Chapter 121: Baisha, the Demon of Water

After Penggeles fished Luo Lan out of the sea, Wapol and his two companions, along with the doctors, sailors, and cooks from their ship, were rounded up by other marines and brought onto the warship.

As for the mechanical-style pirate ship, once the marines had emptied it of all supplies, they set it ablaze, leaving nothing but ashes. They had learned this efficiency from Luo Lan himself. After all, with a ship full of corpses, it was better to simply burn it all down than to waste time and energy cleaning it up.

Compared to his previous arrogant demeanor, Wapol had now transformed into a well-behaved little sheep. He had finally realized that this crew of marines was nothing more than a gang of bandits wearing the guise of the Navy.

"Colonel Luo Lan, I’ve checked, and this guy really seems to be the King of the Drum Kingdom, a member of the World Government. Is it really appropriate to treat him like this?" Penggeles whispered, leaning in toward Luo Lan’s ear while casting a glance at the trembling Wapol.

"He is a pirate—the captain of the Bliking Pirates, Wapol the White Iron. He has no other identity. Do you understand?" Luo Lan said indifferently. "Or perhaps you think that someone who abandons his people and flees with his army the moment a pirate attack occurs is truly qualified to remain a king?"

Penggeles fell silent. Once he recalled the intelligence extracted from Wapol’s subordinates, he knew that Luo Lan was right. While the title of king might be hereditary, much like the World Nobles, not everyone in this world deserved such a designation. Someone like Wapol, who only cared about his own pleasure and would flee with his soldiers to become a pirate at the first sign of danger to continue wreaking havoc on the seas—if they hadn't intercepted him, he would have succeeded in preying upon other merchant vessels or civilian ships.

"So, rest easy, Major. I have everything under control," Luo Lan said, comforting Penggeles while checking the system interface for the fourth stage of the Demon Form he had just unlocked.

On Wapol’s ship, Luo Lan had personally eliminated over five hundred soldiers, pushing his Kill Count past the thousand mark to over thirteen hundred.

"Host: Luo Lan."
"Race: Human."
"Special Ability: Zoan Human-Human Fruit, Demon Form, Stage 4 (Pending Selection)."
"Kill Count: 1321."
"Strength Level: 6 (2040/10000)."
"Speed Level: 6 (3400/10000)."
"Physique Level: 6 (1740/10000)."
"Swordsmanship Level: 7 (6100/70000)."
"Rokushiki - Soru Level: 2 (8640/10000)."
"Rokushiki - Geppo Level: 2 (7950/10000)."
"Rokushiki - Shigan Level: 2 (9320/10000)."
"Rokushiki - Rankyaku Level: 4 (2350/10000)."
"Rokushiki - Tekkai Level: 3 (5890/10000)."
"Rokushiki - Kami-e Level: 2 (6980/10000)."
"Elbaf 'Ikoku' Level: 2 (50/10000)."
"Observation Haki Level: 4 (890/10000)."
"Armament Haki Level: 5 (1310/10000)."

"Complete daily training to randomly gain attribute experience. The average human has an attribute level of 1, while ordinary marines and pirates have at least one attribute at level 2. Consistent self-discipline training will grant cumulative rewards; the longer you persist, the richer the rewards. Accumulate three thousand points in the Kill Count to unlock the fifth stage of the Demon Form. Current cumulative training days: 3796/3900. Reward: ???"

Luo Lan didn't pay much attention to the other stats, as they wouldn't change significantly in the short term. What he truly cared about was the "Pending Selection" status next to Demon Form Stage 4. When he clicked on it and saw the eight demons that appeared, he was stunned.

Good grief, was the fourth stage supposed to be this intense? These eight demons were none other than the characters from a semi-comical animated series he had watched back on Earth: *Jackie Chan Adventures*. Yes, these eight were Shendu and his seven brothers and sisters.

Moon Demon, Tso Lan.
Mountain Demon, Po Kong.
Wind Demon, Hsi Wu.
Thunder Demon, Tchang Zu.
Water Demon, Bai Tza.
Fire Demon, Shendu.
Earth Demon, Dai Gui.
Sky Demon, Xiao Fung.

Of course, had the system not displayed their names and abilities, Luo Lan would never have remembered what any of them looked like, save for Shendu. After reviewing all their abilities, Luo Lan found himself in a dilemma. All of them were quite powerful, but in the world of *One Piece*, which was dominated by the sea, choosing the Water Demon was clearly the optimal tactical decision.

The problem, however, was that the system described Bai Tza as Shendu's sister. She was a female demon! How could he, a grown man, transform into a female demon? What would people think? Especially Donna—if she found out his transformation was female, his image in her eyes would be ruined.

After much hesitation, Luo Lan finally made his choice, clicking on the Water Demon, Bai Tza, with a pained expression. Setting aside the gender issue, Bai Tza was indeed the superior choice. This world was essentially all water, with only the Red Line breaking up the scattered islands. Half of all combat would inevitably take place on the sea. By choosing Bai Tza, he would essentially be invincible.

Furthermore, this world was governed by Devil Fruits. It was common knowledge that Devil Fruit users became "hammers" in the water, fearing it above all else. If he mastered the abilities of the Water Demon, wouldn't he be a natural counter to every Devil Fruit user? Many of the world’s top powerhouses—the three Admirals, the Four Emperors like Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom—were all Devil Fruit users.

Moreover, considering the intelligence he had gathered about Crocodile from Mr. 3, if he could transform into the Water Demon, he could suppress the man completely. By using his water abilities to defeat Crocodile and becoming the hero of Alabasta, he would gain yet another ally.

All things considered, why shouldn't he choose the Water Demon? So what if he had to cross-dress? His voice would remain his own; only his appearance would change into that of Bai Tza. Unless he told someone, who would ever know the thing was female?