Chapter 113: Everyone Convinced

Ye Yu spoke with a serious expression, "You don't need to feel unworthy. Trust my judgment; you are fully qualified for this position. If you feel embarrassed, you can also choose to spar with the executives of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew."

"Alright, then let's each pick an opponent to spar with. Otherwise, it would be too awkward."

...

Xia Ling stood to the side, her heart filled with anticipation. Could the addition of Xiao Ke's Pirate Crew significantly boost the overall strength of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew? It was evident that Ye Yu had great faith in them.

Ye Yu said, "Let's find a secluded place to spar."

Xiao Ke suggested, "Alright, let's head to that forest over there. It's deserted."

Sun Long was about to follow when Ye Yu stopped him, "Sun Long, you stay and watch the ship."

Sun Long sighed lightly, "You're entrusting me with this important task again. Although I wanted to spar with the executives of Xiao Ke's Pirate Crew, fine, I'll watch the ship."

Subsequently, they arrived at the deserted forest, and the crew members gathered.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Zhao Yan'er and Xiao Ke, eager to see if Xiao Ke's strength truly warranted his position as vice-captain.

Ye Yu was also filled with anticipation, finding it hard to predict the outcome of this battle.

Although Zhao Yan'er was a Flare-Flare Fruit Ability User, she hadn't yet reached level 30, meaning she hadn't fully inherited Sabo's combat prowess.

Sabo, combined with the Flare-Flare Fruit, wasn't considered emperor-level in the pirate world, but he could rival an admiral. Beckman, on the other hand, was a genuine emperor-level fighter.

Thus, Ye Yu speculated that Xiao Ke might have the upper hand in this battle.

Zhao Yan'er and Xiao Ke took their stances, and the battle began.

Ye Yu said, "Feel free to go all out. Don't worry about accidental injuries. I'll be watching from the side, and if anyone is in danger, I'll step in."

"Alright."

This reassured both of them, knowing that Ye Yu could intervene if necessary.

With a whoosh, flames ignited on Zhao Yan'er's fists.

Opposite her, Xiao Ke stood tall and straight, clad in a black coat that fluttered in the wind. In his hand was a rifle, unmistakably the same one wielded by Beckman in the world of pirates.

Zhao Yan'er kicked off the ground, propelling herself forward like a cannonball, trailing a wave of scorching heat. Her right fist, engulfed in flames, surged several feet, transforming into a massive fire fist that carried a heat intense enough to ignite the air, hurtling straight toward Xiao Ke.

Xiao Ke's fighting spirit soared, excited to face a top-tier prodigy for the first time.

"Bring it on!"

Xiao Ke shouted, not dodging but instead coating his rifle with Armament Haki, turning it pitch black. He then raised it and slashed down, cleaving the fire fist in two, causing it to dissipate.

This display left many members of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew wide-eyed and astonished. Just this simple move convinced them of Xiao Ke's formidable strength.

Zhao Yan'er was also surprised. Right from the start, she understood why Ye Yu had directly appointed Xiao Ke as vice-captain.

After splitting the flames, Zhao Yan'er came into view. Xiao Ke swiftly raised his rifle, aiming it at her and pulling the trigger.

At the same time, Xiao Ke warned, "Although the Captain is watching, I still need to remind you that my bullets are also coated with refined Armament Haki. So, even though you're a Logia Flare-Flare Fruit user, you should be careful."

Zhao Yan'er's fighting spirit surged, "Got it."

Bang!

The sound of gunfire echoed as a black bullet, accompanied by a sharp whistle, shot toward Zhao Yan'er like lightning.

Zhao Yan'er activated her Observation Haki, reacting swiftly. She twisted her body mid-air, using flames to propel herself and narrowly dodged the bullet. Immediately after, she pointed both hands at Xiao Ke, firing at him as if her hands were gun barrels.

"Fire Gun!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Her hands moved like machine guns, unleashing a dense barrage of Flame Bullets.

Xiao Ke swiftly dodged, evading every bullet, which all struck the ground. However, Zhao Yan'er continued to lock onto him and kept firing.

While dodging rapidly, Xiao Ke fired back. At the same time, Sabo moved quickly, closing the distance.

It was common knowledge that snipers or archers had a weakness: close combat.

As Zhao Yan'er closed in, she spun in the air, her legs transforming into two burning blades, slashing down fiercely toward Xiao Ke's head.

Xiao Ke quickly blocked with his rifle, now coated in Armament Haki. With a loud bang, sparks flew, and the powerful impact numbed his arm slightly. He sighed lightly, "You haven't slacked off just because you're a powerful Ability User. Your physical combat skills are impressive too."

However, with a push, Xiao Ke sent Zhao Yan'er flying.

Zhao Yan'er was startled by the sheer strength. As she was flung into the air, her pupils contracted as Xiao Ke pulled the trigger again. With a bang, another black bullet shot toward her.

Zhao Yan'er quickly raised her hands, extending both index fingers and crossing them in front of her in the shape of a cross. She let out a low shout.

"Crossfire!"

Instantly, a massive cross-shaped flame surged forward, the intense heat melting the bullet and rushing toward Xiao Ke.

Xiao Ke swung his rifle like a weapon, the powerful force dispersing the cross-shaped flame.

The battle between the two was intense. Zhao Yan'er fully unleashed the power of the Flare-Flare Fruit, the flames in her hands morphing into terrifying forms. At times, they resembled a massive, ferocious fire serpent, lunging at Xiao Ke with fangs bared. Other times, they transformed into a sea of fire, engulfing him.

The development of a Devil Fruit's abilities not only inherited the level of mastery achieved by Sabo in the Pirate King's world but also included personal advancements.

And Zhao Yan'er had developed the Flare-Flare Fruit exceptionally well.

Facing Zhao Yan'er's fierce attacks, Xiao Ke relied on his rich combat experience and superb marksmanship, dodging and weaving skillfully. He deftly avoided the flames while looking for openings in Zhao Yan'er's attacks, seizing every opportunity to fire back. Each bullet carried his precise predictions and powerful Armament Haki, forcing Zhao Yan'er to stay on her toes.

The battle continued, and Zhao Yan'er fought with all her might. Encountering such a strong opponent, she wanted to enjoy the fight to the fullest.

An hour later, as the battle neared its end, Zhao Yan'er was visibly exhausted, her movements slowing. Xiao Ke seized the moment and pulled the trigger. Zhao Yan'er couldn't dodge in time.

Whoosh!

Ye Yu swiftly intervened, his right hand darting out like lightning. In the next instant, the black bullet was caught in his grasp.

Zhao Yan'er let out a sigh of relief and smiled, "Thank you, Captain."

This only deepened Xiao Ke's admiration. "Incredible! To catch my bullet so effortlessly. Truly worthy of being the strongest Non-Ability User."

Xiao Ke turned to Zhao Yan'er and praised, "You're also very impressive."

Zhao Yan'er admitted with respect, "I lost. No wonder the Captain made you the Vice-Captain directly."

Xiao Ke humbly said, "It's just that starting from level 30, Ability Users will receive a significant boost, and I won't be your match anymore. By then, I believe many Ability User Executives will surpass me, and I will step down from the position of Vice Captain."

Lu Xiaobu and the other six Executives of the Xiao Ke Pirate Crew also chimed in, "Indeed, starting from level 30, it will be a weak period for Non-Ability Users. For the Captain, the weak period will come much later, as he has contracted seven Non-Ability Users. But for us, it will be a weak period since we've only contracted one each. So by then, we won't be qualified anymore."

Ye Yu said, "We'll deal with that later. For now, Xiao Ke, you are the Vice Captain."

At this moment, no one in the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew had any doubts.

They no longer questioned Lu Xiaobu and the others, but they still sparred with Zhou Xing and his team.

After the sparring, it still caused a stir. Lu Xiaobu's strength was not inferior to Zhou Xing's, and most of his abilities were slightly stronger than the Executives of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew.

This greatly shocked the crew members of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew. They were amazed at how powerful he was.

Ye Yu wasn't surprised, as these seven contracted individuals were all Executives of the Red Hair Pirate Crew.

Xia Ling happily said, "This way, our overall strength has indeed improved significantly. Even though the gap with the alliance of the four top Pirate Crews, including Flying Sky, is still considerable, such a substantial improvement before the war is extremely good."

(End of Chapter)