Dragon Ball Human

Yamiru's footsteps echoed through the unnervingly silent lower deck.

Inside a locked room deep within, a few pirates huddled together, barely daring to breathe. Through the porthole, they had witnessed their companions fall into the bloody maws of the sharks below. Initially, they assumed it was a rival crew raiding them. But after waiting in fear for a long time without hearing the chaos of a battle, they began to notice something odd — only one set of footsteps echoed through the ship.

And judging by the sound, the person wasn't heavy at all.

Tap… tap… The footsteps stopped outside their door. After a brief pause, as if testing the lock and listening for signs of life, they moved on.

The pirate holding a blade, his eyes steely, suddenly twisted the doorknob open and burst out with his remaining comrades, following the sound of the footsteps.

"Die!" The lead pirate raised his weapon to strike, only to freeze mid-swing. The target he thought he would hit wasn't there. The crowd behind him pushed forward, nearly toppling him over. But as he stumbled, his gaze dropped, and he finally spotted the one he had aimed for.

"Were you looking for me?"

A pair of golden eyes gleamed in the dimly lit cabin, like those of a predator emerging from the shadows.

Before the pirates could react, Yamiru sprang into action. With his Golden Veil granting him sharp vision even in darkness and his incredible agility, he dispatched them swiftly and decisively. One by one, the pirates were knocked to the floor. Their weapons were confiscated and tossed aside.

Yamiru left briefly, returning with a coil of rope and flipping on the lights, brightening the once-dark cabin.

"Here. Do it yourselves."

He dumped the rope in front of the defeated pirates, motioning for them to tie each other up.

The pirates hesitated, their expressions pained. Tie themselves up? But this boy, small as he seemed, had the strength of a monstrous shark. Resistance was futile. Begrudgingly, they bound one another. Yamiru reserved the last pirate for himself, binding him so tightly the man whimpered in discomfort.

"What kind of technique is this?" the pirate thought, tears streaming down his face. "I'd rather have one of my mates tie me up!"

"Now then," Yamiru said, his tone casual, "do you understand your current situation?"

The pirates hung their heads in defeat, nodding miserably.

"I used to avoid killing," Yamiru continued, "but eventually, I realized there are times when you have no choice. Over time, I stopped resisting the idea. Maybe I've become the kind of person my past self wouldn't want to be. But hey, that version of me hadn't gone through what I have now. So… do you understand what I'm saying?"

The pirates, tied up and seated together, nodded frantically.

"Let me be clear," Yamiru added, his golden gaze sharp. "Don't mess with me, or you'll die. You're pirates — you should've accepted the possibility of being killed a long time ago, shouldn't you?"

No, not at all! Usually, we're the ones doing the killing! The pirates dared not voice their thoughts.

"I'm setting out with my own resolve to face death." Yamiru smiled faintly. "Now, then. I need to go somewhere. You lot can sail, right?"

His calm gaze swept over the group. Desperate to save their lives, one pirate immediately nodded. "We can! I can even navigate! Just tell us where you want to go, and we'll take you there!"

Yamiru seemed satisfied.

From what he recalled in the manga, Goku and Bulma had encountered a sea turtle shortly after setting out, and it wasn't long before they met Master Roshi at the beach.

That meant Mount Paozu wasn't far from the coast. Yamiru still remembered the vague area the old man had circled on the map — a very vague area. He guessed Mount Paozu was likely near the eastern edge of the mountain range, closer to the Eastern Sea.

"Well then…"

Before leaving, Yamiru pointed toward the room the pirates had been hiding in earlier. "What's with the person inside?"

The pirates gaped. "How did you know someone was still in there?"

Yamiru gave them a look.

The speaking pirate stammered nervously, "He's… uh, a prisoner we captured. A really annoying guy. The captain was planning to… uh…" His voice trailed off, hesitant to continue.

Judging by his tone, whatever the captain had planned was undoubtedly something vile and brutal. Yamiru didn't bother asking further.

He waved dismissively, stepped into the room, and flicked on the light.

Immediately, a gaunt figure lunged at him, accompanied by a rancid stench.

"Die!!"

Bang!

Yamiru didn't flinch. His fist connected with the attacker's face. As expected, the blow felt light — his Golden Gaze had already revealed the figure's weak aura.

Sure enough, the man, now sprawled on the floor, was a frail, short-haired individual with shattered gold-rimmed glasses.

"Calm down, uncle," Yamiru said. "I'm not a pirate."

"Ugh…" The man groaned in pain on the floor.

After seeing Yamiru's innocent, boyish appearance, he visibly relaxed, muttering, "I'm sorry… I thought you were… those damn pirates!" He gritted his teeth, cursing, "Damn pirates!!"

"What exactly happened to you?" Yamiru asked, puzzled. "Why are you so angry?"

"What would a kid like you understand?!" the disheveled man, a former office worker turned pirate captive, roared. "You can't even begin to imagine the things those bastards did!"

"Still, letting anger ruin your health won't help," Yamiru replied. Seeing the man about to explode again, he waved dismissively. "Fine, fine. They're tied up outside. Do whatever you want to them. I'll check how much food is left on this ship."

That night, the disheveled man killed one of the pirates. But midway through, he was so disgusted that he vomited. The pirate bled out and died.

Yamiru observed the entire scene silently. Then, he said, "I hope you'll always remember why you killed this man. And never regret it."

"Ha! Big words from a brat…" The man, pale and weakened from retching, sneered. "As if you've ever killed anyone… ugh…" He accidentally glanced at the pirate's corpse nearby, the sight of blood making him vomit again.

"Are you an idiot?!" one of the remaining pirates, utterly panicked, shouted. "Everyone else on this ship… was killed by that boy!" The pirates, who had sensed no killing intent from Yamiru earlier, were now terrified of this unstable captive who might snap and kill them all.

The disheveled man stumbled to the deck, unable to believe what he had heard. There was no one else on board.

It hit him like a thunderclap. The realization of the golden-eyed boy's terrifying nature sent chills down his spine. Recalling the words Yamiru had said earlier, he found himself speechless.

---

Two Months Later

Night blanketed the vast ocean, and the pirate ship sailed through the dark waters.

High up in the crow's nest, Yamiru sat alone, the sea breeze brushing against his face, clouds swirling overhead. He let his mind drift, free from worry or thought. He gazed at the deep sky, feeling as if he had returned to over a year ago, during that dreamlike journey across the galaxy when the mysterious elder had launched him into the air over the ocean. Peace washed over him.

"You're all a bunch of frauds! Pirates are nothing but liars and scum!"

From the deck below, the now less-disheveled man, whose name was Na Zanpa, was furiously berating the pirates. Once a highly skilled professional manager at an agency, he had been on vacation with a friend in South City months ago when he encountered the pirates at sea. Months of torment had left him with a burning hatred for them.

Hearing the commotion, Yamiru leapt down from the crow's nest.

"If you hate them so much, why not just kill them all?" Yamiru said. The remaining pirates shivered in fear.

Zanpa clenched his teeth but then sighed. "I can't do it. Once that burst of anger subsides, asking me to kill someone becomes utterly impossible." He paused, then continued, "Killing — no matter how one justifies it — is crossing a line against my own moral conscience, as long as I remain a normal person. In the heat of the moment, it feels righteous, gratifying, even exhilarating!"

His tone turned somber as he clutched his head. "But I still have to live on. I need to lead a normal life. Hatred fades. Anger is fleeting. Eventually, one day, I'll realize that I no longer feel the emotions I did back then. And what remains... is the act of killing itself, etched into my mind. Will I doubt myself then? Question whether I was right to do it? Just thinking about that possibility fills me with dread for the future…"

Yamiru listened silently to the middle-aged man's monologue directed at the endless sea.

"That's why I think you're incredible, Yamiru." Zanpa gave a bitter smile and looked at the boy beside him. "You must have a resolve I can't even fathom. You must firmly believe you'll never regret your actions or choices. Only then can you move forward so decisively."

"Hmm..." Yamiru pondered for a long time before finally murmuring, "Do I really?"

Zanpa chuckled. "Don't you?"

Yamiru nodded. "If you say so, then sure."

Zanpa slapped his thigh, laughing heartily. "You definitely do! Absolutely!" He then sighed, pointing at Yamiru's eyes. "Just looking at your unwavering gaze, I can tell."

Yamiru smiled faintly. Suddenly, he said, "By the way, the ship's supplies won't last much longer. We haven't seen a trace of the coastline, and we might even be drifting farther from land… If we're really going to starve to death out here on the open sea, what should we do?" It was unclear whether he was asking Zanpa or himself.

"Hmm… That would be a problem…" Zanpa turned to survey the pirates, now standing stiffly. "Should we use them as emergency rations? Haha, just kidding. Relax."

---

A Week Later

They had been out of food for two days.

The pirate ship drifted aimlessly on the ocean. The only map onboard was nearly falling apart from overuse, yet it had failed to guide them to any marked islands or even a glimpse of a shoreline—a truly bizarre feat. Yamiru sat alone atop the crow's nest, as usual.

The feeling of hunger.

The parched throat.

Yamiru found that he hadn't forgotten these sensations. Back when he had been under Shen's harsh training, he had nearly starved to death. Logically, he should have developed a deep fear of lacking food or water. Yet now that the familiar situation was upon him, he felt strangely calm. This tranquil state of mind made him rather pleased.

In storybooks, the protagonists were always pure-hearted individuals. Yamiru was glad that life hadn't twisted him into a bitter, resentful person. Not bad, Yamiru. You'll get lucky someday, he told himself.

Boom! The ship shook violently.

"Disaster! It's a monster shark! We've strayed into a giant shark's territory!"

A frantic voice shouted from below.

Yamiru peered into the ocean. His sharp vision revealed an enormous, house-sized shark-shaped aura rising from the depths and ramming the ship with immense force.

"An island! There's an island ahead! And there are lights!"

Zanpa shouted from the bow, holding a telescope. As he spoke, the monster shark rammed the ship's bottom again, sending him tumbling backward.

Yamiru extended his own telescope, spotting a brightly lit island directly ahead.

Splash!

The giant shark opened its massive jaws, large enough to rival the ship's bow, and bit down viciously. Crunch! The hull shattered, and seawater flooded in.