Black Knife
Charting the Endless Sea
Biodata
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Black Knife (黑刀) |
| Type | Black-wood sailing vessel; later a partly living, bio-modified ship; destroyed by the Black Knight and subsequently rebuilt 1 35 198 199 |
| Affiliation | Blackblade Pirates; Hawkins and his crew 1 35 |
| Occupation/Role | Pirate vessel, transport, fixed exit point for Eternal Space, and the crew's home 1 28 63 |
| Captain | Hawkins, the “Son of Pirates” 1 |
| Status | Active; rebuilt after its destruction and later used to continue the crew's exploration through the Mist Sea 198 199 201 202 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 1 |
Power Progression
| Chapter | Development | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1, 7 | Original pirate vessel | A medium-sized black-wood sailing ship with a blade-shaped keel capable of powerful ramming attacks. 1 7 |
| 34 | Biological salvage | After being scuttled, Hawkins modified barnacles and seaweed to repair the hull, raise the wreck from the seabed, and begin transforming it into a living vessel. 34 |
| 35 | Living-vessel refit | The reconstructed ship gained a rocky hull, autonomous vines, vine sails, and massive underwater tentacles capable of rapid propulsion. 35 |
| 42, 43 | Underwater concealment and defense | Its tentacles could envelop and submerge the vessel to hide it, then awaken to seize and devour underwater attackers. 42 43 |
| 182 | Defensive limitation revealed | An enormous defensive vine was easily severed by a Black Warrior, demonstrating that the ship's living growths were vulnerable to sufficiently powerful opponents. 182 |
| 198 | Destruction | The Black Knight's released power reduced the Black Knife to black dust during his confrontation with Hawkins. 198 |
| 199 | Reconstruction | Hawkins later departed the Seven Seas aboard a rebuilt Black Knife and resumed passage through an alternate Mist Sea. 199 |
History
For twenty years, the Black Knife operated across the Seven Seas as the vessel of Hawkins and the Blackblade Pirates. Following raids on three settlements on Vitalia Island, Jabus dispatched the Vidalya Glory to pursue it. The ship was ultimately captured after its food and water supplies ran out, with its crew taken prisoner and the vessel towed by iron chains. 1
During Hawkins's escape from the Vidalya Glory, the Black Knife became his refuge. Most of its bound pirates had already died of hunger and cold by the time he boarded it, leaving the ship critically short of sailors and navigators. Hawkins seized control of surviving marines and severed the chains connecting the two ships before setting course for Little Will Island. 4 7
The ship was later sunk after a shape-changing aquatic attacker smashed a large hole through its hull. Hawkins refused to abandon it, modifying barnacles and seaweed to repair and reinforce the wreck. The restored vessel subsequently rose from the sea. 34
After its biological refit, the Black Knife became the principal vessel of Hawkins's expanding crew. It submerged near Black Market Island to avoid attention, and its hidden tentacles devoured the Water Ghost Seven Brothers when they attempted to seize it underwater. 42 43
The ship later entered the Mist Sea, where most of the crew withdrew into Eternal Space and tool people continued operating it. It endured prolonged voyages through the fog, including the approach to a gigantic wreck and later an extended search for an escape route. 145 146 201
During encounters with Black Warriors in the Mist Sea, the ship's vines proved unable to stop the attackers on their own. The Black Knight subsequently destroyed the Black Knife with the force released in his rage at Hawkins. 182 198
Hawkins ultimately rebuilt the ship and used it to take a detour through another Mist Sea. Nearly four years later, it was still navigating dangerous and unfamiliar waters, eventually reaching an ocean of floating corpses and the flesh-made Freak Corpse Island. 199 201 202
Appearance
Originally, the Black Knife was a dark, medium-sized sailboat built from black wood. Its refit transformed it into an uncanny vessel of stone, vines, and concealed tentacles. 1 4 35
- Its original keel resembles a black blade and can be used offensively in collisions. 7
- After reconstruction, grayish-white rock replaced most of the wooden hull; only the keel, masts, and captain's cabin remained substantially unchanged. 35
- Living vines cover the hull, deck, cabins, and masts; its sails are woven from vines. 35
- The vines autonomously open doors, create furniture and hammocks, and cover sleeping crew with blankets. 35
- Numerous massive tentacles propel the ship beneath the water. 35
Capabilities
Biological propulsion
The modified ship can move without wind, using its underwater tentacles to propel itself at high speed. 35 38
- Its tentacles can rapidly change the vessel's direction. 38
- They can wrap around the hull and sink the ship beneath the water to conceal it. 42
- The concealed tentacles devoured the Water Ghost Seven Brothers after they attacked the ship underwater. 43
Autonomous living structure
The ship's modified vines function as an adaptive interior and exterior system. 35
- Vines form doors, chairs, hammocks, blankets, and other furnishings for the crew. 35
- The living growths replaced much of the original hull after Hawkins repaired the ship. 34 35
- Hawkins continues improving the ship's bioenergy-based design and remaining crude hull systems. 50
- Hawkins can direct its vines against approaching enemies, although a Black Warrior was able to cut through an enormous vine with a single strike. 182
Eternal Space integration
The Black Knife is closely integrated with Hawkins's Eternal Space system. 60 63
- The fixed exit from Eternal Space is located aboard the ship, allowing members to emerge through its cabin. 63
- Hawkins can transfer the entire vessel into Eternal Space when retreat or concealment is necessary. 60
- During severe threats, such as the Black Knight's arrival, Hawkins orders nonessential personnel into Eternal Space while remaining behind to protect the ship and crew. 198
Namesake Blade
The Black Knife name refers both to the vessel and to a black blade carried by Hawkins. The ship's blade-like keel is one meaning; the physical weapon is the other. 7
- The blade was acquired by Hawkins's grandfather while fishing and has been used by three generations of the family. 7
- It is made from an unknown material, does not absorb heat or conduct electricity, and has never been damaged despite repeated use. 7 10
- The artificial appraisal eye identifies it as the Ancient Black Knife, a Cursed Relic with the ability Eternal Fixation. 16
- Its curse suppresses the wielder's bad luck, then releases it at a fixed time every month. 16
- Hawkins later employed the black blade in his duel with Steelfeather Mark, using its speed and changing attack angles to overcome the Featherfolk warrior's paired wing-blades. 190
Relationships
- Hawkins — Captain and primary modifier of the ship; he reclaimed it after its sinking, transformed it into a living vessel, and later rebuilt it after the Black Knight destroyed it. 1 34 35 198 199
- Mark — Crew member and combatant who witnesses the ship's transformation, regularly operates alongside it, and was assigned to guard its sailors during the Mist Sea voyage. 11 35 145
- Victor — Trainee sailor who operates the helm and has remained aboard the Black Knife during crew excursions from Eternal Space. 41 63
- Arthur — Later became the Blackblade Pirates' boatswain and chose to remain aboard during the vessel's exploration of the corpse-filled Mist Sea. 201
- Water Ghost Seven Brothers — Underwater pirates who tried to capture the ship, only to be trapped and devoured by its concealed tentacles. 43
- Black Knight — Powerful enemy who destroyed the Black Knife while attempting to force Hawkins to reveal the location of Golden Sun. 198
- Huo Blackblade — Hawkins's father; during the Ghost Corpse outbreak, he threw the namesake black blade onto the ship before being lost in the sea fog. 12