While waiting, many people had their own speculations.
"Do you think Ye Yu will join directly?"
"I don't think so. With such powerful Conqueror's Haki, Ye Yu is highly sought after. If he joins, he'll be targeted by other pirate crews."
"Exactly. Even if Ye Yu wants to join, no pirate crew would dare to take him in lightly."
"Failing to recruit Ye Yu would be a significant threat. While strong individuals are important, they're crucial in the mid to late stages. Right now, at the beginning, Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki is extremely valuable."
"I think Ye Yu will definitely say he won't join any pirate crew for now, so he doesn't offend anyone. Then he'll say he'll only choose the strongest, leaving the conflict for the powerful pirate crews to fight over."
"That makes sense."
...
At this moment, many powerful pirate crews were hopeful, especially the Azure Dragon Pirates, the strongest pirate crew, and the Overlord Pirates.
Song Ling snorted, "He definitely won't join. He'll announce he's joining us because if he doesn't, he'll be targeted by us. I might even personally go to him to show him the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit. Facing him, I only need to ask one question to decide his life or death."
She was confident, believing that few wouldn't fear her soul interrogation. The slightest hint of fear, and she could extract their soul.
...
The Flying Pirates, with their Float-Float Fruit Ability User, Jin Mo, were also confident.
"It's hard to say which pirate crew he'll join, but he definitely won't join the crew of the Ice Fruit Ability User now. That would be a slap in the face to us powerful pirate crews, especially since we, the Flying Pirates, have made it clear that if he dares to join, we'll act against him quickly. So, he definitely won't join."
...
Many people shared this sentiment.
Lin Muxue felt a bit smug and sneered, "Just admit defeat and quickly announce you won't join."
However, the next moment, Ye Yu made an announcement that shocked the entire Dragon Kingdom.
Ye Yu spoke solemnly, "Other pirate crews, no need to invite me. I won't join."
After saying this, Ye Yu didn't say anything more but turned to Xia Ling, "Let's board the ship."
Xia Ling was delighted, "I knew it."
Zhao Yan'er and the crew were also happy. Ye Yu was still going to join them, which was a significant boost for their pirate crew.
For a moment, the pirate crews on the shore looked displeased.
Lin Muxue frowned, not expecting Ye Yu to choose to join without hesitation.
Li Cang sneered, "Ye Yu, you know what's trending on social media, right? Most are demanding you join them, and some are even threatening you. Yet, you act as if none of it exists, completely disregarding them, as if they're just all talk and can't do anything to you?"
While saying this, Li Cang was naturally stirring the pot.
Ye Yu raised his right hand, preparing to reach for the Black Blade Night on his back. At that moment, Xia Ling suddenly moved, her speed astonishing.
"Shut up!"
A wave of cold energy quickly swept over, freezing Li Cang's mouth shut, rendering him speechless.
Xia Ling said sternly, "I've wanted to teach you a lesson for a while. Remember this: Ye Yu is not only the most important person to me but also my partner!"
Lin Muxue's expression turned ugly. This was a blow to her pride, and naturally, she couldn't just stand by and watch. As the saying goes, when you hit a dog, you have to consider its owner.
With a single discharge, an arc of electricity shot towards Xia Ling, but it was shattered by the ice spears she launched, scattering the lightning and breaking the ice.
Zhao Yan'er's right hand surged with flames as she spoke in a deep voice, "What, looking for a fight?"
Immediately, the crew members behind her also prepared to take action.
Lin Muxue, however, was not one to back down and made a suggestion.
"How about the other three pirate crews join forces?"
Yet, the other three crews had no such intention. Not only were there rules against unnecessary slaughter, but even if they did fight, there would inevitably be significant casualties, making it hardly worth it. There was no benefit to be gained.
With a single burst of Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki, many of them would faint. Moreover, Zhao Yan'er and Xia Ling were both formidable, and there were other executives to consider.
Therefore, unless there was a serious conflict or a significant dispute over interests, they wouldn't easily escalate to a full-scale battle. It simply wasn't worth it.
The captains of the other pirate crews stirred the pot.
"Lin Muxue, you're the Rumble Rumble Fruit Ability User. I believe in your strength. You alone should be enough to deal with them."
Lin Muxue frowned, the electricity around her dissipating as she decided not to act.
She wasn't foolish enough to let the Chosen One Pirate Crew engage in a battle with them. Whether they could win was uncertain, especially since Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki could significantly reduce their combat effectiveness.
Lin Muxue found an excuse, "We must follow the rules. We can't easily kill each other, especially since the Navy will arrive in three years. For a large-scale battle to break out, it would require a significant treasure or opportunity. Clearly, Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki alone isn't worth it, so there's no need."
Lin Muxue didn't want a full-scale war to break out now, as the real adventure was just about to begin. The true anomaly would arrive in a few hours, and before that, causing casualties among the pirate crews would be highly disadvantageous, only benefiting others.
At this moment, the other pirate crews watching the live stream had grim expressions.
Wang Quanshi frowned, "They actually chose to join directly, as if our pirate crews, which have been trending, don't exist."
"Captain, what should we do? Should we go and eliminate him?"
Wang Quanshi shook his head, "No need. Our Azure Dragon Pirate Crew isn't afraid of his Conqueror's Haki. Let the other pirate crews handle it."
...
At this moment, Bai Shaohan sighed, "What a pity, they actually chose to join."
Hei Jie said coldly, "Should we eliminate him? To prevent his Conqueror's Haki from growing stronger."
"Not yet. Haven't some pirate crews already made threats? Let's see if they're just bluffing or if they really intend to act."
...
Immediately, many people in Dragon Country turned their attention to Song Ling's Overlord Pirate Crew and Jin Mo's Flying Pirates.
After all, only these two had explicitly made threats, trending in the top searches. If Ye Yu dared to join directly, they would surely cause trouble for him.
If Xia Ling dared to accept him, they would also cause trouble for her and the entire pirate crew.
As a result, Ye Yu dared to join, and Xia Ling dared to accept him.
Instantly, many people became eager spectators.
Jin Mo's face was icy, "Hmph, such disrespect towards me, without a hint of hesitation or fear?"
The crew members were furious, "They really don't take us seriously. They must know about our warnings."
"Are they certain that at the beginning of the anomaly, we wouldn't dare to engage them in battle?"
"If we do fight, it would be a fierce battle with significant casualties."
Jin Mo also knew that Song Ling must be feeling the same way and immediately contacted her.
Song Ling, knowing Jin Mo was reaching out, could roughly guess the reason and responded.
"Jin Mo, what's the matter?"
"Song Ling, Ye Yu, and Xia Ling seem to be looking down on us, thinking we don't dare to act. You must be as angry as I am, right?"
"Indeed, I'm also furious. It's as if they're not afraid of us at all."
"Then, let's make a statement first."
"Agreed."
Soon, the top trending topic was dominated by a warning jointly issued by Song Ling and Jin Mo.
They demanded that Ye Yu withdraw and not join, and that Xia Ling not accept Ye Yu, so that nothing would happen. But if they still refused to listen, the Flying Pirates and the Overlord Pirates would join forces to target Ye Yu and soon head to Hangzhou. They declared that this was not a bluff but a promise of action.
As soon as these words were out, it caused a stir, making the situation seem increasingly tense, and the onlookers became even more focused.
All eyes turned back to the live broadcast, eager to see if Ye Yu and Xia Ling would back down.
Lin Muxue watched with schadenfreude, reminding, "You'd better quit and back down. Even you can't be unafraid, right? The Overlord and Flying Pirates are likely to be in the top five of the upcoming pirate crew rankings, hot candidates for the Four Emperors Pirates. You don't want to be targeted by two future Four Emperors Pirates, do you? No one wouldn't be afraid, right?"
Even she, Lin Muxue, wouldn't dare to easily provoke two pirate crews with the potential to become Four Emperors.
At this moment, Xia Ling was furious; these two pirate crews were truly bullying. But her heart was also heavy.
Zhao Yan'er felt the same; fighting one pirate crew was manageable, but two joining forces would be very unfavorable for them.
But even so, their fighting spirit was rising, not to prevent Ye Yu from joining.
Xia Ling looked at Ye Yu and said seriously, "Ye Yu, you choose. I'll follow your decision, whatever it is. Even if you choose not to join, I can understand."
Zhao Yan'er and others also nodded, indicating their understanding.
For a moment, it was quiet, and everyone looked at Ye Yu.
Ye Yu glanced at the trending topic on his phone, calmly turned it off, and faced the live cameras not far away. His eyes turned cold, filled with Haki, fearless, as if his gaze pierced through the cameras and landed on Jin Mo and Song Ling who were watching.
Involuntarily, Jin Mo and Song Ling frowned slightly; this look made them very uncomfortable.
And the other crew members of these two pirate crews felt even more uncomfortable, with even thousands of lower-ranked crew members involuntarily shivering, not daring to look at the live broadcast, not daring to meet Ye Yu's domineering gaze.
Ye Yu sneered disdainfully and spoke in a chilling voice.
"Two pirate crews with the potential to become Four Emperors? Heh, even if they were two Four Emperors, so what?"
After a pause, Ye Yu's voice became more resounding.
"Our pirate crew! Is destined to become the One King in the future, how could we fear mere two Four Emperors?"
Another pause, Ye Yu's gaze and voice turned icy cold.
"If they dare to come, I wouldn't mind making the competition for the pirate crew rankings less intense, ensuring that the Flying and Overlord Pirates can't make the list!"
(End of Chapter)