They had no choice but to make this decision, as continuing would only make things worse.
However, Ye Yu shook his head.
Lin Muxue and the other prodigies frowned, puzzled. "Ye Yu, what do you mean by this?"
Ye Yu let out a cold snort, his gaze sharp as a blade, sweeping over the prodigies before him. "You rejected my proposal earlier, and now that the situation is turning against you, you want to backtrack? It's not that simple! If you had agreed earlier, everything would have gone according to my initial plan. But now, the terms have doubled!"
His words struck like a thunderclap in their ears. Doubling the terms meant ten precious treasure chests, forty top-tier powerful Ferocious Sea Beasts, and two hundred high-tier Ferocious Sea Beasts.
Instantly, Lin Muxue and the others turned livid with anger.
"Ye Yu, you're going too far! You're asking for too much! Do you really think we're easy to bully?"
Ye Yu took a step forward, his overwhelming aura intimidating everyone. He coldly corrected, "It's you who thought I was easy to bully, thinking you could fight or retreat as you pleased. If you don't agree, then let's continue the battle. No more nonsense!"
The expressions of Lin Muxue and the others darkened. They knew that if the battle continued, the four Pirate Crews would face utter destruction, possibly being completely disbanded.
But the demands were simply too excessive.
Wang Quanshi spoke up in a grave tone, "Ye Yu, if we start spreading out the battle, dividing the battlefield into hundreds of smaller ones, and our top fighters join each of these smaller battles, you're only one person. You can only support one battlefield at a time. If the battlefields are spread out far enough, the over 200,000 combatants from afar can join in, dispersing their forces as well. Your Conqueror's Haki won't be able to affect them all immediately. You'll have to deal with one battlefield at a time, then rush to the next. In this way, our advantage will become apparent, and we'll have a chance."
After hearing this, a glimmer of admiration flashed in Ye Yu's eyes. He nodded slightly and praised, "Not a bad strategy. You can try it. But I'll remind you, if you fall into a major disadvantage again, even if you agree to my proposal, it will be useless. No amount of treasure will save you. Think carefully."
The expressions of Lin Muxue and the other prodigies grew even more somber. They understood that while Wang Quanshi's tactic was their last hope, it would be extremely difficult to execute and carried immense risk.
Their faces darkened as they exchanged uneasy glances.
Ye Yu grew impatient and said coldly, "I'll give you ten seconds to decide. Will you continue the fight, or accept my terms?"
Lin Muxue and the others quickly weighed the pros and cons. They knew that if the battle continued, the four Pirate Crews might be wiped out. The road ahead was long, and accepting Ye Yu's harsh terms would slow their progress for a while. After a difficult moment of hesitation and deliberation, Lin Muxue finally gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, we agree!"
The other prodigies remained silent, having no other choice.
Ye Yu nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then deliver what I've asked for within fifteen days."
Lin Muxue frowned, her face showing distress. "Fifteen days is too short. We can't possibly gather that much treasure in such a short time."
Ye Yu was unimpressed and said indifferently, "After all, you are one of the four major Pirate Crews. If you put in some effort during your respective voyages, you should be able to gather the required amount in fifteen days. If you think it's impossible, then we can continue fighting."
Lin Muxue and the others were both angry and helpless, but they could only suppress their rage and grit their teeth as they nodded, "We will gather what you asked for within fifteen days."
Ye Yu then added, "Also, to prevent you from going back on your word, we need to keep some of your combat strength on our ship as slaves, just in case you change your mind later."
Upon hearing this, Lin Muxue and the others felt their hearts sink. They had originally planned to agree first and then find a way to renege after the battle ended. They hadn't expected Ye Yu to have already anticipated their thoughts.
Ye Yu looked at their expressions and smiled faintly, asking, "Is that reasonable?"
Lin Muxue and the others nodded with difficulty, "Reasonable. So, how many people do you want as exchange? How about five hundred regular crew members?"
Ye Yu sneered, "Do you think I'm stupid? Five hundred regular crew members are something you can easily give up."
Wang Quanshi frowned heavily, "Then how about one hundred combat crew members? Each of the four Pirate Crews can contribute more than twenty skilled combat crew members. Combat crew members are important to a Pirate Crew, and twenty is a significant number. How about that?"
Ye Yu still shook his head, "No, I don't want too many, just some key ones. To ensure you can gather the treasure within fifteen days, let's make it twenty. Ten of the most skilled combat crew members, nine Executives, and one Captain."
The expressions of everyone present instantly grew even more grim. The four Captains were panicked, as they hadn't expected Ye Yu to demand not only powerful combat crew members and Executives but also a Captain.
Wang Quanshi frowned, "You want a Captain too? What about our voyages afterward? A Pirate Crew can't function without a Captain."
Ye Yu didn't care, "That's not my concern. The four Pirate Crews can continue sailing together; there's strength in numbers. In fifteen days, if you deliver the treasure, I'll release them. If you don't, I'll deal with them."
Wang Quanshi, Song Ling, Jin Mo, and Lin Muxue, the four Captains, immediately grew tense, filled with unease, unsure who Ye Yu would choose.
For some reason, Lin Muxue was the most anxious, as her history with Ye Yu was more complicated.
Lin Muxue forced herself to remain calm and asked, "We can decide on the ten skilled combat crew members immediately."
Ye Yu said, "To prevent you from abandoning each other later, each of the four Pirate Crews must contribute some."
Soon, the ten combat crew members were selected. The Chosen One Pirate Crew contributed three, while the other three Pirate Crews contributed seven, all of whom were top-tier combat crew members.
Next, the selection of Executives began.
Ye Yu's gaze swept through the Executives, searching, and finally, his first choice fell on Li Cang.
At that moment, Li Cang was lying on the ground, pretending to be dead, hoping to escape this fate. He muttered to himself, "Don't see me, just pretend I'm dead."
Ye Yu sneered and pointed at him, saying, "The first Executive, Li Cang."
Li Cang's heart sank, and he cursed inwardly, wondering why he was chosen. How unlucky.
Li Cang hurriedly said, "I'm just a disabled person now. I have no hands, and my legs are injured. I'm not of much value."
Ye Yu impatiently replied, "Stop the nonsense."
Li Cang looked at Lin Muxue with pleading eyes, hoping she would speak up for him.
Lin Muxue snorted coldly and nodded, "Fine."
This plunged Li Cang's heart into despair. If he were to become a slave, how miserable would his fate be?
Ye Yu continued his selection: "As for the remaining eight Executives, I want the four strongest and the four weakest from among the Executives of your four Pirate Crews."
Upon hearing this, Wang Quanshi immediately frowned and objected, "The strongest Executives? That won't do. It will significantly increase the difficulty of obtaining the treasure." Ye Yu snorted coldly, "It won't increase it by much. Moreover, if there are any further objections, the negotiations will be terminated immediately. From now on, no one is to interrupt me."
Seeing this, Lin Muxue and the others had no choice but to reluctantly keep their mouths shut.
Soon, the eight Executives were also chosen, including powerful figures like Yang Jin and Kaku. These Executives were the core strength of the four Pirate Crews, possessing immense potential. The four Pirate Crews would never abandon them for the sake of treasure. After all, combat power was a long-term asset, while treasure could always be sought later.
Finally, it came to the most critical choice: Ye Yu began to select a Captain.
Instantly, the expressions of the four Captains—Lin Muxue, Wang Quanshi, Song Ling, and Jin Mo—turned grave.
The eyes of the entire world were focused, and those watching the live broadcast of this battle held their breath, eager to see whom Ye Yu would choose.