This brought joy to Ye Yu. In the world of One Piece, even Non-Ability Users could be incredibly powerful, as was widely known.
"Zhou Xing, Level 8 Talent, contracted Non-Ability User: Sanji."
This was the reason for Ye Yu's excitement. He had encountered another member of the Straw Hat Pirate Crew, and not just any member, but one of the three strongest fighters—Sanji.
Ye Yu looked at the information and made his decision.
"Although he's only Level 13 now, which doesn't make him particularly strong, I can directly appoint him as an Executive."
After reviewing the details, Ye Yu noted that this recruitment round had brought in three hundred Non-Ability Users, all of whom had good character.
Such combat strength might be dismissed by many powerful Pirate Crews, but in Ye Yu's eyes, they all had decent potential, especially Zhou Xing, who had inherited Sanji's combat prowess.
Everyone believed that Non-Ability Users were weak, not only because they didn't understand One Piece, but also because, in the early stages, Contract Non-Ability Users were indeed not strong.
At the same level, the power of a Devil Fruit could be unleashed to a greater extent, while the strength of a Non-Ability User was significantly less. This was why there were no strong Non-Ability Users yet.
Even though a few were confident they could become strong, they weren't taken seriously because it all depended on actual strength.
Ye Yu called Zhou Xing over, and he arrived quickly.
"Boss Ye Yu, you wanted to see me."
Zhou Xing admired and envied Ye Yu, feeling they were kindred spirits. After all, both had high Talents and had contracted Non-Ability Users, but Ye Yu was different—he possessed the powerful Conqueror's Haki.
Ye Yu asked, "Are you confident in yourself? Do you think you can become strong?"
Zhou Xing scratched his head and said, "I do have some confidence, but when I say I might become strong in the future, or that the person I contracted isn't weak, no one believes me. They think it's a joke. Maybe it's just my delusion, because when I spar with people who have Devil Fruits but lower Talents than me, I lose quickly."
Ye Yu encouraged him, "Don't be discouraged. Who says Non-Ability Users are necessarily inferior to Ability Users? You can't generalize like that."
Zhou Xing was somewhat confused. Even if he wanted to believe such a statement, he couldn't, because the reality was that they were indeed weaker than Ability Users.
Ye Yu said earnestly, "I have high hopes for you. Work hard to level up. When you inherit most of Sanji's combat strength, your power should be quite impressive. Join this Pirate Crew, and I'll give you the position of Executive."
Zhou Xing was incredulous and overwhelmed.
"What? An Executive? I'm not qualified for that, am I? The Executives in our Pirate Crew have Talents no worse than mine, and they've contracted powerful Devil Fruits. How could I possibly be qualified to be an Executive? Let's just forget it. Give me a position as a Combat Crew member, or even just a regular crew member. When I tried to join other major Pirate Crews, they only offered me low-ranking crew positions, which I couldn't accept. Although some Pirate Crews were willing to make me a regular crew member or even a Combat Crew member, they were all small crews. I'm already thrilled to join our Pirate Crew. Making me an Executive is too much of an honor."
Ye Yu shook his head, "It's not an overestimation. You should be able to sense it a little—you're not that bad, are you?"
Zhou Xing nodded, "Yes, I feel that my footwork is quite strong. Sometimes, when I exert my full strength, I can even generate sparks, making my kicks even more powerful. I realized that perhaps I'm not as weak as I thought, so I've been working hard to hone my skills and learn Haki. My strength has improved more than I expected. I was starting to gain confidence, but when I sparred with the same people again, I still couldn't win."
At this point, Zhou Xing became disheartened.
Ye Yu comforted him, "It's alright. You're just starting out at a low level. Being at level 13 doesn't mean you can unleash 13% of Sanji's power—it's far from that. But as you level up, you'll be able to tap into more of his abilities. Maybe a miracle will happen."
Zhou Xing's eyes lit up, "Brother Ye Yu, you also contracted a Non-Ability User. Does that mean you don't look down on us because your own strength isn't lacking?"
Ye Yu replied, "My situation is a bit different from yours. After all, I contracted seven, which allows for stacking. But I can tell you this: Non-Ability Users aren't necessarily inferior to some Devil Fruit users."
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. I'll work hard during our voyage. Thank you for your encouragement, Brother Ye Yu."
Ye Yu nodded and asked, "By the way, according to your profile, you were a chef at a star-rated hotel before the mutation, right?"
"Yes, I'm quite good at cooking."
"Then you can also take on the role of a chef on the ship. Although we already have some chefs, with so many crew members, it's better to have more."
"Sure, cooking is also my hobby. I enjoy it."
...
After the conversation, those who had passed the selection boarded the ship, making the pirate vessel slightly crowded.
In the world of One Piece, Shanks' ship isn't particularly large, but the blueprint Ye Yu provided expanded it fivefold. Thus, this ship, similar to the Red-Haired Pirates' vessel, is much larger. Otherwise, it wouldn't be able to accommodate so many people.
Ye Yu quickly learned that this time, they had recruited a total of 500 people, including both Ability Users and Non-Ability Users, with the latter being the majority.
Now, the total number of crew members on the ship is 3,500.
The number isn't huge, but they are following an elite crew strategy. Those who are too weak simply can't make the cut.
Xia Ling was in high spirits. Initially, she thought that coming to Donghai City was mainly to pick up Ye Yu, and recruiting new members was just an excuse to make the crew feel better. Even if they did recruit, she expected at most a few dozen. But now, they had 500, and the quality was excellent.
This was all thanks to Ye Yu's influence. His display of Conqueror's Haki had attracted many to join.
The crew members were also pleased, as the overall strength of the crew had naturally improved.
However, many were puzzled, including Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er. The crew members were discussing among themselves.
"This time, they recruited more Non-Ability Users."
"Yes, and most of them were given decent positions."
"It's a bit surprising. I thought most would be low-ranking crew members, but they turned out to be regular crew members."
"Being a low-ranking crew member in our pirate crew is actually quite good. After all, we're a powerful crew. Even combat crew members from some mid-tier pirate crews would only be low-ranking members on our ship. But this time, most Non-Ability Users became regular crew members."
"Even more surprising, one Non-Ability User crew member, Zhou Xing, directly became an Executive. He contracted with Sanji and is also serving as our ship's chef."
"Although it's an eighth-level talent, which is indeed high, it's quite outrageous for a Non-Ability User under contract to become an Executive."
"It was arranged by Ye Yu, so it's hard to complain."
"Could there be something special about him?"
...
At this moment, Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er also sensed the dissatisfaction in many people's hearts.
After all, many Ability Users couldn't become Executives, while a Non-Ability User had just joined and was already an Executive.
If Ye Yu were the Executive, they wouldn't be upset, as Conqueror's Haki is very useful. But what's so special about Zhou Xing?
Xia Ling asked in confusion, "Brother Yu, I didn't expect you to make a Non-Ability User an Executive. Although this time, the recruitment of Non-Ability Users and their positions were all up to you, this arrangement is a bit..."
Zhao Yan'er added, "It is a bit inappropriate."
Ye Yu could naturally sense the doubts and dissatisfaction in many people's hearts. He stepped forward, looking at the crew members whispering on the deck, and spoke loudly.
"I know many of you have doubts, but we shouldn't underestimate Non-Ability Users, especially those with high talent. Even if their current strength isn't great, as a fellow Non-Ability User, I'm confident that once their level rises, their strength won't be inferior, and they might even surpass most of you."
Upon hearing this, more people were shocked, looking at each other in surprise.
"Boss Ye Yu, isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
"They don't have Conqueror's Haki."
"Even if their strength isn't bad, it can't possibly surpass Devil Fruits."
...
Ye Yu said seriously, "That's because their level is still low, and it's hard for them to fully display their potential. In Naruto, there are hardworking geniuses who can't use ninjutsu but still become strong. Might Guy and Rock Lee are examples, right? So, although the two are different, we can use this as a metaphor. Non-Ability Users aren't necessarily inferior to some Ability Users. If they have high talent and are contracted with strong Non-Ability Users, they also have potential."
At this point, a Combat Crew member stepped forward and proposed, "I'm one of the stronger Combat Crew members, with a sixth-level talent, currently at level 12, and my Devil Fruit is the Zoan-type Dog-Dog Fruit, Jackal Form. If Non-Ability User Zhou Xing can defeat me in a spar, then we'll accept him as an Executive."
The other crew me
mbers also nodded in agreement.
Ye Yu nodded, "Alright, then I'll allow you to spar. Zhou Xing, step forward."
(End of Chapter)