Suffering… The world was full of suffering and whose part was? Pirates. He’d remember it just as it was yesterday. It’d been around 2 in the afternoon when he was sitting down for lunch with his wife and daughter. Landfall had been called just recently and after two weeks they were finally heading home to their mansion. It’d been a calm day. Blue skies stretched overhead and in that moment James couldn’t have imagined anything better but this moment. He’d build up a life believing that peace was a right of his to enjoy. Looking back it, the cynical man would’ve laughed at his own naivety. How could he ever expect peace in a world where the festering disease known as pirate lived on and stained the world black? 

It was the unforgettable war of the cannon and the splintering of wood which awoke him violently to the truth of this world. The sound of loud voices clamoring above and the sound of shrieks made him aware that they’d been under account. Of course he’d hired men to protect his ships but they were not equipped with handling bloodthirsty pirates. Hiding his wife and daughter he swore that he would protect them and as he went above he thought, that he could negotiated with them. He had everything they wanted, food, rum… gold.. But on that day they were looking for something so much more.. 

On that day his heart died. James the merchant was transformed into James the pirate hunter.  He’d lost all sense of morale and to him blood and vengance was what he’d lived for. He had no purpose no reason he hunted and killed pirates because he’d saw them as a disease. Anyone who sold under a pirate ship fell to his blade and that was how he’d lived his life till he came across him. 

He’d been a young boy, barely a teen. It had been a fierce battle and James had found him chained up onboard the ship. “My god… what have they done to you..” he asked the boy as he knelt down before him. Slavery took on many forms and he knew for a fact that this boy was innocent. The only innocent soul he would ever find aboard a pirate ship. Looking into the boy’s eyes he saw that he hunger for vengeance and James Hook would feed that vengeance and introduce him to Grecia’s navy. 

The sound of men scrubbing and men throwing buckets of water upon the deck to clean it filled the air. It was the sound of voices singing a sailors shanty as they worked underneath the sun which brought him out of his daydream and back into reality. It had been five years since he’d stumble upon the boy and now he was Admiral to Grecia’s navy and was leading them into the pirate’s den. Walking across the deck he’d been invited on to the head ship to meet with that young boy whom he’d rescued. It was him who’d sniffed out where the pirates were holding their meeting and as he wrapped upon his cabin door he was told to enter. 

“Good afternoon Admiral.” He spoke as he entered into the war meeting. Upon the table was a map of the continent of Tiantang. The eastern continent which had been the home to the most infamous pirate who was a female. For to long, her government had been protecting her. Afterall there was a deep mistrust between the western and eastern world. The emperor of Tiantang, Peizhi had sponsored Wang Yi Fei for quite some time till she’d done something to truly piss him off. After they’re falling out, he'd finally given his blessing to King Andrew to hunt her down to the face of the Earth.

Pointing towards the location on the Map spoke softly. “All ships are on route to find where we believe the great Pirate council is being held. We will reach it within a week. Giving us enough time it’s time that we finally rid the world of the disease which had afflicted us. For so long.” He spoke, feeling himself grinned ear to ear. Saluting his captain he’d asked for approval to be dismissed and once he was he took a longboat back to his own ship.

Stepping aboard his ship he Captain James had expected everything to be cleaned but instead he walked into his ship tattered and with stuff thrown about. A circle of men were wrestling with a young boy who had his head wrapped up and was wearing civilian  clothes. As he came to this sight he bellowed for his entire ship to stand at attention and hear this they all snapped to. 
Walking towards the struggling man who was being held by two of the his navy sailors he looked him in the eyes. He seemed to be young, barely 18 and yet he’d snuck above the ship. “Do you know what you’ve done lad?” He asked him as he removed his jacket. It’d been a long and frustrating day.  “No? You will learn today, bring him to the center mass.”

No one said anything as they brought the struggling boy to the center of the ship. With a snap of his fingers a sailor went to retrieve the velvet bag which hoisted the infamous Cat of nine tails. As the bag was dropped at the captain’s feet James looked to the young lad and spoke. “You will be flogged most severely for this and put in the brig.. Strip him.”

Hands grabbed the boy’s shirt and ripped it apart. As soon as the fabric tore and audible gasp could be heard. Breast. The boy had had female breasts. 

“Good god! Take of his hat now!” James ordered and as they did show locks unfurled underneath the hat and instantly James shouted. “Cover her! For the love of god take this woman!” He cried out

Instantly whistling and jeering could be heard. One sailor even shouted “Why stop there? Take off her pants to see if she’s a real woman.” And soon a chant rose up from the crowd to strip her bare. But that chant was short lived as the navy captain produced a pistol from his hip and clicked it. Silence filled the air as he pointed his gun towards his own crew and he spoke. “We are men of God. Not rapists. I will not abide a rapist. I will not abide a licentious man. Anyone who speaks another word will find himself dead where he stands. Now cover the woman and take her to my cabin.” 

When hunting pirates there was no room for lustful desires. On cold stone will and determination would end this war. Only stone cold will and determination.

It was supposed to be simple. She had planned it to the letter. Her parents wanted her to marry one of the richest farmers in her little port town. She didn’t want to be married off, she didn’t want to be ladened down with children she despised. No.

She wanted adventure, she wanted wild romance and freedom. Above everything, she wanted freedom. She was eighteen, the throws of the prime of her life. She wanted to be free.
 

And so she planned her unruly and rebellious escape. She saw the ships come into port and then set off into the vast horizons dappled in light. She had wanted that, she had been desperate for it. She had made a plan to sneak in and stowaway among the barrels and boxes, the heavy crates. Then she would reveal herself, a swashbuckling pirate! She had even gotten a rapier and had no idea how to use it but the pirates would be so impressed, they would have her aboard and train her. However, things had escalated and she had dressed as a young boy.
 

She had managed for a short time but it hadn’t taken long for her discovery. Thankfully they didn’t seem to recognise she was a woman. They did however recognise her as a stowaway and she kicked and fought against them as best she could but these were hardened men. She had gotten in the wrong bloody ship, of course she had!

She was pinned by two men and honestly, she expected the worse. She kicked and spat at them, she managed to bite one of them before an older man stalked up. They locked eyes and she panicked.

“What?! No- Listen to me- Put me down this second you nasty little brutes, you will die the damned day you put your hands on me!” She shrieked as she was brought to the centre of the ship.

“Stop it!” She demanded and stared at the cat of nine tails. She started to struggle as hands pulled and tore fabric, exposing her.

Panic set in, her hat was taken off and her white blonde hair cascaded down and she was released as she clutched the coat someone gave her to cover up. She was trembling all over, she was supposed to be on a pirate ship. She was supposed to be in a daring adventure and she was hauled off to his cabin and slung in a chair with her hands bound but not before she was given a shirt to wear.

She wriggled against the bonds and kicked out, chest heaving with the hard breathing.

She had gotten on the wrong bloody ship! How was this possible?!

He had been but a boy, Life was simpler back in those days. The smell of salt always clinging to his cloths, the sea drew him home. Just like his parents and the like they were a simple ship, no soldiers abord their ship when ti was attacked. Of course they were easy target no one ever expected the dirtiest of beings to attack a Norse ship. Vikings were trained to be soldiers at a young age, but Feni had a different upbringing he was to be a ship captain. One day to have his own fleet and his own men to lead. The invasion of England would be forever on the minds of the Norsemen. However as a boy the young Feni had lost his family, his ships, and his birthright. It was the dead silence that had given away the front of battle. It wasn't until the shock of cannon hitting their main mast that had drawn the men's attention.

It was also that day that Feni had given everything he could to make sure he stayed alive. The fire burning in his eyes as the pirates boarded, even as a young boy he still managed to take a couple of them down in a surprise action. The axes deeply embedded in their heads after having them tossed. Being dragged out and pushed to the boards of the floor hair pulled up to watch as not only the men were murdered one by one, but being forced to watch as the pirates took advantage of the women. At least that was before she came aboard. The Jaded queen he would later learn was the women's name and the captain of the ship. Having the men who had taken to debauchery thrown over the same as the men from the ship she would have them shot. The women were also tossed over. 

She had looked over the few children that were onboard. All in all Feni and three others were handpicked by her to work on her ships the rest would be ported to other parts of the world as nothing more than money in her pocket.

It had been nearly four years later that he had been saved. Now no longer a boy he was a young teenager working on the ships of the Jaded Queen. He had been passed around from ship to ship like he was nothing more then cargo that would forever be bound to the sea. The mind numbing work had kept him busy from sun up to sundown running around taking care of the ship. Cleaning, repairing, maintaining. And when they made landfall he was to stay with the ship. The boy had learned how a ship only needed really six people for a crew for larger ships, and smaller ones needed one possible two. 

It was his freedom he had earned when he was set loose from the shackles, but yet he was so numb to the pain and the yelling and fighting that he had kept working without pause complaining and mumbling under his breath how pirates seem to keep getting blood on the deck after he just cleaned it. It wasn't until a man in a fancy get up stepped in front of him Kneeling down Feni had kept working, but stopped when he was made to look up at the man did he truly understand what had happened. 

The time sense his freedom had been granted not only did Feni join the Navy he had served under the man that had set him free learning from him everything he could before taking on his own ship and crew. Leading the charge against the Jaded Queen herself the fire still burning as hot as the day he was taken. Hunting down an unknown number of ships all of which he had sank to the bottom of the ocean he would not see any foreign navy within his waters and would tolerate Pirates less. It had earned him the reputation as the Red King and would remain so until the day he died. It was also the hunt for the Jaded Queen that had caused many of his enemies to fear his name and his ship. It was also this hunt that had caused him to sink friend and foe ships alike. If they had associated with her or her fleet they were sunk to the bottom and strung up or dropped into the water.

It was the Call that had been sent to him as the Red King that had made him realize he was going after pirates and eliminating them to slow. The Queen had called and wanted his fleet and men to help her remove the navy coming after them not knowing they had only taken on a bite to hard to chew. Having sixty ships with him heading directly towards the island where the pirates were gathering its exact location was unknown or at least not specified and for good reasons. He had called a war meeting upon his Flag ship The Baroness. As his vice admirals and captains had gathered they began talking only he waited for one man to enter.

It was nothing more then an update on their progress and perhaps news that would reach them. Nothing new had really happened as of yet. Their progress was slow going, but to amass a fleet this size and keep it all together and moving the same direction was hard considering size difference in several ships Many would move faster, but those slower were better armed for war. Dismissing his men back to their ships the male paced in his own cabin. He would have to send scouting ships forward to try and make some way of knowing positions and how many there were that they would face, and more over where a location was. It was known that the Emperor of the small island had given the larger nation the okay to enter their waters to hunt down the pirates as their navy had no real authority on the water not sense the Queen had removed them as a threat. It was only then was he told of a small commotion on one of his smaller Flag ships.
 

Having himself crossed to it Feni had went to the Captain, the man who had saved him and taught him much. It was this man he respected the most out of his fleet, but he would not show favorites among his men. “I heard you had a stow away.” The men started jeering a little bit and talking under the breath about how ‘SHE’ had been taken to the cabin. An eyebrow raised Feni turned to his Vice Admiral that was abord this ship his gun still smoking from the powder that had come out of it. Eyes locked the young male would not go against the man on his own ship, even if said ship flew his own flag and colors. Grumbling was heard from the men, but his own voice cut into the air before the men returned to their positions and their work.

“Vice Admiral Hook. It seems the men need to be retrained on what separates us from Pirates.” as he stepped down from where he was he looked to the men their eyes fixed on his shoes or the wood under his feet instead of on his face.

“We are not savages, We uphold Honor on our ships. If you cannot stand by the rules of the ship you are more than welcome to leave.” Pointing towards the railing everyone knew he meant right then and there he would put anyone overboard only to be dragged under the ships as they traveled. Stepping up to Hook the man stood just a few inches taller. 

“Hook I would have a word with your stow away. You with me of course I will not have it said I do not follow the rules of the ships while leading them.” Receiving a nod from Hook himself the young male went back towards his boat to return him to the Dutchess. 

“When she is ready I will see you both aboard the Dutchess.” 

A quiet island off the coast of the TianTang continent was a lot busier today. Ships from all over the world were gathering here for a council hosted by the Pirate Queen of the East, Wang Yi Fei. Of course she had hostages held up on decoy islands near the route. She also had some hostages held on the current island she was on, but a lot less than the others. Luckily each island had its own villages to rampage. A pirate had to have a contingency for unwanted guests. With Emperor Peizhi having his temper tantrum at the moment, she no longer had the protection she normally did in these waters. 

Imperials and their superiority… Yes, she was caught with his cousin. Well, caught wasn't quite the word since she got away. She was found with the emperor's cousin. It wasn't like he didn't have concubines already. She just didn't have the bloodline their land dictated was good enough. Honestly Fei couldn't care less for bloodlines. The only thing they came in handy for was as a bargaining chip with those who did care. Those bloodlines always sell or ransom for a pretty coin even though everyone bleeds red.

Seeing enough people settled into the cabin, she took the remaining sip of her ale and set down her glass on the table in front of her. Wang Yi Fei then stood up and greeted everyone before her.

“Ayo. Welcome in, my fellow sea-driven outlaws.” Fei had a soft velvety voice that had a firmness that commanded attention when she spoke. Her rugged speech amplified that firmness while the velvet nature drew in the crowd. “I hope the ale warms your bellies after your sail here. Straight to business. For those unfamiliar with these waters, I'm Wang Yi Fei. I've called you all here since those navy land-guarding sharks from Grecia have been infesting our waters. These waters have been more than our way of travel. They've been our way of freedom. As the tide rises, so does our passion. As the waves crash down, so does our wrath onto our adversaries. Like how the ocean currents flow in their own way, so do our own codes. We've all long rejected the land's failed laws. We've dreamt and forged our own way in blood, sweat and gold. Who are they to take away what we've worked so hard to attain? Who are they to take our won freedom? Who are they to rip us from our love, our sea? Who are they to take our very own lives with a rope strung around our necks? Shackling us once more in our final moments? I say, just like we reject the land's laws, we work together to reject their sharks. They've taken much from many of us already. I say, no more! I say, we adapt a truce, a code, for us to shank these sharks right into their underbellies and secure our freedom once more! Say aye if you're with me!” 

As she heard an echo of aye's fill the cabin, she listened for any discontent. Getting back to the matter at hand, she continued, “They have dozens of ships and that many times men. Before we get started, I'd like to know who is contributing to our future, and with that, how many ships and men will follow under your lead. This will best help us design a strategy.”

“Come here you little shit fucker. I’ma make you wish you were never fucking born!” 

Benjamin had been born into a world of violence. The slurred speech of a drunkard filled his ears as he tried to run as fast as his little legs could carry him through the farm lands. He’d been born on a wealthy plantation which was owned by slaves but lately the money had been dying. No one was buying cotton as much as they were in the past and the tobacco which he’d been planning  to sell was barely bringing in a profit. They wouldn’t survive another year at this rate. 

“Grab that boy, you fuckin’ slave!” His father shouted to a large black man as his son passed through. Grabbing him he did as he was told and suddenly his father looked at his son and snatched him up by his collar. “I’m fucking teach you!” He shouted as he dragged his son to nearby barn. Inside the barn was a single hook attached to the ceiling with a rope which was used for tying the hands of slaves when beating was adminster. No amount of struggling or biting or kicking could stop his own father from stringing him up. 

Kicking his legs Benjamin struggled but his struggle was in vain as his father closed the barn door and reached for the nearby hickory switch. “I fucking hate you, you ain’t no goddamn son of mine. You don’t look like me, sound like me, hell. You’re fucking mother is a whore! I’ll told you, didn’t I? I’ma beat you every goddamn day of your life because I fuckin’ feel like it ya bastard!”  Lifting the switch above his head he brought it down on Benjamins back causing him to scream. Once more he lifted the instrument of torture and flogged him viciously. Each lash brought a higher pitched scream from the boys lips as he grabbed the rope and apologize. “I’m sorry for being born! I’m sorry for being born! I’m sorry for being born!”

“I’m sorry I didn’t end you life sooner ya fucker.” Standing over his dad, the now thirteen year old boy had came up behind him with a knife. It’d taken him a week to recover from the beaten his “father” had given him. The knife which he held in his hand went a straight through his spine and as his father laid there gargling out blood, Ben didn’t stop there. He laughed, he smiled as he stabbed his father multiple times getting blood on his hands and face till finally he came to his sense. Sleeking his hair back with the blood of his father he walked out of the house. By then the plantation had only a handful of slaves who looked to him as he smirked. “Welp, don’t act like ya’ll didn’t wanna kill the fucker. Just cause I’m white don’t mean I have any love for my own kind. I was just as much a worthless bastard in his eyes as you slaves were.  Now.. let’s fuck outta here and leave Grecia shall we? I say we take to the seas… become king ourselves yah?” 

And kings they became. 

Sweat dripped from the brow of the pirate lord as his hands traced the curvature of a lovely lass. Her lips dripped with honey and as he found himself buried deeper in-between her thighs his hands moved to caress her face. He’d been at port on the tiny island of Ja-Ja refueling supplies when a woman had come asking for him. It was clear that she wasn’t from the western side of her world because her face was smaller, her eyes narrower and her skin was different. She’d told him she had a message for him and he told her that he wasn’t interested in a message unless it came with something else and right now they were… well, deeply in the middle of something else. 

“So… I take it that the rumors are true than? We got ourselves a Pirate Queen from the East summoning us Pirate lords eh?” Benjamin grinned as he looked at the messenger and who was fast asleep after their romp. Tossing his head back he stood up and kicked open the door to his room which was located in the brothel. His crew had grown considerably large and so now whenever they took to port it most of the brothels welcome them with open arms because they knew.. Very well, that they would make a small fortune.

He’d been to the brothels of Grecia, the love shacks of Nyumabi, been invited into the homes of several lovely women in Halasar, but never had he thought to visit the red light district in Tiantang. He didn’t think those delicate women could handle someone as wild as he. But the messenger had proven otherwise. Grinning he stomped his foot on the ground and watched as everyone in his crew looked up. 

“Ooi! It’s been a while since I’d put my blade into someone’s back. Some of ye might be thinkin I’ve done went soft on ya! The Pirate Queen of the East is tryna to hold a council, says we ought to fuck the navy of Grecia before they fuck us. And I say why the hell now!? I’ve had my fill of cunt, now its time for blood”  

With that a cheer rose up from the group of pirates as they clamored for bloodshed. Benjamin woud make sure that they would be blood, and lots of it.

The voyage to the otherside of the world took almost a month, but by the time they landed upon the Island off the coast of the eastern continent his men were already roaring for battle. On the way they’ve attacked several ships, cut throats and lined their pockets with golden coins. And as he stepped foot on the island the very first thing Benjamin said to himself was; “I may not be an emperor, but I reckon a king deserves a harem as much as a chinese emperor does eh?” And as he strolled into the redlight district and came across the first establishment he could find he plopped down a bag of gold and spoke “Here’s a fuckin shit ton of gold coins. Bring me as much women and alcohol as that can buy.” 

Last night had been truly unforgettable. Rising from the throng of bodies Captain bones made his way to the nearest bath and took care of himself. He’d be back tonight to enjoy the five or six women that now laid sleeping in his room. Heading towards the cabin which held the meeting his eyes fell upon the captains and he pouted. Till he laid his eyes upon one lady who was beyond beautiful. It was clear that she, she had to be the fable Queen of the East. And boy did she give one hell of a speech. 

Letting out a whistle Benjamin Bones grabbed his mug of beer and slammed it back before slamming the wooden mug on the table and grinning. “Ay! Now that’s how ya give a fuckin’ speech! Yer right! That’s how we’ continue wit our way of life! But sticking these son’s of bitches from behind and taking their asses before they take our necks. I may be the youngest captain in this room; but I sell with 6 ships and 600 men!” 

Sararin Yamato, a simple farmers child from Liem, Eshus. She had been given an education which was unheard of for the females of her country and villages considering they were only there to produce children and listen to the men they were married to or their fathers. Liem like so many other villages and towns were built in the Tulou village style. Their larger cities and such were not designed that way, but more of the likewise style of the countries around them. The reason was because Eshus was economically powerful because of its exports of grains to its power houses around them. TianTang, Halasar, Grecia, even Nyumabi traded Eshus for their products. It was this economy that kept most of them from causing war upon the small island nation itself. 

That was until one day the kingdom of Tiantang had declared war upon Eshus the same day the emperor had been crowned. His first dacree was to retake Eshus under their crown and force the country to recognize that it was never an independent nation. It was also on this day that Sararin had lost everything. Her fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, every male that was in her life had been called to arms to defend Eshus, and not even the small villages that litterered the country, but the capital of the country itself. Osrul the famed walled city had taken a full six years to fall. Most of the soldiers had died during the fighting, those that had survived were executed on the spot branded as traitors and radicals against the emperor. The females were sold as slaves across Tiantang or worse into the brothals and red districts across all the nations. 

After securing his new lands the baby emperor visited Eshus viewing its countryside like it was his plaything. Something along the lines of he wanted the people to know his face, both so they could respect it and fear it. Sarain's village had been visited during the trip and while she was suppose to be engaged to another man through the traditional wedding ceremony, the time honored thing had been cancelled when Emperor Peizhi had shown up to the village. It was considered a blessing that he was there, however he enforced marital law which allowed him to share the bride's bed for the first wedding night. Of course that meant that he would have taken Sararin had she been wedded, instead the groom had called off the wedding in fear that the Emperor would take his bride to bed. This had broken Sararin's heart at first, but was a relief later when she learned the man king was nothing more than a baby throwing tantrums because he didn't get what he wanted.

When the Emperor went to depart he summoned for the young maiden and demanded she become his wife and concubine to live with him at the palace in Tiantang where she would live with the other wives until one of them gave him a male child. Not able to refuse Sararin left her village for the rest of her life never to lay her eyes upon its sights again. This had killed her mother and Grandmother months later as the last child they had was now gone. When she first arrived at the palace it was both memorizing with its size and tantalizing with how busy it was with servants running around. 

She had lived in this dream for nearly seven years before the Emperor finally named his queen Empress and bride. It was on her orders the other concubines were to be executed in secret so Peizhi would not find out it was her that had done so. The one thing she did not calculate however was that Sararin had training in combat from her brothers who constantly picked on her. It was during this bloodbath that she had escaped with a few others. Carefully deceiving guards as they left. Fleeing the country, the female went to work in the red district in Grecia many would not remember her true name only the one she went by. The Jade queen, eventually news had gotten to her that those that she escaped with had also been hunted down and killed she was still on the Empress's list of ‘problems’

A few months later go by and she is visited by some unknown visiters before. Not pirates either new or old as many who did come here usually came with past customers to be shown a good time. It seems instead they were looking for something or more exactly someone. Their eyes landed on Sararin's Deep ocean eyes as she stared at them unphased by their presence. Hearing their heavy boots hit the wooden floor as they approached she continued what she was doing. Eating a small dish that her country was known for. It was the sound of an unsheathing sword that had made her turn around her bowl still in hand chop-sticks in the other. Her stone cold calm voice coming out clear.

“I must ask that you put that away, At least before you regret bringing it in here in the first place.” Taking several more bites of her food the man who had fully pulled his sword swung it at her only to notice his hand had been removed. The hand was on the floor the sword now on the counter behind the cold women. Her eyes not yet leaving her food. Screams is what was greeted in her ears. Howls of fear from the girls and boys that worked for her, and screams of pain from the man who's hand was just removed. And shouts of anger from the other man. All the voices of what was being said tangled together to become so undisguisable that Sararin put her bowl down on the counter in a slam quitting down the workers in the brothel, but that left the man screaming in pain. 

Bending down to his level as he tried to stop the bleeding with his only hand that was still attached “I told you that you would regret bringing that in here.” the second man had grabbed the blade its rattling had made Sararin turn her head just in the right way to scare the man and causing him to drop it. Grabbing the sword, she spun around in a circle cutting off both men's head. the silence became serine and peaceful. It was also her last day at the brothel. She would leave later that night after leaving its ownership to her top worker.

Later that year she would gain a ship, a crew, and a name for herself. It had earned her a fleet running the ships the same way her word was law disobey it and you were removed. Eventually she had amassed. close to enough ships to take on the navy from TianTang and force them into submission she would hunt down and sink any ships that attempted trade with Tiantang unless she knew the colors that flew over ships. Pirate ships she would leave alone not needing a war over her personal vendetta against the crown who tore her family apart, that was at least until their ships were hunted down by the First Admiral of Garcia and his fleet.

“Curse that little Navy slave. He is nothing but a cotton plugged brown noiser for the Garcia crown. God knows he is probably out there now in bed with a man on his ship.” she had been given news that another ship of hers was sank recently the flag washed ashore close by. It was also only greeted by a female standing in her door speaking of the queen calling all pirate lords in the Asia sea to attend a meeting of pirates. Becoming frustrated with the man she had wanted to take his head specifically, but that wouldn't happen if he wiped them all out one by one. heeded the call of the Pirate queen.

The voyage itself had not taken that long a max of two weeks from where she settled her ships to make sure no more of them were taken from her fleet, she would need to regrow it if she was to have her personal war. Sitting at the table that had been prepared she refused the alcohol she wanted a clear head to make her decision not a drunken stupor one most of these people likely would make off the ale that went around just as much as girls did at palace parties. Hearing the speech the Pirate queen had given even saying her actual name. It wasn't even seconds of silence before a man slammed his cup on the table and spoke up about the women's speech and how he would stand with her. His fleet consisted of six ships and six hundred men. Standing up also “The Jaded Queen Sararin Yamato stands with you Queen of the East. I sail with eight ships, and eight hundred in the crew.” 

Sugar. 

To most the taste of sugar was sweet and filled them with joyfulness. But to the Ancient mariner the taste of sugar was bitter. The white men had discovered sugar cane on the island of Ja-Ja and when they found out it tasted good with their tea they started importing bodies to harvest the sugarcane. Tea, fucking tea, was Grecia's excuse for enslaving hundreds of thousands upon the plantations on that small island and driving them with the lash of the whip upon their backs. At one time it filled the elder pirate with resentment but now, in his old age, he'd found it amusing. Even the island which was once his personal hell now was his little slice of Heaven. For Jabari wasn't just a Pirate lord, he'd had a special contract with the sovereign nation or Nyumabi to liberate slavery ships and bring them home to their kingdoms. The king of the Largest Kingdom, Simba, had written a letter threatening to set up a navy blockade if King Andrew persisted in his reckless capturing and enslaving of native blacks of his kingdom. So a truce was made. 

Pouring his tea, the ancient Pirate Lord was just in the middle of enjoying his morning when the door to his study flung open. A young boy came walking in holding a letter which bore with it the seal of the queen of the East. Once, in his life, he'd had dealings with her. He owed her a debt for saving his life when he'd attacked a slaver ship belonging to Tiantang. Even the Eastern Nation knew that the trading of human cargo yielded immense profit. As the young man came closer to the elder men he looked at it and hummed. If she'd bother to contact him then this had to be important. 

The elder commanded close to 15 ships and controlled 1500 men under his flag. Many people fear the flag which had chains broken on it. Even though he mostly targeted slave ships, they'd been known to attack other ships that held vast treasure and wealth as well. “If this is coming from the Queen of the East then she must be in trouble.. let us raise  a call to our men and head towards the Island.”

As the call to join his voyage to the pirate conference went out the chain breaker went to visit his secret lover whom he'd met nearly twenty years ago. She'd found him when he had just returned from his first successful haul and was making it as a captain. He'd been taught how to sell under Luke the Red terror and had seen him hanged by Grecia. She'd comforted him in many ways despite her skin being the opposite of his and her being baring the same hazel eyes as his oppressor he'd loved her deeply. Arriving at her door steps he knocked upon her door to announce himself and smiled as she extended her hand and he kissed it gently.

“So, you'll leave the warmth of my arms again to set sail? You're no longer young my darling.” Her voice was filled with worry but he waved it off. He owed the Queen of the East and he was a man of his word. 

As the sun rose the next day, Jabari to to his ship and scanned the crew which had answered his called. It seemed as though many more had come in for word spread that this would be the oldest pirate Lord's finally voyage. He would fight one more war and retire in peace at the ripe old age of fifty and he couldn't ask for anything better. Stalking his ship he sniffed the air and closed his eyes. They had a good breeze, it was time to head towards the council since he'd possessed several men of war. Being the Pirate who had the biggest bounty he'd had to be smart about this and smart he was. 

Since more had joined than anticipated halfway through the voyage he'd ended up capturing a ship or two. And that was when that happened. He'd hadn't even noticed it when she first came aboard his ship. Yet there she was a light skinned girl found tending to men who had gotten injured in battle. She was found on his second ship, the Lady Mercy, which was captained by a female pirate. Taking the young girl onto his own ship he furrowed his brow as he looked at the light skin girl. She was a mulatto. In his experience it was the mixed skin girls who would often find themselves at the lustful whims of her master. Bed wrenches were what many bitter slaves had referred to them as. 

“Young lady, I will not judge you. I know that you must've had a horrible experience with your master and that led you to join up with a pirate crew.. but we are going to war. You understand this, yes? You will remain by my side as a ship doctor. Every ship needs a doctor and that way… if I may not make it out alive you will not suffer anymore abuses. Your value will lie in your skills and not your body.” 

As he spoke those words he’d make sure to smile warmly at her. Afterall Jabari was a kind and gentle soul despite being fearsome in war and battle. The next three weeks at sea were spent with him teaching her how to do her job and do it correctly. She seemed to be a fast learner and even though she’d was less receptive at first things did ended up getting better for both of them.

Once they’d finally put into port inside of Tiantang he’d smiled warmly at the girl. She would be one to accompany him on the trip to the cabin where all the pirate lords had gathered. Sitting down in his old age he heard the queen give a speech and he closed his eyes taking it all in. Instantly a youngster jumped up swearing vulgarly before spatting off how many followed him. He was than followed by another woman who spoke about how many ships she had. Finally it was his turn.

“Aye! I am Jabari Rogers. I will stand for freedom. I pledge 17 ships and 1,600 men.” He spoke up. The two ships that he’d capture had been smaller men ships with a few cannons so the extra hundred that had joined were divided between those two ships. 

At the tender age of twenty-one, Zhara bore the unique and captivating beauty that could only arise from the union of disparate worlds. Her mixed heritage, a blend of her mother and distant exotic lineage she did not know much about, bestowed upon her a complexion that held the warmth of honeyed sunlight, complemented by eyes that shimmered with the mysteries of both distant seas and emerald forests.

Zhara’s hair cascaded in loose dreadlocks, each coil a testament to the untamed beauty that flowed through her veins. Her attire, a tapestry of cultural influences, reflected the merging of her dual heritage. Zhara moved with equal excitement and uncertainty as she responded to a call for help upon deck. 

Zhara harboured a quiet longing to unravel the secrets of her own lineage. Her mother, a resilient woman who had weathered the storms of life alone, spoke only in hushed tones about Zhara’s father. A sailor lost at sea, a man whose name had never once been spoken or shared. The absence of his presence left Zhara with an ache, an unanswered question that lingered in the depths of her soul. It was the reason she had always felt so connected to the sea and now she was being presented with the opportunity to explore like her father had, although she had kept her decision from her mother, not wanting the woman to talk her out of it.

Zhara yearned to embark on her own journey of discovery and that was exactly what she planned to do. Guided by the echoes of the ocean that called out to her from beyond the horizon, she stood on the precipice of adulthood, ready to chart a course that would unveil the mysteries of her lineage and, perhaps, reunite her with the father she knew only through the ebb and flow of the tides. She knew that her father was long lost but perhaps being upon the water would help her feel connected to him in some way.

The salty sea air filled Zhara’s lungs as she found herself being rowed toward the foreboding silhouette of a ship. The rhythmic creaking of the oars matched the pounding of her heart as the gap between the small rowboat and the imposing vessel closed. The ship, its timeworn planks and tattered sails revealing a life of clandestine adventures, loomed overhead like a leviathan emerging from the depths. It was not just any ship but a pirate ship and that was when she knew she had made a mistake. To get mixed up with pirates was not safe, yet she knew that she did not really have any way out now. It was too late.

As she ascended the rope ladder thrown down for her, Zhara couldn't shake the feeling of trepidation. The crew, a motley assembly of rugged men adorned in worn leather and faded garments, eyed her with a mixture of curiosity and scepticism. The ship's captain, a female no less, approached with a wary gaze.

"What business does a lass like you have aboard the Lady Mercy?" One of the male pirates grumbled, his voice a low rumble that echoed through the wooden planks.

Zhara squared her shoulders, determined to face the challenge she had unwittingly embraced. "I heard you were in need of a healer, sir." she stammered, acutely aware of the disapproving glares boring into her.

The captain's eyes narrowed, but after a moment's contemplation and a nod, one of the men gestured for her to follow. Zhara was led through the labyrinthine passages of the ship, the air thick with the scent of salt and sweat. Finally, they arrived at a makeshift infirmary where wounded pirates lay groaning on hammocks.

The conditions were rudimentary at best, and Zhara realized that her knowledge of basic medical care would be put to the test. The male grunted, "Do what you can, lass. We're not ones for fancy doctors, but a bit of mending might keep us afloat a while longer."

As the night wore on, Zhara worked tirelessly, her hands moving with a grace born of necessity. The sailors, initially sceptical, began to watch her with a newfound respect as she tended to wounds and eased the suffering of the crew. The once-hostile environment gradually transformed into an unspoken acknowledgment of shared survival and that continued for several weeks until their ship met up with another, one that clearly housed a powerful pirate who had sway over the crew of this one. 

It wasn’t long before Zhara was transferred to the other ship, another captain who seemed to approach her with uncertainty but as he spoke it was clear that he had already made assumptions about why she had been found upon one of his pirate ships. She was not about to admit to him that she was here by accident, but she did speak out.

“I do not have a master, nor have I ever had one. I am not upon your ship to run away from something but more to find something. Not treasure or anything of the sort.” She clarified. 

Zhara never shared what it was she was looking for exactly, but the captain took her under his wing, teaching her the way things worked and skills that she never thought she would need to learn and soon it seemed he would not go anywhere without her by his side. She wasn’t sure what his motivation was, but she knew that she was safe with him and that was the reason she decided to attend the meeting with him rather than wait aboard the ship.

She watched as the Pirate Queen gave her speech and others pledged ships and men and Zhara couldn’t help but notice the younger pirate who seemed to speak with such vulgarity and passion. She had to hide a smile before turning her attention back to Jabari who was willing to put much into the effort of the war. In fact, it wasn’t until this moment that she knew of the true extent of his power and influence over the seas.

The roar of the surf was the perfect backdrop for a game of cards with his crew. He didn’t man a thousand ships, a small fleet of five, with around two hundred men, but they were merciless. Pirates didn’t survive by being soft hearted, he knew that. These men had left their lives behind, their ties and their hearts on the shore for a life fighting for freedom at sea. He was fortunate, he never did like his parents and at the good age of twenty-six, he had few regrets. He had left his sister with them, she had only been a child when he left and a ship was no place was a little girl.

She’d be married now, with children no doubt at eighteen. He slammed his hand down,

“Avast, look at that. Ye still can’t beat me, Varro.” He laughed as he pocketed the coin and looked over when he received a message and he raised an eyebrow. A call? A summon? Well, something serious had to have happened then. He hoisted the sails and called his ships to action. His crew was his family now and he would kill for them, anyone who dared come near his home, they never lasted long. He had renown for being relatively young, but ruthless. He had tortured men before, murdered them with no quarter and he would do it all over again for his men.
 

It didn’t take long to sail, luckily they were in the area. He eyed the area, these were pirates so everyone was in guard and he looked to the woman. A pretty thing, strong and powerful like the oceans themselves. There was ale, that always made everything better and he greedily swallowed it down as he listened to her speech. She was eloquent too.

She had a way with words, Freddie noticed and he grinned over his mug. They were going to have a fight then, a good old fashioned skirmish and he had to admit, he was itching for a decent fight. It heated his blood and he raised his mug,

“Lovely, I’ll pledge my five ships and two hundred men. They’ll die and kill for this cause.” He remarked, he longed to see the authorities that dared to try and hang them dead. He wanted the water red with their blood and the ability to remain free. Then he’d go back, he’d get his sister Sylvie and she would know freedom. Just like him. Everyone would know it should they have their way. The seas were not for the faint hearted, a man had to be tough to roll along in the blue.
 

“Take what we want, leave nothing to guessing games. They’ll rue the day they went against us.” Freddie said, commonly known as the Fox for his wily ways and ability to outfox many a man. It also earned him the reputation as a double crosser and one not to be trusted but he kept himself safe and the rest of his crew and ships safe. They were a small fleet but they had survived the odds.

Feni; he was not a man to be played with nor disrespected in any capacity. As the man strolled upon Vice Admiral Hooks ship the elder man shaped up as he stood to attention. Most people upon his ship hadn’t met the redheaded boy but they’ve heard how long ago James had saved a boy. Took him into the navy and had raised him to be the son which he’d never had. The fondness for the boy showed if one knew where to look. Aboard this ship however, there was no fondness. Only harsh discipline and a sense that orders needed to be followed. That was clear by how the redhead had reiterated his threat of riding themselves of lecherous men. His words made it clear that just because a woman was on board they’d be no trying to satisfy their desires with her. As soon as the male gave the order to bring the woman aboard The Dutchess Hook snapped to attention and nodded that he’d do as he was told and follow his orders to the letter. 

“Well Gentlemen.” His voice came out as he turned to look towards the crew. “Have we gotten that out of our systems? Do we understand that we our His King’s men? Not lawless pirates? Or should I pick out several of you men to run the gauntlet?” He asked and as soon as he mentioned that the entire crew changed their tone. When it came to choosing the Gauntlet or death, there wasn’t a sailor alive that didn’t choose death. The running of the gauntlet started with a sailor having his hands tied in front of him and a rope tied about his hands. Every sailor on the boat was given a piece of knotted rope and the condemned man was led through the entire ship and was given a lash aboard by every sailor and then led back through the gauntlet so that every sailor would lash him again. Even on the smallest of ships, the least amount of lashes a sailor would receive would be close to two hundred. Consider that this was a vice admiral ship and around  three hundred and fifty  sailors were aboard this ship. A man was looking at well over six hundred lashes. 

James' ship had close to a hundred and fifty cannons and was three decks if one counted the top one. With that many men aboard and it took a man who ruled with an iron fist to make sure things stayed in order. Running the gauntlet was an ultimate punishment that not many people survived. Most collapsed halfway through running the gauntlet and those who didn’t perished from fever within a week lying in bed in absolute agony. Most preferred a swift death if the gauntlet was offered as a punishment. And those that survived hated it because they’d be scrubbing the blood off their fellow sailor. It was a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. 

Heading down towards his cabin the first thing James did was grab a navy outfit, the smallest he could find, to fit the girl. He would make sure that she was decent when they went to visit the head captain. Opening his cabin door he handed her the sailors uniform and spoke “Get dress. Out Fleet’s admiral wants to see you.” He didn’t give her any ifs, ands, or butts. He waited outside for her to get dress and once she was he cuffed her wrist in front of her, tied a rope around it and led her to a towing ship.

“You look like how my daughter would look if she’d been able to grown up.” James spoke softly as he saw in the rowboat with her and another sailor that was taking them towards the Dutchess. His eyes looked to the girl whom stowed away on his ship before he spoke softly. “Back when I was a merchant I’d sail with pirates. I had romantic thoughts about being pirates.. I was 10 when I first got on my first boat.. I thought pirates were cool… wonderful.. The first twenty years of my life were spent during the golden age of piracy. I remember laying my eyes upon Jabari the chainbreaker, Luke the red terror, Edward Blackbeard Teach, Hornigold, and Gold Rogers the king of the pirates. I remember the day when Mark “One leg” Johnson announce his retirement. I remember when Captain Charles Vayne mad his bid for piracy. I even drunk rum with one of the richest pirates to sale the seven seas… Out of all the men I’ve named, two met their ends at the gallows. Two of them died in battle and two of them retired. During the golden age pirates had honor, these pirates.. Don’t.

They killed my  daughter and my wife.. I’ve seen what they do to women like you aboard their ships.. Seen women die from syphilis and other diseases because of what was done to them by pirates. You’re lucky you stumble upon a navy ship. Damn lucky.” 

Untying her hands and undoing the rope he softly looped his arm around hers and led her towards captain quarters  on the Dutchess.  As were his bosses orders he delivered the girl unto him and stood in his cabin as he waited to hear why he wanted to see them both. 

Sylvie changed and she smoothed the uniform down. She eyed her hands, did she really need to be cuffed, was she that scary? Maybe she was to this man. She glared at him as he rowed her to a larger ship, no doubt after the redhead man that wanted to see her. She raised an eyebrow when he started talking about how he was a pirate. She was doing her best to keep her face cold, but she was young and stupid and it softened when he mentioned his wife and daughter had been murdered. Her own brother had taken to the seas and she had no idea if he was alive or dead. She lifted her gaze for a moment,

“You have my hands bound.” She pointed out when he mentioned pirates were terrible.

“A little too tight honestly, kinda sore.” She muttered and wriggled her wrists.

He released her wrists when they arrived and she looked at him,

“I’m not your daughter. I’m not anyone’s daughter now.” Being a daughter meant property and she wasn’t anyone’s property now. She was free, sort of. She didn’t belong to anyone and she would sooner throw herself in the murky depths than be claimed as his daughter or property. She was not a hog or cow to be sold off or whipped down, not anymore. Nobody had seen her back and she was grateful. She wasn’t weak, she wouldn’t be seen as weak either and she would strike down any man that accused her of it.

Her father had been a drinker, that was why Freddie had left and her mother was just a sickly woman. He had broken a switch off her back last time he had gotten angry and drunk, she had spoken out of turn. Most women would turn mousy and quiet but she had rebelled, she had screamed at him and she had learned that day she wanted a voice, she needed a voice. She wasn’t going to lose it now and as she stood and looked around the quarters. It was fancy she supposed. She eyed the red head, narrowing her eyes. He was too young to be anyone’s boss, he was barely older than her.
 

“I got on the wrong ship.” She stated, rather sharply, “Drop me off at the next port and I’ll get in the right ship.” She stated, flatly. She wanted nothing more than to get off this wretched ship and away from these people. They were authority, everything she hated. Jumped up men in stupid costumes pretending they spoke for justice. Justice didn’t save most of the women she had seen married to terrible men, abused by parents, kicked in the streets. At least with pirates if you fought you earned respect.

“And if you won’t do that then I want to know what you’ll do with me, I can’t stay on your ships your men are rabid animals aren’t they?” She remarked. They had loose control, she couldn’t dine with two hundred men who hadn’t seen a woman in months, she couldn’t share a sleeping area with them, she didn’t care how much they thought they had control of their men but they didn’t. All it took was one night and she would stab any of them if they got too close.

“Or will I be your prisoner?” She asked them both, that was worse somehow.

Feni had returned to the Dutchess. As he boarded several of his work force had stopped what they were doing to salute him only to return to their duties as he went by. He had returned to his cabin in a quick fashion and began tidding it up. Removing at first the papers from the table to clear it off to show a fine red ceder table that could easily sit twenty people at it with elbow room still. Placing the papers in their proper places he returned the maps to the wall, but one thing he put into a box and locked the key placed around his neck. Inside the box was a simple letter that had been delivered to him, It was a call from the Queen of the East, the proclaimed Queen of the waters she had called for the Red King's aid, but beyond being told she was calling all Pirate lords to her meeting place nothing more was said. The letter of course was also very hard to obtain as the message was delivered by word of mouth by a female who Feni had tortured after she discovered he was a Navy man, more so that he was the feared First Armada Admiral. It wasn't until nearly three weeks after she began that she finally gave in and delivered her message. That was of course on the promise of being released, which Feni had kept to. He however had her followed and he guessed that she knew that so instead of leaving town she found herself a nice little drinking hole and it was there she poisoned herself.

It was the knocks at the door that had dragged the male from his cleaning as his Vice Admiral, the man who was his father from a young age had entered first, a female in a sailor's uniform came in behind him. She was of course rubbing her wrists like they had been tied and untied recently. Looking at first to James Feni's very Nordic heritage came through in his voice as he waved to the chairs. 

“Please take a seat, both of you.” his eyes returned to the girl and as he watched her he noticed she looked around the cabin. Thinking to himself it was mostly commonly placed for a commander to be within his central command it was unlike Feni so most of the time the females took care of the place. It was when her eyes returned to him did he see her narrow glare like stare at him. Seeing James make his way towards one of the chairs his attention caught when the girl didn't make any move to seat herself even when offered. Taking in a deep breath Feni only sat down himself across from James once again pointing towards the seats.

“I can Assure you young lady you will come to no harm while on this ship or any ship in my fleet.” he spoke a little slower than normal, but perhaps he was trying to cover up the Norse in his voice, but it still slipped through. The male watched as the girl moved to take a seat separated from both men. Feni could only think perhaps it would be to run if necessary or to at least put something between her and James if he attempted to make a move on her. Stifling a chuckle himself Feni became more serious as he linked his hands together on the table. Before he could even talk the female very sternly spoke up about how she had gotten on the wrong ship and made the demand she be dropped off at the next port and she would get on the correct ship. Her speaking first had taken him aback a little but he should have guessed it would happen.

Thinking to himself, the next port was one of Garcia owned, and if they didn't stop there the next one would be in Tiantang. It did not escape Feni that this girl meant she was attempting to get on a different kind of ship besides a Navy one, but that could be left up for term. Could she mean a pirate ship? a merchant ship? a simple transport ship? it wouldn't matter to him for now at the least. She was on his ship now and would remain his guest. As he thought of what could be done the female spoke up again about how if he refused to return her to shore or at least release her at the next port what would become of her. While there were perks for having a young female around Feni was not known to keep people against their will unless necessary. Speaking flatly his care for his voice escaped him at this point and his Nordic heritage showed.

“You will stay here aboard the Dutchess until next port.” Raising his hand before she spoke up he continued on after returning his hand to its entanglement with his other. 

“While you are aboard the Dutchess you will be treated as any other sailor on the ship. That means you will have tasks you must have complete for the day. Also while you are Aboard the Dutchess you will be given all accommodations as the female sailors that are aboard.” pausing a moment Feni looked towards James for a reaction, seeing a sort of relief come across his face his gaze returned to Sylvie she has a look of indifference on her face, but it was a slight difference over the one she had earlier which meant she didn't like the idea. 

Turning his body now so it fully faced James he spoke. “This also means we will have to teach her how to defend herself. I will not have the men aboard these ships harassing her in anyway. While she stays with us as my guest.” looking towards the female he turned his attention once again to her. “That also being said if anyone attempts to harass you while a guest aboard this ship I apologize now for it. Men are a hard animal to control and no matter how much training they go through its still in their nature to harass those they see as weaker than themselves.” Returning his attention to James he continued speaking.

“I would also like for you to come here to the Dutchess daily to help with training her, however I do understand a commander of a fleet has his own tasks he must see to, so I will not force this on you. I want your honest answer in my asking you to do so." Feni looked to James and tried hard to read him, but he saw the respect and pride that came from him. The older man had opened his mouth to answer a couple of times, but closed it to think more on his answer.

“Mmhm. I can make time in the evening. I can come here just an hour before sunset and teach her the correct way to use a rapier and fire a pistol. A pistol would do good." Returning his full attention now to the girl that was still sitting in the room. 

“My name is Feni, Feni Ormisson. I am First Navy Admiral of Garcia. What is your name? And do you have any questions or concerns that I can address while you are still here?”

Many pirate lords responded well to her speech. This brought over 200 ships to the fold along with their crews. Of course, considering the company, Fei didn't take the numbers as fact. However that didn't make the information worthless. She was able to get a rough idea on how to best utilize each group, only to narrow that down once she understood how each one preferred to operate. 

“All of those in support, I recommend you stay a bit to talk shop. Everyone else, I suggest you leave the island and get some space between us and yours.” Fei watched as those who did not join the cause walked out of the cabin with their tails between their legs. Her men made sure to encourage any stragglers to make their exit as well. A group of hers followed to make sure no one got curious or lost on the way to their ships.

While they waited, Fei signaled for another round of booze to circulate to those who remained. Once she was reassured by her men that only those in support were left, she continued, “If ye can't hold your ale, I suggest holding off for this part. We'll be changing locations for this.” She directed everyone out of the cabin and walked further into the island. There was a narrow river that flowed through and enough small boats to bring along those in attendance to wherever the river led. However, as she got close, she veered off from the river. There was a hidden latched door amidst the native foliage. She opened it up and ushered the others to go into the underground tunnel. A few of her men with lit torches went in first to show the way for everyone. After her guests all entered, she sent in a couple of her guys to make sure they weren't getting too antsy and then she immediately followed.

Once inside, there was an enormous war room that was well lit with torches near the entryway and oil lamps in the heart of the room. It was filled with detailed maps of the world decorating the reinforced walls, globes, a table with enough space to seat 30 people, and countless barrels filled with scrolls and map parchment. “Welcome all. As you can see, we have everything we need in here to talk strategy. So I hope you forgive the extra steps it took to arrive.” The Queen of the East took her spot at the head of the table and took note of where everyone else positioned themselves. 

“As pirate lords, we always have to be ready for anything. In this case, it's those navy bastards intruding on our talks. As you know I sent members of my own crew to invite you all in person. Each one of my crew reported back except one. With this, I have reason to believe the navy has intercepted one of my invitations. As you all know, our location isn't written anywhere on the parchment. Those sharks and their land loving owners put everything in writing. It makes things too easy. However, this does not mean they won't eventually figure it out. I suggest we use this time to make these islands our first part of our strategy.” 

Fei grabbed a bundle of map parchments from a nearby barrel. She untied them and let them loose on the table before her. Each one was a detailed map of a family of islands, including the one they were currently on. “They're all copies of the same thing so everyone can see with their own eyes what I propose and make their own input. Before that… Any questions? Comments? Concerns?”

“Well, Ain’t this one fuckin’ big family reunion eh? I remember shittin’ my pants hearing rumors about you black fella.. And I’m pretty sure we done met before.. Little pretty lady.” Those words left Benjamin’s mouth as he tossed back the rest of his ale and grinned leaning forward as he saw the rest of the pirates file in and join in their ranks. Of course he’d was hoping that more had show up but the number which had appeared was healthy enough. Though, one thing did cross him and as he turned towards the pirates who’d hadn’t had the sticks to stand and fight he blinked his eyes. Holding his hand held, he was about to say something but instead he chose to remain quiet. Turning towards his first mate he nodded his head and the first mate also nodded and he stood up and abruptly left the meeting. Not that it mattered since it semeed as though they were having a change of venue.

There were multiple reasons why the Pirate Lord had been given the name “backstabbing.” It wasn’t because he was notorious for betraying other pirates. No, Benjamin was quite the loyal pirate.  He was notorious for killing those who’d cross him. And boy, did a lot of pirates crossed him tonight. He’d figure that they’d be one or two pirates lords who’d bow out of the fight. But he didn’t expect there to be a lot more running like a scared little pup  between their legs. This had to be rectified, this had to be punished. 

Whilst the pirate Queen’s men escorted those pirates to their ships, Benjamin’s whole crew were lying in wait in the dark wading in the water with knives in hand ready to board the ships. The next morning a lot of crews were going to wake up captainless and only one man would know why. As the youngest pirate Captain followed the Queen to the knew meeting he was more than happy to see that the new place came with more alcoholic drinks and maps. 

Reaching for both the map and the drink he took a long swig from the booze before he let out a happy sigh. Looking down at the map he turned his head towards the Queen as he heard that she had a rat in her midst. Rats. The one thing that Benjamin couldn’t abide by. There was nothing worst in this world than a pirate that fucking cross another, and for that son bitch to cross a pirate to a navy dog? “Do you know who it was that didn’t report back to ya? I’d like words with him..” Captain Bones spoke softly before he looked towards the crew. Without warning he he took out a knife and tossed it in the aiir. 

“Most pirates like to use guns… but me? I like to use knives to cut a sonvabitch slowly. I want to look into the fucker’s eyes and bleed him real slow so he knows that’s what you get when you cross me. I want to make one thing clear, no offense to the Queen of the East here… But I will be the executioner to any pirate here that crosses us. If I even hear ya so much as breath a word of doubt, consider your necks slit..” Stabbing the knife down onto the island he spoke up.

“Here, take a gander  of the Yagong islands. It has a volcano that hides what’s on the other side. If we put a look out ontop of the island when the navy ship come, we can have a fleet of about fifteen ships sneak around and attack the navy from behind. Assuming that they plan on fighting us out in the open; they obviously have us in numbers. Best way to fuck ‘em is doggystyle.”

And what Benjamin meant was to get behind the navy and attack their rear ships by surprise. But he gathered that everyone knew his meaning. 

Sararin didn't seem to blink a single eyelash as men filed out, She was known as the Jaded queen for a reason. While she would not tolerate the disrespect on the name of freedom or what others considered Piracy she looked onward towards those who had stayed. All in all there were some big names in the room with her outside of the Priate queen of the East. There was Benjamin “back stabbing” Bones, famous for several different reasons. Many being a man of honor, but also for killing those on his bad side and true to his name Sararin watched as his first mate left the meeting likely to take care of those captains who had just left the meeting in earnest for a failed value of freedom over truely fighting for it like those who truly wanted it. Next was Jabari “Chain breaker” rogers. Main who freed slaves from ships and that was his notorious tag. If you saw his tag and he you had slaves on your ship you would have done better jumping ship and letting the slaves go, let the fishes have at you or the sea itself. 

Standing at the end to the left of the lady who had called the meeting stood a man with bright red hair and pale skin. This must have been the rumored Red King. He earned his name for sinking ships both navy and pirate alike if you got in his path, while young in age he has confirmed nearly six hundred ships sank just to his flag ship the Duke or something of that nature. Sarain had watched the rest of the group that remained and kept a tally of them as well in her head. Nineteen other lords in total had come from far and wide across the world. It was hearing the words from the East queen that had caught her attention. She had mentioned a change of scenery and venue to be a bit more confusing for the navy if they had anyone there. 

Following the lady out of the cabin she didn't mind walking inland, what had bothered her was the fact her clothing wasn't exactly meant for traveling in mud and grim. While a pirate lord she was, there was a series of reason she chose the open sea instead of land. Eventually they had gotten to small boats to follow the river down even further into the island itself to end up back in mud and grim, but this time underground. While Sararin wanted to complain she held her tongue this is what it meant to fight for freedom at any cost, this was but a minor inconvenience that could be corrected once she was returned to her own boats. The door opened up and inside was a large enough room to fit all the lords comfortable more alcohol of course and maps of surrounding areas and the open water itself.

sitting down she had taken a few sips of water before the same loud man from earlier had all but threatened every person in the room with death if they even thought about leaving at this point. His words were meaningless to her of course, but that didn't make it less of a threat. It was the glint of the light playing off the metal from the map that caught her attention. His plan was partly sound, but folly. an ambush would require faster ships then what the man hunting them all could send out in scouts. Not to mention on one had an exact count of how many ships he had with him on his hunt.

Approaching the group she only let out a loud laugh. “Back stabbing Bones. Your plan is sound, but folly. That requires to know numbers of how many ships we face. Not to mention the man we are being hunted by is First Fleet Admiral Feni Tor. He has hunted my ships for going on a decade and trying to ambush him will not work. I had ships attempt that already only to have a single survivor return to me with a threat. Feni Tor will have my head and sink my fleet.” Pausing Sarain looked to Wang Yi Fei as she spoke the next bit. 

“Allow my fleet to be on the front lines, let me take on his Flag ship and put an end to the Navy Cotton Plugged slave. I should have killed him when he was on my ships, but he was freed and has had a vendetta against me ever sense, I will put an end to it either way.” Turning her body and attention to Benjamin Stabbing a needle like blade into a map next to his own. she put flatly her words dripping with both malice and venom “They meet us in open waters and we are done for unless we can take out their head. That is what I will do and if anyone takes that boy's life besides me then considered them crossed.” pulling her needle she replaced it back to its hiding spot before she went on.

“We need to find out exactly how many ships and men we are facing before we come up with a set plan for anything. For all we know he could think of doing the same to us.”