Impel Down, Level 3: Starvation Hell.
The dry air seemed to be boiling, forming distorted waves. A constant stream of scorching heat rose from the ground.
Wilder, barefoot, stood on the floor. Thin wisps of white smoke rose from between the ground and the soles of his feet.
"Sss… sss…"
"This heat… Is it from the Blazing Hell below…?"
Wilder frowned. The intense heat made him instinctively uncomfortable. The soles of his feet had already begun to redden and develop a burning sensation due to the high temperature of the ground.
If it weren't for the Logia-type Devil Fruit keeping his body in a state of elementalization, this scorching ground would be burning not the moisture in the swamp, but the flesh of his feet.
Even so, Wilder could still feel that he was taking damage. Although the damage was minor, the fact that it was fine for a short while didn't mean it would be okay to stay here for a long time.
"A counter?" Wilder mused. The elementalization provided by the Swamp-Swamp Fruit itself seemed to be affected by the high temperature. Currently, it couldn't keep his body completely elementalized; at least… about 3% of his body was unable to be elementalized.
Even so, this influence could be suppressed under Wilder's control. It was, after all, just environmental suppression. Although it had some effect, it wasn't as direct as a counter in an attack.
"So the ability's weakness is high temperature…? That's not very good." As Wilder said this, there wasn't a trace of worry on his face.
Wilder knew that every Devil Fruit ability had its corresponding weakness. Some were weak to water, some to fire. If his Devil Fruit ability's weakness was high temperature, then even without the addition of Armament Haki, attacks carrying high heat could hit his physical form.
"I'll only know if I try…" Speaking as if it were a matter entirely unrelated to him, Wilder pried up a scorching floor tile and slammed it hard against his left hand!
"Thud!"
The left hand, struck by the tile, instantly turned into swamp and splattered everywhere.
"There's pain, this is…" Wilder's eyes flickered. As he spoke, the scattered swamp surged and returned to his wrist, reforming into his left hand.
"A graze…"
Looking at the faint, almost bloodless graze on the back of his hand, Wilder smiled deeply.
So that meant…
High-temperature attacks couldn't completely nullify his elementalization. The counter existed; that was natural. Swamp itself would lose moisture under intense heat, and swamp that had completely lost its moisture could no longer be called swamp.
But achieving that required extremely high temperatures and prolonged exposure. Although the swamp would lose moisture under high heat, it wouldn't dry up in an instant. A momentary high-temperature attack, while having an effect due to the counter, wasn't enough to strip Wilder of his swamp elementalization.
As for that slight graze, it was the effect of the counter.
Having figured this out, Wilder stopped dwelling on the issue and began to survey the environment of Level 3.
Heat. That was the eternal theme of Starvation Hell. The extreme heat rising from the Blazing Hell below made the entire Starvation Hell look more like a steamer.
Except this steamer wasn't steaming food, but a group of heinous criminals.
Cages, stone walls, crosses, and dried corpses… formed the cruel landscape and current state of Starvation Hell.
Hunger was silent, both for the dead and the living. The dead, needless to say, were silent. The living were doing everything they could to conserve energy.
Here, even speaking was a form of expenditure.
The entire Starvation Hell, apart from the tall, grayish-white structures divided into individual cells, offered no other scenery.
Wilder didn't intend to stay here long. In fact, he was far more comfortable in his own cell.
The heat made Wilder uncomfortable, and besides, his purpose wasn't sightseeing. He was here to prepare for opening the passage between Level 3 and Level 4. Once that was done, he would return to Level 2 to carry out another plan.
Having gained experience from creating the Level 2.5 Swamp Hell, Wilder didn't waste any time. Using the same method, he created a hidden crack in the ground. After releasing the swamp, Wilder put all his effort into controlling it, channeling it into the fissure.
Assimilation began!
Wilder's control over the swamp and his ability to assimilate it had improved significantly since he first started. Assimilating the environment was no longer as difficult as before.
A large amount of swamp rapidly flowed into the ground, and at the same time, the stones within the crack were gradually assimilated into swamp. The process wasn't fast, but it was continuous.
However, this was still a massive undertaking, not something that could be completed in a day or two. To avoid being detected by the Visual Den Den Mushi and the guards, Wilder couldn't stay in one place for too long.
Therefore, once the swamp underground had reached a certain size, Wilder severed the connection with it.
Then, turning into swamp, he followed the wall he had come down, passed through the Swamp Hell, and returned to Level 2.
"Now then… Let's start the other plan." A hint of anticipation shone in Wilder's eyes.
He turned and walked into the depths, and shortly after, Wilder arrived at Eigg's cell through the swamp passage.
They exchanged some words, and Eigg's expression changed noticeably. His eyes flickered uncertainly.
"Nyehehehe… You have no choice." Wilder chuckled darkly, watching Eigg's expression. Then, regardless of Eigg's reaction, his body instantly turned into swamp and surged into the passage.
A few days later, a long-standing legend within Impel Down suddenly resurfaced in Level 2, Beast Hell.
The prisoner on Level 2, Eigg, had vanished without a trace.
The Devil's Invitation!
Everyone instantly thought of this legend that circulated within Impel Down.
The idea that rumors stop with the wise never applied to a group of prisoners who were just waiting for death. On the contrary, rumors would be amplified and embellished by these criminals before being spread further.
For them, all of this was a rare spice in their otherwise boring prison life. So, they wouldn't miss any opportunity.
A story that originated from one's own mouth was always unique. It could bring a great sense of honor, especially when the story received high praise from other inmates.
Wilder silently watched the story evolve into a version even he hadn't anticipated, a smile gradually spreading across his face.
"Nyehehehe… Spread it. The more exciting the story, the better."
He turned, his body transforming into mud, and slipped into the crack in the floor.