Chapter 10: Pirate Alliance? Section 8

The pirates’ rest time wasn’t very long, but it was enough for them to relax properly. On this picturesque planet, these men, regarded as demons by everyone, behaved like children, shouting and indulging themselves. What they saw most every day were groups of men armed with primitive bows and arrows going hunting in the mountains or fishing in the rivers.

What Black Hair preferred, however, was sitting quietly on the rocks by the sea, holding a fishing rod he had made himself, looking as carefree as an immortal. Listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks and feeling the gentle breeze on his face—such a joyous feeling that made one want to cry was something few people could enjoy. At least on Earth, environmental pollution had completely altered nature’s original appearance. Only a few beaches still allowed people to enjoy such moments, though maintaining them required huge amounts of money each year, and only a select few could afford it.

What a pity. Generous nature had bestowed upon humanity almost infinite blessings, yet humans failed to cherish them. They squandered all the resources around them recklessly. Once exhausted, they turned to plunder and take possession. Planet after planet became mining sites under humanity’s massive fleets, and race after race was wiped out by humanity’s nearly invincible military force. Yet they never realized that no matter how many resources they acquired or how many colonies they owned, there could only be one Earth.

In fact, humanity was the greatest original sin in this universe.

“Plop…” A soft splash. Black Hair raised his arm gently, as tender as a lover’s touch. His fishing rod traced a perfect arc, and a strange fish over a meter long flew up along its trajectory before splashing onto the rocks beside him. The fish writhed violently, full of energy.

“Oh my master, you’re so amazing! Another big fish—it seems to weigh over ten kilograms. We’ll definitely be able to make a delicious meal with it.” The blond beauty who had been lying quietly beside Black Hair jumped up happily, like a little girl. She hopped over to the strange fish and lifted it with ease, as if it weighed nothing at all.

Turning back, Black Hair smiled gently. “Have you never fished before?”

“I’ve fished before, when I was young with my parents. What’s the matter?” Lily asked curiously, her beautiful big eyes blinking innocently and adorably. Today she was wearing a well-fitting long dress, and with that expression on her face, she looked like a pure angel. Probably no one who saw her in that state would associate her with the ruthless bounty hunter in the legends.

“If you’ve fished before, you should know that the brighter-colored the fish, the more likely it is to be poisonous. That fish’s body was almost completely covered in patterns. And there were three spines hidden in its muscles along its spine. If I’m not mistaken, it’s highly poisonous. Your wish to use it for cooking probably won’t come true. Even if you did, I definitely wouldn’t eat it.” Blackhair’s smile carried a teasing tone as he gazed at the beautiful girl before him with interest.

“Ah, master is so annoying… I didn’t know it was poisonous…” Lily’s pretty face turned red with embarrassment, like a teased girl. She twisted her hands together behind her. Unbeknownst to her, by that time the strange fish was already struggling to breathe.

Even in her idiotic state, Blue Lily still had terrifying strength… Only Blackhair might find such frightening strength normal.

Shaking his head, Blackhair pointed behind Lily, looking helpless. Only then did the girl realize the condition of the fish in her hands. She let out a cry. With a wave of her hand, the over ten-kilogram fish traced an arc through the air before falling into the water from afar.

“Plump…” The fish’s tail flashed on the surface before the strange fish disappeared.

“I… I…” Twisting her hands together, Lily staggered over to Blackhair.

“Others are others. Go call Bloodpupil over. It’s getting late; we need to go back. Well, today’s harvest was good. Want to try my cooking?”

“Sure, sure…” Lily jumped for joy, hugging one of Blackhair’s arms. Her face turned red. “Master… um… then… tonight…”

“What?” Blackhair raised an eyebrow, a strange smile appearing on his face.

“I mean… just like that day… is that okay…” Lily’s head was almost buried in her chest. The redness on her face seemed to spread quickly to her neck as well. With Blackhair’s sharp eyes, he could even see the slight bumps on her fair skin due to excitement. Images of Lily in her dress flashed through his mind.

It’s probably already flooded over there…
“Oh…” The black-haired girl seemed to suddenly understand. “Then it depends on how well you behave. Go and get things done now. If you don’t want to sleep here.”
“Ah, okay,” Lily replied happily, turning around and skipping away. Soon, clear shouts came from the other side of the rocks.
“Hey, the master wants you to go over there. Hurry up! What are you waiting for? Do you think I’m talking nonsense? Stop dawdling or I’ll beat you!”
Hearing this, the black-haired girl couldn’t help but smile bitterly. This Lily was truly violent. No wonder Bloodpupil was so afraid of her. It was strange how she managed to maintain a little girl’s appearance in front of her. Was it an act? Or maybe a dual personality?
Shaking her head, she quickly dismissed that thought. If it were an act, she would have noticed. The innocence of a little girl and the simplicity of a young girl couldn’t be faked. But a dual personality was quite possible.
Dinner was arranged right in front of the black-haired girl’s small villa. There, she cleared out a small area and surrounded it with rocks to create a proper courtyard. All the plants had been removed, so lighting a fire wouldn’t be a problem.
At night, there was a bonfire and delicious grilled fish.
That was their plan for the evening. Unfortunately, there was no real strong liquor, so the black-haired girl could only use red wine as a substitute. She didn’t care how out of place such a drink was for the atmosphere.
“Boss, the departure date has been set—eight o’clock the day after tomorrow,” Bloodpupil said slurredly, chewing loudly on the grilled fish in her hand. She also held a bottle of wine in the other hand. In such a situation of eating and drinking heartily, she disdained such delicate drinks. In a fit of anger, she threw the glass away.
“The day after tomorrow… the time is tight. Bloodpupil, have you prepared everything I asked for?” the black-haired girl asked leisurely, one hand still stroking Lily’s thigh with a mischievous smile. Lily responded with a flirtatious smile, feeding pieces of fish to her mouth.
“No. Boss, this is just their transit station, a planet similar to a residential area. There are no factories or workshops here. Aside from the airport and some supplies, I can’t find anything else,” Bloodpupil said, frowning with a troubled expression.

He was well aware that after the day after tomorrow, they might have to join that so-called duel. Yet so far, their equipment still hadn’t been prepared. Repairing the demon mechs wasn’t a problem, but Blackhair’s mech remained an uncertainty. During these days when Blackhair had time to rest, he had searched almost every supply warehouse in the airport, trying to find a mech for him—without success.

The planet’s military supplies were extremely scarce. Not to mention the mechanical mechs Blackhair was used to, even ordinary magic mechs and parts were painfully rare. The few parts that did exist were discarded by others and had no value for reuse.

Yet Blackhair wasn’t disappointed by this news. After hesitating for a moment, he smiled again.

“It’s okay, Bloodpupil. We’ll get a mech. If we’re lucky, even a warship might be possible. Since this duel is a major event for all pirates, they surely won’t be unprepared. We just need to wait.”

“But you’re used to mechanical mechs. These are very rare,” Bloodpupil remained worried.

“That doesn’t matter. What interests me more is what this duel will bring us. Maybe I should talk to Kinri about this soon.” Blackhair rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowing slightly. His expression resembled that of a shrewd merchant.

Of course, in Blackhair’s way of thinking, a shrewd merchant could easily turn into a bandit when necessary.

“What!!? You want a fully equipped warship!!? What do you think I am, a supply warehouse?” Kinri roared loudly, staring fiercely at the figure before him, his eyes almost turning green.

Who knew what Blackhair was thinking—asking for a warship just as he was about to attend such an event. Did he think this place was a weapons depot? The entire Pickpockets organization only had five warships, and one of them had already been destroyed by him. How dare he ask for another now?

“What, you don’t have one?” Blackhair frowned, lying lazily in the armchair across from Kinri. “If that’s the case, I’ll have to reconsider joining the duel. You know well that I don’t have a mech, nor am I obligated to help.”

“Who said there’s no obligation? I saved you—you should obey me!!” Kinri’s face twitched with anger, his voice booming like thunder.

“I saved you too. Otherwise, you’d have been turned into a sieve by my Lily,” Blackhair remained unimpressed.

“You’re part of the Pickpockets now!!”

“I can back out at any time.”
“You!!” Jinli was utterly speechless. Faced with someone like Black Hair who wouldn’t budge, he could only remain silent. Peng Pai’s anger gradually cooled down, eventually turning into resignation.
“Tell me, what exactly do you want from me to help you?” Slumped weakly in the armchair, Jinli’s voice was soft and weak.
Black Hair was right. With his abilities, the Treasure Hunter didn’t even deserve to possess ships. It was only natural he wouldn’t help without payment. But Jinli really had no other choice. If he hadn’t met Black Hair, he could have withdrawn from the duel. But now it was impossible—he had officially registered. Withdrawing now would be considered a grave insult to the Sacred Duel, punishable by death. And other pirate groups would surely welcome such an outcome.
“Didn’t I say? One fully equipped warship. Since you don’t seem wealthy, an ordinaryneedlefish-class will do.” Black Hair replied calmly, taking the glass handed to him by Lily with a smile.
“That’s impossible.” Jinli slumped further in the armchair, placing a hand on his forehead. “The Treasure Hunter only has four warships now, including my flagship. If I give them to you, I won’t even have anything to eat. Half of my 1,500 men will starve to death. For the love of God, change your request.”
“I see…” Black Hair pondered for a moment, stroking his chin lightly. His eyes narrowed, and after a long while, he nodded firmly.
“Alright, it’s unfair to take someone’s livelihood. Then I won’t take your warships. Just give me that mechanic named Jack. I know he signed a contract of servitude with you. Without your permission, he can never leave. How about considering that contract as payment for my participation in this duel?”
“Ah… ah?” Jinli was stunned. He never expected Black Hair, who had just made such a huge demand, to propose something like this. Was he crazy? A costly warship and a low-status mechanic—those were completely incomparable.
“What, are you satisfied with this request too?” Seeing Jinli’s dumbfounded expression, Black Hair’s expression changed instantly.
“Ah… no, no. This request is fine, absolutely fine!!” Jinli quickly realized and replied repeatedly, nodding fast as if a chick pecking at grains. His anxious look suggested he was afraid Black Hair might change his mind.

So that hulking man named Jack quickly stood in front of the dark-haired man. He seemed unaware of the fate that awaited him, still wearing an innocent smile on his face. A bit silly—the kind who would even thank his oppressor after being sold.
“Jack, I’ve handed over your contract to Mr. Dark-Haired. From today on, you’ll be working for him. Go ahead.” With a smug smile, the pirate leader, Jin Li, waved his hand grandly, acting very generous.
“Ah, oh, um, okay!” The foolish giant replied in a dazed manner. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he shook his head frantically.
“No, no. If I follow him, who will feed me?”
“Of course, Mr. Dark-Haired will.”
“What about where I’ll live?” the giant pressed further.
“He’ll take care of that too.” Jin Li still smiled, but it became somewhat forced as he suddenly thought of that giant’s annoying habit.
Sure enough…
“The alcohol I drink.”
“Still him.”
“The cigarettes I smoke.”
“All of it!!” Veins bulged on Jin Li’s forehead.
“Boss…”, the giant started to speak.
“Shut up!! If you want anything, go see Mr. Dark-Haired. From today on, you’re no longer part of the treasure hunters. Stop talking in front of me! Shut up!!” Jin Li finally lost his temper.
“Ah, okay.” The giant replied foolishly, turning toward the dark-haired man while muttering, “Chai Lang asked me to tell you there’s news from the gladiators. Since you won’t let me say it, then I won’t say it.”
“Hm… Ah!!” Jin Li jumped up suddenly.