What a Pain, Let's Duel! Marco

Whitebeard revealed a satisfied smile.

"Gurararara, boys, I told you long ago that the Captain of the Zero Division was strong, but none of you listened..." Whitebeard said smugly, clearly pleased with himself.

This time, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates did not argue back.

Even Shanks, who was currently acknowledged to possess the strongest Conqueror's Haki, could not suppress the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders through Conqueror's Haki alone!

Wait...

Everyone's expressions grew exaggerated once more.

"So that means... Ye Yu, has his strength already surpassed yours, Pops?" Marco asked, his eyes wide with shock.

Everyone came to their senses and turned curious gazes toward Whitebeard.

"Gurararara! You bunch!" Whitebeard's hearty laughter rang out again.

"I don't know that either. Ten years ago, Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki was on par with mine! But he did not know any Armament Haki or Observation Haki," Whitebeard said truthfully.

"However, I have no idea what Ye Yu has achieved after training in seclusion for ten years! Let Ye Yu answer that himself!" Whitebeard's tone shifted, and his eyes suddenly turned serious.

Ten years of growth?... Everyone turned their gazes toward Ye Yu, eager to know just what level he had reached after ten years!

On the other side, Ye Yu withdrew the Conqueror's Haki he had unleashed, and Atmos the Buffalo slowly stood up.

As the only person who had fought Ye Yu, Atmos had just experienced Ye Yu's terrifying strength firsthand.

Atmos, with his massive body, lowered his head. "You're strong, Ye Yu. I have completely lost this battle!"

Even now, though Ye Yu had stopped suppressing him with Conqueror's Haki, Atmos still felt lingering fear. The terror that had risen from the depths of his soul still haunted his heart!

Ye Yu waved a hand.

"Your strength isn't bad either, Atmos. If you were just a little stronger, I wouldn't have been able to suppress you with the aura of Conqueror's Haki alone."

Ye Yu still gave Atmos some face, considering they might have to spend a great deal of time together in the future.

After Atmos left, Ye Yu turned toward Marco and the others.

Seeing Marco, Jozu, and even Whitebeard staring at him with curious eyes made his head ache...

What the hell had he been training for over the past ten years!

If he said he had merely wanted to find a place where no one would bother him so he could quietly live the life of a shut-in, would Whitebeard agree to give him a restricted area and serve him fine wine, good food, and a luxurious mansion every day?

He absolutely could not tell these guys something like that. Otherwise, who could guarantee they would not swarm him and try to kill him?

Looks like he still had to make something up...

Ye Yu's expression suddenly became grave.

"Over the past ten years, I worked day and night, rising early and sleeping late, constantly researching Conqueror's Haki."

"My Conqueror's Haki has probably reached the absolute pinnacle! I no longer need Armament Haki or Observation Haki!"

At first glance, it sounded damn impressive!

Whitebeard, Marco, and the others looked at him with admiration, but after a while, they suddenly felt that something was off.

"Nani? Wait... Ye Yu, are you saying you still don't know Armament Haki or Observation Haki?" Marco asked with an exaggerated expression.

"I already said it. I don't need that stuff. Conqueror's Haki alone is enough!" Ye Yu answered indifferently.

This left Marco and the others collectively silent.

"Ye Yu, I acknowledge your position as Captain of the Zero Division, but leave the matter of killing Blackbeard to me!"

"Ye Yu, you may be strong, but Blackbeard is no ordinary person. Even Red-Haired Shanks suffered at his hands. Without Armament Haki or Observation Haki, you could very well be tricked by him!" Marco said solemnly.

Marco's analysis was correct. Blackbeard was a deeply calculating man, and he was not weak!

No matter how strong Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki was, it could not directly suppress someone like Blackbeard...

Not knowing Observation Haki was still acceptable, but without Armament Haki, how could he hurt Blackbeard?

But how could Ye Yu fail to think of that? How could the system fail to account for it?

In fact, when Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki had reached 3,000 points, he had already obtained a bug-level skill from the system!

Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki had become powerful enough to inflict actual physical damage. Even more terrifyingly, it could capture the true bodies of Logia users!

"Sigh, since when did you Whitebeard Pirates become so naggy?"

Ye Yu had always hated trouble, so he had no intention of explaining his abilities one by one to everyone present.

Ye Yu simply turned his back on the Whitebeard Pirates and waved a hand.

"Just wait. Within three days, I'll hand Blackbeard's head over to you!" With that, Ye Yu strode away.

As he walked, blue flames suddenly appeared in the sky and blocked his path in an instant.

Ye Yu raised his head slightly. Wasn't this Marco, the man known as the Phoenix?

"Sorry, Ye Yu, but Blackbeard is no ordinary man. Until I see that you have the strength to defeat Blackbeard, I won't let you leave!" Marco said worriedly.

Diamond Jozu, Vista of the Flower Swords, and even Atmos all nodded in agreement.

"That's right, Captain of the Zero Division Ye Yu. Marco is doing this for your own good. Without Armament Haki, taking down Blackbeard won't be easy!" These men had acknowledged Ye Yu's position as Captain of the Zero Division.

Whitebeard, meanwhile, looked delighted to watch the excitement. He casually picked up a huge bottle of wine and drained it in one gulp.

"Gurarararara! It has been a long time since our Whitebeard Pirates were this lively!"

"How about it, Marco, Ye Yu? Why don't you two have a match as well?" Whitebeard said with narrowed eyes and a broad smile.

Ye Yu was speechless and rolled his eyes at Whitebeard. As the captain of the ship, he had none of an elder's composure. He actually wanted Ye Yu to fight another battle. What a pain...

"Let me make this clear first. If I defeat Marco, I won't accept any more challenges from anyone else!" Ye Yu said helplessly.

It was not that he was afraid.

The main thing was that with Ye Yu's personality as a salted fish who preferred lying flat, having him spar with the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders one after another was more unbearable than killing him!

Hearing that Ye Yu intended to spar with him, Marco clasped his fists toward Ye Yu. "Excuse me, Captain of the Zero Division!"

Ye Yu still looked indifferent. "Hurry up, Marco. After beating you, I still have to hurry and kill Blackbeard. Don't delay me from coming back to watch TV!"