At this moment, Jin Mo, Song Ling, and Wang Quanshi formed a team. After learning the rules, Jin Mo asked,
"Should we attack Ye Yu when the time comes?"
"Although our strength has improved, attacking him would be pointless. He'll be heavily drained by then, and so will we. This first trial won't be easy."
Jin Mo said, "What if we withdraw from the first trial midway? That way, we can take the opportunity to eliminate Ye Yu."
Wang Quanshi shook his head. "No need. We'll deal with him sooner or later. Besides, there's no guarantee we'll even be matched against him."
Jin Mo was confident. "They'll pick from the strongest teams. How could we not be among the strongest? Even if there are others on par with us, the best-performing teams will be prioritized. If we withdraw early from the first trial with minimal injuries and exhaustion, we'll naturally be chosen."
Song Ling nodded. "That makes sense. As for whether we'll encounter him—it's unlikely we won't. Ye Yu always defies expectations, so even if the first trial is difficult, he'll probably pass it."
At this point, Wang Quanshi grew irritated, his tone laced with disdain.
"What are you afraid of? There's no need for this. Our priority should be clearing the trial. Even if Ye Yu passes, so what? Our potential surpasses his. Dealing with him is inevitable—there's no rush."
Jin Mo scoffed. "Of course, I share your mindset. But I'm worried—what if there's still a gap between us when the ranking Mystic Realm opens?"
Hearing this, Wang Quanshi fell briefly silent.
Though he was confident he'd surpass Ye Yu eventually, the ranking Mystic Realm was only twenty-some days away. Whether he could overtake Ye Yu in combat power by then—even Wang Quanshi wasn't entirely sure. Leveling up was becoming increasingly difficult. The gap was closing rapidly, but he couldn't guarantee he'd surpass him completely.
Jin Mo proposed, "That's why I think targeting Ye Yu is best. Even if we sacrifice some rewards in this Mystic Realm, eliminating him will prevent him from securing double first place in the rankings. Even if the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew survives without Ye Yu, they'll never top the Pirate Crew rankings."
Wang Quanshi snorted. "I won't take part. I'm focusing on clearing the first trial. Taking Ye Yu down now wouldn't satisfy me. I want to surpass him in strength and defeat him in a one-on-one battle—that's the only way I'll feel vindicated. If twenty days isn't enough to guarantee surpassing him in the ranking Mystic Realm, then I'll push myself harder. Pressure breeds motivation."
Song Ling also made her decision. "Let's give our all to clear the first trial."
Jin Mo had no choice but to relent, though he felt no regret.
Meanwhile, another team was far more resolute.
The three of them were also top-tier Chosen Ones.
Their leader took out black hooded outfits.
"Wear these when the time comes."
"Are we going to target Ye Yu?"
"Yes. This is our chance. For the first trial, we'll stop at an appropriate point—preferably preserving our peak condition. As long as Ye Yu passes, we'll definitely be selected."
"But what if Ye Yu fails? Then we'll lose out big."
"Right. Shouldn't we just focus on clearing the trial? There's no hurry to deal with Ye Yu. Let's wait until we're at higher levels before joining forces to take him down."
...
The leader frowned, his voice low as he reminded them,
"I've warned you many times—never underestimate Non-Ability Users. At first, you didn't believe me. You thought that even if you couldn't beat me early on, you'd gradually surpass me after level thirty. But look at you now."
The other two fell silent for a moment.
The leader continued, "Now you've noticed it too—after level thirty, the inherited strength of Pirate Ability Users seems superior to Devil Fruit powers. So the whole world has this misconception that Devil Fruit abilities are above Non-Ability Users and have greater potential."
"Yang Luo, that's the consensus."
"Exactly, Yang Luo. Do you really think Non-Ability Users have more potential than top-tier Devil Fruits? Sure, you're stronger than both of us now, but Devil Fruits can still awaken. As levels increase, you can inherit more of the Ability User's strength and further develop the Devil Fruit's power. So in the late stages, Ability Users will inevitably surpass Non-Ability Users."
Yang Luo sneered coldly, "Hmph, do you really think Ye Yu is a fool? With his supreme talent, would he be stupid enough to contract seven Non-Ability Users? Was it just bad luck—entering the Devil Fruit Space only to find all the powerful Devil Fruits already contracted? Or was his goal clear from the start, deliberately choosing to contract seven Non-Ability Users?"
"Yang Luo, that doesn't make sense. Your belief that Non-Ability Users aren't inferior to top-tier Devil Fruit Users stems from your own experience after level twenty, where you inherited more from your Non-Ability User. But if Ye Yu was so certain, it would mean he knew in advance. How could that be possible?"
"Right, he couldn't have known beforehand. So the only explanation is that when Ye Yu entered the Devil Fruit Space, all the top-tier Devil Fruits were gone. Contracting a weak one would've been a waste, so he had no choice but to go to the Non-Ability User Space and contract seven. I'd have done the same."
At this point, Yang Luo found himself at a loss for words—this was what puzzled him too.
Initially, he too had believed Devil Fruits were the strongest. But when he entered the Devil Fruit Space, all the good ones were already taken, forcing him to settle for what was left. On his last chance, he went to the Non-Ability User Space and picked one that seemed formidable.
His realization that Non-Ability Users weren't inferior had only come recently—not just because of Ye Yu's performance, but also due to his own growing strength.
His two teammates, both top-tier Devil Fruit Users, had grown significantly stronger after reaching level thirty. Before, the two of them together could barely match him, but now at level thirty, they could hold their own against him, even gaining a slight edge.
This made him wonder—perhaps Non-Ability Users were never inferior to Ability Users, whether early or late game.
But his two teammates disagreed, believing that at higher levels, they would far surpass Yang Luo.
Yet Yang Luo remained firm.
"Your thinking is flawed. Even in the late stages, if you two team up against me, you'll only have a slight advantage. This is our best chance to target and eliminate Ye Yu. If we miss it, who knows when—or if—we'll get another opportunity like this. What if I'm right? What if Ye Yu's seven Non-Ability Users are no weaker than seven top-tier Devil Fruits? Even in the late game, Ye Yu's strength could still be insurmountable. In that case, our dreams of dominance would be impossible. With such an overwhelming gap, there'd be no hope left."
Yang Luo's voice darkened. "When everyone is close in strength, balance brings hope. But a power gap like that would be like an unscalable mountain."
The two teammates exchanged glances. They had to admit that Yang Luo's own strength was indeed formidable. If Ye Yu had also inherited a top-tier Non-Ability User, they felt Ye Yu wouldn't be a match for Yang Luo.
Yang Luo's way of thinking struck them as laughable at first, but as they gradually noticed him growing stronger and stronger, their resolve wavered slightly—though only slightly.
They were more focused on clearing the level, because choosing to target Ye Yu would mean losing out on many of the secret rewards this time.
"Wang Jue, what do you think?"
"I have to admit, at level thirty, I feel the inherited Ability User's strength is indeed stronger than my Top-tier Devil Fruit ability. It made me question—could a top-tier Non-Ability User really be stronger than a Top-tier Devil Fruit? But I mostly think it's because my fruit hasn't awakened yet, and there's still much untapped potential. However, as Yang Luo levels up, his own strength will also increase. Ba Ye, what's your take? Should we focus on clearing the level, or take the chance to target Ye Yu? After all, at level thirty, you've improved a lot too."
(End of Chapter)