The Alvida Pirates Part 1
"Like I would ever let a man like you touch me," Alvida said, voice laced with absolute arrogance, and shoved her heel into the man's ribs as they spilled out of the bar and onto an empty street.
Since she'd blossomed into an unavoidably beautiful pirate, every day had become a sport: seduce some rich fool, measure how desperately he wanted her, then lead him somewhere deserted and refuse him even a single touch.
Crushing men was a favorite pastime. Steal their coin, their pride, their shirts, whatever glittered, then vanish before they could put the pieces together. She did it for the thrill, for proof that she was really the most beautiful, and for her ego.
Her crew, meanwhile, didn't get to enjoy the fun.
Below decks and on the main, they worked without pause: some chaining crates, others scrubbing salt from ropes, hands bleeding from towlines as the ship tilted and pitched. Alvida ran them like clockwork.
The work was terrible, but no one could complain.
Alvida beat sloth out of them with a stare and the occasional, perfectly timed strike; no one dared complain. Fear kept their mouths shut, and a tiny, sickening hope: maybe tomorrow I'll be the one she looks at.
In that crowd of men, all of them foolishly hoped the woman would fall for them. To Alvida, that naive hope was her favorite toy. She delighted in manipulating it and watching devotion warp into desperation.
"Coby, take everything from that man," she said, as if asking for tea.
Coby, her small and loyal slave, moved like a man used to being ordered. He had been forced to follow her for years, watching from the edges while she burned through lives.
Tonight, he would do the dirty work: pickpocket, bundle the spoils, carry them all back to the ship. At least, that day she had not killed the man, so he wouldn't need to deal with a body.
Anyway, she left him there with the scavenged coins and the stink of cheap perfume clinging to his fingers, and she sashayed away, tipsy and pleased, her hips swaying in a slow, hypnotic rhythm that made the men on the dock stare at her fat ass.
Her lips curved in a smile, noticing their eyes with a mix of desire and fear. The thin fabric of her dress clung to every curve, accentuating the swell of her breasts and the taper of her waist, as if inviting hands that knew better than to touch.
Would she go straight back to her cabin? Maybe she would just destroy another man. She could steal a man from some ugly bitch, as she liked doing. That kind of cruelty was a delicacy, and she relished it with the same heat she brought to a lover's bed.
As she crossed the plank toward the ship, a mangy dog, half-starved, half-mad, snapped at her leg. Maybe its master had been one of her victims; maybe it just had bad timing. Alvida didn't pause.
She kicked the animal hard, watched it tumble, then heaved it into the churning water with a bored, satisfied flick of her boot. If anyone on the dock flinched, she used it as entertainment, licking her lips with an arrogant smirk.
Back aboard, she planted herself on the quarterdeck like a queen, arching her back to highlight the generous sweep of her hips and the deep neckline that revealed the smooth, sun-kissed skin of her cleavage.
"Come, my servants," she said. "Come take care of your empress."
As always, she was extremely arrogant as her men served her.
Pirates rushed to adjust her coat, their fingers trembling as they brushed against her; sailors dropped to one knee, their gazes darting to her body before falling in submission.
Coby hovered nearby, eyes downcast, and she singled him out with a cold smile.
"Fetch me wine," she snapped, her voice a throaty purr that coiled through the air like smoke. "And tell the crew to sing for my supper. Make it long."
Men began moving from one side to the other as she lay on her chair. However, she had barely set her hips into the chair when a ripple passed through the crowd.
Hina walked up the gangplank as if she owned the ocean, kicking enemies away with ease. The men's eyes flicked from Alvida to Hina and back again, and in the pause their courage leaked out like cheap rum.
Alvida's smile sharpened; affront was a spice she knew how to use. "Who's this?" she purred, loud enough for the whole deck to hear.
"Get out of my way, men!" she said, annoyed with the incompetence of her subordinates. "I will take care of this bitch."
Hina didn't even flinch at Alvida's threat. Her stride was steady, her long coat fluttering behind her like a flag of war.
Alvida drew herself up, tilting her chin with that imperious grace she used to crush lesser souls. "You have a lot of nerve walking onto my ship, girl," she said, voice honeyed but lethal. "Do you even know who I am?"
Hina's lips curved into a small, mocking smile. "A loudmouth with too much makeup and not enough brains?"
Alvida's face twisted, beauty giving way to rage. "You dare!" She lunged forward, her iron club flashing in the sunlight.
Hina sidestepped with elegant precision, letting the weapon crash down and split a plank in half. Before Alvida could recover, Hina's boot slammed into her stomach. The impact made the pirate queen stagger back, wheezing, her hair coming loose in wild, furious curls.
"You really think you are a big shot?" Hina asked coldly. "You are just a small East Blue pirate."
Alvida screamed and swung again, this time with blind fury. But Hina was already moving. She caught Alvida's wrist, twisted, and drove an elbow into her ribs. The weapon clattered to the deck.
Gasps erupted as Alvida dropped to her knees, clutching her side. Hina stepped forward, grabbed her by the chin, and forced her to look up.
"Still think you're an empress?" Hina asked, voice soft but cutting like steel.
Alvida's breath came out in ragged bursts, pride warring with humiliation. Around them, her crew had gone dead silent. Not one dared to move.
Hina leaned close, her tone dripping with contempt. "Then kneel properly."
With a swift motion, she shoved Alvida backward. The pirate queen fell flat on her back, her once-commanding presence shattered before her trembling men.
Hina turned to the stunned crew, brushing imaginary dust off her coat. "If this is the best your empress can do," she said, "you might as well start looking for new leadership."
The men trembled in fear, noticing how powerful Hina was.
"So, from now on, you all must obey me, understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," the men responded immediately.