Chapter 37: Recruiting Subordinates
On the second day of staying on Beehive Island, Li Yuan was just about to head out to find a place to train when he discovered that the entrance was already blocked by a large group of pirates.
"Officer Li Yuan, please let me join your fleet!"
"Decapitating Swordsman, I'm willing to follow you into battle!"
"Please accept me as your subordinate!"
"I am willing."
Hundreds of pirates at the door cheered as soon as they saw Li Yuan step out, all shouting to join his crew.
In the Rocks Pirate Group, every officer would establish their own fleet and recruit subordinates. In essence, each officer was a formidable presence within the group.
Of course, there were exceptions like Whitebeard, who disliked recruiting subordinates, and Charlotte Linlin, who had no pirates joining her. Other officers, however, commanded numerous pirates and fleets.
As a new officer, Li Yuan displayed extraordinary potential, naturally attracting many pirates who wanted to join his ranks.
"Wow, you never know until you see it!"
Li Yuan had anticipated pirates coming to pledge allegiance. However, he hadn't expected that, after scanning with his observation haki, he would find that 60% of them harbored ill intentions.
Without a doubt, some of these pirates were undercover agents from other officers in the Rocks Pirate Group, as well as spies from the Navy and World Government. Some simply bore malice toward him.
To this, Li Yuan could only feel speechless, having initially believed that these pirates genuinely wanted to follow him.
"Hahaha, very good. You all made the right choice by coming to me."
"But I don't just accept anyone. You, you, and you, step forward. Today, I find you pleasing to the eye, so I'll take you. The rest of you, go back to where you came from."
Li Yuan selected fifty pirates who did not show hostility and accepted them.
Unlike Whitebeard, Li Yuan intended to act the part since he was part of the Rocks Pirate Group. Besides, having more subordinates could be useful in future battles, sparing him the need to handle everything personally.
"What about me? Why not me?"
"Decapitating Swordsman, I want to join too!"
"And me, and me!"
The remaining pirates, seeing that Li Yuan had only chosen fifty, were dissatisfied. They believed they came with "sincerity," only to be turned away.
As a result, the crowd began to clamor loudly.
"Hmph!"
Li Yuan snorted coldly, and his long sword was instantly unsheathed, sending a fifty-meter slash through the crowd.
"Slice, slice, slice!"
The twenty or so people causing the most noise at the front were all beheaded by Li Yuan's slash, blood spraying and filling the air with a metallic scent.
In an instant, the previously noisy scene turned silent.
"Anyone who has a problem with my decision, feel free to test the sharpness of my blade!"
Li Yuan's cold gaze swept over the speechless pirates. Even without using conqueror's haki, they were intimidated by him.
It was only now that they remembered this was the ruthless Decapitating Swordsman who had beheaded a thousand pirate heads in mere moments.
Though he usually appeared calm and approachable, he was, in reality, a slaughtering demon.
After Li Yuan's display of power, the once-clamorous pirates quickly departed, fearing they would lose their heads next.
"You fifty are the ones I chose. Since you've decided to follow me, work hard. I won't let you down."
"Also, choose a captain among yourselves. Once you've decided, come find me at the south coast of Beehive Island."
Li Yuan addressed the fifty pirates who joined him.
He quickly assessed that although their strengths weren't formidable, they were decent, roughly at the level of Navy captains to majors.
This marked the beginning of his first batch of subordinates.
After a few words, Li Yuan left, allowing them to act on their own.
He didn't have time to manage the subordinates, so the best method was to select a captain to lead them.
"Hahaha, my name is Zett Marie, and I want to be the captain. If anyone disagrees, step forward and challenge me. If you can defeat me, I'll acknowledge you!"
Once Li Yuan left, Zett Marie stepped forward among the fifty.
"Hmph, we're all being led by the Decapitating Swordsman. Why should you be the captain? I challenge you."
"I disagree too. Being the captain should be my role!"
"Count me in. I believe I have the strength to be captain!"
Zett Marie's words provoked rebuttals from other pirates, all wanting to challenge for the captaincy.
"Hahaha, then come on. Will it be one at a time or all at once? Regardless of the format, I'll take you on."
"Hmph, I can defeat you alone, no need for others!"
"Exactly, let's go one by one; a group attack would be unfair!"
After a series of challenges, unsurprisingly, Zett Marie emerged victorious.
His strength was a notch above the other pirates, and he wielded armament haki, making him an unstoppable force.
Ultimately, Marie became the captain, leading the forty-nine pirates who pledged allegiance to Li Yuan.
"Alright, from now on, I'm your captain, and we all serve the Decapitating Swordsman Li Yuan!"
Marie declared excitedly after defeating his opponents.
Marie, along with his forty-nine subordinates, headed to the coast Li Yuan mentioned, only to witness a scene that had them questioning reality.
The Decapitating Swordsman they swore allegiance to was being relentlessly beaten by a group wielding weapons. It looked like a scene of abuse.
"It seems Kano and the others lack strength; they can barely break through my skin defenses."
After training his skin with haki, his external defense grew increasingly strong. Even with full-force attacks, Kano and the others could only barely break the skin.
This inefficiency in attacks severely hindered his haki skin training.
"You lot, stop watching and take over. Use your strongest techniques to hit me!"
Li Yuan glanced at Marie and his group approaching.
"Boss, I'm Zett Marie, the captain of this team."
Hearing Li Yuan's words, Marie and his men immediately rushed over.
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