Chapter 89: Challenging All Officers (Part 1)**

"Yohahaha! Want to acquire countless treasures? If you do, join Captain John's fleet, and I will lead you to unfathomable riches!"

After the recruitment ceremony concluded, John eagerly began to recruit new crew members.

"Gahahaha! Want fame and power? If you do, come to the Flying Pirates fleet! My fleet soars freely in the skies, moving with ease!"

As John began his recruitment, Shiki the Golden Lion was not to be outdone. He even brought down several pirate ships that had been hovering in the sky.

During the six months that Li Yuan was away, Shiki had not only acquired the Wooden Withering, a Supreme Great Blade, but he also consumed the Paramecia Float-Float Fruit, forming his own Flying Pirates fleet.

"Hahahaha! Want to become a swordsman? Want to become a great swordsman? Join my Infinite Great Swordsman fleet, and I can teach you how to rapidly acquire powerful swordsmanship!"

The other officers also started their recruitment, and naturally, Li Yuan would not fall behind.

He planned to establish his own pirate crew and seize territories, so he needed subordinates and cannon fodder.

Previously, he had only recruited pirates who posed no threat to him due to his insufficient strength, but now that he had reached the average level of the Rocks Pirates officers, he had no more reservations.

Regardless of whether they had ill intentions towards him, he would recruit them; those pirates who meant him harm would have to survive first.

As for the title of "Infinite Great Swordsman," Li Yuan had given it to himself to avoid being assigned a derogatory nickname by the Marines or others.

Just like the previous title of "Decapitation Swordsman," if he ever found out who had given him that name, he would definitely use the Seven Star Sword to make them wish they were never born!

"I want to join the Flying Pirates fleet!!"

"I want to search for treasure with Captain John!"

"I want to join the Infinite Great Swordsman's fleet; I want to become a swordsman!"

During this recruitment meeting, the surviving pirates numbered over ten thousand, and many began to choose their sides as the officers called for recruits.

Without a doubt, John and Shiki's fleets attracted the most members.

In the past, John had recruited the most pirates due to his influence with treasure.

Now, Shiki, with the advantage of the Flying Pirates fleet, surpassed John in attracting pirates. After all, a fleet that could fly was practically invincible on the seas.

Not only did it move quickly, ignoring the influence of the sea, but it could also escape easily if they were outmatched; enemies could not catch up.

As for Li Yuan, being the one who broke the historical records of great swordsmen among pirates, he held significant influence within the swordsman community.

Thus, many sword-wielding pirates flocked to Li Yuan's side, and even among pirates, those who practiced swordsmanship tended to have higher loyalty.

In the end, over fifteen hundred people were willing to join Li Yuan's crew, while three thousand joined John, and four thousand joined Shiki. The remaining members were almost all allocated to the other officers.

"Wahahahaha! Welcome aboard, you little rascals, to the Rocks Pirates!!"

"Let's throw a feast to celebrate!"

Rocks exclaimed loudly.

"Let's have a feast!!!"

"Awesome! I love feasts!"

"Hahaha, I finally joined the Rocks Pirates!"

The pirates below cheered excitedly.

A grand feast was once again held on Hive Island.

After the feast, Li Yuan organized his newly acquired subordinates and then called for Mari, Kano, and Karu. These three were currently his most capable subordinates.

"Mari, select five hundred from the fifteen hundred new recruits to form your team."

"Kano, the remaining thousand will be under your command."

"Karu, you will manage the more than a hundred junior brothers and those young recruits."

Li Yuan gathered them to briefly distribute power aboard the ship.

As the number of people on the ship continued to grow, it was necessary to delineate authority.

"Mari, your management skills are decent. While I'm away from Hive Island, you'll need to manage those five hundred people well."

"However, your strength is still lacking. Managing these thousand might be alright for now, but as more people join the ship, your strength may not be enough to command them."

"This is the Devil Fruit I've prepared for you, the Paramecia Feather Fruit. If developed properly, it's quite a powerful ability."

Li Yuan said to Mari, looking him in the eyes.

Through his Observation Haki, he sensed that Mari's goodwill towards him had grown significantly, which was why he decided to cultivate him as a trusted subordinate by providing him with a Devil Fruit to enhance his strength.

"Thank you, Captain! I won't let you down!"

Seeing the Devil Fruit being handed to him, the excitement in Mari's eyes was impossible to hide.

That was a treasure of the sea, a Devil Fruit that could grant special powers. Even the cheapest Devil Fruits were worth seventy to eighty million, and they were often hard to come by.

Now that Li Yuan gave him a Devil Fruit, it undoubtedly represented Li Yuan's complete trust in him. For someone like Mari, who aspired to gain power and status, this was like a blessing!

"Gulp!!!"

Mari quickly consumed the entire Devil Fruit in a matter of seconds.

"This is my insight on developing the Feather Fruit; take a good look and develop this fruit well."

Next, Li Yuan handed his prepared notes to Mari.

From Li Yuan's perspective, his foresight regarding the Feather Fruit far exceeded Mari's, so these notes would greatly shorten Mari's time to grow stronger.

"Thank you, Captain! Thank you, Captain!"

Mari happily tucked the notes away.

"Everyone train hard and try to improve your strength as quickly as possible. The Rocks Pirates will soon face unrest, and war is on the horizon. I hope you all can survive it."

After giving a few words of advice, Li Yuan didn't say anything more. He had done all he could.

How far Mari and the others could go depended on their own efforts.

On an uninhabited island near Hive Island, Li Yuan and Shiki stood ready, swords in hand, with a tense atmosphere of impending battle.

"Shiki, back then I received quite a bit of your 'favor'; now it's time to repay that debt."

Li Yuan declared, holding the Seven Star Sword with a fierce aura.

"Gahahaha! Li Yuan, I could suppress you back then, and I can do it now!"

Shiki boasted arrogantly.

Ever since he obtained the Float-Float Fruit, his strength had been rapidly increasing daily, and he had absolute confidence in his abilities.

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