Chapter 21: Chapter 21: The Pirate Life for Me!
I had cooled down since I met the trainer. Happy they hadn't accepted my enlistment right then and listened. The chair made me think of an office chair. It tilted, it spun. It clearly was made for someone larger than me. And it wasn't comfortable. Like he had used it for show than actually sitting.
I was tapping the armrest, thinking. I looked over the bridge now filled with all the decision makers, save for the trainer. Mm… honestly if the trainer was stronger… No, much stronger. If he was stronger than me, I'd likely jump his bones like a true monkey in heat. It was a strange feeling, but… That scent he had; the power hidden under such a fragile frame was so attractive for some reason. His confidence…
I couldn't deny that both Rettas and I had daddy issues. An absent father for her… and for me. I grimaced. No need to consider that now.
Probably a good thing he wasn't here. I could think with a clear head and not with my monkey brain. The whole ship's admin was here. Hanging on my every breath. Almost leaning in with every deep breath and leaning out with each exhale. Like a cat mesmerized by a toy. I breathed. Enjoying the power, I had over them. Relishing it, even when I knew I'd accept. They had me. Completely and totally.
"I admit, the trainer is an exceedingly attractive option." I said, watching them grin and smile. Only a few catching the coming words. "But…" I watched those happy relieved expressions crash into a tense standoff. "I do need to know our name." The back and forth from tense to relieved was entertaining. My sadism rising to the surface.
"We call ourselves The Black Suns…" I laughed, the crew flinching. "Really? That's a really stupid name!" I laughed a little more as they wilted. The helmsman defending them. I had to make an effort to reclaim something. "Our last captain named us."
"Mm, that explains a lot. We'll need to rebrand at some point. Preferably before our next big job, which I assume will come, eventually?" They all nod like chickens pecking rice. "Next is… I actually don't know the ships name?"
"The Spite." Spite? "It's because we really hate how pretentious governments tend to get." A round of nods. Anarchists then? That's fine. "Acceptable name, it has my approval." Relieved sighs echoed. Honestly, I had a feeling they'd fight me to the death if I even deigned to suggest changing the name.
"And my duties?"
"Not much. We handle the day to day. We only need you when dealing with other pirates or exceptional circumstances. Occasionally we may need you to relay commands, but that's only if we can't agree on a plan of action."
So, British monarchy plus? Probably a horrible comparison.
"If I fail as a leader?"
"Honestly if you can't command, we can make do. The last guy was shit at giving orders, or well all he knew was how to give orders."
Which meant a guy who wouldn't listen to others. Explains why they survived. Probably ditched them. It also meant I wasn't a serious point of failure. Well, unless I died. A weight was off my shoulders. I didn't trust myself to randomly lead people around.
"As a Saiyan, my species does have a particular need for fights. Your trainer will do a lot to keep me calm, but I will need to let loose occasionally."
"We can try our best, but we can't guarantee too much. If anything, our mutual friend might be able to give us something."
I nodded to that. If anything, I could probably just leave with my ship for a small period of time. If it really came to that.
"I'll need new clothes. Ones preferably able to survive my expansion into monkey form."
"I can handle that. But It'll be hard."
I threw off one of my boots and passed him my now socks.
"The material for that can expand to my full monkey form. Give it a go. I'll keep the other sock, just in case."
He looks almost possessed as he stared at the material stretching it and… is he… licking it? The whole crew gives him a strange look as he chews and licks at it. He blushes furiously as we all stare. "Ahem… Ah, sorry…" He mumbles before putting it away… Should I be worried?
"I also will need copies made of some of my home tech if possible. I'll make sure to hand it over to you Armorer, just don't break it."
"Understood." He was more subdued. Not my problem. I would be too after that embarrassing display.
"Which comes to my general clothing in the interim. My ship doesn't really have a luggage option. Which means what I'm wearing's what I got."
"The care package came with spare clothing. We already had it moved into your quarters."
"Good. Next is more future stuff, but if we get bigger, we will need to work on our identity. And no more of that giant hulking armor business." They nod along.
Was there more? Something… Well, there were a lot of wants and needs. Like a biologist to tell me what was up with my body. Like what it was that made me transform into a monkey. Was it werewolf-ism or was there more to it? And maybe I could get help figuring out how to better go Super… Mm… But they were just pirates…
"How about a gravity chamber?"
Silence. Eyes locked on the armorer. He had pursed lips.
"Before I even explain why we can't Why in the endless abyss of space do you want a deathtrap like that?"
Deathtrap?
"Didn't think those things would be a death trap."
"Well, it's less that their a death trap and more that without the proper technology and expertise building a gravity chamber is more likely to explode violently or create a black hole."
"So, a 'this is why we can't have nice things' situation?"
Confusion.
"Well, mm… let me explain that. Coffee has a warning label for it to be hot because an idiot sued the company because they burnt themselves on clearly hot coffee?"
Nothing.
"Or why safety triggers are a thing, likely due to somebody accidently shooting themselves and not practicing proper trigger discipline."
More nothing…
"Chef gives everyone dysentery, which leads to mandatory hand washing?"
THAT! That got a response… Should I be disappointed as they all complain… Did, did that actually happen? Good thing I have a personal chef now.
"The idea is right. Gravity chambers are highly illegal if only because people cut corners. It's better to just ban it outright than to regulate it. But that's not the real reason we can't do it. Which is why we're asking."
Right, their anarchists. They likely hate laws or whatever.
"If you want an explanation, well… Mm… Our home planet has ten times the gravity of earth. Is the best explanation I can give. It helps our development and higher gravity makes us stronger."
I saw somebody pull out a phone like device and started passing around as people swore. The armorer's eyes widened slightly at the phone.
"You're about what my people's planet is for gravity." Oh?
"But just increasing gravity won't make you stronger." I was expecting them to just accept it… Ugh… Now I feel disappointed.
"It's not a problem for us. We adapt. I know a few members of my species that can hit the 400x the gravity of earth… Also stories of somebody hitting nearly 2000x"
Goku on his way to Namek, and Vegeta… at one point I think when he tried to surpass Goku…
"That's…"
"Insane!"
"Like is that even possible?"
The peanut gallery exploded as they talked and talked. They finally calmed down as the helmsman took control. Leaving the armorer to talk.
"Mm… If what you say is true, then your species really is monstrous. You could probably survive a singularity if true…"
He thinks and sighs.
"As much as I like the idea of building one. I can't. I don't have the expertise, nor do we have the people to keep it maintained. Not unless I work on it full time, but tying myself down like that? No way, If I wanted a normal job why would I be a pirate!?"
A resounding roar of 'here here!' Echoed.
"But our ship also can't handle it. It's not just money, which we will have eventually with your strength. But our reactor literally can't handle the power draw. The ship itself is also too fragile for a location of such high gravity existing within it. Even if we try to isolate it as well as we could, well… We might disintegrate if we go fast enough."
"We'd need a new ship then?"
"Definitely. And not just an ordinary ship, but a really big one to safely isolate the gravity differential."
I nodded. Something for the future then… Which left me with no more questions to ask awkwardly enough. The silence was telling as I tried to think of another question or issue to bring up, but I couldn't find one. The crew leaning in as they realized I was about to make a decision…
Well, my decision was already made the moment I met the trainer honestly. Even if they failed everything else, well… All that would change is my length of tenure. Instead, I found myself oddly eager to say where these guys would drag me. I closed my eyes, leaned back to think. Letting the anticipation fill the air like gunpowder.
Once the moment peaked, I snapped my eyes open and stood. Eyes all locked on me.
"I must say, you all make an enticing offer…"
Mm… Watching them stare. Them fidget, hanging on my every word. I liked it. A lot. In a way, it helped bolster my own failing self-image.
"I suppose… It's the pirate life for me boys and girls!" The whole crew cheered.
"PARTY IN THE MESS HALL!!!" Somebody screamed as we all moved on a wave of cheers. I found myself being carried by the over enthusiastic crew. We burst into the rest of the crew; party streamers popped out as food was laid out.
We ate and feasted. Drank and drank. Alcohol flowing like water as somebody began a pirate space shanty! It was… incredibly fun. I felt myself going with the flow as I drank them under the table. Devoured all I saw. Only to end the night as I was led to my quarters by a near dead drunk Helmsman.
I looked around the bare room. An aquarium set on the side with fantastic fish moving about. It looked to have been recently cleaned out. A photo of my set on a desk of me standing in the ring after beating Bruiser, or Arms… whatever his name was. Just that one picture made this place feel like home. I threw myself on the large bed. Feeling the devious softness. I fell asleep nearly instantly.
Dreams were pleasant. Voiceless songs, the merry voices echoing in my head. The morning that followed saw the crew walking with clear hangovers. The helmsman wincing at my energy. For a brief moment, it chased away the endless darkness that plagued me and threatened to swallow me whole.
"To think you drank under the whole crew…" He muttered as I made my rounds with him. I passed on the spare scouter to the armorer. He almost salivated… no he did over the strange tech. I better understood the odds and ends of the crew as I moved about. Talked with the trainer to set up my training, primarily he wanted to see where I was at before he made a real plan.
The whole time I found myself thinking on something… Something I only realized on a fluke. I had a new power. It happened as I found myself sitting on a chair in my room. The room itself sizeable, including a separate full bathroom with a hot tub sized tub that doubled as a shower. It was roomy and I almost couldn't wait for when we hit a station so I could buy stuff.
But whilst I was sitting around just thinking and going over a phone I was handed. A phone, I was very certain was jailbroken, if that mattered for pirates. I felt an odd chill in my body. A sensation like something crawling under my skin Worrying, frightening in some way, but it was instinct that guided me.
And so… I now had a black flame on my fingertip… Well, it wasn't a flame. It looked like one, but it wasn't creating heat. No, instead the more I stared the more off it felt. It was almost sucking in light around it into it. Drinking in the heat and only leaving an oppressive cold. Sound itself fading as if smothered and left for dead.
Even the fish fled from me as far as they could while it was out. The room appeared darker, the shadows darker. Like I was cultist engaging in an unholy ritual. The flame itself odd. Not any kind of fire I had ever seen before. Its method of burning an unknown to me. It was almost like somebody had animated a chalk drawing of a black flame in hand. Almost like I could see a pixelated flame in real life.
It was chilling and it made my brain hurt trying to reconcile what I was seeing and feeling. I had no idea what It was capable. What would happen if I simply let it loose. Of course, I wasn't an idiot to release an unknown and likely unstable power on a floating coffin.
The more I looked, the more I think I understood. The flame almost whispering. Echoing cries and screams filling the shadows. Dead bodies, crawling and climbing. Hands reaching to pull me under… Mm… It reminded me of the energy the towers were collecting actually. Except, more raw. No… refined.
The longer it was out the more effort I had to put into keeping it contained. The flame almost anathematic to Ki. A strange big word just entered my head to boot. Almost like it was speaking to me from beyond. Whispering. Insisting I let it take hold… Not like I would. It was way too weak for my attention.
The flame seemed to devour and chase off my ki. Even just having it on my fingertip left a crawling chill on my hand. It seemed to change my body. Alter it for some purpose. Likely to better house this new questionable energy. With a snap, I crushed it. Smothering it in my ki. But it didn't fade, like sand filling an hourglass I felt it filling me slowly. Only stopping once it hit a certain point.
I likely had a limit to the stuff, but the way it was settling in my body was… unnerving. With a little effort, mainly massaging my ki through my hand. I was able to chase away the strange energy. Or perhaps ominous would be better. Only once it was perfectly purged could I channel my ki freely again.
In a way, the new energy… Ominous energy… Mm… I needed a better name for it. It acted like hot grease and cold water. Splattering and hissing on contact with normal Ki… With a sigh I tried to call it back, and like a gas stove, it clicked back into existence. Or rather snapped… Meh…
I looked it over. Mentally probing it. I could only test it really if I let it circulate through me. I would have to let it change me. Except, if I did that, I'd lose my ability to control ki, at least until I chased it out.
An intolerable compromise with how wimpy this flame was. It may improve if I let it alter my body. But how long would it take for whatever cultivation or alteration to impact my power level? Likely I'd be next to useless for months while the new energy incubates in my body. I couldn't have that, not now. Not when I literally just joined a crew for my strength.
I didn't even know where it came from. And the more I looked the more it felt like the flame was alive. Whispering, talking, and screaming… Mm… The deeper I dug, the louder it got. Louder and louder, until… Like a rubber band stretched too far my mind snapped back. The whiplash slightly scrambling my thoughts as a familiar scene played. Once I both did and didn't remember.
A giant monkey rampaging. Breathing… fire? Oozaru can breathe fire? No! What was more fascinating was seeing the flame hyper condensed into a cutting laser of doom! I could do that!? Why the hell don't I remember doing that!? I watched with bated breath as it played out my fight. Scene by scene. I felt excited at the prospects provided. The hint at power held within. The temptation.
But... I now had a name for the energy. The ominous glow, the way it seemed to etch itself onto existence. Mm... I now knew where it came from. What it was. A condensation of curses. The gathering of misery and suffering of sentients refined into something useable, wieldable by those few born too.
What I had wasn't just a new energy. No… What I had was something different, integral to the world itself.
Evil Ki.
Or at least, the best I could surmise it to be. I wasn't sure why I had it. Nor had I ever heard of it from the show… Maybe it was mentioned in later stuff? Seems like something Vegeta should have unlocked. I mean, it seems reasonable considering that he was opposite Goku in many ways. Only fair he abuse an energy Goku could never unlock.
I almost wished I could test it, but… It was far too weak. And I couldn't stomach the wait needed for it to be competent. I feel like a kid who was told their present was on layaway. Or maybe lost in the mail??? Gah!
Then… my spark of surprise and theory crafting faded. The sudden joy at discovering something I hadn't remembered and something new replaced with a cold creeping dread.
I knew how this came about. The accusing glances, the cries. This was a result of my sin. Suddenly… I didn't feel so good. But… the whispers, the promises they made… Maybe figuring out how to use it wouldn't be so bad… right? I could definitely handle it. Most definitely.
Maybe I'll get a chance in the future… For now, I'll need to investigate and figure it out.
Back on the planet everyone just calls, 'The Shithole…"
Boots crunch on a devastated surface. The damage slowly being cleared. Word of mouth spreading that Fera was winning the election by an absurd lead. Workers moved to clean up the bodies and rubble. Plans were in motion. But… Amidst all of this. One item of note was found. A small item, an item that could fit over one's ears. Its form cracked and incredibly normal amidst all the trash as its internals were exposed to the air.
Something that should have been overlooked. Only found because of an errant blast of wind. A hand on the scale. The figure held it. Turning the odd object in his hand unsure of what he had just found… But he wasn't just a normal figure. His uniform showing who he was to all in the know.
An investigator.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
stone