Jin Mo frowned. "Not even two together? Then we'll participate individually when the time comes, each relying on our own strength."
Lin Muxue immediately made her announcement.
"The Chosen One Pirate Crew is recruiting! With the power of the Rumble Rumble Fruit, I will undoubtedly become the strongest in the future. I already feel immensely powerful. Do you want to claim the Pirate Crew rankings rewards? Do you want to join the One King Pirates and gain fame and rewards? If so, join us now!"
Her declaration had an effect—more people expressed interest in joining. Though everyone knew the Chosen One Pirate Crew had suffered repeated setbacks against the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, they also recognized Lin Muxue's immense potential and the terrifying power of the Rumble Rumble Fruit.
In the later stages, Lin Muxue alone would become an overwhelming force, capable of annihilating entire Pirate Crews with her lightning.
Everyone understood the sheer terror of lightning.
At this moment, Ye Yu saw Lin Muxue's declaration and couldn't help but laugh. The idea of her becoming the One King Pirates or claiming the highest Bounty Money was nothing short of a joke.
Lin Muxue had been training relentlessly during this time, filled with hope for the future. That was good—if she were despairing, she wouldn't push herself so hard.
Her determination to defeat him in the arena only worked in his favor. The stronger she became, the greater the rewards he would reap by defeating her.
Three days passed without any Mystic Realms appearing or many treasure chests being obtained. However, they did manage to take down several powerful Ferocious Beasts and one formidable Sea Beast, which still counted as gains.
By now, Ye Yu had fully recovered. Aware that formidable enemies still lurked in the shadows, he threw himself into training inside the Gravity Chamber.
At present, the top Chosen Ones weren't forming many alliances, but that would inevitably change later.
He had Contracts with seven of them. If, in the future, those seven top-tier powerhouses—or even more—joined forces, it would pose a serious challenge for him.
But that was fine. It only gave him more motivation.
Inside the Gravity Chamber, Ye Yu endured a crushing force of 20,000 jin—an utterly terrifying weight that left his crew in awe of their Captain's strength.
Once he adapted, he increased the gravity further, pushing his limits.
He had inherited the abilities of seven Ability Users—though in truth, it was eight, counting himself—but that didn't mean he could neglect his own growth.
Each of those seven was like a mentor to him, as he had inherited not just their powers but also their insights and experiences. Thus, he had to train relentlessly to grow stronger.
Adjusting the gravity to 25,000 jin, an overwhelming force pressed down on him like a collapsing mountain. Ye Yu's body sank abruptly, each step feeling like wading through quicksand. Yet he didn't retreat—steadfast, he took the first step. After struggling to adapt, he began a slow jog.
His goal was to complete fifty laps. He had to endure. Soon, sweat poured from his forehead, streaming down his face and evaporating the instant it hit the ground.
The chamber was also set to simulate other extreme conditions—scorching heat during the day, with temperatures reaching 60 degrees Celsius, and freezing cold at night, dropping as low as -50 degrees Celsius.
Ye Yu had designed the Gravity Chamber to resemble the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from Dragon Ball, knowing it would greatly aid his training.
By the twenty-fifth lap, his legs felt as heavy as lead, every step accompanied by aching muscles and exhaustion. Yet his gaze remained unshakably focused ahead.
Thirty laps…
Thirty-five laps…
Fifty laps…
Finally, he did it. Ye Yu collapsed to the ground, and the crew member monitoring the chamber immediately deactivated the gravity. Each chamber had an overseer who would shut it down the moment someone reached their limit and could no longer continue.
Ye Yu instantly felt as if he had entered paradise—it was so relaxing and comfortable.
After resting for ten minutes, allowing the gravity to return to twenty-five thousand jin, Ye Yu walked toward the equipment area.
In fifteen more days, the arena battles would begin. Once the one-on-one matches concluded, what everyone had been eagerly anticipating would arrive—the two Mystic Realm rankings.
For Ye Yu, this was also something to look forward to, and his goal was nothing less than first place.
Moreover, he wanted his bounty money to be uncontested, just like his strength. By then, he would shock the world and couldn't wait to see Lin Muxue's expression.
As for the One King Pirates—it wasn't certain. If multiple top-tier pirate crews allied, things might change. But his goal remained first place.
Securing the top bounty was stable, but the One King Pirates' position wasn't. So, he couldn't slack off—he had to keep pushing forward.
Ye Yu reached out and gripped the heavy barbell. Already under intense gravity, the added weight of the equipment made his veins bulge as his arms trembled, slowly lifting the barbell. In this extreme gravity environment, every lift felt like pushing his body to its limits. Beads of sweat rolled down his body, soaking the ground beneath him.
His goal: fifty reps.
Gritting his teeth, his arm muscles swelled, their contours perfect, every fiber brimming with power.
After finishing, Ye Yu rested briefly before moving to the mechanism zone. The gravity was slightly reduced—twenty thousand jin. Still heavy, but manageable—not so crushing that he'd become an easy target, yet not so light that it lacked training value.
The surrounding mechanisms activated, arrows raining down on him like a storm.
Ye Yu unleashed his Observation Haki, relying on his sharp senses and agile movements to weave through the gaps in the arrows. His body moved like a phantom, swift and precise, dodging with perfect timing. Many arrows grazed past him, tearing his clothes.
In this grueling environment, his will grew firmer, and with time, his strength quietly accumulated and improved.
Once done, Ye Yu stepped out, took a shower, and slept for an hour.
When he emerged, the crew suddenly shouted in excitement.
"Look at the sky!"
Everyone looked up, their eyes lighting up as a swirling vortex appeared, glowing purple mixed with black—a violet-black Mystic Realm.
Compared to the previous Rock Stone General's Mystic Realm, this one was slightly easier, the black radiance not as dense as last time.
The entire world watched in anticipation and surprise.
"Only five days have passed, and another new Mystic Realm has appeared!"
A pirate shouted excitedly, greed flashing in his eyes. "This time, we have to seize it!"
"Good thing it appeared now. The injuries from the Rock Stone General's Mystic Realm have fully healed. This time, we're going all out!"
Another pirate gripped his weapon tightly, as if already seeing the treasures within the realm beckoning to him.
Standing on the deck of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's ship, Ye Yu gazed at the Mystic Realm with anticipation. After days of recovery, his injuries had completely healed.
Every appearance of a Mystic Realm was both a rare opportunity and a formidable challenge.
Soon, information about this new Mystic Realm spread, and everyone's eyes gleamed.
This time, the gameplay was extremely unique—it was whack-a-mole.
The moles were all blind but possessed powerful Observation Haki, relying entirely on it to perceive their surroundings.
When challengers enter the Mystic Realm, they are individually transported to a whack-a-mole space, each holding a hammer with thirty holes in front of them. Moles continuously pop out from these holes—starting with just one, but increasing in number and frequency over time.
Rewards are distributed based on the number of moles struck—the more hits, the greater the experience gained.
"This Mystic Realm sounds quite interesting!"
A young Pirate's face lit up with eagerness, but soon furrowed with worry: "However, these moles must have strong Observation Haki and quick reflexes. They won't be easy to hit."
Despite the difficulty, for weaker Pirates, this was still a rare opportunity. As long as it wasn't a high-combat challenge, they could enter—after all, there was no life-threatening danger.
For a moment, nearly all Pirates prepared to test their skills in the Mystic Realm.
Yet, upon hearing the details, the expressions of the top Chosen Ones instantly changed. Lin Muxue, Jin Mo, and others paled with alarm—especially Lin Muxue, whose eyes flickered with concern.
"Ye Yu possesses Observation Kill... Doesn't this give him an overwhelming advantage?" Lin Muxue muttered under her breath, displeasure lacing her tone.
They recalled Ye Yu's terrifying Observation Kill. The moles relied entirely on Observation Haki to sense attacks, but Ye Yu's ability rendered it useless. Now that he had grown stronger, his Observation Kill would undoubtedly be even more potent. In this Mystic Realm, wouldn't he be practically cheating?
At this realization, their faces darkened further.
"Damn it, this Mystic Realm might as well have been tailor-made for Ye Yu!" Jin Mo gritted his teeth in frustration.
Wang Quanshi's expression soured: "It's like giving him a cheat code—it drastically lowers his difficulty."
The others wore heavy expressions. It felt like Ye Yu always reaped the greatest rewards in every Mystic Realm. They had hoped that beyond level 30, his dominance would wane—yet so far, nothing had changed.
Lin Muxue scoffed coldly: "Fine. The higher Ye Yu's level climbs, the greater the rewards when I defeat him in the arena battles."
Despite her words, unease still gnawed at her heart.
...
At this moment, Yang Luo's expression was the darkest of all—after all, he firmly believed Non-Ability Users held potential no less than Ability Users.
Clenching his jaw tightly, Yang Luo's eyes burned with envy and anxiety: "Damn it, this setup favors Ye Yu too much. He's bound to gain massive experience this time. I follow Rocks' teachings—even he doesn't have Observation Kill, yet Ye Yu does. Unbelievable."
Ba Ye and Wang Jue remained relatively composed. They believed Ability Users held greater potential and weren't overly concerned about Ye Yu's performance in this Mystic Realm.
Meanwhile, the crew of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew cheered excitedly—they knew this Mystic Realm was a golden opportunity for their Captain, Ye Yu.
Ye Yu himself was thrilled—this was undeniably advantageous for him.
Soon, all Pirates entered. As light enveloped them, everyone was transported into the Mystic Realm.
Ye Yu felt the scenery shift before his eyes, and suddenly, he stood in a peculiar space—a field stretching ten meters long and five meters wide, dotted with thirty holes. Beside him lay a single hammer.
Ye Yu picked up the mallet, and the sound of a countdown echoed in his ears. The challenge would begin in ten seconds.
Taking a deep breath, Ye Yu unleashed Observation Kill at full power, focusing intently and pushing his speed to the limit. Only one thought occupied his mind: he had to hit as many moles as possible.
Meanwhile, the other Pirates also began their challenge.
One Pirate gripped his mallet tightly, his eyes fixed on the thirty holes in front of him. His gaze darted back and forth, afraid of missing even a single mole's appearance. Suddenly, a mole popped up from one of the holes. His vision locked onto it instantly, and he raised his mallet—but the mole vanished like lightning before he could strike.
"No way, that fast?!"
Startled, the Pirate refused to be discouraged and kept watching closely.
Soon, another mole emerged. This time, he lunged forward immediately—but again, he was too late. The mole disappeared before his eyes.
Just then, a mechanical voice announced: "Ten consecutive misses will result in failure. You will be teleported out."
The words struck like a death knell, sending a chill through the hearts of many Pirates.
Before long, numerous Pirates were teleported out after failing to hit the moles in succession.
They sighed in frustration, realizing that even though this Mystic Realm's challenge seemed simple and non-lethal, it was far from easy to profit from.
As for Ye Yu, the countdown ended, and the game began.
The first mole popped up—but unlike the others, it didn't immediately duck back down.
A surge of excitement rushed through Ye Yu. He activated Observation Kill, instantly nullifying the mole's Observation Haki, leaving it with only its instincts to rely on.
Ye Yu shot forward like a black bolt of lightning. The mole sensed the incoming wind and tried to retreat—but it was too late. Ye Yu's mallet struck true.
"Success!"
Ye Yu's heart swelled with triumph. He realized these moles didn't pop up and retreat in a fixed pattern—they only fled when they sensed an attack. With Observation Kill at his disposal, he held an overwhelming advantage in this Mystic Realm.
Lin Muxue and the others gradually came to the same realization during their own challenges, their expressions growing increasingly grim.
At first, they managed to hit a few moles. But as the number of moles increased and their speed accelerated, the creatures ducked back down just before the mallets could land.
The challenge lasted an hour. Initially, they thought they had plenty of time—but now, they realized that hitting enough moles within that hour was nearly impossible.
The moles' incredible Observation Haki, astonishing reflexes, and agility made them nearly untouchable. Frustration gnawed at the Pirates as they missed again and again.
Ye Yu's situation, however, was entirely different. He hadn't missed a single mole. As time passed, more and more moles emerged at once.
What started as one mole at a time had now escalated to six moles popping up randomly across the field.
But under the effect of Ye Yu's Observation Kill, the moles were like lambs to the slaughter. Once they emerged, they seemed disoriented, frozen in place.
Ye Yu moved swiftly, his mallet swinging so fast it left afterimages—as if he wielded a dozen mallets at once. Every strike landed with perfect precision.
Even as the sixth mole of this wave was about to retreat into its hole, Ye Yu's mallet struck it down.
Ye Yu secretly rejoiced at having contracted Red-Haired Shanks, thereby obtaining Observation Kill. He knew that in this Mystic Realm, the experience he would gain would far exceed his expectations.
At this moment, Yang Luo frowned anxiously. Although his speed was fast, he had missed many opportunities in this Mystic Realm.
His expression was unusually grave, knowing full well that Ye Yu's strength would receive a tremendous boost this time.