Chapter 10: Pirate Alliance? Section 1

“Is this the one who wants to join us?”
In the living room of the Pike Warship, the pirate leader smiled as he looked at Blood Eyes and Black Hair standing before him.
A cold smile.
Others might not understand, but as a third-level leader of the newly formed 27-Star Domain Pirate Alliance, he had heard those two names so often that they had long become familiar to him.
From destroying the stronghold of the Warriors Association at first, to marching all the way to the commercial city of Belin and wiping out the arms dealer Black Gold single-handedly. When hunted and with no escape, they disappeared—only to reappear in the Silver Star Domain. It could be said that wherever these two went, war and disaster followed. They were true calamities.
What angered him even more was that among their exploits was the involvement of his own Pickers—on a most disgraceful occasion.
If such people suddenly appeared before you and said they wanted to join you, would you agree? Or would you feel at ease?
Others might not know, but the pirate leader knew very well that he would never agree.
“Yes, respected leader. Please allow us to introduce ourselves. I…” Blood Eyes began to speak with a smile, but a stern voice interrupted him.
“No need. I know your name is Blood Eyes, and his is Black Hair. I’ve long heard of your reputations.” The pirate leader waved his hand, and one of his subordinates immediately brought him a cup of Langmu wine. After drinking it in one gulp, he suddenly burst into laughter.
“But I can’t believe you naively think I’d accept you. Do you really think I, Gold Teeth Jinli, am an idiot? Or have you forgotten that battle outside the Silver Star Domain, the deaths of my 372 children?”
Gold Teeth Jinli? Blood Eyes’ expression changed slightly—he finally realized he had run into a tough opponent.
To be honest, outside, Blood Eyes had thought they were just an ordinary pirate raiding squad. If he had known Gold Teeth Jinli was here, he would never have dared to come.
Who was Gold Teeth Jinli? He was the leader of the Pickers Island Group—a scoundrel who truly ruled over a bunch of outlaws. The Picker squad that Black Hair and he had eliminated earlier was under his command. Against ordinary pirates, Blood Eyes could still hide his identity, but against this guy, he had no hope at all.
“It’s not naivety—it’s confidence,” suddenly said Black Hair behind Blood Eyes.
It was the second thing he had said since waking up. Yet Blood Eyes couldn’t help but feel relieved, his worries dissolving.

“Since you know our identities, you should also be aware of our capabilities. And as a leader, I believe you won’t make a wrong choice,” the dark-haired man said calmly, without arrogance or subservience, speaking slowly. “Two enemies, bounties on two wanted criminals, or two capable subordinates. You should know what to do.”

The pirate captain was momentarily stunned, his smile fading. He studied the dark-haired man as if meeting him for the first time before finally lifting his head and nodding. “Not bad. But how can I prove your sincerity? If I’m to keep two bombs around, it’s better to exchange them for a bounty. That way, I can avenge my children.”

“I can’t guarantee that. As a leader, you need to make a choice. But I can tell you that the mech we’re on is out of ammunition, though its energy is at full capacity. And coincidentally, I’ve installed a small device in its elemental core—a rather unstable one, at that,” the dark-haired man said with a teasing smile, mocking the pirate captain.

“You’re threatening me!?” His tone rose sharply as he stood up abruptly. “I wouldn’t dare. But if a mech with full energy explodes, it would be pretty much like the bombs you mentioned. Of course, your ship as a leader must be incredibly strong—maybe you really don’t care.”

Incredibly strong and unconcerned?

Damn it! Hearing this, Jin Li wanted to slap him. Does he think warships are solid iron blocks? Unfazed by just one bomb? You can’t joke around like this! Even an ordinary person knows the biggest weakness of pirate ships is their weak defense. Isn’t this just targeting the weak points?

Jin Li’s face turned ashen as if he’d swallowed a fly. After a long while, he nodded fiercely. “Fine, I allow you to join. But…”

“But the two of us won’t participate in your raids or routine maintenance. We also need a separate room. If possible, one with a servant,” the dark-haired man interrupted quickly, throwing out a series of demands before the pirate captain could finish speaking.

The pirate captain’s eyes widened in disbelief. What? Are you here to be pirates or to live like lords? No missions, no chores, a separate room? And the worst part—someone to serve you? Good heavens, what do you think this place is? A hotel?

Glaring fiercely at Black Hair, the pirate captain’s voice shifted. Gritting his teeth, he asked, “Then what do I need you for? To worship you like a god?”
“No, there will be times when you’ll need us,” Black Hair said gently, like a harmless sheep.
“You know, being a pirate is a risky yet exciting job. You can’t guarantee you’ll always encounter easy targets. I mean, if you run into some really tough opponents, we’ll be your best choice.”
Kimri nodded, understanding Black Hair’s meaning.
To be honest, he wasn’t dissatisfied with Black Hair’s almost arrogant tone. The job proposal Black Hair had made also suited his tastes. As Black Hair said, piracy was indeed a high-risk profession. Unguarded fleets were manageable, but once faced with large fleets or wealthy individuals with private guards, Kimri could only sigh and stay away.
But now it was different. With Black Hair and Blood Eye as warriors, Kimri could guarantee that the fighters’ combat strength would increase dramatically. Those once intimidating targets no longer seemed so scary.
It was like hired experts from powerful families. That’s probably the status Black Hair wanted—reasonable, and he could agree to it.
Huffing in reluctance, Harry essentially agreed to Black Hair’s request.
After being led to a room by a small pirate, Black Hair and Blood Eye finally settled down. After quietly closing the door, only the two of them remained in the room.
“Thud.” Throwing himself heavily onto the bed, Black Hair finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Go ahead, Blood Eye. What do you want to ask?”
“Heh, you noticed?” Blood Eye laughed mischievously before lying down on another bed.
“There’s a lot I want to ask, but I can’t remember right away. So I’ll ask one first. What’s wrong with you lately? I mean, your health…”
“I’m fine. My health is excellent.” To Blood Eye’s surprise, Black Hair answered promptly. Then he stretched out his right hand, pointing it at Blood Eye.
“If you’re asking why I was unconscious, I can explain that.”
“What!? What’s that?!” Taking a quick glance, Blood Eye’s eyes widened instantly.
In the palm of Black Hair’s outstretched hand, he saw a strange object.

“Well, how should I put it? It seems to be a malignant tumor growing in the center of the palm. About three centimeters in diameter. It protrudes above the skin, with a dense network of wrinkles on its surface. If not looked at closely, it might resemble a crumpled rag. But upon closer inspection…”
Blood Pupil suddenly jumped up, reaching out with her finger, yet unable to say anything.
“That’s… that’s clearly a human face!!”
“Understand?” Black Hair retracted his palm, closing his eyes slightly, though his tone remained eerily calm.
“That day, I was attacked suddenly, and a stab to my chest knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I saw this thing. At the same time, my biological energy reached its limit, forcing me to digest them. That’s why I’ve remained in a semi-comatose state. I know everything about your entire escape attempt; I just can’t speak.”
At this point, Black Hair let out a long sigh and placed the strange face in his palm in front of him.
“Strange, isn’t it? Having such a thing on my body, I don’t feel any discomfort. Moreover, every time I touch it, I even get a strange sensation—well, it’s as if this palm no longer belongs to me.”
“That could be said too!” A interfering voice suddenly rang out, followed by the strange face suddenly opening its eyes.
Its pupils contracted sharply, startling Black Hair and Blood Pupil with this sudden change. Blood Pupil even entered a state of alertness, shrinking half in size as one hand went to her waist.
“Who are you?” Black Hair remained the most calm, quickly regaining his composure and asking in a deep voice.
“You can call me Core,” the strange face replied cheerfully, flashing a very human-like smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Black Hair, Blood Pupil. If my appearance startled you, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to.”
“…” Black Hair was speechless. Facing this strange face in the center of his palm, he suddenly felt his common sense being shattered. Such a bizarre thing—he probably couldn’t have imagined it even in his dreams.
“You’re with those white warships, right?” After thinking for a while, Black Hair suddenly said.
Truly, he had to say something shocking. As soon as Black Hair spoke, Blood Pupil let out an exclamation, her eyes widening in shock. She also remembered the strange phenomena she encountered during her escape—the discovery of the demon mechs, the smooth escape route, and the absence of pursuers along the way…
“Hehe, what a clever human. I don’t need to deny it,” the strange face laughed heartily, admitting it openly.