Chapter Twelve: The Thirty-first Pirate Gang, Section 2

Hell Planet, the Parliament Chief’s Residence.

It was the night of the third day of the Death Gladiators battles, and also the fifth night since Black Hair arrived on this planet. Yet for the Parliament Chief, who sat quietly at the dining table, savoring the moment, it was an utterly extraordinary occasion.

Across from him sat a young man—seemingly ordinary, yet reeking of blood from head to toe.

Black Hair.

Undeniably, the spectacle of Black Hair’s battle during the day had been staggering. Even the Parliament Chief of the Pirate Alliance, who held ultimate power and had witnessed countless fierce battles, was left shaken. The blood-soaked ground and the mutilated corpses still seemed to loom before his eyes, leaving him speechless for a moment.

Black Hair’s methods in ending the battles were simple yet brutal. His final swing with both hands wielded such immense force that it defied human imagination. The remaining fifteen gladiators didn’t even have a chance to resist—they were instantly cut in half. Wherever his weapon passed, shields shattered, axes broke, and bodies crumbled. The blood sprayed from the dying gladiators even up to ten meters away.

Cruel, merciless, brutal—these were the terms the Parliament Chief used to describe Black Hair. When he saw that the young man showed no trace of remorse after the battle, instead appearing as relaxed as if he had just taken drugs, he was deeply shocked.

This man could only be an ally, never an enemy.

So he immediately invited Black Hair to dine with him. And this time, Black Hair agreed.

“Mr. Black Hair, try this. It’s the firefish, a specialty of Hell Planet. I’m sure you saw them when you arrived. They’re so lively and full of energy, which makes their meat extremely delicious. I’m sure you’ll like it,” the Parliament Chief said, casually breaking the silence in the dining room. He pointed to a beautifully prepared dish and, even more eagerly, used a fork to pick up a piece and place it directly on Black Hair’s plate.

“Thank you,” Black Hair replied without much ado, starting to eat right away, without any formality.

“Hehe,” the Parliament Chief laughed at his reaction.

“What? Is there something on my face?” Hearing the laugh, Black Hair suddenly raised his head and asked.

“Ah, of course not.”

“Then why are you smiling?” The dark-haired man narrowed his eyes, his expression unfriendly. “Since I entered this restaurant, we’ve exchanged twelve sentences in total—all of them meaningless. You’ve sneaked glances at me six times when I wasn’t looking, each time as if deep in thought. Moreover, I sense ten hidden presences around this restaurant. Mr. Speaker, I’m a simple man; just speak plainly. I’m not fond of this kind of environment.”

Huh? The Speaker was stunned. He never expected that this dark-haired man, without even lifting his head, had noticed every one of his actions. Not only that, but even his bodyguards had picked it up. Such keen perception and sharp insight were beyond anything he had ever heard of or seen before.

No wonder such a person could repeatedly cause widespread panic yet still live comfortably under the watchful eyes of the Warrior Association. And according to his intelligence, the recently rising Creek Merchant Guild on Silver Star also had this man’s influence behind it.

As these clues connected, the Speaker grew increasingly impressed by the man before him.

In a good mood, he naturally wasn’t bothered by the disrespect in the dark-haired man’s tone. After a brief pause, a charming smile appeared on his cheeks again. He didn’t answer the dark-haired man’s question but instead poured himself a glass of red wine and pushed it toward him.

“Mr. Dark Hair, you should try this too— a specialty from Colos Star, a 50-year-aged fine wine. It’s something people on the black market can’t even get at exorbitant prices. I heard you like red wine too; you definitely shouldn’t miss this.”

Get impatient, get impatient. As long as you have a weakness in your character, I’ll surely catch you, the Speaker thought to himself.

But to his surprise, the dark-haired man didn’t press further. He simply watched him for a while, then suddenly relaxed, as if shedding a mask. He took the wine from the table, took a gentle sip, and closed his eyes.

The restaurant fell silent once again.

Seeing his expression, the Alliance Speaker was greatly surprised. He had thought that at this age, the dark-haired man would be impetuous, but seeing this, he realized he had miscalculated once more. This young man clearly couldn’t be measured by ordinary standards. Perhaps, in terms of cunning, he could even rival him.

“Well, since it’s a role like this, there’s no need for me to pretend anymore. Hypocritical tactics are only useful for dealing with foolish creatures; in front of truly intelligent people, I know it’s better to be honest if I want a chance of success.”
“Mr. Blackhair, from Jinli, I heard you joined our pirates quite recently. I wonder if you’ve gotten used to it?” The chairman asked casually, his smile unchanged.
“It’s good, much better than I expected. It’s very free,” Blackhair replied.
“Hehe, that’s good, that’s good. To be honest, you really shocked me today. Mr. Blackhair, I never imagined that Jinli’s humble scavenger would have someone as talented as you join us. I really regret not meeting you earlier.”
Understanding the meaning behind the chairman’s words, Blackhair smiled silently. Sometimes, silence was the best choice.
Sure enough, seeing his expression, the chairman finally stopped probing and came straight to the point.
“Mr. Blackhair, I’ve thought it over. If you continue to stay in the scavengers’ team, it would be a huge loss for those who need you as well as for the entire pirate alliance. So, please allow me to extend an invitation on behalf of the largest faction in the alliance—Lava. I hope you’ll consider it.”
“Oh?” Blackhair raised his eyebrows, his expression turning serious.
In fact, when he received the chairman’s invitation, he had already guessed the old man’s intentions. But since he was under their roof, he had to be cautious in his actions. That’s why he accepted the invitation. Yet now that his guess had become reality, he hesitated.
He knew that Lava was the pirate group led by the chairman and the largest faction in the pirate alliance. It had hundreds of warships—far more than any single country or even a planet could match. Its members were united, fierce, and extremely combat-effective. It was a highly trustworthy group.
But unfortunately, no matter how many resources and power they had, it wasn’t the ideal choice for him. To Blackhair, such a group was more of an opponent than a partner. Because in his vision, he would one day face off against such large-scale teams.
He still needed his own faction… Blackhair shook his head.
“Hm? Are you surprised by this invitation, Mr. Blackhair? Or are you dissatisfied with Lava’s environment?” The chairman was greatly surprised by Blackhair’s headshake and pressed urgently.

“Neither. Mr. Speaker, I’m glad you invited me to join your team. I’m extremely honored. But you might not know—my reason for coming to this Death Arena is to seize an opportunity,” Blackhair said slowly, choosing his words carefully.

“What opportunity?”

“An opportunity to build my own faction. To be honest with you, Mr. Speaker, even before joining the Pickpockets, I planned to establish my own pirate organization. Coming here was purely by chance. I suppose you won’t mind having another team in the Thirty-Star System Pirate Alliance, right?” Blackhair raised his head with a smile.

“Oh?” The Speaker was stunned for a moment, then fell silent before suddenly bursting into laughter.

“Haha, hahaha! Mr. Blackhair, you really know how to joke. This joke is absolutely hilarious.”

“No, I’m not joking,” Blackhair replied with a cold smile, shaking his head. The glass in his hand trembled slightly. “Or maybe it’s just you who thinks I’m joking?”

“No, of course not.” The Speaker finally stopped laughing. “It’s just that Mr. Blackhair might not understand much about piracy. A good team isn’t easy to form—money, people, weapons, supplies, intelligence networks, and so on. Almost everything takes a long time to organize. Do you have any of these now?”

“No,” Blackhair answered honestly. But soon after, he pulled out a crystal card and threw it on the table in front of him.

“There are 300,000 crystal coins here, enough to cover the cost of using the alliance’s bases for three months. Supplies are separate. I can also provide another 50,000 crystal coins to recruit members. Does that work for you?”

Seeing the shiny crystal card on the table, the Speaker’s smile froze. After a long while, he sighed deeply, picked up the card, and examined it in the light.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes,” Blackhair nodded.

“Heh, I didn’t realize Mr. Blackhair was also wealthy. Though 300,000 crystal coins is a large sum, it’s still not enough to cover the alliance’s bases across the universe. The money for recruiting members is sufficient, but unfortunately, most of the people here already belong to other gangs. I can’t see why those leaders would allow you to poach their members.” The Speaker looked up and met Blackhair’s eyes directly.

“And most importantly, you don’t have a warship. Mr. Blackhair, if you don’t even have a warship, how will you fight in space?”

The Speaker’s expression was serious. It was only at this moment that he realized he actually knew nothing about the young man before him. The information available might have only shown one side of him. Perhaps his heart was filled with fierce ambition—this was what was truly terrifying.

Those who simply enjoy killing can be called butchers. But if they also possess a sharp mind, deep scheming, and great ambition, then such a person can be called a warlord.

The Speaker was a warlord. That’s why he understood Blackhair’s thoughts well.

Should he give this man such a chance? The Speaker frowned, thinking to himself.

At that moment, Blackhair seemed to relax as well. Waving his hand, he said nonchalantly, “Mr. Speaker, if the cost to use the base isn’t enough, I can pay extra. I can also find ways to recruit more people. As for warships and weapons, even though I don’t have them now, it doesn’t mean I can’t get them. All I want now is your word.”

“Yes, or no.”

Blackhair’s attitude was somewhat aggressive. Yet he understood that such a direct request had a good chance of succeeding. From what he had learned recently, the relationships within the Pirate Alliance were not monolithic. The twelve pirate gangs led by the Speaker were one faction, while the eighteen gangs represented by the Vice Speaker were another. On the surface, the two sides got along well, but they had been secretly fighting over resources and territory for a long time. If the Speaker’s faction hadn’t been strong, he likely wouldn’t have become Speaker.

However, the Vice Speaker’s power was also growing rapidly. At this delicate moment, any change could become crucial to the overall situation. The Speaker was a smart man, and Blackhair believed he would make the right choice.

Sure enough, after hearing his answer, the Speaker’s furrowed brows relaxed. After pondering again, he suddenly raised his hand, and a dark shadow appeared as if out of nowhere behind him, respectfully handing over a contract.

“Mr. Blackhair, you’re sharp. You must also be aware of the situation on Hell Planet right now. So let me ask one last question. If your team is established, which side will you be on?” The Speaker leaned forward slightly, staring into Blackhair’s eyes as he asked each word carefully.

“Neither side,” Blackhair replied, to the Speaker’s surprise.

“I’ll become an ally to one person, helping them get what they want at critical moments. That’s all.”

“Ah, I see…” The Speaker pondered for a moment before ultimately handing the contract to the black-haired man. “Very well, I agree to your request. I will bring up your application at the regular meeting tomorrow. But there’s one thing I need to say first.”
“Please go ahead.”
“There have been quite a few newcomers on Hell Planet this year. It seems the Vice Speaker also has someone who wants to form a new team. If you submit an application, as the leader of the entire alliance, I can’t be too favoritistic. So, competition is still necessary in the end. I hope you’re prepared for that.”
“No problem,” the black-haired man agreed immediately and signed the contract in front of him. Then he looked up and smiled softly. “Mr. Speaker, you must have met that newcomer who’s like me, right?”
“Of course. Not only me, but you’ve also met that guy.”
“Oh?” The black-haired man was slightly surprised. “I’ve met him too?”
“That’s right. Let me remind you—he has a nickname: Bamboo Pole.”
“Oh, him.” The image of that thin figure in the arena’s stands flashed through the black-haired man’s mind.