Ian spread his fingers wide.
White clay surged outward and instantly morphed into dozens of thick clay tendrils.
At the tip of each tendril, a thin layer of Armament Haki gleamed faintly—
a razor-sharp enhancement meant solely for destruction.
"Then let's switch offense and defense—
Clay Barrage!"
At his command, the clay tendrils whipped forward like a torrential storm.
Every tendril that slammed into the ground gouged out a crater large enough to swallow a man whole.
Lightning dodged one.
Dodged a second.
But he could not dodge the third.
Nor the fourth—
Bang!
A clay tendril, hardened with Haki, struck him squarely and froze him mid-movement.
The next instant, a tidal wave of clay came crashing down.
Countless tendrils descended like a rain of pillars, burying Lightning beneath them entirely.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—
A chain of explosions rolled through the forest floor.
And then—
A new system prompt flickered before Ian's eyes.
[Platinum Chest: Lightning]
[Chest Rank: ★★★★★]
"Another platinum chest in the bag!"
Ian dismissed the notification and recalled all the clay in a smooth wave.
On the cratered battlefield, Lightning lay at the bottom of the largest pit—
covered in wounds, barely conscious, looking for all the world like a corpse.
If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, he could've passed for dead.
Ian frowned slightly.
A platinum chest was great—excellent, in fact.
But the aftermath was… troublesome.
He had known Impel Down harbored the hidden "Level 5.5," but he'd never bothered to consider dealing with the freakish "Newkamaland" residents down there.
After all—
Human monsters or regular prisoners, they gave the same kind of chest.
So why go out of his way to cause chaos in the Paradise of the Newkama?
He certainly hadn't expected to encounter one of them so quickly in the freezing hell layer.
And not just anyone—
but the No. 2 of Newkama Land.
"The fight just now was a bit noisy.
"If the entrance to Level 5.5 is somewhere in these woods, they'll definitely have noticed."
Which meant…
Ian glanced at a clay clone waiting quietly beside him.
A thought sparked.
A few seconds later—
A towering figure emerged from the icy forest.
A man nearly seven meters tall.
Golden hair flowing wildly like a lion's mane.
Broad frame, monstrous strength, overwhelming presence—
And above all, a massive crescent-shaped white mustache.
Whitebeard III.
"Edward Teach" reborn.
Ian's Clay-Clay Fruit had already awakened.
Paired with the Color-Shift ability he'd acquired earlier, the clay construct now looked nothing like the crude caricature from before.
Standing in the frozen forest, this "Whitebeard III" was nearly indistinguishable from the real Whitebeard in his forties.
If the real Edward Newgate saw this…
even he might wonder whether he had left behind a secret illegitimate son.
Ian examined the clay duplicate—
No.
Not a clone.
A full battle suit.
His lips curled.
"Perfect."
He stepped forward and walked straight into "Teach."
Literally.
His body melted through the clay surface like a droplet sinking into water.
Ian settled into the hollow chest cavity—
the "cockpit" of the towering clay titan.
"Move out, Whitebeard III!"
Ian piloted the clay titan like a novice mecha driver, shifting, twisting, getting used to each limb's weight.
After some practice, he began imitating the real Whitebeard's mannerisms.
"Gu–na–la—
Cough.
Gu–la! Gura—
Gurararara!
I'm Whitebeard III!!!"
The giant strode through the forest of Level Five, carrying Lightning like a limp baby chick in one massive hand.
A moment earlier, Ian had swept through the entire forest with Observation Haki.
Especially the areas Lightning had passed through—
those were inspected down to the root.
Then he found it—
a hidden opening deep within the frosted woods.
His Observation Haki could clearly hear the lively noise coming from the other side.
Unless he was mistaken—
That was the entrance to Impel Down's secret Level 5.5 — Newkama Land.
Disguised as Edward "Teach," Ian's target was precisely that.
After several minutes of trudging through the snowy terrain—
"Teach" reached the concealed entrance.
Even without Haki, he could hear the racket inside now.
Music.
Laughing.
Shouting.
The unmistakable chaos of the Newkama.
Teach didn't hesitate.
He strode in.
A narrow passage—just enough to fit a human.
A few dozen steps—
And the space suddenly opened into a vast cavern.
It wasn't as tall as the freezing hell outside, but the ceiling still rose dozens of meters high—
easily enough for a Giant to walk freely.
The entire place had clearly been remodeled.
It looked like a crude underground theater.
And at the moment Ian stepped inside—
Everyone inside was in the middle of a grand celebration.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/FicHaven786