Grorax Skullface Pirate wasn't just any ordinary pirate in the void of space. Grorax seized every opportunity he could to make as much money as possible.

Robbing a passing spaceship? Easy.

Kidnapping important people? That was just a good time for him.

Hunting rare specimens for an intergalactic tycoon's collection? He’d scour a planet clean to find the rarest ones.

Which was exactly what he was doing right now. They had just arrived on a nameless, primitive planet in a remote corner of the galaxy, hunting for a rare creature called the Puffing Pudding.

A cute name for an annoying creature that looked like a birthday cake with jelly inside instead of cake, and it could shoot a cream-like substance that could melt bones.

Kirix, the lobster-like creature, quickly attached his mechanical legs to the anchor point as their spaceship, the Skull Chomper, entered the planet's atmosphere. Meanwhile, Lizard, with his four mechanical arms, began tracing rune-like lines in the air to support Kirix's descent.

The Skull Chomper descended rapidly, shielded by Lizard's spell that covered the entire front of the ship until they managed to breach the planet's airspace.

“We’re in, kids! Kirix, get ready to jump! I want the most exquisite and rare Puffing Pudding for our esteemed client!” shouted Grorax from behind Kirix.

“Yes, Captain!” Kirix replied curtly.

The spaceship descended even further until it hovered above a vast forest with creamy white leaves and chocolate-colored trunks. Cake-like creatures were seen jumping between the trees, shooting their cream-like substance at their targets during a hunt.

The ship continued to fly as Grorax scanned the white forest below, searching for a suitable target. They flew for a while until suddenly, a huge Puffing Pudding shot out from the forest below, launching its acidic cream at the ship.

"UP!! DODGE THAT CREAM SHOT!" Grorax roared, prompting his crew in the cockpit to pull the spaceship up to avoid the massive Puffing Pudding.

"That'll be our target, Kirix! Knock it down, and we’ll cage it!" Grorax said excitedly.

"Isn't it too big, Captain? We don't have a cage that size," Kirix responded, a bit worried.

"Well, our skinny boy Lizard here can use an Enlargement Spell on our cage to hold the creature. Right, kid?" Grorax said, tapping Lizard’s shoulder with his weaponized hand.

"Uh... aye, Captain..." Lizard replied weakly.

"Alright! Go down and take it out, Kirix!" Grorax ordered, and Kirix eagerly complied.

The spaceship followed Kirix as he jumped from the Skull Chomper’s mouth, straight toward the furious Puffing Pudding. The creature quickly shot three lumps of its substance, which exploded against an invisible barrier.

"Nice work, Lizard!" Kirix shouted as he reared back his pincer and slammed it into the enraged cake-like creature, knocking it down with a booming sound.

"I'll chase it down! Keep your barrier up, Lizard!"

Kirix landed on the creamy ground like a meteor, blasting away the cream-like soil and creating a massive crater. He then charged towards the enormous Puffing Pudding, which roared angrily at him.

"Come at me, you giant birthday cake!" Kirix bellowed, throwing a powerful punch at the creature.

The Puffing Pudding didn’t even try to dodge, taking the punch square in the face. Kirix's blow was strong enough to send the creature flying several meters, but it quickly recovered and charged back at him, showing no concern for strategy.

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"Such a simple creature," Kirix muttered as he continued pummeling the Puffing Pudding.

"Kirix! Hurry up, or the security will catch wind of us!" Grorax shouted from the spaceship hovering above.

"Alright! I'm finishing it!" Kirix replied.

The Puffing Pudding, now battered, came at Kirix one more time. Its jelly-like insides failed to absorb the impact of Kirix's punches, leaving it weakened over time.

As the creature got closer, Kirix quickly jumped straight up, pulling his fist back. As gravity pulled him down, he unleashed his strongest punch on the cake-like beast.

BOOOOMMMM!!

This single punch completely disfigured the huge Puffing Pudding, leaving it unable to return to its original shape, like a cake that had been trampled underfoot.

"Done, Captain! Lizard can start pulling it up!" Kirix shouted, activating his anchor to hoist himself back up toward the spaceship.

Meanwhile, Lizard began using his magical arms to lift the creature into the cage. His face was pale, and his legs looked weak, but the skinny creature pushed himself hard to complete the task.

As the Puffing Pudding entered the Skull Chomper's mouth, Lizard doubled his effort, magically lifting the creature while enlarging the cage to accommodate its size. Once the task was done, Lizard collapsed on the spot, completely drained of energy.

Grorax, however, paid no mind to his unconscious crew member and was solely focused on the condition of his prized catch. He gazed at the massive creature with an almost paternal care as if it were his own newborn child. Keeping his attention on the creature, Grorax glanced briefly at the confused and astonished Elazul.

"So, do you like what you see?" Grorax asked, pride evident in his voice.

"What... how... where..." Elazul stammered, unable to form a complete sentence in his shock.

Elazul had his fair share of interplanetary adventures aboard the Celestial Voyager. Some of those adventures involved exploring foreign planets that were empty and dull. But what he saw now made all his previous escapades seem like a waste of time, the trivial pursuits of a civilization just beginning to explore the stars.

"Just to show you how amazing this creature is, I'll tell you what we just did," Grorax said calmly before continuing. "My crew just stole an endangered creature, one so unique that it only exists here on this very planet. Our client, who loves to collect rare creatures, paid us to bring this beauty to him."

"Now, my crew is in the process of escaping the planet, dodging the Planetary Creature Protection, and heading to our next destination, where we'll steal another creature," Grorax boasted to Elazul.

"After that, we'll head back to the intergalactic city to deliver our goods, which will include you. I might need to disable your brain for a bit during the journey to ensure you don't spill any dangerous secrets about me. Hahahaha!" Grorax laughed, already imagining the fortune he could make by selling a human on this side of the universe.

Elazul could already picture his future if Grorax followed through on his plan. He would be sold as a slave or a collector's item, displayed by bizarre-looking aliens in a glass cage, naked and pathetic, unable to think of anything beyond basic needs like food and a toilet. He would be reduced to a mere object, stripped of his dignity as a human.

He couldn't let that happen.

He wouldn't let that happen.

His survival here wasn't going to be wasted by becoming a caged animal.

His survival had to mean he would have a chance to return to his friends aboard the Celestial Voyager, to return to Kathrina.

"Wait!"

"What?" Grorax looked at Elazul, puzzled.

"Let me join your crew," Elazul said, his eyes resolute.

"Why? You're useless. Just a weak human. You're less useful than that Lizard over there," Grorax replied, pointing at the unconscious Lizard.

"No, I'm not weak. In fact, I'm stronger than your Kirix," Elazul said as he stood up.

Elazul approached the bars of his cage. They were still glowing with heat, but he decided to brave it. He grabbed the bars, feeling the intense heat searing his skin.

Gritting his teeth, Elazul tightened his grip. With all his strength, he pulled the bars apart and managed to bend them with surprising ease. Elazul was taken aback by how effortlessly he did it, assuming the bars must have been weaker than he expected.

Meanwhile, Grorax's eyes widened in shock. The cage might not have been the strongest, but no human had ever done such a thing before—at least, not any ordinary human.

Grorax began to suspect that Elazul might be someone of importance, perhaps a human noble with access to advanced technology and powerful spells. This realization sent Grorax's mind racing, quickly thought of how he could turn this knowledge to his advantage.

"Okay, I see you're strong. But so what? I already have a strong crew; I don't need another one," Grorax said nonchalantly, trying to bait Elazul into revealing more.

Elazul's basic instincts kicked in. He had been a beggar, a thief, a piece of trash in a dark alley. If there was one thing he understood well, it was how dirty people's minds worked.

"With my strength, I could take you down and seize the spaceship for myself. So, I'll offer you a deal," Elazul said with a blank expression.

"What deal? You can't even prove you're that strong. Humans will always be weak and usel—ugh!"

Elazul suddenly grabbed Grorax’s glass head, forcing his mechanical body to bend at the knees and look him in the eye. A flicker of fear appeared in Grorax's eyes, though he quickly tried to hide it.

"My deal is this: you let me join your crew, teach me how to live a pirate's life, and do your work. In return, I'll protect your ship, your life, and your job, until you fail to hold up your end of the bargain," Elazul said menacingly, right in front of Grorax’s octopus-like face.

"Do we have a deal?"

Grorax had to admit, this was one of the most terrifying moments of his life. No one, not even the most skilled bounty hunters, had ever gotten this close to him. And he hated it. But he also had to acknowledge that Elazul was strong—strong enough to bend a machine without much difficulty.

Having someone like him as a protector might be a more profitable choice.

"I want to change the deal. I’ll teach you everything about the pirate life and every trick I know, but in return, I want your protection whether I call for it or not, and I want information about your background. I won't trust you with my life unless I know more about you," Grorax challenged, trying to swing the deal in his favor.

"Rejected! I’ll only protect you when there’s real danger, based on my own evaluation, and you’ll teach me everything you know about being a pirate, with no exceptions," Elazul pushed back firmly.

"At least agree that we’ll both assess what counts as danger and include your background in the agreement, then we have a deal," Grorax said weakly as if giving up the fight.

Elazul could tell Grorax was doing this on purpose, pretending to concede to gain some unknown advantage. He didn’t know what the octopus-headed captain was planning, but he had his contingency plan in case things went south.

"Okay. Based on our mutual understanding of it, I’ll protect you from danger. You’ll teach me about pirating, and I’ll share my background with you. Deal?"

"Deal! Thank you, kid! Hahahaha," Grorax suddenly jumped up and walked away happily, leaving Elazul even more confused.

"Hey! You have to teach me!" Elazul shouted, but Grorax suddenly pointed his weaponized hand at him threateningly.

"Oh, I will, kid. I’ll teach you. But I didn’t say when or what I’d teach you. That’s up to me. Hahahahaha."

With that, Grorax left Elazul alone with the unconscious Lizard. Elazul could only blame himself for the mistake in making the deal, but he had somehow expected it.

"Damn that octopus! He is a captain for a reason."