Bai Shaohan said gravely, "Quickly call for reinforcements. Five have died, and we need replacements. At least ten Executives should come."
"Right, call for backup. On other battlefields, we have the advantage because of our numbers. Even if ten come, we'll still hold the upper hand."
At this moment, the other members of the King's Alliance looked uneasy, especially the powerful Executives. They knew they would be the first choice to face Ye Yu, and none of them wanted to fight him.
They felt indignant, wanting to curse—how shameful it was to gather so many top Chosen Ones and still need to call for reinforcements.
But none dared to voice it aloud.
Yang Luo's words eased their tension.
"Don't panic yet. We don't need them for now."
"What?"
Bai Shaohan and the others paled. No reinforcements?
Song Ling, now frightened, snapped angrily, "You want to die, but we don't!"
Even Lin Muxue, her usual arrogance gone, was terrified that she might be next. She, too, was furious.
"Call for reinforcements now!"
Yang Luo said firmly, "Before we entered, it was agreed—I am the overall commander. The more critical the battle, the more crucial it is to have a single leader. Otherwise, chaos will be fatal. Stay calm. Ye Yu managed to scatter us and kill five elites earlier because of the Phantom. Now that we're not divided, let's expand our advantage on other fronts first. Wouldn't it be better to call for help after that?"
His words silenced Song Ling and the others. It did make more sense, and they realized their own fear had clouded their judgment—shaken by Ye Yu's earlier slaughter.
Yang Luo continued, "So, don't panic. Fight with everything you've got. Stay united, and you won't die. It's an even fight now—how can Ye Yu kill you?"
Bai Shaohan worried, "At the start of the battle, before the Phantom was used, he didn't go all out. When he killed Jin Mo and the others, you could tell."
Yang Luo understood. "True. He held back slightly, just for this opportunity. But even so, he can't gain the upper hand."
They all saw it now—Ye Yu hadn't used his full strength initially, likely holding back about 2%, making them think they had the advantage and lowering their guard so he could seize this chance.
But the margin he concealed wasn't large. Confident in their combined strength, they wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
They unleashed their full power again, attacks surging forth. Ye Yu countered with both fists, another earth-shaking collision sending both sides staggering back a few steps.
This reassured them. Though their advantage was gone and the fight was now even, other battlefields still favored them—some even more decisively. They could afford to call for reinforcements.
Yet, Ye Yu smirked coldly in his heart and shouted, "Now!"
"Understood!"
Xiao Ke and the other powerful fighters of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew responded.
The sudden command stunned Yang Luo—and everyone present. What did it mean?
The spectators watching from afar were equally confused, but soon, realization dawned on them all.
In an instant, the other battlefields shifted dramatically—especially where the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's vice-captain and strongest Executives fought. Their auras intensified.
Xia Ling, facing a group of Executives and elite crew under Song Ling's command, turned icy. She erupted with full force, a thick layer of Cold Energy swirling around her. The temperature plummeted further, shocking the Executives and crew.
Xia Ling took a step forward, darting out like an arrow released from its bow. As she passed, the enemy combat crew members on either side were instantly frozen, turning into ice sculptures frozen in place.
Various weapons and abilities were hurled toward Xia Ling, but she nimbly dodged, using the power of the Ice Fruit to neutralize each incoming attack. At times, she slid across the ice to evade, while at others, she countered with ice blades—every strike carried a deadly chill.
An Executive skilled in swordsmanship swung a sharp longsword toward Xia Ling's neck. Unfazed, she raised her left hand, her palm instantly transforming into an ice claw, effortlessly blocking the fierce strike. With a sudden forceful flick, she sent both the man and his sword flying. Midair, he was encased in the cold energy she released, turning into an ice sculpture before crashing to the ground with a bang, shattering into countless shards.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ke gripped his rifle, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's as he scanned the surrounding enemies.
Tuoba Jie transformed into a mammoth and charged toward Xiao Ke, the ice trembling violently under his stomping feet.
Xiao Ke bent his knees slightly before leaping high into the air. Mid-flight, his rifle instantly took aim, the bullets infused with even stronger Armament Haki.
Seeing this, Tuoba Jie raised his massive trunk to block. However, Xiao Ke's bullets packed greater force, piercing straight through the trunk and striking Tuoba Jie's head.
With a pained roar, the colossal beast swayed before collapsing heavily to the ground.
Xiao Ke didn't pause for a second, his gunshots relentless as he took down one combat crew member after another.
On another part of the battlefield, Zhao Yan'er was overwhelming Bai Shaohan's Executives and combat crew with immense pressure.
Flames wreathed Zhao Yan'er's body as her Dragon Claw Fist roared through the air. With a cry of "Flame Emperor!", a fireball exploded, annihilating numerous combat crew members.
Zhao Lin also exerted his strength, growling low.
"Oden Two-Sword Style!"
One of Bai Shaohan's Executives, a Diamond Fruit Ability User, had a body as hard as diamond—ordinary attacks were useless against him. Zhao Lin swung his twin blades relentlessly at Joz, the clash of metal against diamond producing a grating screech.
"Peach Origin Ten Fists!"
Ten slashes materialized in an instant, forcing the Executive to hastily raise his arms in defense. The blade strikes struck his arms, sending sparks flying. Though they didn't deal substantial damage, they still wounded him.
"To think you can cut through my diamond… Such formidable swordsmanship. And you've grown stronger than before—how? Unless…"
At that moment, as the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's Vice-Captain and Executives suddenly gained the upper hand, panic spread through the King's Alliance, shaking the world. Yang Luo and the others paled, realizing something crucial.
The truth was—the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's Vice-Captain and powerful Executives had been holding back earlier!
But why?
The world trembled in shock.
"Suddenly, the other battlefields… The King's Alliance is no longer dominant."
"At best, it's an even fight now."
"In fact, if this continues, the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew might gradually gain the advantage in other battlefields."
"Unbelievable… Is this really a miracle? Is it truly uncertain now?"
…
Meanwhile, the top Chosen One fighting Ye Yu began to panic.
Yang Luo's expression darkened. "They were hiding their strength too."
Ye Yu sneered, "If I didn't hide our strength, you might have surrendered outright. Then I wouldn't have gotten the chance to kill your captain-level members. Naturally, I had to give you considerable hope." His words made them fully realize the truth, though they had already suspected it.
Just moments ago, they had believed they held the advantage in other battlefields. Little did they know that the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's high-tier fighters hadn't gone all out.
They never expected this, because even though they knew the crew was strong, they assumed they were facing multiple opponents at once.
Yet, this was the true might of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew—after all, even their vice-captains possessed combat power equivalent to that of top-tier Admirals in the Pirate world.
Xia Ling matched Aokiji, and Xiao Ke rivaled Beckman. To put it into perspective, could a few non-top-tier Executives from Big Mom's Pirate Crew, along with a hundred Vice-Admiral-level fighters, gain even the slightest advantage against Admiral Aokiji in battle?
Impossible. Naturally, they had been holding back some of their strength earlier—this was Ye Yu's arrangement. After all, if they had shown their full power from the start, their enemies wouldn't have let their guard down.
(End of Chapter)