Elazul and the unique Core Eater were jumping around, trying to land hits while dodging each other’s attacks.

Despite Elazul's excellent defensive abilities, he didn’t have the stamina to keep up with his opponent. On the other hand, the Core Eater, though unable to deal significant damage, could maintain its energy for a drawn-out fight.

Elazul charged at the Core Eater again, this time throwing in some feints. He jumped, aiming his fist at the Core Eater’s face, hoping to knock it down.

Sensing the attack, the Core Eater angled itself to dodge, but that’s when Elazul stopped mid-attack. He shifted his trajectory in the air and landed a solid kick to the Core Eater's face.

The creature staggered back with a pained yelp, trying to put some distance between them, but Elazul wasn’t about to give it a break.

Seeing his opportunity, he rushed forward, unleashing a flurry of attacks to wear it down. Head, neck, leg joints—any weak spot Elazul could find became a target for his relentless strikes.

"KROOOAAKKK!!!"

The Core Eater roared in desperation, summoning backup that might arrive too late. Seizing the moment, Elazul ducked under the creature’s head and mentally reached out to Lizard.

"Lizard, can I adjust the Titan Fist's power?" Elazul asked through their telepathic link.

"Yeah, just think about how much modification you need, and it’ll magically adjust for you," Lizard replied.

"I love magic gear," Elazul muttered as he altered the Titan Fist’s power and shape.

Elazul then summoned the Titan Fist, which appeared in a new form around his right hand—slimmer and more elongated, almost unnaturally stretched.

With a quick motion, he pulled back and launched a punch straight under the Core Eater’s head.

"Eat this!" Elazul roared.

His fist connected with the Core Eater’s chin, sending its head—and entire body—somersaulting through the air, crashing down tens of meters away with a booming impact.

Elazul, panting heavily from a mix of stress and relief, kept his eyes on the unique Core Eater, just in case the creature decided to get back up.

That was when Grorax decided to bring in the Skull Chomper, with Lizard ready to haul the creature away.

"Good work, human! You're better than I expected! Now, help Lizard pack up the creature! We don't have all day!" Grorax commanded telepathically.

"That squid sure knows how to boss people around," Elazul muttered as he carefully approached the downed Core Eater.

The rest of the day was spent hauling the Core Eater into its cage. Once again, Lizard had to use up his entire reserve of magical energy just to resize the cage big enough to fit the creature.

In the end, Lizard passed out again, and this time Elazul stayed behind to watch over him. Lizard woke up three days later, a little groggy but looking much better.

*****

Grorax had summoned Elazul to his room, located just below the cockpit. Still pissed about Grorax distancing the spaceship earlier, Elazul purposely decided to arrive late.

"I called you an hour ago! Where were you? Lazing around, huh?" Grorax roared angrily.

"Yell all you want, your soprano voice doesn’t scare me one bit," Elazul replied nonchalantly.

"Don't push me, kid. You have no idea what I’m capable of."

"Yeah, right. You’re the great and mighty pirate who LEAVES HIS CREW TO FIGHT ALONE!" Elazul shouted back, catching Grorax off guard, though the pirate soon laughed with glee.

"Still mad about that? Hahaha, you really are a kid!"

"Screw you and your sick sense of humor. Why did you call me here? Just to show off that you can boss me around?" Elazul asked coldly, clearly showing how much he hated being there.

"No, I wanted to tell you that I acknowledge you. Both as part of my crew and as a strong person. From now on, I won’t treat you like an item waiting to be sold," Grorax said, handing Elazul a piece of paper.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Elazul took the paper reluctantly and began reading it, only to realize it was written in an alien language. He put the paper down, staying silent, too embarrassed to admit he didn’t understand any of it.

"You have no idea what this says, do you?" Grorax asked with a big grin.

"Just tell me what you want, and stop messing around, squishy face," Elazul snapped.

"Alright, alright. You humans have no sense of fun. Here, put this on your translator," Grorax said, handing him a small card device, barely bigger than Elazul’s pinky finger.

Elazul placed the card onto his ear translator. The card quickly merged with the device, and a small holographic screen popped up in front of his eyes. He looked back at the paper and saw the translation appear on the screen.

"This is... a contract? You’re offering me a contract?" Elazul asked, confused about its purpose.

"Yes. It’s a contract to join my crew. Once you sign it, you’ll officially be part of the team. Our previous deal still stands, but this will be proof of your role and position on this ship," Grorax explained.

"In other words, I acknowledge you as a real member of this pirate crew," Grorax added.

Elazul was taken aback. Being recognized? By this pirate captain? He paused for a few seconds, thinking it over, but decided to stay quiet and go along with whatever Grorax had planned.

"Alright, how do I sign this contract?" Elazul asked.

"It’s simple! Just scribble something on the paper, and it’ll be valid!" Grorax said eagerly, handing Elazul a writing tool that looked like a pen but with a different design.

Elazul quickly scribbled something random, passing it off as his signature, and handed the paper back. Grorax inspected the signature seriously, taking a full minute before nodding in satisfaction. He then stowed the paper inside his mechanical body.

"Thank you! Now, I officially welcome you to my crew! Make yourself at home on this ship!" Grorax said, patting Elazul on the shoulder before gently pushing him out of the room.

As if on cue, the spaceship’s alarm suddenly blared with a unique pattern. Elazul looked around in confusion, unsure of what was happening, but Grorax’s expression quickly darkened.

"That’s the alarm for space patrol. Quick, kid, we need to get out of here!" Grorax said, rushing past Elazul.

Elazul followed Grorax to the cockpit, noticing the entire crew already gathered. Some looked nervous, but most wore excited grins.

"Captain! The space patrol found us!" one of the crew announced cheerfully.

"You know what to do, kid! Move the ship! Steer it to the empty spot and go into hyperdrive!" Grorax commanded, settling into his chair.

"We can’t go into hyperdrive, Captain! Our space detector’s going haywire!" another crew member shouted, panic creeping into their voice.

"Tch! Did they even bring a jammer to catch me? Talk about taking this seriously," Grorax muttered under his breath, barely audible over the blaring alarms and the chaos in the cockpit.

"Take us back to the last planet, kid! If they want a fight, they’ll get one," Grorax ordered, walking away from the cockpit.

Elazul stood there, unsure of what to do. Fear crept in. He could get killed alongside the pirates if the space patrol took serious action and shot them down—or worse, he might be captured and sent to jail with no way to prove his innocence. This was way too early for him to be locked up.

*****

Grorax moved quickly, leaving the cockpit and riding the elevator up to the highest floor of the spaceship. From there, he climbed the stairs to the top of his ship. He activated the gravity attachment on his legs and readied his weaponized arm.

"You want a gunfight, huh? Then eat this!"

His weaponized arm, once shaped like a long-barreled gun, quickly transformed into a beam cannon. Grorax aimed his newly formed cannon and fired at the nearest space patrol ship.

"Hahahahaha! Take that, you government scum!"

Grorax, proving himself a formidable captain, single-handedly shot at the space patrol, forcing them into evasive maneuvers while his ship maintained its course toward the nearest planet.

For thirty minutes, he harassed the patrol ships, which somehow avoided shooting back at him. Grorax started noticing a pattern in their movements and began planning his shots more carefully.

Watching the patrol ships closely, he timed his next shot perfectly, firing the beam cannon right into the path of one of the ships. The laser hit the cockpit, blowing a huge hole into it, causing crew members to be sucked into space.

"Wait… are those human space patrols? Have they spread their influence this far already?" Grorax muttered to himself, lining up his next target.

His next shot hit another ship, this time striking the engine. The ship was immediately neutralized, and the crew scrambled to seal the damage. Just then, one of Grorax’s crew members shouted through the comms.

"Captain! The jammer’s gone! We can use hyperdrive now!"

"Wait two minutes and then engage hyperdrive! Don’t wait for my command—start counting!" Grorax ordered, still aiming his beam cannon.

He fired wildly, forcing the space patrol to keep their distance. With the window he created, he hurried back to his ship just in time. Seconds later, the Skull Chomper jumped into hyperdrive, vanishing into the emptiness of space.

*****

Grorax returned to the cockpit with a satisfied look, as if he’d just enjoyed a grand feast. He glanced around, a smug grin spreading across his octopus-like features, and began speaking like he was some kind of hero.

"That, kids, is how you repel a group of space patrols. They’re no match for your captain, so feel safe under my flag. Obey me, and I’ll protect you from any harm," Grorax said in a voice even deeper than usual.

Meanwhile, Elazul stared at Grorax's weaponized arm, lost in thought.

Lizard mentioned some people can wield both magic and tech. There’s no way someone like Grorax relies on a mechanical body alone. He’s got to be hiding some magical power source to run that weapon.

Elazul stayed with the crew in the cockpit, half-listening as Grorax continued to boast about his victory. The captain praised himself over and over until it became so repetitive that it was almost comical.

After about thirty minutes, Grorax finally wrapped up his long-winded speech and left for his room, giving the crew permission to return to their stations. With nothing else to do, Elazul decided to check on Lizard. As he went to Lizard’s room, he couldn’t help but reflect on his current situation.

"So, this is it. This is the origin story of how I became a pirate," he muttered to himself