Chapter 172: Fourth Form

Gao Wen's lips curled upward.

The Equilibrium Trait allowed him to push all his attributes to the extreme, while Harmony enabled him to perfectly control his own body.

"According to this deduction, I should not need the assistance of the Rumble Ball to master the ability of multiple transformations on my own."

"And the effect I want bears some resemblance, more or less, to the Paper Art Body that Roubo Luqi demonstrated in the original work."

"However, his ability was achieved by developing the Six Powers to the extreme and utilizing Life Return."

"It is a form that increases speed while sacrificing strength."

"What I want, however, is to maintain my original size, or at least undergo no significant change in size, while gaining physical abilities no weaker than, or even surpassing, the Human-Beast Form!"

Snap!

Gao Wen slammed the Rumble Ball Theory shut and gently placed it back in its original position.

He turned, leaped, and dropped from the window into the swirling snow and wind.

A temperature sufficient to make an ordinary person's body tremble, or even cause frostbite, had no effect whatsoever on Gao Wen, whose constitution was comparable to a monster's.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, then began attempting to combine the Rumble Ball Theory with the Harmony Trait that allowed perfect control of the body to develop the form most suitable for himself.

A few breaths later.

Gao Wen's body began to emit a series of explosive sounds; fierce scales rapidly grew over his surface, and the long horns on his forehead extended backward, resembling a majestic crown.

However, his size also began to swell uncontrollably, finally transforming into a massive dragon-man over eight meters tall.

"Incorrect!"

Gao Wen frowned deeply and looked down at the snow beside him.

The Guanshi Zhengzong, which had been just the right size in his hand, now looked as thin as a toothpick compared to his current strong and burly form, which resembled a city wall.

"The Human-Beast Form has ample strength, but it cannot push the Instant Death technique's godly speed to the extreme!"

"Again!"

Gao Wen closed his eyes, his body returned to its original shape, and immediately began another round of attempts.

"Incorrect, still a bit off!"

"Again!"

"This time the size is correct, but too much strength is lost; I might as well rely on Harmony to simulate the Paper Art Body directly!"

"Again!"

In the snowfield.

With each of Gao Wen's attempts, while retaining the strength advantage of the Human-Beast Form, the size of his transformed body shrank step by step.

The Equilibrium Trait allowed him to push his physical abilities to the limit, and the Harmony Trait further enabled him to perfectly control his body.

Once he comprehended the principle of the Rumble Ball, he could master it at an unimaginable speed and turn it into tangible combat power.

Time passed.

Unknowingly, Gao Wen mastered a seven-stage transformation ability similar to Chopper's, and could even transform specific limbs into beast states while keeping other parts in human form.

For example, growing wings or a dragon tail separately, transforming his arms into dragon claws individually, or even covering his body surface with a layer of scales like soft armor to enhance his defensive capabilities.

Finally.

One night passed.

On the distant horizon, the sun gradually rose, and crimson rays of light fell from the sky, striking Gao Wen.

At this moment, he was about two point four meters tall; his size was not bloated like the Human-Beast Form, his muscle lines were smooth, and filled with aesthetic beauty.

Crimson dragon scales covered Gao Wen's body surface like a layer of fine soft armor, completely covering every inch of his skin, with fierce backward-pointing spikes on his limbs and spine.

"Hah~!"

Gao Wen let out a long breath, feeling the explosive power within his body, and a hint of satisfaction finally appeared in his eyes:

"To retain the strength of the Human-Beast Form, this size is already the limit, but it is sufficient to push the Instant Death skill and the Godly Speed Trait to the extreme."

"In this state, I will possess the powerful physical abilities of the Human-Beast Form, and I will also be able to unleash my swordsmanship and speed."

"This is the perfect form most suitable for pushing my swordsmanship and abilities to the extreme, the balance point between the Human-Beast Form and the Human Form, let's call it..."

"Demon Form!"

Having said that.

Gao Wen skillfully opened the system panel:

【Host - Gao Wen】

【Age - 24】

【Identity - Captain of the Gao Wen Pirate Crew】

【Skills:

Swordsmanship - LV-13: 34831/50000 (Godly Speed, Extreme Weapon)

Physique - LV-14: 44176/75000 (Equilibrium, Harmony) (Demon Form: LV-16 / Human-Beast Form: LV-16 / Beast Form: LV-17)

Instant Death - LV-8: 13/12000 (Shunpo)

Red Dragon Fruit - LV-4: 125/15000

Six Powers (All) - LV-2: 2676/6000

Observation Haki - LV-5: 7672/10000 (Precognition)

Armament Haki - LV-3: 2845/5000

Conqueror's Haki - LV-1: 3601/5000

Navigation - LV-5: MAX

Sniper-LV-5: MAX (Precision)

】

【Badge:

Captain's Wrath - Subordinates' stamina recovery speed +20%

Rising Fame - View potential abilities

Bounty Over 100 Million - Ocean's Favor (Used)

Seven Warlords of the Sea - Experience Storage Jar (Allocated: Navigation, Sniper, Paramecia-type Devil Fruit)

】

【Rating - Gold:

A mighty warlord, possessing the qualities of a king.

】

Gao Wen glanced over the panel.

Having entered the Grand Line for over a month, all skills had grown significantly.

Swordsmanship had gained over twenty thousand experience, nearing level 14; advancing further would unlock new branch skills.

Physicality had even surged in a new wave due to Roubo Luqi's joining.

Originally, Gao Wen's daily physicality gain averaged around 1,100 points, but with Roubo Luqi and Miss Kalifa joining midway, this figure leaped to nearly 1,500.

Although everyone's cultivation had basically halted since Gao Wen's pirate crew entered the Dongdao, after entering the Grand Line, Gao Wen's physicality experience had surged by nearly 40,000.

Shao Si advanced further, reaching L8; the Red Dragon Fruit also saw its experience explode due to Roubo Luqi's Zoan-type presence, directly leveling up by one.

Overall combat power surged by a full tier, ranking among the top even within the Gold level.

Even against Zephyr, without relying on the Red Dragon's ability to ignore Sea Prism Stone for a sneak attack, Gao Wen was confident he could suppress him directly.

"So the Demon King Form is indeed recognized?!"

Having gauged his current combat strength, Gao Wen shifted his gaze to the Physicality and Red Dragon Fruit columns.

The Demon King Form, developed based on the Rumble Ball theory, was recognized by the system without surprise.

Furthermore, its boost to physicality matched the Human-Beast Form, while possessing a speed advantage the latter lacked; aside from size, it was a complete overkill.

More importantly, after Gao Wen transformed into the Demon King State, it did not hinder his swordsmanship at all; it was a form that perfectly combined both.

The boost to overall combat power was nothing short of immediate!

"If forced to assign a rank, with so many abilities combined, my current combat power has roughly risen from Gold Lower to Gold Middle, no, to Gold Upper."

"Need speed? There's God-Speed Shao Si. Need strength? There's the Demon King Form. Need damage? There's the Supreme Weapon Haki. Need large-scale AOE? There's the Scorching Earth Azure Star. For ranged attacks, both Swordsmanship and the Red Dragon work. Moreover, if the battlefield is chosen well, it's equivalent to infinite health and blue..."

"The Bucket's development has borne initial fruit."

"Now, with the Emperor level still out of reach, who else can suppress me?"

Gao Wen pondered for a while but found no answer, so he gave up and turned his attention back to the task at hand.

"As expected, no news yet from Jin; the Moshuru gang has not been found."

"But this basically corroborates my judgment: the Moshuru gang is most likely hiding on the Dongdao, but what is their purpose?"

Gao Wen frowned slightly.

He was a manga reader.

Not that he disliked the anime, but the recap of previous events at the start of every episode, occupying most of the runtime, was truly killing him.

Gao Wen couldn't help but feel some regret at the moment; in his past life, because this theatrical film was a one-to-one recreation of the Drum Island arc, he had completely skipped watching it.

He had only seen it mentioned in a few related posts, knowing that this theatrical film introduced a brand new villain, a Mold Mold Fruit user, Moshuru, the brother of Wapol.

As for more details, he was momentarily at a loss.

"They are taking action on the Dongdao; they must leave some traces."

Gao Wen closed the panel, spread his double wings behind him, leaped into the high sky, and vanished from the horizon in an instant.

Outside the clinic.

Xiang Keluo had just emerged from the room with two dark circles under his eyes; having witnessed Gao Wen's entire cultivation session last night, he now didn't know what words to use to describe his feelings.

He just stared blankly in the direction of Gao Wen's fierce Shao Si, momentarily lost in thought.

"That form, smaller in size but with even greater pressure, is your goal?"

"Starting from clumsiness at the very beginning, making a bit of progress with every attempt; in just one night, you have perfectly achieved your goal?"

"Is this why you can learn my Shao, which took me years to develop, with just one glance, and even have the confidence to learn the Six Styles just by watching?!"

"A monster, no, a demon prodigy!"

"Is this level of feat truly something a human can achieve?!"

In that moment, Xiang Keluo felt he had discovered the truth behind Gao Wen's confidence in learning the Six Styles: an unimaginable talent.

"And, I can see that besides talent, he can perfectly control his body; the effect of this ability is even more terrifying than that comprehension."

"Even though I haven't touched the Six Styles, I can still make a judgment: even if one comprehends Life Return, they cannot achieve the effect Gao Wen displays."

"The question we all should be asking is not how to surpass him, but how to keep up with his pace!"

With this thought, Xiang Keluo's eyes held nothing but unspeakable unwillingness; he took a folded paper ball from his chest and slowly unfolded it.

Revealed was a fruit skin covered in blades; these blades intertwined with each other, forming a fruit that protruded like a whirlwind.

"If you have also chosen me, then appear quickly; I cannot accept the day I become a burden."

"Yo, Mr. Keluo, what are you looking at?"

Sanji, who had just finished breakfast and brought it to everyone, paused in surprise; he felt the paper in Xiang Keluo's hand looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

"That is... the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia?"

Xiang Keluo stuffed the encyclopedia into his chest in one grab, his old face flushing red as he denied:

"You're mistaken!"

"I wouldn't remember it wrong; the version I saw before was exactly like this. Mr. Xiang Keluo, don't you hate Devil Fruits the most?!"

"Shut up!"

Xiang Keluo's defenses crumbled; disregarding breakfast entirely, he turned and vanished instantly into the distant snow.

Sanji, remaining in place, revealed a meaningful smile:

"Another one who says no but means yes."

After finishing breakfast, Chopper returned directly to the clinic and threw himself back into researching the new medicine.

The arrival of the three members of Doctor-20 not only alleviated Chopper's current pressure and helped him handle the increasing number of patients, but also provided him with greater assistance in researching the new medicine.

After all, these three were the members of Doctor-20 most skilled in new medicine research.

"The special medicine we previously developed against Mushuru's spores has been verified as ineffective."

The afro-haired doctor stood beside Chopper, raised a hand to stroke his chin, and said:

"But the underlying logic can still be applied; it can greatly accelerate the development speed of the new medicine, though follow-up human experimentation will be required."

"Developing the new medicine will still take some time; afterward, we'll need to find volunteers among the patients, but we don't have much time left now."

Chopper nodded, his gaze serious, and focused his attention on compounding the new medicine.

From drug ratios to medicinal compatibility, Chopper treated every step with utmost seriousness, while the three doctors went all out to assist him.

Chopper was kind by nature; after yesterday's events, although he hadn't relented verbally, he had actually forgiven Doctor-20 in his heart.

Or rather, the returning Doctor-20 were precisely the patients treated by Hiriluk; they were proof of his existence.

Thus, Chopper gradually let go of his lingering resentment, and after a night of communication, he found himself astonished by these three's medical skills.

Yet he did not know that the astonishment in these three hearts far exceeded his own.

At this moment.

The afro-haired doctor looked at Chopper and couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration:

"Even counting from when Hiriluk adopted you, you've only been studying medicine for five or six years, yet you've reached a level that makes us ashamed."

"This is no longer something achievable by talent alone."

"The sweat poured into this is something only we, as fellow doctors, can understand."

"Hiriluk was a great man who could heal people's hearts, but to be honest, his medical skills for treating injuries and illnesses were truly just average."

"But you are different; you are stronger than all of us."

As soon as the words landed.

Chopper's ears twitched slightly; he immediately turned his head, his face breaking into a wide grin:

"Bastard! If you keep nagging, get out!"

While saying this, his hand subconsciously pulled over a nearby chair.

The afro-haired doctor, feeling ashamed, exchanged a glance with his companion beside him, scratched his head, and asked in disbelief:

"Does he mean for me to sit down and continue talking?!"

"Pro... probably~"

The three chuckled, but whenever they looked at Chopper, the guilt in their eyes had become impossible to hide.

"Hiriluk had a very good child."

"Yes, he might become the greatest doctor in this country's history."

"No, the greatest doctor is Hiriluk; Chopper... would be second."

The small talk stopped there.

The three immediately turned their full energy toward the patients and the research on the new medicine, even specifically assigning one person during this period to conduct research on related vaccines.

They wanted to help this country once and for all, completely eliminating the threat of Mushuru, thereby atoning for the sins they had once committed.

(End of Chapter)