Ye Yu warned, "If she doesn't eat, don't bother her. Just eat quietly, or you'll taste my fists."
Li Cang's heart trembled, and he could only continue eating with his head down, not daring to say another word.
Lin Muxue stood there, watching Li Cang and the others eat with relish, their mouths smeared with grease. They even licked the grease off their lips cleanly.
Her stomach growled louder and louder, and her resolve began to waver. She thought about how she would have to spend the next three days in the foul-smelling lower deck, and how much worse it would be on an empty stomach. If she could eat her fill now, perhaps she could endure the coming torment a little better.
Watching Ye Yu and the others, as well as Li Cang beside her, eat so heartily, Lin Muxue's throat involuntarily moved a few times. Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer and reached out to grab a leftover rib and started gnawing on it.
As soon as it entered her mouth, her eyes instantly lit up. She hadn't expected the leftovers to be so good, much better than she had imagined. She began to eat more vigorously, grabbing other leftovers with both hands and stuffing them into her mouth. Her eating manners gradually became messy, completely losing the previous restraint.
Ye Yu looked at Lin Muxue's state and sneered, "Didn't you say you wouldn't eat? Tastes good, huh?"
Lin Muxue's face burned with shame, and her heart was filled with humiliation, but she didn't say a word. She just silently continued eating, though she really wanted to exclaim how delicious it was.
Ye Yu glanced at the time and said coldly, "Half an hour is up. Stop eating now."
But Lin Muxue was too hungry and hadn't eaten enough. She hurriedly continued eating.
Ye Yu stepped forward and kicked her bowl away, scattering the food on the ground.
Lin Muxue's face turned ugly, and she glared at Ye Yu in anger.
Ye Yu looked down at her and said in a deep voice, "I told you to eat quickly earlier, but you didn't. Now you're in a hurry? I said half an hour, and that's it. If you're still hungry, blame your own restraint."
Li Cang and the others, meanwhile, had eaten their fill.
Ye Yu instructed, "Start cleaning up. Don't try to sneak any leftovers. There will be supervision. If you're caught, you won't be allowed to come up for meals next time, and you'll get a beating before going back down. Clean the ship thoroughly, wash the dishes and utensils. There's supervision and plenty of surveillance footage, so do it properly, or you'll face punishment."
Although Lin Muxue and the others were reluctant, they had no choice but to comply. They cleaned up the leftovers, collected the dishes and utensils, picked up brooms and mops, and began cleaning the deck.
As she worked, Lin Muxue's tears of humiliation fell, and she started crying. She silently swore to herself, "Ye Yu, just you wait! During the tournament, I'll definitely get my revenge. I'll make you suffer worse than death. Wuwuwu…"
Ye Yu began his training in the Gravity Chamber, and the others did the same. The lower-ranked crew members sighed with relief, thinking that with the slaves around, they could have more time to train.
Lin Muxue and the others worked for three hours before the entire ship was spotless. The tables and plates were polished to a shine, and everything was neatly arranged.
Ye Yu, having finished his workout, nodded in satisfaction. "You can go back down now."
Just as Lin Muxue and the others were about to return to the lower deck, the temperature suddenly dropped, and snow began to fall from the sky.
Ye Yu looked up into the distance and saw a vast expanse of white ahead. The mountains and islands were blanketed in a layer of pure snow, and before them stretched a vast, icy world.
The crew was utterly bewildered. Just moments ago, the atmosphere had been as warm as spring, but now it felt like the depths of winter. Although the weather was known to be unpredictable, such a sudden and drastic change in the environment was rare.
Zhang Naran stepped forward to report, "Captain, to reach the next treasure drop point, we'll have to pass through this icy region. It's estimated to take about two hours. We could take a detour, but that would add an extra day to our journey. Additionally, such an abrupt environmental shift likely indicates the presence of powerful Sea Beasts. Although ships have passed through here before without encountering any, we can't be certain there's no danger."
Ye Yu decisively said, "Continue sailing."
Soon, the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's fleet entered this icy world. Before them stretched a vast expanse of white—white islands, white peaks—a breathtakingly beautiful scene. The crew members took photos and marveled at the pure, pristine beauty of the snow-covered landscape.
Suddenly, with a loud bang, the ship collided with something and came to an abrupt halt, shaking violently.
A crew member hurried over to report, "Captain, the sea has frozen over!"
Ye Yu ordered, "See if we can break through the ice."
Several crew members immediately disembarked, grabbing tools to chip away at the ice. However, they soon discovered that the ice layer was incredibly thick and solid, making it impossible to break through.
Ye Yu leaped into action, drawing the Black Blade Night from his back. With a swift motion, he unleashed a verdant Slash that struck the ice surface.
Crack!
A straight, kilometer-long fissure appeared in the ice ahead. However, it didn't fully break through. Peering into the crevice, they could see that the ice extended all the way down, with unfrozen water only appearing at depths beyond a kilometer.
Ye Yu realized that the ice layer was simply too thick—over a kilometer deep. Only the water below that depth remained unfrozen.
Seeing this, Zhao Yan'er activated her Flare-Flare Fruit abilities, attempting to melt the ice with her flames. She unleashed a barrage of Fire Fists, but the effect was minimal, with only a slight melting of the ice.
Ye Yu remarked, "I could keep cutting through the ice, but it would be slow and draining. There's no need for that."
Zhang Naran nodded in agreement. "Yes, the ice in this region is uniformly thick and hard. Previous pirate ships that passed through here chose to drag their ships across the ice. Even with human effort, pulling the ship over the ice is easier and faster than breaking through it. Those ships had many crew members pulling ropes to move forward."
Ye Yu nodded. "That's what I was thinking. Let's tie the ropes and pull the ship across the ice."
At that moment, Lin Muxue and the others prepared to head below deck, but Ye Yu stopped them.
"Don't go down yet. You twenty slaves will be the ones pulling."
Lin Muxue and the others gritted their teeth, frowning as they asked, "Just us pulling?"
Ye Yu replied indifferently, "Of course. You're the slaves—should we be the ones pulling? Hurry up, no dawdling! You're all prodigies; your strength should be more than enough."
With no other choice, Lin Muxue and the others stepped off the ship, their expressions grim. The ropes were quickly tied, and they took hold of the icy, bone-chilling lines. The cold was becoming increasingly unbearable, and Lin Muxue asked, "Are there any gloves?"
"No, hurry up and pull."
They positioned themselves at the front of the ship, gripping the ropes tightly. Taking a deep breath, they mustered all their strength and began pulling the ship forward slowly.
Ye Yu reminded them, "Li Cang, you're a Might Might Fruit Ability User. Put some effort into it."
Li Cang had no choice but to fully activate his fruit's power. Since he had no hands, he tied the ropes to his legs and pulled with all his might.
The cold wind howled, cutting into their faces like knives. Snowflakes fell, quickly turning their hair and clothes white. It grew colder and colder, with frost forming on their bodies and eyelashes, making it no better than being below deck. They were on the verge of collapse, forced to do all the dirty and exhausting work.
As Lin Muxue pulled the boat, she swore in her heart once again, "Ye Yu, one day, I will make you pay for everything you've done today. I will make you taste the bitterness of being enslaved!"
As they moved forward, the howling of the cold wind grew louder, resembling the wails of ghosts and wolves, making people feel scared and uneasy.
On the boat, the crew squinted their eyes, cautiously looking around. Ye Yu also reached behind his back, gripping the Black Blade Night, sensing that danger was approaching.