~
Armando stilled suddenly when the Sparrow touched him- it was an unspoken rule, amongst the crew that had enough wit to even consider it, not to touch, for they were all as horrified by one another as they were of themselves. Certainly, the little bird only touched the ring, but it was still a gesture now foreign to the ghost captain, to be reached for.
{{ “This is why I could never call you pirate, Jack Sparrow. You are a man of more honour than I would ever have believed.” }} Were he of his full mind, he might have reflected on how he would have hunted this man, had he not returned, how he had already spent years hating him, and would have spent yet more, until he and his crew were freed. He might even have reflected on how funny it was that the little sparrow brought so much life to his lifeless crew, when he came about, and seemed to leave a little with them, when he left. But he was not of his full mind, and so he only smiled oddly, dribbling a little more blood as he straightened up somewhat.
Upon taking his leave, Jack made his way to Tortuga with some struggle, where he reunited with Captain Barbossa and – through a bit of gambling – managed to secure the man and some remainders of his crew as men aboard the Pearl, with the more seasoned captain serving as his First Mate.
Though adventures ensued, Jack was frequently focused on his own missions – first and foremost being the crew of the Silent Mary, of which he told Barbossa nothing. Tensions between them began to rise as it became clear Jack was not particularly cut out for command and did not see fit to plunder nearly as much as an honest pirate ought.
Before they grow to a high point, the Pearl is intercepted by Venganza, and Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Seas Esmeralda Maria Consuela Anna de Sevilla requested an audience. Aware of his connection to the Silent Mary via his bit of mirror, Jack tucked it beneath his shirt to keep the crew from seeing what Esmeralda looked like – for among pirates, she was to him both a friend and a lover, and it felt ill on his heart to betray her in any fashion.
Although, she was perhaps a bit too pleased with the way his fate had turned. He could “no longer run from who he truly was” and this sentiment lead to a most considerable argument – it started mild but eventually turned quite sharp and fast as Esmeralda’s pique had her dissolve into Spanish and Jack’s frustration lead to him attempting to keep up and only making matters worse.
Unfortunately, it was a fight not destined to ever see resolution, as the EITC managed to catch up to Venganza and took on both the frigate and the Pearl, the latter of whom fought under Barbossa’s command whilst Jack remained stuck aboard Venganza during the onslaught. Eventually, Barbossa and the crew aboard the Pearl managed to devastate two of the EITC’s flanking ships, while the Venganza claimed total victory over the other three, one of which cast an orange glow over the other two as they sank slowly in the midst of her explosion.
Esmeralda was fatally wounded in the battle, and her first mate was in a bad way. Though he ultimately would survive, at the time she had to make a choice – and it was Jack to whom she passed her piece of eight, pledging him to the Caribbean and demanding he honor her wish. Unwilling to take the responsibility, he tried to pass the piece of eight to high ranking officers in her crew – two declined on account of it being her last demand, while the third declined on account of personal cowardice.
Trapped, Jack affixed the piece of eight to his bandana and made his way back to the Pearl, where he retreated into his cabin to set the heading and confer with Salazar through the mirror. Though the ghost could not speak back to him, he knew that he would hear what was said.
“I told you once pirates were always getting into my affairs. Well there is a reason for that. I was born on a ship, belonging to the Keeper of the Code, one Captain Teague. I’ve spent my whole life running from Teague and pirates. My whole life toward honest living, but Teague? Well he’s like you – he’s relentless, and nothing stops him. He’d find me, somehow, drag me back. So I know where the Code is, and I know what this little trinket on my head means. You’re about to be shown the way to Shipwreck Cove – I bet you’ve heard of it – I suggest you mind the route.” Jack grumbled, “Only those who’ve been there can find it – but perhaps those lead to it can too."
That done, he strode out and informed Gibbs of their destination, having him set the course before Barbossa strode over to demand why they were headed for Shipwreck Cove. Jack considered lying, but knew it to be fruitless.
“I need to be sworn in mate. I’m to take Esmeralda’s place as Lord of the Caribbean.”
Though he considered his answer both succinct and helpful, it seemed in some manner to offend Barbossa, whose expression warped into one rather befitting apoplexy. “You? A pirate lord?!” The disbelief was palpable enough that Jack felt it appropriate to frown a little, “You’re nothing but a boy. You’re barely even a pirate!”
On that, Jack certainly had to agree. “Thank you,” He began, but that was certainly not the right thing to start with.
"That wasn’t a compliment!” Barbossa’s fierce interruption shifted, and Jack could see the calculation forming before he launched his next attack. “You think your father will be proud?”
Startled by the angle, Jack responded quickly to hide his sense of alarm. “My who?”
"Don’t play coy with me. The resemblance between you two is uncanny.” Barbossa’s gritted response was offensive enough that Jack was able to respond easily with, "I honestly have no idea what you’re on about mate.”
"The Keeper of the Code, damn you! He’s your father, is he not?”
"No idea,” Tone affable and once again, battling with frightful honesty Jack continued, “Why don’t you ask him for me? I’ve always thought I sprung up without one.”
“All men have fathers, Jack.”
”Captain,” Jack stressed, for what felt like the thousandth time, “And not true. Very not true. Especially not true for me, and I’ll thank you to keep your notions about Captain Teague to yourself in the future, as I recall the last time someone made such a claim, Teague shot im.”
“Aint that proof?”
"Of what, other than his temper and love of drink?” Now it was Jack’s turn to be incredulous.
"Mm. So you’re tellin me Teague’s got no hold or say on ya?”
“Oh I didn’t say that.” Hedging, now.
“So you admit it!” Barbossa’s triumphant tone rattled Jack wrong enough he saw fit to immediately correct it, “You’re making no sense here, you realize? I was his cabin boy. He’s a pirate, to him, everything is either his, or not his. If it is not his, and he wants it, he will make it his. And if it is his, and he doesn’t want it, nobody else gets to have it, savvy?”
Barbossa was frowning, so Jack continued – uncertain how much of this needed to be spelled out ( and unaware that Barbossa was already taking all this into his calculations as Jack provided him with free ammunition. )
"I belong to him as servant only, by his view, and so, any who would claim me to have higher value might be thinking of stealing me, so thus, they are shot. It’s not that hard to follow mate. As to me being his son – I don’t see it. We’re nothing alike.”
"Have ye looked in a mirror lately?” Barbossa was no longer arguing – he was merely collecting information now, as it seemed Jack was easy to rile on this angle; little did he know of the Silent Mary or Jack’s connection to it, but the question startled the younger man enough to have him return with an unexpectedly sharp, “What do you know of it?” Before Barbossa had time to respond to the change in atmosphere, Jack wrested control of the situation back into his own hands by ordering the man to get the crew trimming the sails – and the trip to Shipwreck was underway.
Upon his arrival, Jack makes his way through the winding labyrinth with Barbossa tight upon his heels. He doesn’t think too much of it, and when he reaches the conference room Jack notes immediately that several of the Lords were already present – this was good, as it meant that news of Esmeralda’s fall had already spread. It also meant he would not need to linger long, for only two Lords and the Keeper were necessary for swearing in a new one.
Throwing his sword in the globe, he announced himself both formally and succinctly, for those present already knew who he was – by some measure, at least. "Esmeralda has fallen. She has named me in her place.”
This resulted in staring from the collective, before some rose to their feet and began yelling ( Chevalle and Villeneuva mainly ) others laughed while Mistress Ching stood and beckoned to him. He dodged fighting men, and accepted her embrace. Her words, however, earned a quiet rejoinder.
“I’m still not a pirate, Mistress.”
Her response was much as it always was – pointed, and quiet. She saved her howl for battle, and it was one of the things he appreciated deeply about her. “Sail strong, Jack Sparrow. Mistress Ching will always welcome you in Singapore.” The conclusion of their reunion came in the wake of her blessing and Jack bowed accordingly.
“Thank you, my lady.”
Upon straightening, Jack was then subjected to a great deal of politics before being sworn in. Once accomplished, Jack took his leave and knew he would need a means of returning to the Silent Mary soon, without Barbossa becoming wise to what was happening. In a stroke of genius, he spoke to Mistress Ching and had the Pearl docked for repairs, knowing it would make stealing her an impossible task for at least eight weeks. Getting hold of a small boat he could operate on his own, Jack sailed from Shipwreck to the Triangle, aware that this time, he had revealed many secrets and could, potentially, be sailing for his death once more.
Upon his arrival, Armando asked him to explain what all he had witnessed meant. At the question, he rubbed the back of his neck.
{{ “It means – I’ve duty now, to protect the Caribbean from rogues that call themselves pirates, whilst by law being a pirate myself. There’s two kinds of pirates – there’s the brethren, which is this sort," }} He tapped the trinket, {{ "And rogues – rapists and killers, blackest of black hearted, treacherous, filthy dogs," }} And his voice, even in Spanish, manages to convey a wealth of hatred, for he has been burned by the rogues. Burned badly indeed. {{ "Brethren, we steal to live because we must. Press-ganged runaways, folks who refuse to trade in people, folks who refused to follow an order that weren’t right by their morals – that’s brethren. By brethren law, we keep ourselves at least a little honest. And we wont stand for raping, or killing for no good reason." }}
He shook his head, then shrugged his arms, looking almost like he was giving a tired flap. {{ "It means I am – in taking Esmeralda’s place – a pirate, and a good man. I suppose if I have to live with this brand I may as well do it to the code." }}
Ever More Than Rivalry
Published
Ocean Archive 