hundreds of millions sat frozen solid, entombed in ice.
No breath.
No movement.
Not even the slightest sign of life.
A corpse.
Frozen to death by the hellish climate.
"…A pity. That would've been a Golden Chest."
The regret in Ian's mind faded quickly.
He spread his Observation Haki, sweeping through Freezing Hell.
Hannibal—shivering like a dying leaf—had already left with a squad of guards in thick protective suits.
So much for the rumor that the "Chief Guard feels neither heat nor cold"…
"Whatever. At least Hannibal's gone."
Ian breathed out in relief.
He didn't come to Freezing Hell to serve punishment.
He came here for—
System Chests.
Compared to the upper levels, Freezing Hell held far stronger prisoners.
And even better—
There were no surveillance Den Den Mushi.
Those little things couldn't survive the temperatures here.
Aside from the hidden Level 5.5 Newkama Paradise,
Level 5 was the only "surveillance blind zone" in all of Impel Down.
Which meant—
Ian finally had free reign to move.
But before he began his treasure hunt…
Sharpen the axe before chopping wood.
Ian summoned his System Chests.
He had defeated four Jail Beasts.
Among the Platinum Chests earned, he had only used one.
Three Platinum Chests remained.
And now—
It was the perfect time to allocate points.
Ian took a slow breath and dropped one Platinum Chest into:
[Clay-Clay Fruit]
[Clay-Clay Fruit: ★★★★★★]
Six stars.
Two Platinum Chests left.
He originally planned to invest them into his Physique,
but in a place like Freezing Hell—with no food, no resources—
If he upgraded Physique right now, he'd starve for days afterward.
"When the punishment ends, I'll invest them into Endurance."
Ian stored the remaining two chests, then turned his attention to his newly upgraded fruit.
The moment he focused, inspiration exploded through his mind.
In an instant—
He understood the difference between
Five-and-a-Half Stars
and
Six Stars.
He pressed his right palm onto the icy ground and activated the Clay-Clay Fruit.
Under the influence of his Devil Fruit…
Frozen earth—packed solid for who knew how many years—softened instantly.
His arm sank into the ground, plunging into what was once unbreakable frozen soil.
White clay gushed from the contact point like a fountain.
"Six Stars…"
A single thought—
And the Clay-Clay Fruit's power rippled outward, engulfing the entire cell.
The frozen terrain turned into soft, yielding clay in a heartbeat.
"Awakening."
Zoan fruits awakened by granting monstrous vitality and regeneration.
Paramecia fruits awakened by affecting the world around the user.
At the moment Ian pushed the Clay-Clay Fruit to six stars…
The Clay-Clay Fruit awakened.
And Freezing Hell trembled.
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