Blood Pact

Swoosh!

Josephine and Nioh materialized on the ground in a brilliant beam of light from the starship, their gazes calmly sweeping over the grimy, armed men and women before them.

"Oh my god! That armor is so bright!" a pirate whispered, his eyes fixated on Josephine's gleaming battle plate.

"Don't get close to her… Those are all Grand class armor, even the leaders can't defeat her easily," a woman hissed back, her face etched with grim caution.

"She's just a Master rank, stage 4… But with those equipments, she can easily kill a half Heavenly rank… Let alone us, who are just Master, Sky, and Core ranks," another added, a tremor in his voice.

"Who are you invaders?!"

The pirates parted, creating a path for a man with a deep scar marring his cheek. He strode forward, armed with a rare-class spear and clad in leather armor.

"Invaders?" Nioh chuckled, a glint in his eye. "I like the name."

The man's brow furrowed, and he aimed his spear at the pair. "Go back from whatever hole you crawled out from, or else we will strike!!" he spat, defiance blazing in his eyes.

BAM!!!

The pirates' heads snapped skyward, their gazes locking onto the starship. Hundreds of cannons, previously unseen, now bristled from its hull, all aimed directly down at them.

Instant chaos erupted among the pirates. One concentrated attack from those cannons was enough to wipe out 80% of their numbers. With their current strength, it would be an absolute bloodbath.

'Although the cannons are empty, they surely do the job,' Josephine mused inwardly, then yelled, raising her sword high into the air.

"You guys have two options! Which is, surrender and work for us, or die here with this planet!!" she bellowed, her voice resonating with unyielding authority.

"Insolent!!!"

Josephine and Nioh turned their attention forward as another figure advanced.

"Queen Josephine, that is the first leader and founder of the pirates, Blood Eye. No one knows her real name. But this one-eyed bitch is one evil bastard! I also heard she is more than 500 years old," Nioh whispered, his voice low, as Josephine nodded in acknowledgment.

The woman halted before them, clad in a simple black T-shirt and pants, a long red cape sweeping behind her.

"You are just a Master rank with good equipment. What gave you so much guts to come here and spat out nonsense?!" the red-haired leader demanded, her voice laced with challenge.

"You must be the leader of these pirates—"

"We aren't pirates! We are a free nation! Not subjected to rules!" Blood Eye cut Josephine off, her declaration sharp and unwavering.

'A Heavenly rank, stage one warrior… If it wasn't for my equipment and the starship, I wouldn't even have the guts to stand in her presence… But…' Josephine's lips curved into a smirk. "You already know my conditions. You can choose!" she stated, lowering her sword, her confidence unshaken.

Blood Eye raised an eyebrow, her gaze flickering from the starship above to her people behind her. "So you will attack if we don't submit?" she asked, her tone low and dangerous, a hint of steel in her voice.

Before Josephine could reply, a new voice resonated, deep and commanding. "So stubborn… I dislike those who don't listen to instructions."

Everyone's heads snapped to the starship as a beam of brilliant light shot down from it, slamming into the ground behind Josephine and Nioh. Before their stunned eyes, a shirtless figure emerged, his cape sweeping the ground behind him.

Blood Eye's frown deepened slightly, a palpable sense of unease washing over her as she felt the dense, almost overwhelming amount of celestial energy emanating from the newcomer.

'What is this?! Even this wolf lady doesn't have this much celestial energy?! Then how can a Soul Formation rank have it? Is he hiding his main rank?!' she pondered in mild confusion, her gaze fixed on the powerful presence.

"My King!"

"Husband!"

Josephine and Nioh bowed in unison, making way for Sunny.

'Husband? My King?? So these guys are royalty?! That explains the starship,' Blood Eye realized, her eyes narrowing as she fixed her gaze on Sunny.

"Is the Beastify nation waging war on us?!" Blood Eye asked, her voice laced with a newfound caution.

"War?" Sunny scoffed, a dismissive wave of his hand accompanying his words. "You guys are too insufficient to get our attention." he stated arrogantly.

".....?"

The pirates were stunned into speechless silence by his audacious words.

"Then why are you here?!!" the scar-faced man yelled in a surge of unbridled rage.

Sunny turned to him, and with an almost imperceptible shift, unleashed his immense pressure on the man, forcing him to his knees with a gasp.

"You!!"

The man gritted his teeth, his fists clenching in impotent fury. 'What is this?! I can't even move my body?!!' he thought in mild horror, a cold dread seizing him.

'No way… the second leader is a Grandmaster! But he can't even resist this stranger's celestial pressure?! He is indeed hiding his true strength!' Blood Eye thought, her assessment swift and precise. "Release my man, please!!" she urged, a note of desperation in her voice.

"Your subordinates should know when to speak and when to be quiet… Next time, I won't be so merciful," Sunny stated, his voice calm yet laced with a chilling undertone. He redrew his pressure, and the man sighed in relief, slowly pushing himself back to his feet, trembling slightly.

"Okay… Why are you here then?" Blood Eye asked, her previous defiance tempered by a pragmatic understanding of the power dynamic.

"I will move straight to the point," Sunny said with a smirk, his eyes glinting with a predatory intelligence. "You and your race will work for me! You will become my troops, and will always be under my command!"

"....?"

The pirates were speechless once more, the audacity of his demand hanging heavy in the air.

"What made you think we will agree?" Blood Eye finally yelled, her voice breaking the stunned silence.

Sunny chuckled, a low, confident sound. "I know you are all in a… How should I put it, a predicament… I can help with just a snap of my fingers… By joining me, you won't have to worry about food, shelter, celebrations, women, or men… And most of all money… If you accept my offer today, each one of you will receive ten thousand Galaxy crystals, and you as the leaders… Will surely gain more."

"Ten thousand?!!"

"Wow! That is more than what we stole last time."

"I can't believe this?!"

"With that money, my debt will be cleared!"

Sunny snapped a finger, and a scroll materialized before him. With a casual wave of his hand, it floated towards Blood Eye.

"You already know what that is…" he said, a knowing look in his eyes.

"A Blood Pact scroll?" Blood Eye muttered, a hint of mild surprise in her voice as she recognized the ancient, powerful artifact.

"Yes… That way, you all can't betray me… If you do, you'll die on the spot!"

"…..?!"

Silence descended, heavier and more profound than before.

Sunny turned around, pausing for a moment. "Become my troops, and enjoy life… You won't be wearing rags then, but all elite class equipment and weapons… Which will be available to those who are completely loyal to me."

The beam of light shot down again, enveloping the three.

"I have a scroll for every one of you… You have ten hours to decide. Tomorrow… We will know your decision."

With that said, the three floated effortlessly into the air and entered the starship, leaving a group of stunned and deeply unsettled pirates behind.

"Ten hours," Blood Eye muttered, her gaze fixed on the retreating starship, the weight of the decision pressing heavily upon her.