The ship creaked and bobbed gently on the calm waves of the Nexus Blue, sails glowing faintly from Daishinkan's reality-bending aura. The stars above twinkled like divine lanterns, and a gentle breeze played with the ship's sail—a smiling timeclock now slightly tilted from Beerus's lazy lounging on the boat.
Daishinkan lay on the deck with his arms behind his head, eyes watching the sky.
"…So," he said casually, voice drifting on the wind, "why were you locked up on that creepy island anyway? You didn't seem like a prisoner."
Beerus didn't respond immediately. He slowly opened one golden eye. "…You really wanna know?"
Daishinkan nodded with a half-eaten pastry still hanging from his lips. "You're strong. I bet you used to be important. Like… I dunno… a heavenly champion?"
Beerus chuckled. "That's not far off, actually."
He sat up, folding his arms over his chest, the sea breeze rustling his purple fur.
"I was once the Enforcer of Balance, a title given by the Heavenly Council itself. I answered directly to the Elders. I wasn't just important—I was feared."
Daishinkan's eyes widened. "No way! You were that Beerus?! The Void Reaper of Realm 4?"
"…Yeah," Beerus muttered. "That used to be me." He leaned back, eyes distant.
Flashback: The Throne of Eternity — Years ago, In a palace made of frozen stars and suspended galaxies, twelve thrones stood in a ring. Seated on them were the Heavenly Elders, radiant beings with stone-like skin, glowing veins, and eyes that saw probability and time itself.
At the center knelt a younger Beerus, dressed in black-gold celestial armor. He held one sword—Tenebris, the blade that could nullify divine law.
Elder Targon coldly spoke to him. "Your methods were… loud. You fractured half the dimension."
Beerus bowed his head. "Order was restored. Casualties were acceptable under decree 117."
Elder Sarela leaned forward. "Do you feel anything, Enforcer? When you erase all of those people?"
Beerus didn't answer.
Because the truth was—he had started to feel too much.
———
Later, The Garden of Stillness, Beerus stood alone among the floating lotus ponds, staring at his reflection. His teacher approached him, still wearing his robes and sword strap to his hip.
"You've begun to question them," He said quitely.
Beerus didn't deny it. "They call it justice. But it feels like… extermination."
"Feelings are dangerous in Heaven," He replied. "That's why I keep mine to myself."
Beerus turned to him, eyes flickering. "Don't you ever want more than this obedience?"
His teacher smiled—soft, distant.
"I want freedom… but not everyone can afford it."
——
The Final Straw, The Vestro Rebellion, Beerus had been sent to silence a growing rebellion of demi-gods who had gained free will. Among them were children, scholars, entire cities trying to create a future beyond the Elders.
He was ordered to destroy them all.
He hesitated. Just once.
The rebellion escaped.
The Elders, furious, labeled him a traitor. "Beerus! Why didn't you do what I asked?"
Beerus answered, softly, "Because they didn't deserve to die."
For the first time, They ordered an execution.
His teacher secretly helped Beerus escape and vanish—on the condition that Beerus never again take up the blade of judgment.
He fled.
He wandered.
And eventually… he was caught.
Sealed and forgotten in the very prison he once filled.
———
Back to Present — On the Ship, Daishinkan blinked. "So you… stopped being their guard... because your heart told you it was wrong?"
Beerus snorted. "Don't make it sound noble. I just got tired of being their blade. Their lapdog."
Daishinkan sat up, serious now. "I think what you did was brave. A lot of them… don't listen to their heart."
Beerus glanced at him, surprised.
"…You're not like the others, are you?"
Daishinkan grinned. "Nope! I'm gonna burn their rules down and build a world where everyone gets to laugh, eat, and live free. Even gods like you."
Beerus stared at him for a long moment, then smirked.
"You really are crazy."
"I know," Daishinkan beamed. "That's why I need friends like you. Broken gods make the best pirates!"
The two shared a quiet laugh as the stars twinkled overhead.
———
Suddenly—lightning cracked in the distance.
A huge storm cloud loomed ahead, swirling unnaturally, and within it, flashes of electricity shaped like dragon glyphs.
Beerus narrowed his eyes. "That's no normal storm."
Daishinkan stood up excitedly.
"Adventure time?"
"Maybe. Or death."
Daishinkan grinned wider.
"Same thing!"
The storm rolled in like a sleeping dragon finally waking up.
Dark clouds churned above the sea, spiraling in unnatural shapes—celestial dragons made of lightning dancing across the sky. Rain lashed the small ship, the waves grew fangs, and the wind screamed like it wanted to tear the world apart.
Daishinkan stood at the front of the ship, arms wide, laughing in the rain like it was a festival.
"WOOOHOO! This storm is insane!" he yelled.
Beerus was clinging to the boat, growling. "It's not insane, it's suicidal! Sit your divine butt down before the wind does it for you!"
Then—it happened.
A sharp gust tore across the deck.
Something light and round lifted off Daishinkan's head, spinning through the air like a leaf in a hurricane.
His straw hat.
Daishinkan froze, joy draining from his face.
"No—!"
Time seemed to slow as the hat flew further, tossed like a meaningless scrap toward the churning sea.
But before it could vanish—WHOOSH!
A blur of purple.
Beerus leapt into the air, slicing the wind itself with a twist of his claws. He snagged the straw hat out of the storm's grip and landed with a graceful slide, rain bouncing off his furless skin.
He walked back across the deck, soaked, annoyed—and holding the precious hat in his hand.
"Here," he muttered. "You almost lost this."
Daishinkan took the hat with shaking hands. His fingers trembled as he gently dusted it off, even though it was already soaked.
Beerus tilted his head. "I've seen you laugh at being hit by lightning. But you looked terrified when this thing flew away."
Daishinkan didn't answer right away.
He just stared at the hat. Rain streamed down his face, but he didn't move to wipe it away.
Beerus sat beside him on the deck, crossing his arms. "So? What's the deal with it? Why's it so important?"
A long silence.
Then, Daishinkan placed the straw hat back on his head, pressing it down slowly, reverently.
"…You told me your story," he said quietly. "It's only fair I tell you mine."
The flashback starts, The world was warm and golden. A seaside village on a floating island, years ago.
A young Daishinkan—barefoot, small, and still full of mischief—stood on a cliffside, watching a tall man in a orange coat and battle-worn boots walk away toward a ship shaped like a dragon's grin.
The man had wild black hair, a carefree grin, and the aura of a star that had learned to laugh.
His name was Son Goku, but the world now called him The Red Sun — a divine pirate whose power defied even the Heavenly Council.
He knelt in front of little Daishinkan and placed the hat gently on the boy's head.
"This hat means a lot to me," Goku said. "It was given to me by someone I admired, someone who showed me what freedom really was."
"More than punching fake gods?" Daishinkan asked innocently.
Goku laughed. "Way more. He taught me how to live."
The boy looked up, eyes big. "Will I ever meet him?"
"No," Goku said softly, ruffling the kid's hair. "But if you wear this hat, you'll carry both our dreams. Promise me you'll keep it safe until the day you find your own freedom."
"I promise!"
"Then we're good."
And just like that, Goku turned and left, his cape flapping in the wind, laughter trailing behind him.
———
Flashback ends, Daishinkan looked out at the storm with a small smile, one hand on the hat.
"…He gave this to me before he vanished. Said I'd understand its weight when I grew up."
Beerus narrowed his eyes. "Wait. That man... Red Sun... Goku?"
Daishinkan grinned. "Yup. He's my mentor!"
Beerus stared. "The same lunatic who punched the Celestial Gate open with his bare hands?!"
"That's him!" Daishinkan said cheerfully. "He wasn't the best with parenting, but he was the best at being free."
Beerus looked away, snorting. "No wonder you're so weird."
Daishinkan smirked. "You still like me though."
"…Shut up."
———
As the storm calmed slightly and moonlight peeked through the shattered clouds, Daishinkan looked up at the sky, hat low on his brow.
"Thanks for saving it," he said softly.
Beerus looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Anytime."
The two sat in silence as the waves calmed, sharing a rare peace under the fractured sky.
But far ahead, in the center of the broken storm—a flickering island of metal and light rose from the mist.
Beerus stood. "Is that… a floating tech fortress?"
Daishinkan grinned. "Heck yeah! Let's go and gather supplies!"
Unknown to them, That's where they will find another crew member.