The crew members were stunned.
"Just now, I subconsciously froze in fear."
"The aura was too overwhelming, too intimidating."
"Is this the power of Conqueror's Haki?"
...
Lin Muxue's expression turned grim, feeling deeply humiliated. Despite possessing the Rumble Rumble Fruit, she had actually shut her mouth just now, too afraid to say anything more. It felt as if continuing to provoke Ye Yu would be a dangerous move.
But Lin Muxue believed that was impossible.
"Hmph, staying silent just now doesn't mean I'm afraid of him. How could he possibly be my match? It seems this Conqueror's Haki is indeed formidable, enough to slightly intimidate even me. However, in the face of absolute strength, even with Conqueror's Haki, you are no match for me. I'll let you off this time, and you're not even worth my effort—it would be beneath me."
Li Cang sneered, "He's venturing into this dangerous world; sooner or later, he'll meet his end."
...
Soon after, across the entire Dragon Nation, all pirates began to diligently train and improve, hoping to master Observation Haki and Armament Haki before the arrival of the first Mystic Realm.
Meanwhile, Ye Yu bid farewell to Zhang Tian and arrived at the seaside. Without hesitation, he leaped into the ocean.
This startled many people watching from afar.
"Someone just jumped into the sea!"
"In this day and age, even if someone wanted to commit suicide, they wouldn't jump into the sea, right? There'd be no body left."
"The ocean is teeming with mutated creatures. Jumping in is practically asking for death."
"That's why many powerful pirate crews aren't recruiting across cities right now—sailing is still too dangerous. And yet, he just jumped straight into the sea."
"I saw him clearly—it's Ye Yu!"
"What? Ye Yu? Does he really not want to live anymore?"
"It seems so. After all, despite having the strongest talent, he contracted seven Non-Ability Users."
...
Not long after, the news reached Lin Muxue.
Li Cang was surprised when he heard about it.
Lin Muxue was equally puzzled, "He jumped into the sea and swam off into the distance? What is he trying to do?"
Li Cang replied, "He must have a death wish. Even if he has powerful Conqueror's Haki, at best, he can knock out some low-level thugs. When he encounters a powerful Sea Beast, he'll inevitably become its meal."
Lin Muxue couldn't think of any other explanation, so she stopped dwelling on it and continued her studies.
About ten miles off the coast of East Sea City, Ye Yu was swimming at an incredible speed, faster than a shark. This was also a form of training for him. He had already swum eighteen kilometers.
Along the way, Sea Beasts naturally appeared—mostly various fish, electric eels, and mutated giant crabs. They attempted to attack Ye Yu, but with just a glance, his Conqueror's Haki erupted, knocking them all unconscious. Those who weren't knocked out fled in a cold sweat.
Thus, Ye Yu continued swimming smoothly.
By nightfall, Ye Yu had swum a hundred kilometers and spotted a small, uninhabited island in the distance. Above the island, dark clouds loomed.
Upon landing on the island, a cold wind howled, and heavy snow fell. The environment was harsh, with temperatures dropping to minus forty degrees.
Ye Yu thought this environment was perfect and decided to begin his training here.
First, he took out his bag, which contained several high-density iron weights. He strapped them to his limbs and back—five weights in total, amounting to two hundred pounds.
In the past, carrying a 200-pound person would have been difficult, but now, moving around with such weight in daily life, even when facing wild beasts, was part of the training.
Although his body felt heavy, it didn't significantly affect his movements. After all, he had contracted seven powerless strong individuals, inheriting and stacking their physical prowess as well.
Ye Yu first took out the big fish he had just killed, then prepared firewood, lit it, and started grilling the fish.
He hadn't brought any food with him, as this was the true essence of training—everything had to be sourced on the spot.
Soon, the aroma of the fish filled the air, but at the same time, rustling sounds came from the grass.
In the darkness, Ye Yu looked over and saw ten pairs of oily green eyes glowing from the grass, accompanied by the low breathing of wolves.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, ten mutated wild wolves charged out, each the size of a black bear, moving swiftly and with great strength. After mutation, the wolves' combat power had significantly increased, and their bite force was astonishing, surpassing that of crocodiles.
This was why no one dared to sail and adventure now—they feared premature death. They had to seize this month to improve and prepare for the real mutations, as the creatures that would appear then would undoubtedly be even stronger.
"Get lost, don't disturb my meal."
With a cold, domineering glare, Ye Yu unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, which swept over the wolves. They immediately trembled, their eyes filled with terror, and instinctively backed away.
Some of the weaker wolves even collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
By then, the fish was ready. Ye Yu sprinkled some seasoning on it, and the enticing aroma filled the air. He began eating heartily, enjoying the fish with few bones.
But just then, a low, thunderous roar of a bear echoed through the forest.
Instantly, many birds and beasts in the woods panicked and flew away. The ground began to shake more and more violently, even causing the ground beneath Ye Yu's feet to tremble.
With a loud crash, a large tree behind him was violently pushed down, revealing a ten-meter-tall black bear. The bear met the wolves, and with a swipe of its paw, three wolves were sent flying, howling in agony, and died upon hitting the ground.
Ye Yu continued eating his fish, his back to the bear.
The bear looked down at Ye Yu, drooling. It hadn't expected anyone to dare come here alone after the mutations. Seeing the delicious food and Ye Yu acting as if it didn't exist, the bear thought the tasty meal was within its grasp.
The bear's paw shot out, ready to grab the human in front of it the moment it made contact.
But just as it was about to touch him, the figure in front of it flickered, and the bear's paw grasped at empty air.
The bear extended both paws, slamming them together with a loud bang, like swatting a fly, but it still didn't make contact. It had missed again.
The bear grew furious. It was being utterly disrespected. It kept swiping, but Ye Yu remained with his back turned, eating the grilled fish while moving swiftly, leaving behind several afterimages. No matter how the bear tried, it couldn't even touch the hem of Ye Yu's clothes.
The bear was stunned. Even with his back turned, Ye Yu had dodged every attack.
Anyone who saw this would be shocked, knowing that this was the power of Observation Haki.
After finishing his meal, Ye Yu turned around. The bear's paw came crashing down, and Ye Yu's fist met it head-on.
Bang!
The collision of fist and paw, the stark contrast in size between the human hand and the bear's paw, made Ye Yu appear minuscule in front of the black bear. However, at the moment of impact, there was no stalemate. Ye Yu's right arm extended straight, and with a howl, the black bear was sent flying. The sound of crashing continued as the bear toppled ten large trees before finally coming to a stop.
Anyone witnessing this would be utterly dumbfounded. Without the aid of any Devil Fruit abilities, relying solely on his own strength, could a human possess such power? With a single punch, he had sent the black bear flying.
The black bear roared in fury, leaping into the air, causing the ground to tremble. It descended upon Ye Yu from above, its massive paws slamming down with tremendous force.
Ye Yu extended his right palm, facing the bear from a distance. Before they even made contact, a burst of impact force erupted, sending the bear soaring into the sky. A more agonized howl followed as the bear vomited blood, flying fifty meters high before crashing to the ground, dead on impact.
If anyone had seen this, they would have been at a loss to explain it, perhaps mistaking it for the work of an Ability User.
But in reality, this was the external release of Armament Haki, known as "Ryou" in the Land of Wano.
Ye Yu naturally possessed this skill. At this level of Armament Haki, powerhouses like Pluto Rayleigh, Roger, and Red-Haired Shanks would undoubtedly have it as well. Ye
Yu had inherited this ability, though its power wasn't as formidable yet, given that he was only at level ten.
But against such mutated creatures, it was more than sufficient.
(End of Chapter)