This left both Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er utterly stunned. They had initially thought Ye Yu might feel embarrassed about becoming an executive, fearing he wasn't qualified. But instead, he wanted to become the captain?
Even Xia Ling found this difficult to accept and quickly explained, "Little brother Yu, this won't do. Our pirate crew operates on the principle that the strong rule. Making you an executive wouldn't raise any objections because, even if your strength isn't quite there yet, your Conqueror's Haki alone qualifies you for the position. At most, you could become an executive, and perhaps in the future, if your Conqueror's Haki grows strong enough to surpass our expectations, you could even rise to be the head of the executives. But as for becoming the captain, little brother Yu, you shouldn't even think about it. Even though I'm the captain, I can't just hand over the position to you directly. I'd love to, but many would disagree, and it would break the rules, leaving the crew dissatisfied."
Zhao Yan'er agreed, "Ye Yu, you've just joined and don't yet understand the rules. The strong rule here. I was the captain before, but Xia Ling defeated me, so he took the position. To become the captain, you'd have to defeat the combat-ready executives one by one, then choose to fight either me or Xia Ling. Only by winning could you become the captain, as our strengths are roughly equal."
Ye Yu shook his head, "I want to be the captain. From the start, I didn't create my own pirate crew because I thought I could just take over yours."
This made Zhao Yan'er somewhat awkward, and she glanced at Xia Ling, not wanting to say it outright. In truth, she was a bit annoyed. From the moment Ye Yu started making arrangements, she had felt uneasy. When he directly announced plans to recruit Contract Non-Ability Users, he should have consulted her and Xia Ling first, as he didn't yet have much authority. But now it was clear—Ye Yu already saw himself as the captain.
Since they weren't very familiar yet, Zhao Yan'er didn't feel comfortable voicing her displeasure directly. Xia Ling knew it was up to him to speak.
"Little brother Yu, there's really no way around this. I can't just let you become the captain because we're close. That would cause a lot of complaints, and many might even choose to leave. Even though our crew is tightly knit, we still have to be fair and just."
Ye Yu replied, "Of course there's a way. Didn't you just say it? Defeat the combat-ready executives one by one, then defeat one of you, and that's it, right?"
Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er were momentarily taken aback, then nodded.
"Yes, that's how it works. But you can't possibly do it."
"Exactly, little brother Yu. Your Conqueror's Haki won't affect the executives, and in a fight, you're definitely no match for them. As we've already explained, they're highly talented and very strong in their abilities."
Ye Yu asked, "Are we heading back to Hangzhou soon?"
"Yes, although it's not entirely our territory yet, about a third of it is under our control. The other two-thirds are occupied by two other powerful pirate crews. But we have a base there, and some crew members are stationed there. We're returning not only to let them board before we set sail but also to see if anyone in Hangzhou is willing to join. After this incident, there's bound to be interest. We've already received ten thousand applications from Hangzhou."
Ye Yu nodded, "Good. Then when we reach Hangzhou, I'll take the test. That way, it'll be fair and just."
Despite this, Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er felt it was somewhat unnecessary but didn't refuse.
Xia Ling asked curiously, "Brother Yu, among the Ability Users you've contracted, there must be some skilled in swordsmanship, as evident from the large sword you carry on your back."
Ye Yu nodded, "Yes, I am skilled."
Xia Ling looked forward to it, "It seems Brother Yu's own strength might not be as weak as we imagined. So, after we return, you can start the assessment. If you can defeat us, naturally, you can become the Captain. But if you fail, then you can't."
Zhao Yan'er reminded, "At that time, you can't go back on your word and insist."
Ye Yu smiled slightly and nodded, "Don't worry, if I don't pass, I naturally won't insist."
"Then it's settled. The Pirate Crew's name hasn't been decided yet. After we return to Hangzhou and gather all the members, we'll decide on the name and then set sail. Also, if you fail, Brother Yu, you will still be an Executive."
Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er believed that Ye Yu couldn't pass the Executives' assessment and thus couldn't compete with them.
Even if Ye Yu turned out to be stronger than they imagined, in terms of combat power, he certainly couldn't match the Executives who had abilities.
So, they could already imagine Ye Yu quickly failing the assessment, becoming an Executive, and thus being content, not causing any trouble over this matter.
At this time, many people came to sign up, forming nine long lines at the port, with a lot of people arriving.
Nine tables were set up, with Executives sitting in chairs, starting to register and inquire.
Naturally, they first checked the talent level and whether they were Ability Users.
If the talent was good and they were Ability Users, after passing the character assessment, they could join.
If the talent was good but they were Non-Ability Users, the list was directly handed to Ye Yu, who decided what position to give them.
This point puzzled many people.
"Let Ye Yu directly assign positions? Without any assessment?"
"It's a bit inappropriate, even for Ability Users, they should be assessed."
"But the Captain has agreed."
"Let it be, although Ye Yu is made an Executive, given how sought-after he is, giving him such a privilege is completely acceptable."
...
Soon, inside the ship, in a separate comfortable room, Ye Yu sat at a table, looking at the continuously handed-over lists.
Not too many, as they all required talent level five or above.
Looking at this, Ye Yu realized there were quite a few with good talent who hadn't managed to contract a Devil Fruit.
After all, the number of choices was limited, and some Devil Fruits, though their names didn't sound impressive, were actually very powerful. So, failing to contract them, they had to use their last chance to choose among Non-Ability Users.
As for why they didn't choose Artificial Devil Fruits, which would surely be successfully contracted, it was because Artificial Devil Fruits were contracted the fastest, leaving them no choice but to accept their bad luck and carefully select a seemingly powerful Non-Ability User to contract.
Looking at the list, Ye Yu saw many familiar Non-Ability Users.
Zhang Er, with a fifth-level talent, had contracted a Non-Ability User named Sig.
Ye Yu knew it was the mountain bandit Sig, who had splashed wine on Red-Haired and was thus nicknamed the Mountain Bandit King.
Ye Yu sighed, "What a pity, fifth-level talent is not low, but contracting a Sig means he can only be a low-ranking crew member in such a Pirate Crew."
Ye Yu checked the box in the "Low-Level Crew" column next to the name and continued reading.
"This person has a Level 5 Talent and has contracted with Hairdin, a rising star from the Land of Giants among the Pirates. He hasn't wasted this talent, so let's give him a Combat Crew position."
In every Pirate Crew, the hierarchy of crew members, from lowest to highest, is: Low-Level, Regular, Combat, Executive, Vice-Captain, and Captain.
Thus, a Combat Crew position is just below an Executive, which is quite good.
"Hmm? Wu Xingyun, male, contracted with a Non-Ability User, Usopp."
"Encountered someone from the Straw Hat Crew. Let's give him a Combat Crew position for now, since his level isn't high yet, and Usopp is quite weak in the early stages. There's no need to give him an Executive position yet. Once his level increases and he inherits more of Usopp's abilities, we can promote him to Executive."
"Wang Jin, Level 5 Talent, contracted with a Non-Ability User named Gin. That works too, let's give him a Combat Crew position."
"Lin Ku, Level 5 Talent, contracted with a Non-Ability User named Hatchan. I remember him, the Fish-Man from the Revolutionary Army who's skilled in Fish-Man Karate. Let's also give him a Combat Crew position."
...
Ye Yu kept reviewing the list, finding quite a few promising candidates. This was the advantage of not yet revealing his full strength to the public—he could take the opportunity to recruit Non-Ability Users that others might overlook.
Although the assessment could be waived, a character evaluation was still necessary. After all, as future crew members, they needed to be genuine companions and friends, no
t just superficial allies.
As he neared the end, Ye Yu looked at the final name on the list, and one of them caught his eye.
"Hmm? It's him."
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