The executives glanced at the shore, their tone grave.
"Captain, this doesn't look good."
"They don't plan to intervene; they're ready to abandon this randomly appearing Mystic Realm."
"They're doing it on purpose, holding back so they can poach our crew later."
...
Xia Ling wasn't worried about this: "Let them poach if they want. We're not concerned. Our cohesion will surprise them."
Zhao Yan'er nodded: "Indeed. What we're mainly worried about now is the casualties. There will inevitably be losses because of the sheer numbers. They're not charging down directly but waiting for all of them to emerge before swarming in. That makes it troublesome. Even with our abilities and large-scale attack methods, the mosquitoes will inevitably spread out and come at us from all directions. We can't quickly eliminate all of them."
Xia Ling's expression was serious: "Exactly. So all the crew members will inevitably face these mosquitoes. The stronger ones will fare better, but the lower-ranked crew members are in danger. This low-level Mystic Realm isn't particularly difficult for us, but even if we manage to eliminate all of them, there will still be casualties. Besides, we're on a ship, not on land, so it's hard to disperse. But we can't just do nothing either."
As the mosquitoes in the sky continued to gather, Xia Ling leaped down, her fingers radiating cold energy as they touched the sea surface. Instantly, the sound of cracking ice echoed, and the seawater around the ship froze, forming a hundred-meter-wide ice layer.
This was Xia Ling's current limit; she couldn't freeze a larger area. She wanted the lower-ranked crew members to take the opportunity to flee to the shore, but the ice couldn't reach that far.
At that moment, she couldn't continue freezing because the sky was now completely covered with swarming mosquitoes. They buzzed loudly as they descended, spreading out like a lid covering their Pirate Crew.
Even if Xia Ling and Zhao Yan'er went all out with large-scale attacks, they couldn't quickly eliminate all the mosquitoes.
Xia Ling shouted: "Lower-ranked crew members, gather at the center of the ship! Regular crew members, form the outer perimeter! Combat crew and executives, take the outermost positions! Deal with the surrounding mosquitoes, while Yan'er and I handle the ones above."
This was the only way to protect the weaker lower-ranked crew members and minimize casualties.
But they knew it was impossible to avoid all casualties; they could only do their best to reduce them.
The lower-ranked crew members were also panicking. Facing too many mosquitoes, they would inevitably be overwhelmed. But they also knew they had to give it their all.
On the shore, Lin Muxue was surprised.
"No one's running? Their cohesion isn't bad. But I don't believe no one is afraid of death."
Raising a megaphone, Lin Muxue shouted:
"Anyone willing to join my Chosen One Pirate Crew, I, Lin Muxue, will lend a hand. With the power of the Rumble Rumble Fruit, I can attack from a distance. Make your choice now! Just raise your hand and shout that you want to join, and I'll keep an eye on you, protecting you."
As she spoke, electricity crackled across her body.
Meanwhile, members of other Pirate Crews also held megaphones.
"Lower-ranked crew members fighting will only lead to meaningless casualties. Run away and join us. If mosquitoes chase you, we'll take care of them."
"Facing this alone as one Pirate Crew will inevitably result in heavy casualties, and most of the dead will be lower-ranked crew members. It's not worth it."
"Even regular crew members might suffer casualties. Run away and join us."
...
Li Cang seized the opportunity to sow discord: "Your Captain is truly selfish. She led you here to pick up Ye Yu, exposing you to the sudden appearance of the Mystic Realm at sea and putting you in danger. Think about it, isn't it so unfair? You must be feeling really upset, right? Don't follow such a Captain anymore; join our Chosen One Pirate Crew instead!"
Lin Muxue agreed: "Yes, for the sake of Ye Yu, you've been put in danger. Although she claims to be recruiting rogue cultivators, deep down, you know the main purpose was to bring Ye Yu on board. So, it's your Captain and Ye Yu who have harmed you."
Hearing these words, Xia Ling was furious and rebuked them.
"Shut up!"
Lin Muxue sneered: "Isn't what I said true? Hurry up and quit, join us, and we can ensure your survival."
At this moment, the scene was being broadcast live, visible across the entire Dragon Nation, whether on phones or televisions.
In other cities, even if such situations arose, there was little danger or casualties because they were on land, allowing people to disperse, and Pirate Crews wouldn't act recklessly.
In other cities, Pirate Crews competed to eliminate the mosquitoes, but only in East Sea City did the situation occur a thousand meters offshore, imposing limitations that kept four Pirate Crews from acting, hoping to benefit from others' efforts.
Compared to dealing with mosquitoes, recruiting some people clearly held greater value.
Viewers of the live broadcast were constantly discussing.
"Surely, many will quit."
"Yes, if it were me, I'd definitely choose to join a Pirate Crew on the shore to save my life."
"On the contrary, the result will inevitably be that Xia Ling's Pirate Crew will lose many members this time, a significant loss."
"Even if Ye Yu joins, it won't make up for it because Ye Yu has no real strength."
...
Soon, to everyone's surprise, none of Xia Ling's crew members wavered; instead, they stood firm with resolute expressions.
"Stop shouting, it's annoying. We won't quit."
"Don't underestimate our unity and bonds."
"We are comrades!"
...
This left Lin Muxue and the others astonished. How could it be? Their attempts to sow discord had failed. Pirate Crews were usually only a month old, and they had assumed there would be little unity or camaraderie, but Xia Ling's Pirate Crew had such strong cohesion.
Their expressions turned grim; their plans had fallen through.
But they still didn't take action.
"Hmph, if you won't join, then prepare for significant casualties."
"Although we won't gain much experience, it's still better to reduce your Pirate Crew's numbers and weaken your strength."
"Here to recruit, but instead, you'll lose members. Haha."
...
Li Cang looked at Ye Yu nearby and mocked: "Ye Yu, do you feel ashamed? Because of you, many of your friend's crew members are going to die."
Lin Muxue also felt that Ye Yu must be feeling terrible and taunted him.
"Yes, do you regret it? There will surely be many casualties. You should atone with your death later, hahaha."
...
Meanwhile, Xia Ling felt heavy-hearted, summoning several Ice Spears to strike at the mosquitoes descending from above. She knew there would be casualties and was worried that Ye Yu, burdened with guilt, might do something reckless.
But at this moment, Ye Yu remained calm.
Zhao Yan'er unleashed the power of the Flare-Flare Fruit, preparing to continuously throw Fire Fists, while the other crew members stood ready to attack the mosquitoes.
Even if there would be casualties, they were unafraid and would not waver, as hesitation would only lead to greater losses.
However, at that very moment, Ye Yu, who was on the shore, moved!
Qingfeng of the Chosen One Pirate Crew was worried.
"Captain, Ye Yu possesses Conqueror's Haki," he said.
Lin Muxue, however, was not concerned. "I know, but what can he do from such a distance? A thousand meters away? Besides, these mosquitoes are not like the man-eating fish we encountered before. These creatures are from the Mystic Realm. Although their individual strength is not high due to their numbers, they are still more formidable than the man-eating fish. And from such a distance, what can his Conqueror's Haki possibly..."
But suddenly, Lin Muxue's words were cut short.
On the shore, Ye Yu moved, striding towards the harbor, facing the sea, and spoke with an imposing and commanding voice.
"They will all be my crewmates and companions. I will not allow anyone to harm them in front of me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Ling and the crew, who were on high alert and wearing serious expressions, suddenly changed their expressions in shock. They all turned their gazes towards the shore, focusing on Ye Yu.
In an instant, Ye Yu's face turned cold and imposing, his eyes filled with a fierce and commanding presence as he glared towards the sea a thousand meters away.
Boom!
A terrifying aura erupted from his body, and a dark red Conqueror's Haki surged forth, instantly spreading across the sea for a thousand meters. The entire area was immediately enveloped in a dark red hue, with arcs of dark red electricity crackling everywhere.
Even from a thousand meters away, Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki directly covered the distance!
The swarms of mosquitoes descending from the sky instantly fainted in large numbers. The mosquitoes
in mid-air froze, suspended for a moment, before plummeting down like rain!
This scene was witnessed by everyone around, as well as those watching the live broadcast, leaving them all utterly stunned!
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