Jin Mo spoke in a deep voice, "We must secure a spot in the top ten. The most crucial point is that even if our current bounty is lower than Ye Yu's, it absolutely cannot be lower than his vice-captains."
Hearing this, Song Ling chuckled.
"Hmph, you're overestimating his vice-captains. Though they are Chosen Ones, there's still a gap between them and us. Only Xia Ling with the Ice Fruit and Zhao Yan'er with the Flare-Flare Fruit can be considered top-tier Chosen Ones. The other two vice-captains, being Non-Ability Users, are even further behind."
Lin Muxue confidently declared, "With my Rumble Rumble Fruit, there's no way I'd rank below the vice-captains of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew."
...
Meanwhile, Xia Ling and the other three vice-captains also had their sights set on the top ten. Even if the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew secured just two spots in the top ten, it would still be a significant achievement.
After all, in this world, the number of top-tier Chosen Ones far exceeded ten.
Just then, a message resounded, startling everyone.
"You may now enter the Mystic Realm. Upon entering, the rules will be revealed."
Instantly, everyone eagerly turned their attention to the vortex stream appearing on the Bounty List. With a thought, they entered.
Ye Yu's vision shifted, and he found himself standing on a competition stage.
Upon entering, he understood—the Bounty Money Mystic Realm primarily assessed one's strength. The amount of bounty money directly reflected one's combat prowess.
Of course, there were exceptions. For those with supportive abilities, like Qiao Ling'er's healing, the assessment wasn't solely based on strength. The Mystic Realm wasn't fixed; it adapted randomly to each individual.
For someone like Ye Yu, whose strength was his defining trait, the challenge would naturally revolve around combat.
In essence, this Mystic Realm would fairly showcase each person's most outstanding qualities.
Ye Yu now knew that his task was simple: fight.
Moreover, upon entering, everyone was restored to peak condition. Any injuries sustained before entry would vanish temporarily, only to return upon exiting.
This ensured the accuracy of the bounty evaluation. Otherwise, those severely injured might perform poorly and receive unfairly low bounties.
The Bounty List demanded precision, making it a true reflection of individual strength.
Before Ye Yu materialized an Exotic Beast from a top-tier race—a humanoid figure with a tiger's head, its body radiating a crimson glow. Level 46.
The opponent was always slightly stronger than the challenger to fully gauge their capabilities.
Ye Yu felt that the difficulty of this battle was comparable to his previous fight against the Giants.
He couldn't help but marvel at the formidable cross-level combat power of top-tier Exotic Beasts. Otherwise, an ordinary Exotic Beast, even at level 49, wouldn't stand a chance against him.
Yet here he was, facing an opponent only seven levels higher.
Seven levels was still a considerable gap. After reaching level 39, Ye Yu had noticed that progression became even more challenging.
The jump from level 39 to 40 felt like crossing a watershed.
From level 40 onward, each subsequent level-up grew increasingly difficult.
Thus, this level 46 Tiger Man was undoubtedly stronger than him.
Upon appearing, the Tiger Man licked his lips greedily, eyeing Ye Yu as prey.
Lethal danger would trigger an automatic ejection, so even against formidable opponents, there was no risk of death.
Ye Yu's fighting spirit surged. It had been a while since he'd fought with all his might—now was the time.
The Tiger Man charged forward in an instant, moving at an incredible speed.
Ye Yu first unleashed his Observation Kill, but the opponent's Observation Haki was formidable, making his own Observation Kill less effective.
"After all, I'm only level 39 right now. Among the seven people I've contracted, only Red Hair possesses Observation Kill, so the effects can't stack. Currently, I can only utilize a fraction of Red Hair's Observation Kill, which is why its impact is minimal against such a strong foe."
Still, using it did provide a slight advantage.
Gripping the Black Blade Night with both hands, Ye Yu swung with all his might—One-Cut God Evasion.
The Tiger Man slashed with his claws, also coated in Conqueror's Haki. The clash resulted in a deadlock, forcing Ye Yu to skid backward, his feet carving a ten-meter-long trail into the ground.
Ye Yu was inwardly shaken. He truly is powerful—he even has Conqueror's Haki.
After the initial shock, the stalemate continued. Both fighters strained their muscles, their auras erupting violently from the point of impact, sending shockwaves outward.
Ye Yu wondered where these Exotic Beasts came from and whether there might be ones stronger than Marine Admirals in the future.
Many had pondered this and concluded it was impossible. The Mystic Realms existed to help Pirates level up faster, given that the Marines would descend in just three years.
In the world of Pirates, true powerhouses had trained for decades.
Thus, the Mystic Realms, Exotic Beasts, and Sea Beasts were all designed to accelerate Pirate growth. Otherwise, facing the Marines after only three years of training would be suicidal.
Once one reached level 95, no level 100 Exotic Beasts would appear—the highest would be level 95.
Therefore, in the future, no Sea Beast or Exotic Beast—not even the top-tier ones—would surpass an Admiral.
The greatest adversaries would remain the descending Marines and the World Government.
So, while the Tiger Man was stronger than him now, once Ye Yu reached level 100, there would be no higher-tier Exotic Beasts left—only the Marines would pose a threat.
The battle raged on, and Ye Yu found himself struggling, facing life-threatening danger. The pressure was comparable to his fight against the Giants, but back then, he had worn them down in the sea. This time, that wasn't an option.
Killing the Tiger Man was impossible.
Every challenger failed to slay their target because each was slightly stronger than themselves.
The fight continued, shifting from clashes with the Black Blade Night to brutal hand-to-hand combat.
The battle grew fiercer, each blow landing with bone-shaking force, lasting nearly an entire day.
By now, many had already exited the Mystic Realm, signaling they had reached their limits. Yet, they weren't disheartened—instead, they felt reassured.
"This Mystic Realm is great. I was able to fight at my absolute best."
"Yeah, no worries about underperforming and getting a Bounty Money that doesn't reflect my true strength."
"My opponent was only slightly stronger, and I pushed myself to the limit. Let's see what my bounty will be."
"Look! The Bounty List still has empty slots for names and numbers, but the currency has been revealed."
"I see it—it's Beri."
...
The battle persisted, and Ye Yu fought with exhilarating intensity, pushing himself to his limits—and even beyond.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunderous clashes continued as time passed, the day nearly over.
Ye Yu was now battered and breathless, having endured nonstop high-intensity combat.
The Tiger Man, furious and injured, was also in rough shape, shocked that a level 39 fighter could be this formidable.
By now, nearly everyone had exited, waiting in anticipation.
"When will they announce it?"
"The event will only begin once everyone has come out, or when the time is up. That's why they haven't announced anything yet—some are still fighting."
"To keep fighting against opponents slightly stronger than themselves until now—impressive."
"After all, the enemies are going all out with high-intensity, high-frequency attacks. I think the one still holding on must be Ye Yu."
...
At this moment, Lin Muxue looked disheveled and impatient.
"Ye Yu, hurry up and come out already! I really want to see what my bounty will be. It's definitely going to be in the top ten, but I wonder exactly which rank."
Jin Mo, Song Ling, Wang Quanshi, and the other top Chosen Ones were also anxious, their hearts racing a little.
The first bounty list was about to be announced. How much would their bounties be? What would their rankings be? They were both excited and nervous.
Yang Luo emerged at this point, heavily injured, and let out a sigh.
"I gave it my all. I'm satisfied with my performance, and my bounty will definitely reflect my strength. First place is out of the question, but I wonder how much lower it'll be compared to Ye Yu's."
Yang Luo felt a tinge of regret. Everyone wanted to be first, but he knew it wasn't possible right now.
Wang Quanshi was confident. "Even if I'm not first, there's no way I'll be third. I'm definitely taking second place."
Song Ling declared, "I'm claiming third place."
Lin Muxue scoffed. "I might not be Wang Quanshi's match right now, but that doesn't mean I can't beat you. I, Lin Muxue, am the one who'll take third. And later on, I'll be the one with the highest bounty."
Song Ling sneered. "Hmph, the Rumble Rumble Fruit has great potential, but whether you can develop it to its full extent is another matter."
Lin Muxue gritted her teeth and swore, "I will make it incredibly powerful. Because I must redeem myself and surpass Ye Yu."
...
Meanwhile, aboard the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's ship.
Xia Ling and the others had also emerged, looking satisfied.
"How did everyone perform?"
"We gave it our all. The Mystic Realm's mechanics are great—they perfectly showcase our strength and traits. The bounties won't be wrong."
Xiao Ke stared at the Bounty List, hopeful. "The top spots are tough, but I hope to make it into the top ten."
Xia Ling nodded. "Same here. There might always be someone better, but I've got to secure a spot in the top ten."
Zhao Lin agreed. "If our Dominant Feather Pirate Crew can take several spots in the top ten, that'd be a huge flex."
Sun Long figured he wouldn't make the top ten this time. After all, within the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew alone, there were already four stronger than him: Xia Ling, Xiao Ke, Zhao Lin, and Zhao Yan'er.
But Sun Long believed his potential was immense. In the future, he could catch up—or even surpass them.
He was satisfied with his performance in this battle. Moreover, he had unlocked Conqueror's Haki. After inheriting more of Zoro's abilities, he discovered that Zoro also possessed Conqueror's Haki.
This meant he would eventually master Dominator Infusion—even if Zoro hadn't, he would learn it himself.
...
At this moment, Li Cang was praying. "Please, let me make it into the top 100. Even if it's exactly 100th place, that's fine. Just don't let it be 101st—Ye Yu would be overjoyed."
If he ended up at 101st, he'd lose his mind.
Seeing Li Cang's worried expression, Lin Muxue scoffed. "Hmph, so little confidence. If you don't even make the top 100, you'd be a total embarrassment. You were once the vice-captain of the Chosen One Pirate Crew, after all. If you can't even rank, you'd be humiliating yourself beyond belief."
"Xue Er, I can definitely do it. It's not like I can't even make it into the top hundred. But Xue Er, since Ye Yu is so strong now, that means there's one less spot in the top ten, leaving only nine positions for all the top Chosen Ones to compete for. Without Ye Yu, the tenth spot would be fine, but with him, someone who could have been tenth will now become eleventh, so..."
Lin Muxue understood the implication and snorted coldly.
"You're saying you're afraid I might end up eleventh?"
Making it onto the Bounty List was a given, but the top ten would naturally be better. When people looked at the Bounty List, their eyes would inevitably be drawn to the most prominent positions—the very top, the first place, and the top ten, which belonged to the golden tier at the summit.
It seemed within reach, so it was easy to see clearly.
Li Cang hurriedly said, "That's not what I meant. Xue Er is definitely top ten material, no way she'd be eleventh. Even if this world is full of hidden talents, how could someone with the Rumble Rumble Fruit like Xue Er not even make the top ten?"
This softened Lin Muxue's expression slightly. "Hmph, at least you have some brains."
...
Just then, Ye Yu teleported out and appeared on the Tyrant Feather Pirate Ship.
Qiao Ling'er immediately began healing him. Since her test hadn't been combat-related, she had already given the crew some basic treatment.
The reason she still had energy left was that everyone had agreed the main focus should be healing the Captain.
So when Ye Yu emerged, Qiao Ling'er still had enough stamina to activate the Heal-Heal Fruit, and Ye Yu's injuries began recovering rapidly.
This battle hadn't been a fight to the death, so the stamina consumption and injuries weren't as severe as during the fight against the Giants and the Rock Stone General. The main point of the challenge was to fully gauge the challenger's true combat strength.
And through this extreme battle, he had already displayed his full power.
At that moment, a message resounded across the world, startling everyone and filling them with excitement as they fixed their eyes on the Bounty List.
"The final challenger has emerged, and the time is up. For all participants, there have been no errors in evaluating the challengers' full strength, and the most accurate bounties have been assigned. The announcement will now begin."
Instantly, the entire world fell silent. On the Tyrant Feather Pirate Ship, the sound of rapidly beating hearts could be heard.
The same was true everywhere—this was a moment of immense importance.
"The total number of participants this time is 81,205,341 Pirates. Now, only the top 100 bounties will be announced."
"Bounties from eleventh to one hundredth will appear all at once on the Bounty List for everyone to check. These will not be announced individually to the world. Only the top ten will be announced one by one, starting from tenth place, with their rankings, names, and bounty amounts."
No one was surprised by this—after all, the top ten deserved the spotlight.
Announcing all hundred would take too long, and everyone was eager to see who would make it onto the Bounty List.
At this moment, Lin Muxue wasn't very interested in the upcoming announcements because she knew she couldn't possibly be among them—she was definitely in the top ten.
Li Cang, however, stared intently at the bottom of the Bounty List, praying fervently not to fall outside the top hundred and to make it onto the list.
Yang Luo was confident that second place would be his, but he frowned as he focused on the first spot.
"So we'll only find out Ye Yu's bounty at the very end."
Yang Luo grew impatient, his heart unsettled. Ye Yu would be the grand finale, announced last.
Jin Mo and the others could also guess this arrangement, and such preferential treatment left them equally displeased.
The announcement echoed through the air.
"Now announcing ranks eleven through one hundred."
In the next moment, the golden glow of the Bounty List's eleventh to hundredth section dimmed slightly, though countless eyes remained fixed, eager to glimpse the names.
As the golden light shimmered, names began appearing one by one from eleventh to hundredth place, each followed by a numerical value.
Three seconds later, all names from eleven to one hundred were fully displayed.
Li Cang immediately turned his gaze to the bottom of the list.
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