Upon hearing this, Lin Muxue suddenly realized something and felt quite pleased, offering praise.
"You're right, it is indeed a good thing."
This matter was naturally heard by those around them and those watching the live stream.
Indeed, no matter what choice Ye Yu made, it would be difficult for him.
Xia Ling, however, furrowed her brows, contemplating whether to deal with Lin Muxue now, even if it meant breaking the rules. Even if she didn't act now, she would find an opportunity to deal with Lin Muxue after the real changes occurred.
But she also knew in her heart that dealing with Lin Muxue would be quite challenging.
Lin Muxue looked at Ye Yu and sneered, "Ye Yu, so what will you choose?"
Ye Yu replied calmly, "Of course, I will choose to enter the Mystic Realm."
Li Cang laughed with schadenfreude, "No matter what you choose, it's no good, but this choice is fine."
Lin Muxue scorned, "Choosing like this is really foolish, but I can understand. Compared to facing me one-on-one, you naturally don't want to lose your spirit. After all, your most outstanding trait is your Conqueror's Haki. If your Conqueror's Haki were to drop to the same level as Qingfeng's, then you would be completely useless. But in two months, when you fight me, even if you face a life-threatening crisis and get teleported out, I will still make sure you leave severely injured, unable to move, and bedridden for months."
Ye Yu ignored her and said to Xia Ling, "Start preparing for the assessment of those who want to board the ship. Also, announce one last thing."
He looked at the live stream camera and spoke seriously.
"For those with high talent but who have contracted Non-Ability Users, our pirate crew is also willing to recruit them, and we won't assign them low-ranking crew member status. It will be based on the assessment results. If they perform well, they could even become executives."
This immediately caused quite a stir, and many people were astonished.
Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er were also shocked, and the crew members whispered among themselves.
"Contract Non-Ability Users with high talent could become executives in our pirate crew?"
"Is that... even possible?"
"Is Ye Yu just making empty promises?"
"Obviously, that's not possible."
...
Although Xia Ling was puzzled, she didn't say anything and followed Ye Yu's lead.
Many people were confused and couldn't understand.
"Why is Ye Yu doing this?"
"Is it to recruit more crew members? After all, those with high talent, even if they've contracted Non-Ability Users, are usually given low-ranking crew member status. And those with high talent haven't yet realized they're not prodigies, so they're unwilling to become the bottom tier of a pirate crew, which is why most of them haven't joined any pirate crew yet."
"Indeed, so Ye Yu is seizing this opportunity to recruit them."
"But recruiting them wouldn't make much of a difference, would it? At most, it would increase the number of combatants. And Conqueror's Haki is so rare; currently, only three people are known to possess it. Ye Yu is so sought after because his Conqueror's Haki is strong. But other high-talent individuals who have contracted Non-Ability Users don't have Conqueror's Haki, so they wouldn't be of much value, right?"
"After all, in fifteen days, the Overlord and the Azure Dragon Pirates will make their move against them, so he probably wants to recruit more people. Even if they're not strong, having more numbers is still something to be reckoned with."
...
Thinking this way, they felt it could only be the case.
Lin Muxue, upon hearing this, was extremely disdainful.
"Hmph, recruiting a bunch of nobodies and giving them high positions? Your pirate crew is destined to never make it onto the Strongest Pirate Crew Ranking. Forget about becoming the One King, you won't even make it to the Four Emperors. Unlike our Chosen One Pirate Crew, where only the chosen ones can be executives, and even the combat crew must be geniuses. That's why it's called the Chosen One Pirate Crew—we follow the elite path. Now that we know about your Conqueror's Haki, we're even more committed to this elite path. When you face us in the future, your Conqueror's Haki will be useless. Not a single elite on our ship will be stunned by it."
After her sarcastic remark, Lin Muxue was brimming with confidence.
"I am determined to build the strongest pirate crew. Join us, and at the very least, you'll become a member of the Four Emperors Pirates. Our ultimate goal is to become the One King. So, welcome to sign up. Our website is www.woshisabi.com."
Immediately, some people signed up for the Chosen One Pirate Crew, though naturally, it couldn't compare to the number of recruits Ye Yu's crew had.
Lin Muxue led her crew away, and the other pirate crews also dispersed.
Meanwhile, Xia Ling decided to keep the pirate ship docked here for a while, waiting to recruit some willing individuals from Donghai City before setting sail.
At this moment, many people were speculating.
"What do you think of Ye Yu's personal strength? After all, he hasn't shown much yet, only bursting out with Conqueror's Haki."
"I'm curious too. Ye Yu is quite domineering. Even without releasing Conqueror's Haki, he looks incredibly cool, carrying that stylish cross-shaped sword. It gives off a strong vibe."
"Do you think Ye Yu's swordsmanship is also exceptional?"
"What are you thinking? He contracted with Non-Ability Users. Even if there are seven of them, how strong can they be?"
"Exactly. Conqueror's Haki is powerful because it can't be trained—it's innate, based on one's spirit. As for other aspects of strength, they can be improved through training. But Non-Ability Users are destined to never be strong."
"Just because he carries a sword doesn't mean he's skilled in swordsmanship. If you were given a sword and trained day and night, how good do you think you'd be? Could you compare to a Devil Fruit user?"
"Definitely not."
"Still, Ye Yu's personal strength shouldn't be too weak. After all, he has a level ten talent and contracted seven people. I think he could rival someone with a Devil Fruit and a level four or five talent."
"That's not exactly strong. At best, he's above most ordinary pirates but below the genius ones."
"So, to maintain his spirit and prevent his Conqueror's Haki from weakening, Ye Yu will definitely come out severely injured when he fights Lin Muxue."
"He might not even make it that far. In half a month, he'll have to face the Overlord and the Azure Dragon Pirates."
"We'll still need to keep an eye on that. I really want to see how it unfolds."
"Don't worry, even us ordinary folks will get to see it. They'll definitely livestream it."
...
Meanwhile, Ye Yu boarded the ship, and Xia Ling was puzzled.
"Brother Yu, why are you so focused on Non-Ability Users?"
"That's a secret for now. You'll understand later. Just remember, the key is that their talent must be high, at least level five or above."
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind."
Ye Yu instructed, "When the time comes, give me the list, and include the names of the Non-Ability Users they've contracted. I'll review it and assign their positions accordingly."
Xia Ling nodded. "Got it."
After that, Xia Ling was overjoyed.
"Brother Yu, I never expected you to be so powerful, possessing such strong Conqueror's Haki, truly one of a kind in the world. Originally, it would have been difficult for you to become a full-fledged crew member, requiring an assessment, but now, you can directly become an Executive without needing to take the test."
Zhao Yan'er nodded: "Just like Qiao Ling'er, who doesn't have much combat power herself but became the head of the Executives because of her ninth-level Talent and the Powerful Healing Fruit."
However, Ye Yu shook his head: "I don't want to be an Executive."
This made Xia Ling pause, and she advised: "Brother Yu, don't feel embarrassed, don't think it's because of my influence. No one will oppose you becoming an Executive."
Zhao Yan'er nodded: "Indeed, if it weren't for knowing about your Conqueror's Haki, I would have stopped Xia Ling, as the Captain, from giving you a backdoor to become an
Executive. But now, you are fully qualified to be an Executive."
"You've misunderstood," Ye Yu corrected, speaking with utmost seriousness: "I want to be the Captain!"
(End of Chapter)