"O... of course, of course, Miss Alvida," came a trembling voice.
Rogu, sitting at the table, could barely make out between Alvida's short, thick legs the modest figure of a young man with round cheeks and glasses on his nose, whose appearance betrayed uncertainty and obvious humility.
"Hahahaha!" Alvida suddenly burst into loud laughter that filled the entire bar. Her massive spiked mace, which was resting on her shoulder, suddenly changed direction and crashed to the floor. The sound was so loud that it made many people flinch.
Rogu noticed the corners of the bar owner's mouth twitch nervously. The floor cracked under the blow of the iron mace, leaving a deep dent.
- Worthless! - Alvida suddenly shouted, looking around at everyone present. Her voice was full of malice. - Now you only have two options! The first is to join me, Alvida, and go to sea to become real men! Or the second... to become another corpse under my mace! You don't have much time. This city is permeated with the disgusting smell of the Marines, so you better hurry up with your decision!
The bar patrons looked at each other, not understanding how such a misfortune had befallen them. Who would have thought that an ordinary evening in a cozy bar would end with the appearance of a pirate demanding new subordinates?
Opinions were divided. Some, trembling with fear, could not imagine themselves as pirates, constantly risking their lives on the high seas. Others, on the contrary, believed that this was the chance of a lifetime - to serve under the command of a pirate whose reward was as much as five million!
But there were those who decided to go against it. One of the men jumped up from his seat and, gathering his courage, shouted: - You... you will never achieve your goal! This is Low! This is the Marine base! People like you are just...
His words were cut off by a piercing scream. Alvida, without waiting for the end of his speech, launched her massive mace, which met the daredevil's head with a crash. He fell to the floor, and the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the hall. Alvida approached the fallen man, picked up her mace and brought it down with force again.
"Please, no! Have mercy!" the man screamed, but his pleas were drowned out by the sound of the next blow.
BOOM! - Alvida did not stop. She raised the mace again and again, each time bringing it down with fury on the limp body. The noise of the blows filled the entire room, leaving the rest of the bar in complete horror. No one dared to utter a word.
When she finally stopped, her eyes, like shiny green peas, were full of bloodlust, and she then looked around the room, smiling sinisterly.
"One has already made his choice, but the rest... haven't yet," she said sarcastically.
"I'll join in!" someone from the crowd shouted.
"Me too!" another one chimed in.
"We are all ready!" the others shouted, raising their hands. Even the bar owner, out of fear for his life, hurried to raise both hands, showing his readiness to serve Alvida.
- Excellent! My dear boys! Now let's go to the ship and raise the sails! - Alvida cried, waving her bloody mace.
The crowd, fearing for their lives, hurried to line up behind her and leave the bar. No one dared to object or hesitate. When they came out, a group of pirates with frightening expressions were already waiting for them.
Obviously, any deviation from the route to the ship could have resulted in tragedy. These pirates would certainly not hesitate to stab anyone in the back who dared to try to escape.
Rogu had not yet finished his dinner. Holding a plate of half-eaten lobster curry, he followed behind the crowd. As he walked, he continued eating as if what was happening did not concern him at all.
"Are you serious?" the bar owner, who was standing next to him, asked in surprise. He looked at Roga with wide eyes. "You can still eat? It seems like we're being held captive by pirates right now!"
Rogu, without looking up from his meal, answered with complete calm: "Eating, drinking, sleeping and everything else are the most important things in my life. No situation should prevent you from enjoying your meal!"
— !!! — the bar owner was so stunned by this statement that he couldn't find words. At that moment, only one thought flashed through his mind: — There's definitely something wrong with this guy's head!
He glanced furtively at the pirates surrounding them. He sighed and said to himself, "Fools. Coming into town so openly? Do they think the Marines are completely extinct?"
His thoughts were quickly interrupted, however. A rhythmic sound of footsteps was heard ahead, and, looking up, he saw that the street was blocked by orderly rows of sentries.
At the head stood a Marine officer with the rank of Commodore. He confidently placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and called out loudly to the pirates: "I am Commodore Lester of the Marines! Pirates standing ahead, stop immediately!"
His voice echoed down the street and the wind ruffled his hair slightly, revealing cold and determined eyes.
Rogu narrowed his eyes at Lester.
"Who is this idiot trying to steal my loot?" he said to himself. He hadn't decided to follow Alvida to become her pirate. His plan was much simpler: he was going to destroy her crew and take the reward. But now, with the arrival of the Marines, the situation was more complicated.
"Five million is also money," he thought with slight annoyance, looking at the spoon in his hand.
"Get out of the way!" Alvida roared in anger. Her massive body rose into the air and she swung her mace with great force, describing a terrifying arc in the air. The blow was aimed straight at Lester!
The Commodore, despite the threat, did not flinch, and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
"You asked for your death..." he began, but suddenly his knee buckled and he lost his balance. Just at that moment, Alvida's iron mace came hurtling down.
At that moment, Lester only managed to raise his blade to block the blow, but the power of the weapon of the pirate approaching him forced him to fall to his knees, and in front of him was the huge face of Alvida...
"Damn marine!" she growled, and with a loud thud her mace came down on Lester, crushing him into the ground.
Without giving the enemy a chance to counterattack, she leapt forward with force. And her subsequent blow with her mace scattered the ranks of the sentries, turning their formation into chaos.
"Come on, little ones! Follow me!" she roared, stepping on Lester's chest and heading further down the street.
Poor Lester didn't even have time to get up before the pirates started trampling him with their boots as they ran past. Rogu flashed among them, enthusiastically finishing his curry, continuing to stuff food into his mouth with one hand.
Lester barely noticed his fleeting silhouette and thought: - Why is he eating with his hands? Where is his spoon...?