Zhao Yan'er charged swiftly toward Xiao Ke, her speed astonishingly fast.
Everyone noticed that her movement speed had indeed increased significantly.
Xiao Ke gripped his rifle, coated in Armament Haki, turning it pitch-black as he swung it horizontally.
Boom!
The two collided, freezing in place—Zhao Yan'er's Dragon Claw-like hand clamped onto the rifle, which remained firmly in Xiao Ke's grasp, unmoving.
However, as Zhao Yan'er exerted force with her Dragon Claw, cracking sounds echoed. Even with the rifle reinforced by Armament Haki, Xiao Ke realized that prolonged pressure would cause it to shatter.
Xiao Ke instantly recognized the power of Dragon Claw Fist and exclaimed, "Incredible strength—it truly feels like a real dragon's claw. My Armament Haki is extremely strong, making the rifle nearly unbreakable, but under prolonged pressure, it would still crumble. If this grip were around an enemy's head, it could easily crush the skull of an ordinary powerhouse."
Zhao Yan'er had chosen this fight to gauge just how much her strength had improved.
Xiao Ke attempted to fling her away with a forceful swing but found it difficult to shake her off. Instead, he pulled the trigger.
Zhao Yan'er released her grip and swiftly retreated, activating Observation Haki to sidestep the bullet.
The crew members sighed in admiration. "Her Observation Haki has improved too."
"After all, she inherited Sabo's attributes—strength, speed, Haki, everything."
"Reaching Level 30 really is a transformation. Before, without using her fruit abilities, she'd be at a huge disadvantage against Xiao Ke. But now, she's this strong."
...
After dodging, Zhao Yan'er flashed above Xiao Ke's head and dove downward, her hands shaped like Dragon Claws, Armament Haki radiating outward as she struck. A dragon's roar seemed to resonate in the air.
Xiao Ke didn't dare underestimate this—it felt as if a real dragon were descending upon him, roaring with a breath of destruction.
Zhao Yan'er shouted, "Dragon Breath!"
The terrifying combination of Dragon Claw Fist, raw power, and Armament Haki made Xiao Ke realize the sheer force behind this attack.
He pulled the trigger, firing a bullet without worrying about Zhao Yan'er's safety—he trusted her strength, and the Captain was watching nearby, ready to intervene if needed.
With a bang, the bullet shattered before it could even get close. Xiao Ke raised his rifle with both hands to block the strike.
BOOM!!
The collision of two monstrous forces caused the ground beneath Xiao Ke to collapse violently. In an instant, a massive crater fifty meters in diameter formed, leaving only the patch beneath his feet intact.
Everyone was stunned by the sheer power of Dragon Breath. If combined with the Flare-Flare Fruit, adding flames to Dragon Claw Fist, the attack would be even more devastating.
After a brief stalemate, Xiao Ke swung his rifle again, forcing Zhao Yan'er to land and retreat a few steps.
Zhao Yan'er now had a clear understanding of her progress and was delighted.
"Let's stop here. I'm still at a slight disadvantage, but I didn't use my fruit abilities."
Xiao Ke nodded. "True. If you had, the outcome might've been different."
In their previous sparring matches, Xiao Ke had always held the upper hand—whether against Xia Ling or Zhao Yan'er. But now, he wasn't so sure.
The crew was amazed, but Xia Ling frowned slightly. If it were her in Zhao Yan'er's place, the situation would likely be similar—perhaps only marginally better.
Honestly, she felt a little disappointed. The transformation wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as she had imagined, but she was still happy for Zhao Yan'er.
The crew members also began to realize this and murmured among themselves.
"Even though reaching Level 30 grants the strength of a Pirate Ability User, the improvement doesn't feel overwhelmingly massive."
"Yeah, there's definitely progress, but it's more like the icing on the cake rather than a complete metamorphosis."
"Not as overwhelmingly powerful as imagined."
"That's fine too. Those top-tier Ability Users like Jin Mo pride themselves on their level 30 transformation, thinking they can surpass the Captain. But the improvement isn't that massive."
"In that case, wouldn't the Captain remain the strongest for even longer?"
...
The Ability Users weren't too disappointed. As long as the Captain stayed strongest longer, they were happy.
Zhao Yan'er also realized something. She initially thought that at level 30 with full power, she could defeat Xiao Ke, but now she saw it would be at best an even match.
Ye Yu clapped in admiration: "Your strength has indeed improved significantly."
Zhao Yan'er modestly replied: "Still far behind the Captain. This is good—I thought I'd get much closer to him, but that's not the case. When Jin Mo and the others reach level 30 and realize the gap with the Captain remains huge, they'll surely feel terrible."
Zhao Lin sneered: "Lin Muxue will feel even worse when she realizes it at level 30."
"Haha, no she won't."
Just then, Lin Muxue and the others were brought up. They hadn't been allowed to bathe, so while not brought too close, the stench could still be detected from afar.
Upon hearing these words and sensing the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's schadenfreude, Lin Muxue let out a scornful laugh.
The crew members frowned as they looked over.
"Won't?"
"You must have seen—level 30 doesn't bring the massive boost you imagined."
"Dreaming of a level 30 comeback to surpass our Captain, only to find the improvement isn't that big. Doesn't that upset you?"
...
Lin Muxue arrogantly glanced at Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er with disdain.
"Humph, don't compare yourselves to me. You've improved, though not dramatically, but that's because among pirates, Flare-Flare Fruit and frozen Ability Users aren't inherently powerful. But a pirate with the Rumble Rumble Fruit must be formidable. Besides, level 30 is just the beginning—the real leaps come at higher levels when I'll definitely surpass Ye Yu."
Li Cang agreed: "Xue Er is right. At fresh level 30, she hasn't inherited much power yet. Ye Yu inherited seven abilities early on, making him strong upfront, but those seven can't compare to a pirate's Rumble Rumble Fruit user. When Xue Er reaches higher levels and inherits more, she'll undoubtedly surpass your Captain."
Lin Muxue declared haughtily: "So discovering your level 30 gains aren't huge doesn't upset me. Even if I can't defeat Ye Yu at level 30, that's normal—it's just the start of transformation. At higher levels, surpassing him is inevitable."
Her words made sense to the other slaves.
The Dominant Feather crew frowned, recognizing the logic.
Lin Muxue taunted: "Does that bother you? Heh, that's reality. Ye Yu shouldn't get too cocky—he needs to face facts."
She looked at Ye Yu, hoping to see his expression darken. But finding no change, she felt displeased. She'd wanted to relish his discomfort, but seeing none, she inwardly scoffed.
"Hmph, calm on the surface, but he must understand inside—feeling uneasy, knowing I'm right. He realizes higher levels will make me surpass him. He knows I want to see him squirm, but refuses to show it."
Seeing Lin Muxue's smug sneer, Ye Yu could imagine her thoughts. In response, he coolly uttered two words toward her:
"Idiot."
This single word "idiot" made Lin Muxue freeze momentarily before her expression darkened with anger.
"He actually called me an idiot."
Ye Yu looked puzzled: "Aren't you? The way you're acting now, what you're saying, your thoughts—they're all quite idiotic."
Lin Muxue snorted coldly: "I'm stating facts. Though it can't be proven now, things will inevitably turn out as I said by mid-to-late stages."
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