Starting with Contracting with Red-Haired Shanks

The others were also severely injured. Tuoba Jie's massive body crashed heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. His mammoth form dissipated, reverting to his human shape. His large frame had borne the brunt of the damage, and he was covered in blood. He tried to get up but found his body unresponsive, leaving him lying on the ground, pale as a sheet, unable to stand, and completely incapacitated.

Wang Feng, Sha La, Li Kui, and the recently joined Li Cang—all five of them—were so severely injured that they had lost their ability to fight, lying on the ground in agony, groaning in pain.

As for Lin Muxue and the other six strongest among the fifteen prodigies, though they could still stand and continue fighting, their injuries had worsened. Their eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. They couldn't comprehend how, even after their full-force counterattack, they had still been sent flying and remained at a disadvantage.

At this moment, Lin Muxue felt even more regret.

Across the world, those watching the live broadcast were utterly stunned.

The pirates from the alliance of the four major pirate crews on the island were also dumbfounded, their mouths agape as if they could swallow an egg.

In the next moment, the world erupted in uproar.

"My God! He's sent fifteen prodigies flying again!"

"Ye Yu's combat power is absolutely terrifying now."

"Who would have thought that the one with the overwhelming power gap isn't a top-tier Ability User, but a Non-Ability User?"

"The power of the Divine Departure with dual blades is truly horrifying. Could this battle actually turn in favor of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew? After all, Ye Yu is unharmed, while eight of their opponents have lost their combat ability. Those eight are all top-tier fighters from the alliance of the four major pirate crews—eight powerful Executives. This is undoubtedly a significant blow."

"Exactly. The remaining seven clearly don't dare to continue fighting Ye Yu. They'll need to bring in new high-level fighters, and even more of them, to reduce the pressure on the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew."

"Now, it's truly uncertain. No one can say for sure who will win."

...

On a certain island.

The stunning Liu Huangyi watched the live broadcast, her attention fixed on the battle from the start. Every strike from Ye Yu left her deeply shaken.

Liu Huangyi's beautiful eyes were filled with awe and admiration. "As expected of the man who defeated me. He's truly extraordinary."

The crew of the Empress Pirates whispered among themselves.

"Ye Yu is so domineering, so handsome."

"I'm practically becoming a fangirl."

"I used to think no one was worthy of the Captain, but now, with Ye Yu being so extraordinary, maybe there's a chance."

"It's still not certain. It's not just about strength; he'd need to win the Captain over with his personality and charm too."

...

Meanwhile, the crew of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew cheered and celebrated, brimming with excitement.

"The Captain is invincible!"

"The Captain is so cool, so strong!"

"There's hope for us in this battle!"

...

Ye Yu's overwhelming strength had given the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew a glimmer of hope.

When they had arrived here, though fearless and with their spirits high, they had all known deep down that the situation was perilous, and defeat was almost certain.

But they had thought that even in defeat, they would go down gloriously, showing the world the might of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew and making the alliance of the four major pirate crews regret their actions. They would make sure to take a piece of their opponents with them.

Now, however, they were filled with immense excitement. Ye Yu had single-handedly held off so many powerful fighters, and they were ready to fight with everything they had, amplifying their hope.

The members of the Four Pirate Crew Alliance, whose morale had just begun to recover, instantly plummeted to rock bottom once again. They stood frozen in place, their eyes filled with shock and panic.

"Too... too strong..."

"If Ye Yu defeats our Captain and Executives, then comes after us..."

"I can't imagine it. He'd probably cut down a whole swath of us with a single strike."

"Could it be... we might lose?"

"What are you talking about? Impossible! The top-tier fighters are just battling now, and Ye Yu only has the upper hand. With so many of us facing the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, we'll definitely have the advantage, and then we can go help our Captain."

...

Lin Muxue stood up, her face twisted in pain, and glared fiercely at Li Cang, who was lying on the ground, screaming in agony as blood gushed from his legs. She spat with disdain, "Useless! To end up like this, completely unable to fight—what a disgrace to our Chosen One Pirate Crew!"

Li Cang felt deeply humiliated but couldn't retort.

Wang Quanshi was also seething with anger. He barked at Tuoba Jie, Wang Feng, and other severely injured Executives lying on the ground, "Get up! Keep fighting! Stop pretending to be dead!"

However, Tuoba Jie and the others were as pale as paper, their bodies twitching slightly from the excruciating pain. They were too weak, their injuries too severe. They could barely move, let alone fight. They spoke in faint, trembling voices.

"Captain... our injuries... are too severe... we can't fight anymore..."

"That's right, Captain... you're stronger than us, but our attacks... couldn't offset much of the Divine Departure's power..."

"We can't even stand up... please let the ship's doctor treat us..."

...

This left Wang Quanshi both furious and helpless.

Lin Muxue exchanged glances with the remaining six members of the Chosen One Pirate Crew who could still fight: Jin Mo, Song Ling, Wang Quanshi, Kaku, Yang Jin, and Zhao Ke.

Among them, Zhao Ke was the most severely injured. Fortunately, he had used multiple biscuit soldiers to shield himself, or else he would have lost the ability to fight, just like Li Cang and the others.

The six of them all wore grim expressions. They knew full well that with only seven of them left, trying to join forces against Ye Yu would be even more dangerous.

Ye Yu threw Enma toward Sun Long and shouted, "Catch!"

Sun Long caught Enma and prepared for battle.

Ye Yu raised his arm and roared, "Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, prepare for battle! I'll show the world that the strength of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew is comprehensive, not just because of me."

"ROAR!!"

The entire Dominant Feather Pirate Crew roared in unison, their fighting spirit erupting.

Ye Yu's solo fight against fifteen Chosen Ones, where he held the upper hand, had boosted their morale to its peak and given them hope.

"Fight with all your might! Don't let the Captain down!"

"We'll also gain the upper hand!"

"We can't let the Captain steal all the glory in this battle."

...

The crew members of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew were all eager, their eyes gleaming with excitement and fearlessness.

In contrast, the morale of the Four Pirate Crew Alliance was at an all-time low.

Seeing this, Lin Muxue shouted, "Alliance members, don't panic! We still hold an absolute advantage. Ye Yu is just an anomaly. Leave him to us. You focus on attacking with all your might and quickly defeat the other members of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew! You don't need to deal with Ye Yu, so you'll definitely have the upper hand."

This reassured the members of the Pirate Crew Alliance. As long as they didn't have to face the terrifying Ye Yu, their combined strength would surely surpass that of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew.

After Lin Muxue finished speaking, her brows remained tightly furrowed. She turned to Jin Mo, Wang Quanshi, and the others, her expression grave as she asked, "What should we do now? Should the seven of us join forces and use delaying tactics to fight Ye Yu, waiting for the crew to deal with the rest of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew before joining in to surround him? Or should we gather more high-level combatants and focus our strength to defeat Ye Yu first?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Mo and the others were momentarily at a loss for words. Gathering too many top-tier fighters to deal with Ye Yu felt humiliating and was something they would never have considered before the battle. But the thought of Ye Yu's terrifying strength made panic rise uncontrollably in their hearts. Ye Yu's power far exceeded their expectations, completely shattering their original battle plans.

Moreover, even if the seven of them joined forces and employed delaying or guerrilla tactics, it would still be extremely dangerous. They knew that if it hadn't been for their combined counterattack earlier, even they, as captains, would have been in grave danger. Thus, none of them were eager to face Ye Yu with just the seven of them.

Wang Quanshi gritted his teeth and proposed, "Let's call all the other Executives to join us in dealing with Ye Yu. Only by quickly defeating him can the over 200,000 combatants stationed ten kilometers away come into play. Otherwise, as long as Ye Yu remains standing, those 200,000 will be as good as useless."

"That makes sense. I agree," Jin Mo nodded. While his words sounded reasonable on the surface, they all knew deep down that it was because they were afraid. Facing Ye Yu with just the seven of them was too dangerous.

Lin Muxue nodded as well. "Alright, let's do as you say. We'll have all the Executives join us. It's not that we're afraid of Ye Yu, but defeating him is of utmost importance."

Jin Mo shouted, "All Executives from the four Pirate Crews, come and join us in dealing with Ye Yu! We need to secure an advantage not only in other battlefields but also in this one!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

As soon as Jin Mo finished speaking, figures swiftly rushed in from all directions. In the blink of an eye, the remaining thirty Executives had gathered beside Lin Muxue and the others.

This made the crew members of the four Pirate Crews look uneasy.

Someone whispered, "If all the Executives are going to deal with Ye Yu, won't the pressure on us increase?"

"Yeah, with all the high-level combatants focused on Ye Yu, will we still have a significant advantage against the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew in the mid and upper-mid tiers?"

"I don't want to face the Vice-Captain of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew. Let the Executives handle him."

...

Lin Muxue noticed their concerns and immediately frowned, turning to scold them with a cold expression, "Take a good look at the numbers on both sides! Even though you no longer have Executives among your ranks, your numbers far exceed those of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew. While you may not have as many high-level combatants, your mid and upper-mid tier combatants outnumber theirs, which can fully compensate. In terms of overall strength, you are still far superior to the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew."

Jin Mo encouraged them, "She's right. Don't panic, don't be intimidated. As long as you give it your all, you will undoubtedly crush them with a significant advantage. Besides, defeating Ye Yu first is crucial. You should understand that once Ye Yu falls and can no longer unleash his Conqueror's Haki, our over 200,000 low-tier crew members and some regular crew members can join the fight! Then our advantage will be even greater!"

The crew members looked around, reassured by the fact that their numbers far exceeded those of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew.

On the deck of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's ship, Zhou Xing's right foot burst into flames as he sneered, "They're underestimating us."

Sun Long drew his sword, grinning with a fierce, beast-like glint in his eyes. "Then let's show them what we're made of."

Xiao Ke gripped his rifle, his gaze icy. "Their executives and captain are busy dealing with our captain, so we'll definitely have the upper hand."

Lu Xiaobu raised his sniper rifle, his expression cold. "Exactly. Let them realize that the terror of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew isn't just because of the captain."

Ye Yu looked at the thirty-seven top-tier fighters before him, his expression calm. His confidence stemmed not only from his own strength but also from his trust in his crew. He let out a cold laugh.

"Hmph, you're really underestimating my crew."

Lin Muxue scoffed, "Heh, you're overestimating them. Do you really think they can gain the upper hand? Impossible. I don't think they're as monstrous as you. You're only this strong before level thirty because you've contracted seven powerful Non-Ability Users, but they won't have such terrifying cross-level combat power."

Ye Yu didn't respond to them. Instead, he turned to his crew and shouted, "Full-scale battle! Let them, and the entire world, know that the strength of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew isn't just because of me, but because of every single one of you!"

"Roar!! Full-scale battle!"

"We've been waiting for this!"

"Got it, Captain! We'll show them our strength soon!"

...

Xiao Ke, Xia Ling, Zhao Yan'er, and others responded with determination. They were ready to dominate the upcoming battle and bring honor to their captain.

The world watched intently. Initially, everyone believed the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew was doomed, with no chance of turning the tide. But now, doubts began to creep in.

"Do you think the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew will still have the upper hand in other battlefields, just like Ye Yu?"

"I don't think so. Maybe they'll have a slight advantage in a few areas, like where Xia Ling with the Ice Fruit and Zhao Yan'er with the Flare-Flare Fruit are fighting. But overall, they won't, given the enemy's overwhelming numbers."

"Even without their executive-level fighters, multiple combat crew members should be able to handle one of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's executives."

"Yeah, with numbers on their side, I think the alliance of the four major pirate crews will have the overall advantage."

...

Most people still believed the alliance of the four major pirate crews held the upper hand. But Ye Yu was confident that his crew wouldn't let him down. Soon, his comrades would shake this battlefield and the entire world.

At this moment, Lin Muxue, Jin Mo, and the other thirty-seven top-tier fighters no longer looked as grim. With so many on their side, the unease in Lin Muxue's heart vanished, replaced by an overwhelming arrogance.

Lin Muxue's eyes turned icy as she ordered, "Let's go all out and take down Ye Yu quickly!"

Immediately, the thirty-seven fighters assumed combat stances, their various abilities erupting.

Ye Yu gripped the Black Blade Night tightly, his power and Haki surging as he prepared to strike again. Dark red lightning crackled around the blade.

Whoosh!

Ye Yu charged forward, roaring, "Divine Departure!"

Lin Muxue and the others were already well aware of the terror of Divine Departure, and now they dared not be the slightest bit careless. Although their numbers had increased, the strength among these Executives varied greatly. While thirty-seven seemed much larger than the previous fifteen, their overall combat power hadn't improved significantly compared to the combined force of those fifteen.

So now, they no longer dared to boast arrogantly about not avoiding Divine Departure.

Lin Muxue panicked, unwilling to face Divine Departure head-on again, and instead shouted, "Scatter! Don't try to withstand Divine Departure directly!"

The other Chosen Ones quickly dispersed—even without Lin Muxue's warning, they were deeply wary of Divine Departure.

Watching their panicked and disheveled retreat, Ye Yu curled his lips into a mocking smile and taunted, "So now you're finally running from Divine Departure? Not so arrogant anymore, are you?"

(End of Chapter)