Old Man Fleet

Velvet is a space pirate who primarily operates in the international space regions adjacent to the Acnelia Galactic Federation.

While she usually operates alone, her strong charisma sometimes leads her to team up with other space pirates, forming a fleet to attack civilian ships.

Bold yet cautious, with incredibly sharp instincts, she vanishes without hesitation if she senses danger, never lingering on a target once the risk becomes too great.

Yet when she senses a favorable chance, she doesn’t hesitate to confront even escort vessels, and occasionally even challenges coast guard units and space fleet ships.

She often targets prey from long range, slowing them down with artillery fire before striking, but she’ll close in for hand-to-hand combat when the situation calls for it.

Her targets range from rare metals to humans, making her a cunning space pirate whose damage is severe yet elusive—so far, the only thing known about her is that she is a woman, gleaned from information obtained by capturing other pirates.

She is a top-tier pirate, with a bounty so high it's worth risking life and death—despite numerous bounty hunters and escort vessel crews attempting to capture her, most either waste their efforts without any leads, or vanish entirely after being ambushed by her.

"But how the hell are we supposed to hunt Velvet? She's impossible to track—she's not some easy target you can just aim at."

Shin nosuke shrugs in response to Dug's question.

"There's no need to hunt her directly. I'm the one being targeted, after all. If we pretend to depart under the guise of trade and just wander around aimlessly, I think she'll come to us."

Zany nods in agreement.

"True, Shinnosuke is the one being targeted. Even if left alone, he'll inevitably become bait. But Velvet is cunning. If we're just drifting around nearby space, he might not show up at all."

"Mr. Dug's point is valid, but unless we come up with a better plan, there's not much we can do. How about having the two of you stay hidden at a safe distance from Fubuki, and rush in to provide backup when Velvet makes contact?"

Zany's expression grew stern as he heard Shin nosuke's proposal, his sharp eyes locking onto Shin nosuke.

That might indeed be a good idea... but Shinosuke, just make sure you don't misunderstand one thing, okay?

Yeah?

Shinosuke has actually fought Velvet before, so I don't think he'd make that mistake... But don't underestimate Velvet. Don't think you can beat her one-on-one. Facing her alone with just Fuuki might end in mutual destruction, or even worse, a counterattack. Even if we all three ships join forces, we can't guarantee victory. And there's no telling if Velvet will come alone, being naive and straightforward? If she's determined to kill Shinosuke, she'll likely bring her subordinates with her. No, she definitely will!

"I understand that. But I'm not about to let the sparks fly without taking action, and I won't keep losing. It's time to end my grudge with the space pirate Velvet."

Sinokaze's confident smirk is mirrored by Zani and Dag.

The three of them, with their harsh features, share a smug grin—so sinister it looks like they're hatching some wicked plan.

"Then it's settled! Me, Dag, and Shinnosuke will take Marks—four of us going pirate hunting! Let's go with all the heavy gear we've got!"

At Zani's shout, the four of them stood up.

Deciding to act right away, Shinnosuke and the others returned to the Free Merchant Ship Association.

They had come to apply for permission to go on a pirate hunt.

Since Zani and Dag had different assigned personnel, they split off at the front desk and each handled their paperwork separately.

Shinnosuke scans the counter but doesn't see Lina anywhere—she's not at her usual station.

Since Lina isn't around, he decides to proceed with Iris instead.

"Iris, I need to head out on a pirate hunt—could you handle the paperwork for me?"

Iris looks confused by Shinnosuke's sudden request.

"Eh? A pirate hunt? You and the others?"

"Yes. Me and Marks, and also Zani and Dag. We're heading out with three escort ships."

"Um... actually, today is Linna-san's day off... couldn't we handle the paperwork tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry, but we're scheduled to set sail at 8 a.m. tomorrow, so I'll need you to complete the procedures now."

Iris, as one of the representatives from Cassimara Company, understands the situation Shinnosuke is in.

If Shinnosuke is heading out on a pirate hunt, it means he intends to settle things once and for all with the pirates targeting him.

From Shinno's expression, it was clear this was going to be extremely dangerous.

Only Shinno and Marks were aboard the Fukuki as it set sail, it seemed Saila and Milena would not be joining.

Knowing Rinna's feelings, Iris believed this procedure should be handled by Rinna, but if Shinno was eager to proceed immediately, there was nothing to be done about it.

Iris decided to fulfill her duties and responsibilities as a staff member of the Free Merchant Fleet Association.

"...Yes, the procedures are complete. Departure is scheduled for 8 a.m. tomorrow. Please be especially careful not to mistake pirate ships for civilian vessels. Above all, take care."

"Thank you."

Having finished the procedures, Shinnoske turned to leave the reception counter.

"Um, Shinnoske-san!"

Shinnoske stopped and turned around when called by Iris.

Yes, what is it?

Is there anything you'd like me to tell Rina?

Sinnosuke wasn't the kind of person who could come up with a clever reply on the spot when suddenly asked something like that.

Yes... please tell them I'm off then.

With that, Shinosuke once again began walking.

Markus looked utterly bewildered as he walked sideways.

"Master, couldn't you have come up with something a bit more clever?"

"It's not like I could think of anything... I just couldn't come up with anything. Besides, whatever I said would probably violate the unofficial military regulations anyway..."

"Master, your 'I'm off' from earlier falls under Unofficial Military Regulation 13."

"If we're going to be that strict, then we won't be able to say anything at all! For now, I'm treating articles 10 and beyond as invalid."

The two walked out of the union, chatting like this.

The hunt for the space pirate Velvet begins, led by a group of four middle-aged men (though Shinnosuke is barely still in his twenties, and Marks is actually younger than Shinnosuke, so neither of them will admit to being middle-aged).