Chapter 125: The Might of Vice-Captain Ba Yu

The world's attention shifted to other battlefields. Ye Yu was locked in a stalemate with thirty-six prodigies, and everyone knew that the outcome of this war would depend on the other battles. If the four major pirate crews held the advantage, then victory would belong to them.

As for the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew gaining the upper hand? Everyone thought it was impossible.

At this moment, Xia Ling faced the siege of a hundred powerful combat crew members with a calm expression.

The combat crew member who had contracted with Charlotte Amande, the Minister of Nuts from the Big Mom Pirates, crossed his arms confidently, his eyes filled with a hint of disdain. In a one-on-one fight, he would naturally be afraid and flee, but with ninety-nine skilled combat crew members by his side, he felt no fear.

"Xia Ling, the Ice Fruit Ability User, one of the top prodigies of the Dragon Kingdom. But so what? With so many of us, we're sure to take you down."

The combat crew member who had contracted with Baron Tamago cautioned, "Although we have the numbers, let's not be careless. The Ice Fruit's power is formidable. We mustn't let our guard down."

"Charge! Finish her quickly, then go assist the Captain in dealing with Ye Yu. Defeating Ye Yu is crucial—once he's down, over two hundred thousand combatants will join the fight. We must not only win this battle but do so with a significant advantage and minimal casualties."

...

The combat crew member who had eaten the Bat Devil Fruit transformed into a humanoid bat and was the first to act. With a flap of his wings, he shot toward Xia Ling like a black arrow, sneering, "Let the world know my strength. Defeating you will make me famous."

During the battle, Ye Yu glanced at the distant fight. He had some impression of this bat man, who was often jokingly referred to as the Sixth Emperor of the Sea among pirates. Though it was a jest, his strength was not to be underestimated. Still, Ye Yu wasn't worried.

After all, Xia Ling was the counterpart of Aokiji, one of the three Admirals in the pirate world.

Lin Muxue unleashed a roaring thunder dragon and sneered, "Ye Yu, facing so many of us, you still dare to be distracted? Don't worry about your crew—they're destined to lose."

Ye Yu flashed swiftly to Lin Muxue's side, causing her expression to change in shock.

The others quickly moved to counterattack, but Ye Yu, relying on his Armament Haki and formidable physique, blocked their strikes. He swung Black Blade Night, but his attacks were either parried or blocked by their weapons. In response, Ye Yu slapped Lin Muxue hard across the face with his left hand.

Lin Muxue's beautiful face contorted as she was sent flying by the slap.

Ye Yu said with disgust, "You talk too much. Shut up."

This humiliation left Lin Muxue speechless, her face and mouth throbbing in pain.

Meanwhile, the bat man drew his bow and fired a barrage of arrows at Xia Ling, enhancing their speed and power with sonic waves.

Xia Ling sighed softly, "It seems facing just combat crew members won't be too boring."

Unhurried, Xia Ling raised her right hand, palm facing forward. In an instant, a surge of powerful cold energy erupted. Crack, crack, crack—the incoming arrows froze in mid-air before shattering and falling to the ground.

Whoosh!

An ice spear materialized and shot out in an instant. The bat man countered swiftly, but his arrows and sonic waves were shattered. He crossed his wings, coated in Armament Haki, and managed to block the attack. However, his body quickly froze, turning into a bat-shaped ice sculpture that plummeted to the ground. A combat crew member caught it, preventing it from shattering.

The combat crew member contracted with Charlotte Amande suddenly wielded a sharp longsword, its blade shimmering with a cold, eerie light. She darted forward like a ghost, closing in on Xia Ling, her sword striking like a venomous snake aiming directly for Xia Ling's throat.

Xia Ling activated her Observation Haki, sidestepping gracefully to evade the fierce strike. Simultaneously, she reached out with her left hand, gripping the blade. A chilling cold energy rapidly spread along the sword, freezing it solid. The combat crew member felt a surge of coldness from his palm and hastily released the sword, leaping backward.

Even so, his arm had already gone numb from the freezing cold, losing all sensation, and his expression turned grim.

"Why so grim? With so many of us, can't we take him down? Let's all attack together, don't act like the Calabash Brothers trying to save their grandpa one by one."

Instantly, the combat crew surged forward, and a fierce battle erupted.

Facing such a large number of attackers, even Xia Ling found the situation somewhat challenging.

She unleashed the full power of her Ice Fruit ability, slamming her hands onto the ground.

Crack, crack, crack...

A terrifying wave of cold energy instantly enveloped the battlefield. The ground around her quickly froze over, including trees and rocks. Some combat crew members, caught off guard, were frozen in place, turned into ice sculptures mid-attack.

Even those who managed to leap up quickly were affected by the cold, rapidly freezing.

Other combat crew members, witnessing this from a distance, paled with fear and apprehension.

"So strong."

"Is this the power of the top-tier Devil Fruit, the Ice Fruit?"

"Don't panic, even ants can bring down an elephant!"

...

The attacks grew even more frenzied. Some pirates swung their large blades, while others unleashed various strange abilities. Even when Xia Ling couldn't react in time and was caught off guard, her body was enveloped in a mist of cold energy, forming ice walls for defense.

She then leaped into the air, her arms radiating cold energy, and conjured a barrage of Ice Spears that shot toward the combat crew on the ground like a storm of icy arrows.

Thud, thud, thud!

The Ice Spears pierced through the bodies of the combat crew, pinning them to the frozen ground. Before they could even scream, they died, turning into ice sculptures.

This spectacle shocked those watching the live broadcast. Xia Ling clearly had the upper hand in this battlefield.

"As expected of the Vice-Captain of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew."

"After all, she was the Captain before Ye Yu joined."

"Look over there!"

...

In another battlefield, the scene was entirely different. Instead of cold energy, flames raged, clearly indicating Zhao Yan'er's battle against a hundred combat crew members.

Lin Zhu, who had contracted with Vergo, the Ghost Bamboo, had a cold, murderous expression on his face. He said sternly, "Finish this quickly, then we'll join the fight against Ye Yu."

Zhao Yan'er's body erupted with flames, "I won't let you pass. Our Captain is already fighting so many alone; we can't let him face even more enemies."

A combat crew member who had eaten the Spin-Spin Fruit sneered, "You're underestimating us."

Without wasting words, Zhao Yan'er raised her right hand, clenched it into a fist, and unleashed a burst of flames, shouting, "Fire Fist!"

A massive ball of fire, carrying intense heat and powerful impact, blasted toward the group of combat crew members ahead.

Many of them countered or defended, but still, several were blown away, screaming as they caught fire and rolled on the ground.

Lin Zhu appeared behind Zhao Yan'er like a ghost, his black bamboo staff wrapped in Armament Haki whistling through the air as it viciously lashed toward her back.

Zhao Yan'er pivoted instantly, her right foot erupting with swirling flames as she kicked out, clashing with the black bamboo. The brief stalemate ended with a powerful shockwave and intense heat that sent Lin Zhu stumbling back.

Lin Zhu was astonished. "Not only is the Flare-Flare Fruit powerful, but his own Body techniques and Haki are extraordinary as well."

Zhao Yan'er kept Ye Yu's advice in mind—to focus on improving her Body techniques and Haki to grow stronger.

The fierce battle raged on until Zhao Yan'er suddenly raised her left hand, pushing the Flare-Flare Fruit's power to its limit as she condensed a massive sphere of fire. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed, making them feel unbearably hot, their bodies drenched in sweat. Even the pirates fighting in the distance were so scorched they wanted to strip off their clothes.

The flame she held aloft resembled a miniature sun. Though not as vast as Ace's from the Pirate world, its sheer power was enough to make the combat crew members pale in terror, instinctively scattering in panic.

"Scatter, now!"

With a low roar, Zhao Yan'er hurled the colossal fireball toward the combat crew.

"Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor!"

The enormous fireball exploded. Many were too slow to evade, swallowed by the flames as agonized screams erupted. Some were burned beyond combat capability, others outright incinerated, while a few writhed on the ground, desperately trying to smother the flames consuming them.

"AHHH—!!!"

...

The world trembled at the strength of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's two vice-captains, yet the allied forces of the four great Pirate Crews remained unshaken.

"Only these two battles are slightly in the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's favor—Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er are indeed formidable. But in all other fights, we undoubtedly hold the advantage."

...

Those watching the live broadcast thought the same.

However, when they—even Lin Muxue and the others—found a moment between clashes to glance toward the battlefield of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's other vice-captain, Xiao Ke, their eyes widened in shock, disbelief, and utter astonishment.

(End of Chapter)