When Ye Yu saw Liu Huangyi again, his eyes still lit up.
Today, Liu Huangyi's jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back, swaying gently in the sea breeze like flowing black silk. Her figure was flawless, with graceful curves—her slender waist seemingly too delicate to grasp, perfectly balanced with her full bust and rounded hips. Every line of her body was exquisitely proportioned. She wore an elegant purple gown embroidered with intricate patterns that fluttered with her movements like blooming flowers, accentuating her beauty to perfection.
Standing at the ship's bow, Liu Huangyi was like a breathtaking painting, her every gesture exuding an intoxicating charm. Her beauty wasn't just skin-deep; it was an innate aura—noble, aloof, and alluring—blended seamlessly, making her an unattainable goddess in the hearts of many.
Even many of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's strongest members were momentarily dazed by her presence. With such beauty combined with her Fruit Ability, Liu Huangyi was a formidable force. Even if she couldn't rival the Four Emperors Pirates, she could easily rank around seventh place, far from ninth or tenth.
The Empress Pirates conceded without a fight, and Liu Huangyi smiled encouragingly.
"Ye Yu, do your best. Though it looks like an impossible situation for you, you always create miracles, so I can't say for sure."
"Alright, I'll give it my all."
...
With the Empress Pirates out of the way, the remaining opponents were all powerful pirate crews. There weren't many left—most had already been eliminated.
These strong crews immediately surrendered when facing the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, not daring to even attempt wearing them down to give Jin Mo and the others an advantage. If they didn't concede right away, Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki would leave them devastated.
Meanwhile, the King's Alliance also faced no resistance, as all their opponents surrendered. As a result, neither the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew nor the King's Alliance had suffered any significant losses.
Soon, the competition neared its end.
Only four pirate crews remained: the Magnet King Pirates and the Sun Pirates.
Both crews hoped to avoid facing either the King's Alliance or the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew—it would be an inevitable defeat.
The captain of the Sun Pirates wasn't Lu Fei, as Ye Yu knew—he was a rather mysterious figure.
As for the Magnet King Pirates, Ye Yu was aware they were led by Cai Ji, a Magnet-Magnet Fruit Ability User.
A chime echoed through the air.
"Next match: King's Alliance versus Sun Pirates."
"Magnet King Pirates versus Dominant Feather Pirate Crew."
The Sun Pirates' crew sighed in resignation—they had no choice but to surrender. Still, they were satisfied with their performance.
Moreover, the losing side would face off against the other defeated crew to determine third place.
As the battles were about to begin, spectators outside watched the live broadcast intently.
Within the Mystic Realm, two screens displayed the battle zones—one for the Dominant Feather and Magnet King Pirates, the other for the King's Alliance and Sun Pirates.
All eliminated participants had already exited, their attention now fixed on the unfolding clashes.
"It's obvious—the final showdown will be between the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew and the King's Alliance."
"Indeed, and neither side has been worn down—everyone just surrendered to them."
"Not necessarily. The Magnet King Pirates might not give up so easily."
"Oh?"
...
At that moment, the Sun Pirates entered the arena and immediately conceded, teleporting out.
Song Ling couldn't contain her excitement. "It's finally about to begin."
Jin Mo speculated, "We might have to wait a while."
"Oh? Wait a while? Shouldn't it start soon? The Magnetic King Pirate Crew surrenders, and then we begin our fight against the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew."
"They're facing the Magnetic King Pirate Crew. The battle might drag on a bit because their captain, Cai Ji, is quite arrogant and unruly. His Fruit Ability is indeed powerful. Moreover, his Fruit has already undergone Awakening. Since the previous owner in the pirate world had awakened it, he inherited some of its power. He's also a top-tier Chosen One, having trained and developed it diligently. Now at level 40, he might attempt to make a name for himself even if he can't win."
Song Ling's eyes lit up. "You mean Cai Ji will choose to fight, aiming to deal a heavy blow to the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew? Even if he can't win, his goal of gaining fame would still be achieved."
"Exactly. After all, the whole world is watching the live broadcast. It's unlikely he'll surrender outright. Given his personality, he'll give it a try."
Yang Luo thought it was possible and smiled. "That would be great. It's been four days of battles, but every opponent who faced the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew surrendered immediately. So, they haven't expended much energy. Naturally, we'd prefer to face a Dominant Feather Pirate Crew that's been worn down a bit—it'd make things easier for us."
"We'll find out soon."
They stopped discussing and focused on the screen in their isolated space. At that moment, the entire world watched intently, wondering whether surrender or battle would be chosen.
The screen displayed the scene: two pirate crews facing off on the open sea.
On one side was only one pirate ship—the Magnetic King Pirate Crew.
A hundred meters ahead of them, eight pirate ships were lined up horizontally, led by the main vessel shaped like a red dragon—the Tyrant Feather Pirate Ship.
The crew members were brimming with fighting spirit, not because of the Magnetic King Pirate Crew, but because they believed they were about to face the King's Alliance.
But soon, the crew froze—the opposing ship was still on the water.
"Huh? They're not surrendering immediately?"
"Not sure."
"Every pirate crew before this appeared and surrendered right away, then got teleported out. They're not surrendering?"
...
At that moment, a defiant-looking, one-eyed young man named Ye Yu was excited.
"This is the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew—their aura is overwhelming. This is a great chance to make a name for myself."
His crew members were nervous.
"Captain, aren't we surrendering right away?"
"Captain, that's the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew!"
"If Ye Yu unleashes his Conqueror's Haki, most of us will be in danger."
...
Cai Ji was aware but confident. "Don't worry. I won't give him the chance to release his Conqueror's Haki. I'll make him focus on me instantly and deliver a devastating blow to them right away."
This stunned most of the crew. Was that possible?
The vice-captain, Kira, was confident.
"Even though our opponent is Ye Yu, our captain has an Awakened Fruit. Even if we can't win, we should still fight once—it's a great opportunity to make a name for ourselves."
However, Cai Ji was eager. "I actually want to defeat them. Even though his bounty is 1.8 billion, and I'm only ranked 26th on the Bounty List, I've reached level 40, and my Awakened power is stronger now. There's a chance."
The wind howled, waves surged, and the thick clouds in the sky churned as if stirred by an invisible hand—a sign that battle was imminent.
Cai Ji stood at the bow of the ship, his signature short red hair whipping wildly in the wind, the prominent scar on his face adding a fierce and untamed edge to his demeanor. His eyes burned with a fanatical light, locked onto the imposing flagship of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew not far ahead.
"Ye Yu, today marks the downfall of your Pirate Crew! I'll crush you all single-handedly and make a name for myself."
Cai Ji gritted his teeth as he muttered, his long-held desire to challenge Ye Yu and prove his strength finally surfacing.
With a furious roar, Cai Ji thrust his arms forward, activating his Magnet-Magnet Fruit ability instantly. The surrounding air seemed to warp under an intense magnetic field as countless pieces of metal converged from all directions. The fragments collided and fused, transforming into a pair of massive, sleek mechanical arms on Cai Ji's limbs in the blink of an eye. Blue currents of electricity crackled along the arms, shifting forms until they morphed into two high-tech weapons resembling laser cannons.
"Try this on for size!" Cai Ji laughed maniacally, pausing for just a second longer before his fingers hovered over the triggers.
On the deck of the flagship, Ye Yu stood with his coat fluttering in the wind. Seeing Cai Ji preparing to attack, he raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. Without hesitation, he unleashed his Observation Haki at full force—now elevated to the 40th level, granting him the ability to glimpse brief fragments of the future.
Through his Observation Haki, Ye Yu caught a fleeting vision of what would happen one second later. In that moment, Cai Ji's laser cannons fired, a blinding beam sweeping from the left and obliterating three ships on that side of the fleet. The agonized screams of pirates filled the air as flames and smoke billowed skyward.
At the critical moment, the Executives of the Pirate Crew intervened, blocking the attack.
Ye Yu's brow furrowed, his gaze turning icy. He would never allow his comrades to be harmed—never allow such a future to unfold.
Of course, that future would only come to pass if he did nothing.
"Everyone, stand back. Leave this to me."
With those words, Ye Yu shot forward like a crimson bolt of lightning, leaping toward the Magnet Pirate Crew's ship.
Meanwhile, Cai Ji was lost in the thrill of delivering a fatal blow. His Magnet-Magnet Fruit ability surged at full power, the laser cannons humming as they gathered energy.
Yet, just as his finger was about to press the trigger, Ye Yu appeared before him without warning.
Too fast. Cai Ji couldn't react in time. He hadn't even sensed Ye Yu's movement, his mind drowning in shock.
"How is this possible? How can he be this fast?!" Terror flooded Cai Ji's thoughts.
Ye Yu was simply too quick—materializing as if from thin air. His Observation Haki hadn't detected him at all. Realization struck: Observation Kill. That was why he hadn't sensed Ye Yu's approach, why he hadn't reacted until it was too late.
Now, there was no time. How had Ye Yu moved so suddenly? His own attack was supposed to be instantaneous—the laser cannons' destructive power unleashed in a flash. But with Ye Yu already upon him, firing would be difficult. Even if he couldn't completely annihilate the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, he could still deal significant damage and make his name known.
Because destroying some ships was already impressive enough. But no one expected such an outcome, as if Ye Yu had foreseen it all.
There was no time to be shocked. Trying to stay calm and think of a solution, yet in the face of absolute strength, he suddenly felt powerless.
Ye Yu materialized before Cai Ji, his cold, domineering face like a demon god emerging from hell. There was not a trace of mercy in his eyes—only absolute disdain for his enemy.
"Daring to make a move is commendable, but foolish. Your strength is far from enough," Ye Yu said icily, already drawing Black Blade Night.
Cai Ji sensed the impending danger and tried to forcibly fire his Laser Cannon. But it was already too late.
"Damn it, no time! It's not fully charged yet—"
Ye Yu swung his blade with his right hand, dark red lightning coiling around it. A flash of steel, and a slash imbued with boundless Haki and power was unleashed in an instant—
"Divine Departure!"
The declaration of "Divine Departure" resounded, causing Cai Ji's eyes to widen, his pupils shrinking in sheer terror.
The entire world watched with bated breath, their gazes locked onto the scene that followed.
This slash seemed to tear through space itself, carrying an aura of apocalyptic destruction. Cai Ji had no means to resist—his Magnetic Laser Cannon was shattered in an instant, and his entire body was sent flying like a meteor. He crashed heavily onto the deck at the stern of the Pirate Ship, leaving behind a massive crater.
Cai Ji coughed up mouthfuls of blood, his vitality rapidly draining. Shock, fear, and despair filled his eyes.
"Am I going to die? No… absolutely not!"
Yet he found he couldn't stand, his body too weak. His mind reeled—how could he, a top-tier Chosen One, be one-shot like this? How was this possible?
But it wasn't just Cai Ji. Everyone aboard the Magnetic King Pirate Crew was caught in the aftershocks of that slash. Some were knocked unconscious, others outright killed—the scene was gruesome.
The Vice-Captain, who had been rushing to Cai Ji's aid, was also blasted away by the terrifying shockwave, left severely injured.
From start to finish, the battle had lasted only a single second. With his overwhelming power, Ye Yu had annihilated the Magnetic King Pirate Crew in one strike, shocking the entire world.
"My god, he's insane!"
"That's Ye Yu for you."
"Cai Ji was such an idiot, trying to make a move like that. Serves him right."
"Even with his Devil Fruit Awakening, the gap between him and Ye Yu was just too vast."
"Utterly foolish."
"Ye Yu is just too cool, too domineering."
...
At this moment, Jin Mo and the others also witnessed it, their expressions grave and shaken. This was Ye Yu's true power.
Ba Ye asked, "Yang Luo, if it were you facing that slash, could you dodge it?"
Yang Luo shook his head. "No. It's too fast, and with Observation Kill, there's no way to sense it in advance. If it were me, I might've been able to block or counter, but not avoid being one-shot. As for Cai Ji… he's not surviving that."
The others were stunned but had to admit the truth in his words.
They couldn't help but wonder—what would've happened if it were them?
Most concluded their fate wouldn't have been much different from Cai Ji's.
Wang Quanshi was shaken. The gap was really this vast? He had once believed he had become the strongest in single combat, the Strongest Creature in the Sea, Land, and Air—that he had surpassed Ye Yu. But now, he realized how laughable that notion was.
Lin Muxue gritted her teeth, trembling as she realized that even she wouldn't have been able to dodge that attack—though she wouldn't have died, not if she had activated her Thunder God Form from the start.
Meanwhile, Cai Ji's vitality was rapidly draining away. His eyes dimmed, filled with unwillingness and sheer terror as he realized death was coming for him.
He had dreamed of making a name for himself, only to be instantly killed with a single slash.
"Damn it! The world never even got to witness the power of my Laser Cannon before Ye Yu cut me down. How infuriating!"
At this thought, Cai Ji let out an enraged roar: "I refuse to accept this!"
But the shout was merely his final flicker of life. As soon as the words left his lips, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and died on the spot.
(End of Chapter)