Ye Yu left, preparing to gather some daily necessities and then begin his training.
Just then, the phone rang.
"Chicken, you're so beautiful, baby, chicken, you're really so beautiful, baby."
...
Glancing at it, he saw it was Xia Ling calling. He answered, and Xia Ling's concerned voice came through.
"Ye Yu, are you okay?"
Her tone was full of worry. Xia Ling naturally knew that Ye Yu, with his top-tier talent, had not contracted a Devil Fruit but instead had contracted seven Non-Ability Users. For any prodigy, this was a devastating blow. She was worried that Ye Yu might break down, so she quickly called.
Ye Yu, however, wasn't upset—he was happy.
"I'm doing just fine."
But to Xia Ling, Ye Yu's cheerful tone only made her more anxious. If he had vented, cried to her, and let out his frustration and anger, it would have been better. But now, acting as if nothing was wrong, Xia Ling felt this was the most dangerous sign.
Xia Ling comforted him, "Even though you didn't get a Devil Fruit and won't be able to become a strong fighter in the future, don't be too sad. In this dangerous world, I'll take care of you."
Previously, she had thought about relying on Ye Yu. Although she was a prodigy, she naturally couldn't compare to Ye Yu, who had the strongest ten-level talent. But now, things were different.
Xia Ling wanted to give Ye Yu hope through herself and asked cheerfully, "Little brother Yu, do you know which Devil Fruit ability I contracted?"
Ye Yu was naturally curious and concerned. After all, he was an orphan, and Xia Ling was someone very close to him.
"You sound happy, so it must be a powerful Devil Fruit?"
"Hehe, the Devil Fruit I contracted is called the Ice Fruit."
This made Ye Yu's eyes light up, and he praised, "The Ice Fruit—it sounds very powerful. With your talent and this fruit's ability, you're bound to become very strong."
"Little brother Yu, I'm not trying to show off to you."
Afraid that Ye Yu might feel even more disheartened, Xia Ling assured him, "Even though you didn't contract a Devil Fruit, in these dangerous times, you still have me. I'll work hard to get stronger and continuously develop the Ice Fruit's abilities. In this world, I'll take care of you. Didn't I tell you before? We've already formed a Pirate Crew in advance. I'm the vice-captain, and the captain is a female classmate of mine who also has a nine-level talent. She's my roommate, Zhao Yan'er, and she contracted the Flare-Flare Fruit."
"So, the Pirate Crew we've established will definitely grow stronger. When you join, you can stay by my side, and I'll take even better care of you. Even though your talent isn't as strong anymore, you can definitely join. In the future, we'll sail and adventure in this new and changing world together. So don't despair, you still have me, okay?"
Ye Yu knew that Xia Ling genuinely thought he was devastated. He was truly happy, but explaining would be troublesome, so he nodded.
"It will indeed be a formidable Pirate Crew."
Xia Ling asked, "By the way, what position did Lin Muxue's Chosen One Pirate Crew offer you?"
She knew before that it was the captain, but now it wasn't.
Ye Yu shook his head, "They won't let me join anymore."
Xia Ling breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. We'll wait for a while then. Although the powerful Sea Beasts and dangerous Mystic Realms haven't appeared yet, and we have to wait for a month, many creatures in the sea have already mutated and gained combat abilities. Currently, no one would choose to sail; they would stay on land, in their respective cities. No one would casually travel around. Everyone is starting to familiarize themselves with their abilities, learning Haki, and waiting for the real changes to begin before taking any action, recruiting, and gathering. So, sister can't come to find you immediately. Wait for me for twenty-five days. By then, don't come to my city alone. Although it's not far, it's still separated by a hundred kilometers of ocean. I'll come to pick you up and ensure your safety."
"Additionally, in our Pirate Crew, strength is respected. Before the crew's name is decided, the strongest will be the Captain. So, I'll spar with Yan'er in a while to see who is stronger. Moreover, when recruiting crew members, we not only look at talent and strength but also character. There will be assessments for character. I know your character well, brother Yu, so you can be exempt from this assessment. As for becoming an official crew member, although there are strength assessments, I also have some influence. I'll try to get you in without needing to pass the assessment."
"Of course, you also need to regain your confidence and train. Although you've contracted with seven Non-Ability Users, they are still the strongest level ten talents. Perhaps they won't be inferior to those who obtained Artificial Devil Fruits. Sister believes you won't be too ordinary. Keep it up!"
Ye Yu nodded: "Alright, I understand. I'll wait for you to come and pick me up."
"Okay, bye. I'm going to study Haki knowledge now, striving to have a preliminary grasp by the time I pick you up, so I can be stronger and better protect you."
"Bye."
After hanging up the phone, Ye Yu smiled wryly: "Everyone thinks I'm weak."
It's normal, after all, only I understand the Pirate King.
At this moment, although I haven't fought yet, with my level ten strength, Ye Yu feels that he might not be much inferior to a Vice Admiral.
Even though the seven people he contracted with can't exert even one percent of their combat power, when combined, it's still quite considerable. Moreover, these seven have strong foundations, so even with less than one percent of their strength, they are still very powerful.
Without waiting to reach level one hundred, Ye Yu believes that by level sixty or seventy, his combat power could match that of Roger alone. By level one hundred, when he fully inherits the combat power of these seven, it would be even more terrifying, surpassing the Four Emperors and the Pirate King, even by a significant margin.
He stopped thinking too much about it, as it was still somewhat distant.
In the courtyard, Ye Yu clenched his fist, feeling his own strength. It was very strong, and he had also inherited various top-tier swordsmanship techniques, directly mastering them, including Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and even Conqueror's Haki.
He had almost all the abilities of the seven people, just not as powerful as their peak states.
The combined strength, speed, physique, Haki, and swordsmanship of the seven were much stronger than he had imagined.
Now, no one could defeat the terrifying him in a one-on-one fight.
Moreover, wielding the Black Blade Night, he could not only unleash Mihawk's Slash but also use the Black Blade Night to execute Divine Avoidance.
After packing up, Ye Yu started throwing punches in his courtyard, feeling his strength. With one punch, he shattered a one-meter-tall rock.
Ye Yu drew the Black Blade Night with his right hand, holding it casually as he slashed vertically. A small emerald-green slash burst forth, cutting through the ground and leaving a deep trench. The slash struck a small rockery ahead, splitting it cleanly in two.
Another slash followed, and in a flash, Ye Yu appeared in front of the slash, his speed astonishingly fast.
After all, the speed of a strong individual is never slow, especially someone like Red-Haired Shanks.
Facing the slash he had just unleashed, Ye Yu didn't attack but instead crossed his arms in front of him, covered in Armament Haki.
In the next moment, the slash collided and was held in place before Ye Yu, only causing him to take half a step back. With a forceful upward motion of his hands, the slash was lifted into the air and dissipated, leaving Ye Yu completely unharmed.
He was quite satisfied with his own strength—power, speed, physique, swordsmanship, Haki, and various powerful techniques. It was practically perfect.
Among the pirates, Kaido was known as the strongest creature on land, sea, and air, but in this world, it would be him.
On land, there was no need to explain. In the sea, he had contracted Jinbei, allowing him to move freely. As for the sky...
Having contracted Zephyr, he naturally mastered Moon Walk, one of the Navy Six Styles.
At that moment, a notification echoed in everyone's minds.
"Two Pirate Stele Rankings have descended! They are the Pirate Bounty Ranking and the Strongest Pirate Crew Ranking."
"The Bounty Ranking has one hundred spots, while the Strongest Pirate Crew Ranking has twenty."
In the next instant, the ground rumbled violently, and everyone looked up to the sky. Two golden steles broke through the clouds, descending from above.
(End of Chapter)