As Black Blade Night and Enma came slashing toward him, Jin Mo's eyes widened in despair and terror.
"No!!"
The stronger and more elite a Chosen One was, the more they clung to their future prospects—and the more they feared death. Now, facing his demise, Jin Mo let out a desperate, frenzied scream.
Yet, it was useless...
BOOM!
SLASH!
The two blades struck the space in front of Jin Mo. Due to the Conqueror's Haki Coating, there was a slight delay, but that didn't mean the attack's force didn't reach him—it all landed squarely on his body.
Sent flying backward, he had only a split second to react. Unable to fully activate his Fruit Ability, he could only muster a hasty defense—against Ye Yu's Twin Blades Divine Evasion.
Jin Mo crossed his two famed swords, coating them in Armament Haki, but they shattered instantly. Even though his entire body turned pitch-black from Armament Haki reinforcement, two deep gashes split his flesh, spraying blood in torrents. The wounds were as wide as an adult's palm, deep enough to expose bone, with blood and viscera gushing out uncontrollably.
Terror gripped Jin Mo's heart. He glanced down, pupils contracting as his vitality rapidly drained away.
"I can't die! I don't want to die! Someone save me—quickly!"
But the others were still being flung backward, struggling to protect themselves.
Witnessing this, they felt a sliver of relief—relief that Ye Yu hadn't targeted them first.
Lin Muxue was the most relieved, realizing that Ye Yu was prioritizing maximum efficiency.
Now, those near Jin Mo panicked. Ye Yu would surely kill the closest ones first.
Watching Jin Mo plummet helplessly, Ye Yu's expression remained unchanged—only cold indifference. He spoke softly.
"First."
In the next instant, he vanished from Jin Mo's position—only to reappear before Li Fengtian, whose eyes bulged in shock. This time, the target was him—the closest captain-level figure to Jin Mo.
There were others even nearer, but they were merely high-ranking Executives.
Li Fengtian trembled in fear, having just witnessed Jin Mo's gruesome fate. Clad in his custom-made, ultra-durable armor, he willed his power forth.
"More-More, Thirtyfold—"
But it was already too late. Ye Yu was far too fast.
Li Fengtian had intended to use his More-More Fruit Ability to enlarge his armor thirty times for defense, buying himself a chance to survive. Yet, his face instantly paled in horror.
"No—it's too late! D-Don't kill me! I'll surrender!"
Ye Yu swung his blades again, executing Twin Blades Divine Evasion, his lips curling into a cold smirk.
"Afraid now? Too late."
SLASH!
"AAAHHH—!!"
A bloodcurdling scream echoed as Ye Yu's strike descended from above, splitting Li Fengtian's skull into three pieces. Blood and brain matter erupted violently, a sight so horrifying it sent chills down the spines of onlookers worldwide. The gruesome death made even the other elite Chosen Ones, still mid-flight, shudder involuntarily.
"Second."
Ye Yu's icy murmur was like the whisper of the Grim Reaper, spreading panic among the surrounding Chosen Ones. They were truly terrified now.
"I surrender! Ye Yu, I was arrogant before—don't come after me!"
"I'm scared too! I swear I'll never join any alliance against you again! If other Pirate Crews try to target you, I'll stay out of it—no, I'll even help you! Just spare me!"
"Don't kill me either! I'll be a slave for your Pirate Crew! I might not be as strong as Jin Mo, but I'm still a powerful Zoan user—Cat-Cat Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Tengu Form!"
This person was one of the thirteen top Pirate Crew captains, and extremely powerful.
At this moment, the other elite Chosen Ones were roaring.
"Yang Luo, just admit defeat already!"
"Hurry up and surrender!"
"Yang Luo, damn you! Admit defeat now! This isn't aimed at you - if you don't surrender, us captains near Jin Mo are in serious danger!"
...
They were urging Yang Luo to surrender. If Jin Mo had been the first to shout, it would have been too late. But now, there was still time.
Yet Yang Luo didn't surrender, instead struggling internally.
He was indeed fortunate that Ye Yu wasn't targeting him, glad to be far from Ye Yu. Otherwise, even someone like him would face near-certain death. He knew Ye Yu wanted to seize this opportunity for maximum gain. Attacking him might kill him, but at most only two captain-level fighters could be eliminated.
As Yang Luo wrestled with his thoughts, he reminded himself:
"Ye Yu is too terrifying. This is our only chance - we can't surrender. Even if he might eventually concede and withdraw, we must make him expend significant energy and sustain injuries first. Then we can move quickly to eliminate him after leaving. Surrendering now to take second place would mean Ye Yu emerges unscathed and undepleted - we'd have no way to stop him afterward, and the loss would be enormous. Moreover, missing this opportunity means we likely won't get another. Ye Yu will gain unstoppable momentum, and no one would dare oppose him. The longer we wait, the harder it becomes to eliminate him."
"Since we've already provoked Ye Yu, once he grows more dominant, he'll definitely come for us one by one. So we can't surrender - we must hold out. On other battlefields, we still hold some advantages. Ye Yu only created this slaughter scenario because of those two Phantoms appearing. Even if three or four captains die here, we won't be at a disadvantage against Ye Yu later. Therefore, we must not surrender."
Having made his decision, Yang Luo resolved to ignore their furious shouts.
Seeing Yang Luo unmoved, the others panicked and despaired, realizing he wouldn't surrender, and continued cursing violently.
"Damn it! Yang Luo, you motherf—er!"
Yang Luo's ancestors eighteen generations back were thoroughly insulted as they regretted giving him the decision-making power.
Whoosh!
Ye Yu appeared before the captain in Mythical Zoan Tengu form. A slash later, a shrill scream echoed as another body plummeted.
Though this was the third, Jin Mo's falling body hadn't even hit the ground yet, demonstrating Ye Yu's blinding speed.
Three down already. Ye Yu needed to seize this chance to eliminate one or two more, because the more distant fighters were nearly stopped. Once halted, they'd quickly regroup and launch a coordinated attack to stop him.
Speed was essential. Ye Yu flashed to the third closest to Jin Mo.
Ba Ye realized with dread that he was next. Sure enough, a figure materialized before him - Ye Yu, looking like a god of slaughter.
This time, Ye Yu wasn't wielding blades. Both swords had been plunged into the ground as he clenched his fists, Conqueror's Haki Coating swirling around them. This was Ye Yu's most formidable body technique, gathering terrifying power.
Ba Ye felt uneasy. Though confident in his own body techniques, physical resilience, and Haki, and having fortified his defenses during Ye Yu's brief attacks, he still sensed mortal danger.
Ba Ye roared: "Yang Luo, surrender now! This time his target is me!"
This instantly darkened Yang Luo's expression - it was Ba Ye.
He knew, but the current situation made him feel extremely distressed. After all, it was his own Sub-captain—though not the most loyal, who had ambitions to surpass him and take the lead—but still a member of his crew and such a top-tier combatant. Losing him would come at too great a cost.
Yet, he didn't surrender outright.
Ba Ye's survival or the slim chance of Ye Yu's death—he chose the latter.
Amid the struggle, Ba Ye let out a blood-curdling scream.
"Ah!"
Struck by Ye Yu's twin fists, his defenses shattered. Two visible dents caved into his chest, while his back tore open, flesh and bones bulging outward in two grotesque mounds.
A torrent of blood and shattered organs spewed from his mouth as his bones splintered completely.
Ba Ye roared in unwilling despair, "No!! I don't want to die!"
(End of Chapter)