Zhou Xing stepped forward, feeling somewhat nervous. He glanced at Ye Yu, afraid of disappointing him.
Ye Yu encouraged him, "Believe in yourself. Give it your all, and you'll realize that you're not as bad as you think."
"Alright, I'll give it my all."
Zhou Xing's eyes grew determined. He had to win, especially with so many people watching. If he lost, not only would he let Ye Yu down, but he would also embarrass Ye Yu in front of so many crew members.
After all, it was Ye Yu who had supported him so strongly to become an executive.
"Hello, my name is Hu Tian. My talent and abilities have already been introduced. Be careful; I won't go easy on you just because you're a Non-Ability User."
Zhou Xing's fighting spirit surged, "Of course, I'll give it my all. Come at me with everything you've got."
"Alright."
Hu Tian immediately activated his ability. In an instant, his face transformed into that of a wolf, and fur sprouted across his body. He moved swiftly, darting to Zhou Xing's right side, his wolf claws ready to strike.
To Zhou Xing's surprise, he was able to react.
Previously, when sparring with a talented individual, he had always lost. He had worked hard to learn Haki, but even before entering the Mystic Realm, he had still been defeated.
However, after participating in the Mystic Realm and leveling up, he hadn't sparred with anyone since. Now, Zhou Xing realized that he had grown stronger.
Facing Hu Tian's attack, Zhou Xing activated his Observation Haki, narrowly dodging the strike. He quickly retreated to create distance, then let out a low shout.
"Devil Wind Leg!"
With a whoosh, flames erupted from Zhou Xing's right foot.
This shocked everyone.
"What's going on? Why is his foot on fire?"
"Is he an Ability User?"
"Clearly not, so why can he produce flames?"
...
At this moment, Zhao Yan'er was the most shocked. As a user of the Flare-Flare Fruit, she could produce flames, but why could Zhou Xing's right foot also erupt in flames? This made her, as a Flare-Flare Fruit user, feel somewhat awkward.
As Zhou Xing unleashed the Devil Wind Leg, his entire body began to spin rapidly, the flames on his right foot growing more intense.
Someone quickly figured it out.
"It's not an ability. He's spinning at such high speed that his right foot generates extreme heat, turning red and even producing flames."
"That makes sense, but it's still astonishing."
"A Non-Ability User can actually do this?"
...
Zhou Xing was giving it his all, using the Devil Wind Leg. Facing an Ability User, he couldn't afford to be careless.
His speed increased, and his focus sharpened.
Hu Tian was surprised and began moving even faster around Zhou Xing. When he reached Zhou Xing's back, he slashed with his wolf claws.
Zhou Xing quickly turned around, his flaming right foot delivering a rapid series of kicks, so fast that it created afterimages, as if multiple flaming feet were striking Hu Tian.
Hu Tian's expression changed. Zhou Xing's reactions and attacks were incredibly fast. He began swinging his claws frantically, their sharpness undeniable.
But as his claws clashed with Zhou Xing's foot, Hu Tian found himself struggling. He was being forced back, his claws burning from the heat, and his arms aching from the sheer force of the blows.
Seeing Hu Tian quickly fall into a disadvantage, the crew members were stunned. The Non-Ability Users, however, had a gleam in their eyes.
Although they knew that Zhou Xing was likely an exception among Non-Ability Users, this still proved that Non-Ability Users weren't as weak as they were often thought to be.
After a series of kicks, Zhou Xing forced Hu Tian back, then quickly moved around to Hu Tian's rear.
Hu Tian quickly turned around, but even though he reacted in time, it was too late to dodge.
"Devil Wind Leg, Lamb Shot!"
Concentrating all his strength into his right foot, the attack was even more powerful. Despite Hu Tian's full defense, he was still kicked away, feeling intense pain. To avoid damaging the ship's cabin, many rushed to help him, but they were all pushed back several steps before they could stop.
For a moment, everyone was shocked.
Hu Tian conceded, "You're stronger than me, truly impressive."
Ye Yu asked, "So, does anyone still have objections to him becoming an executive?"
All the crew members immediately shook their heads.
"No."
"Even without a Devil Fruit, he can be this strong."
"He's definitely an exception. There's a reason he can become an executive. We, the regular crew members who are Non-Ability Users, shouldn't even think about it."
...
Ye Yu said, "Although it's rare, you shouldn't be discouraged. Train hard to improve your Observation Haki and Armament Haki, engage in high-intensity exercises, hone your skills, and strengthen your power, speed, and defense. Your strength can also improve significantly. As long as you're willing to put in the effort, you won't be inferior to those Artificial Devil Fruit Ability Users."
Many believed this, especially since it was Ye Yu who said it.
"Boss Ye Yu, what exactly should we do?"
Ye Yu arranged, "There's an equipment room on the ship. Choose a dumbbell that you find challenging, then lift or swing it until you reach your limit. You must be willing to endure hardship. That way, your strength will improve."
What Ye Yu described was naturally similar to the high-intensity training Zoro underwent in One Piece.
"Alright, we understand. We'll work hard."
Ye Yu reminded, "Don't share the knowledge you gained today."
"Got it. Since we can improve significantly through hard training, we naturally won't talk about it. Nowadays, many people focus solely on developing their Devil Fruits, and Non-Ability Users have given up, just thinking about leveling up quickly to inherit abilities, not realizing they can improve themselves."
"Strive to become stronger! Don't just think about leveling up; keep doing various high-intensity exercises."
...
At this moment, Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er began to understand why Ye Yu wanted to be the Captain.
This made them view Non-Ability Users in a new light. It seemed they weren't as weak as they had imagined. Some were quite impressive, especially those with high talent or those who were skilled Contract Non-Ability Users.
Xia Ling said, "Little brother Yu, it seems your strength is greater than I thought. Even Zhou Xing has such strength, surpassing the combat crew, though he still can't compare to the executives. But to be this strong without relying on abilities, he could become an executive. So, little brother Yu, your own strength must be stronger than Zhou Xing's, right?"
Ye Yu nodded without confirming, "Yes, that's right."
"No wonder. It seems not only is your Conqueror's Haki impressive, but your own strength isn't lacking either."
Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er understood, but they still cautioned him.
"Little brother Yu, even so, it only means that Contract Non-Ability Users aren't as weak as we thought, but they still can't compare to us Ability Users, right? You might be on par with one of the executives, but don't think about defeating me or Yan'er. You haven't seen our abilities, so you don't know how strong we are. We don't want to fight you because we're afraid it might crush your confidence. After all, you seem quite confident now, and I hope you stay that way."
"Although I would like to go easy during the battle, I can't afford to when it comes to the position of Captain. So, when the time comes, just fight the Executives. The gap between you and me, as well as Yan'er, is quite significant, just like the difference in strength between the Executives and us. You can rest assured under my protection, as I am very powerful."
Even though it's known that Non-Ability Users are somewhat stronger than imagined, they are certainly no match for powerful Devil Fruit Ability Users.
It's also believed that even if Ye Yu contracts seven, he would still be no match for them.
After all, they possess extremely high talent and formidable abilities, ranking among the top in the entire Dragon Kingdom. Ye Yu defeating himself? Clearly, that's impossible.
Ye Yu smiled slightly and said, "When the time comes, I will spar with you."
"Alrig
ht, then do your best. You'll have to defeat the Executives one by
one. And you must defeat them all within a day, without taking too long a break in between."
Ye Yu nodded, "Yes, I know."
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