A/N: I just felt like writing about Salazar and his crew, which translated into all of the 'good guys' ending up dead in this fic. I like what-if stories so I just kind of rolled with the way this went. I really liked these characters, and was a bit disappointed that more couldn't be done with them due to movies needing to be a certain length.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the PotC franchise. I just wanted to write about the cursed Spanish captain getting his revenge.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Captain Armando Salazar was a happy man. Happy, in part, because he knew, just knew that he had finally cornered the Sparrow. With a nod at his nearest men, Salazar wheezed out his orders.
"Call the rest of our men back. Fire on the pirates and sink that ship. I will take care of Jack the Sparrow." Only moments before, Salazar had witnessed the wily pirate being thrown through the ruined side of the Silent Mary, putting him right where Salazar wanted him.
Satisfied that his men would follow his orders without question, Salazar limped to the lower deck of his ship, sword drawn and at the ready. He was going to kill the Sparrow now. He'd dodged Salazar one too many times, and the Spanish captain was ready to be done with his enemy once and for all. Wheezing out a laugh at the sight of Jack carefully picking his way along the ruined floorboards of the Mary, Salazar appeared before the pirate with a few quick limps, sword already slashing at Jack with vicious precision.
The pirate parried, much to Salazar's irritation, but it would end one way or another. It was clear that he was a much better swordsman than the pirate. Salazar advanced on Jack as he swung his sword at the pirate before him over and over.
There would be no more running. No more hiding. There was nowhere the pirate could go, and Salazar would not allow him to flee.
Salazar sidestepped to block Jack's way out the hole in the side of the Mary, backing the pirate further away from the hope of freedom. Salazar pressed his attacks harder and harder, steel clanging on steel until even the Spaniard's swings became a bit sloppier. With so much anger being directed at the pirate now that he was finally face to face with him, Salazar didn't care if his form slipped up. It was enough that it kept the pirate on the defensive. And then finally, finally, Jack was disarmed and Salazar stood over his weaponless foe as he raised his blade, tip down.
There were no words spoken as the pirate and the cursed Spanish captain locked eyes with one another.
There was nothing to be said, really, and Salazar was not about to waste this chance bandying words with a dead man. Instead, he gave a swift downward thrust of his blade to the damned pirate's heart. The sound of cannons soon followed, signaling that his men were firing upon the Black Pearl as ordered. But Salazar ignored the sound, all his focus on the pirate he had just stabbed. Salazar kept his eyes locked with Jack's as a shocked expression crossed the pirate's face.
"Shh." Salazar croaked out, blood lodging in his throat as his body went through the motion of dying again. "I told you before, didn't I…that I would make you pay for what you did to me?" Salazar saw Jack's mouth open soundlessly, which was just as well, as Salazar had more to say himself as he leaned on his sword and chuckled, "The pirate's way of life is over, Jack Sparrow, as are you."
"Capitan, the ship is sinking." One of Salazar's men, Santos, called out from near a decrepit cannon. "Should we continue to fire, sir?"
Salazar's gaze remained fixed on Jack's until he saw the pirate breathe his last breath. With a slow sigh, Salazar tugged his blade up. He made a futile attempt to clean it of blood before sheathing it. A slow smile made its way onto his face. "Jack the Sparrow is no more." How long he stood there, staring down at the lifeless pirate, Salazar didn't know, and only jolted out of his stare when a hand fell on his shoulder, and a voice spoke.
"Capitan?"
It was Lesaro.
Salazar straightened his uniform as best he could, not even bothering to try and tame his eerily floating hair. It was a lost cause, as far as he could tell, and it would only bring unpleasant reminders of the hole in the side of his head. Shaking himself out of his futile attempts to clean himself up, Salazar turned to face his lieutenant, and accepted his cane from the other man. Salazar leaned against it after giving a nod to Lesaro before he turned with a wheeze, away from his defeated enemy. Clenching his teeth against a wave of pain that coursed through his body, Salazar gave his men an order.
"Throw the Sparrow off of the Mary. I will not have him sully her decks any longer."
None of his men pointed out the fact that the blood would remain on the deck, unable to be scrubbed away, unless a surge of water rolled over the deck, washing the blood away before it stained the deck permanently. Instead, a few of Salazar's crew did as their captain bade them, and rolled Jack's body out of the hole that had been broken by the other ship's cannon.
Salazar heard the splash, but didn't look back. He had finally killed Jack, and since he had already confirmed the pirate was dead, there was no need to watch a body being disposed of. Limping, Salazar made his way to the upper deck, though he had to pause to spit black blood off the side of the ship. It had welled up in his mouth earlier, and Salazar let out a disgusted sound after he'd rid himself of it. He hated relieving his death over and over, and despised having to endure the continuous flow of his lifeblood leaving him. It drove him mad, being made so disgusting, and yet there was nothing he could do but move on and try to make the best of his and his crew's unfortunate situation.
It was only when Salazar recovered for the most part from his body's reactions that he realized something. Apart from the sound of his men joining him on deck, there was silence. A wonderful, wonderful silence, broken only by the creaking of board and the crackle of flame coming from the wrecked Black Pearl.
Salazar cast a scrutinizing gaze over the pirate ship and from the fact that no one had surfaced, begging for mercy, his crew had done as he had commanded. The Black Pearl was sinking beneath the waves with her crew, leaving in its wake broken boards floating to the surface.
And silence.
Salazar stared at the sea, turning over the fact that he had finally disposed of Jack the Sparrow, and that only the Silent Mary and its crew remained. The enormity of what had happened sunk in, and Salazar threw his head back to let out a delighted laugh.
His crew cheered along raggedly, knowing how long their captain had wished to destroy the pirate that had condemned them to this hell they were forced to live.
After so many years in the darkness, the Spanish captain had finally had his revenge. The Sparrow's wings had been clipped, and he would no longer dog Salazar's dreams. No longer would Salazar have to strew in resentment and rage of that young pirate boy who had so long ago condemned the Silent Mary's crew to a hell unlike any of them could have ever imagined. No longer would Salazar see the smug smile in his sleep or that damned spinning of the compass as the young pirate left them to their fate. And not even really sleep, unless gazing out to a sea that he couldn't touch for the longest time counted as sleep.
"Land!" A panicked shout rang out, breaking Salazar from his musings. The trouble became apparent, and Salazar acted immediately.
"Hard to starboard. Keep clear of the land. Don't let the Mary run aground!" Salazar ordered, cane tapping against the deck as he limped along. Already he could see Lesaro at the helm, hand turning over hand as he steered the Silent Mary away from the land they were coming up upon.
"We've cleared the land, sir!" Santos shouted from port several tense moments later.
The whole crew seemed to relax instantly now that their ship was no longer in danger of hitting land. Lesaro, hands still gripping the wheel, had his eyes on the land and was eyeing it with something akin to sorrow and resignation. Allowing another crewman to take the helm, Lesaro made his way over to his captain's side. He hadn't been the only one looking at the land longingly as they narrowly passed it by.
"Capitan?"
"Hm?" Salazar turned to his attention from the island to his lieutenant.
"We cannot step on dry land, sir, and the pirates were the only ones who knew the way to the trident." Lesaro indicated the pieces of the Black Pearl that had not yet sunk. "Without them, we cannot find the trident. And since we cannot step on land, Capitan, we cannot look for any clues."
The logic struck true, and Salazar gripped his cane tight as his lieutenant's words sunk in. Perhaps Jack Sparrow was a curse of his own. Salazar had had his revenge, and yet now, he had lost his only way to the trident, and with it, full command of the sea. Salazar focused his gaze upon dry land, before his shoulders dropped down as he realized he had acted rashly.
"Orders, Capitan?"
"…see if there are any survivors." Salazar said at length, once he had weighed his options. As much as he didn't like the idea of a pirate having survived, he needed one that knew how to get to the trident. "Bring back anyone still alive."
"Sir."
Salazar half heard Lesaro giving orders to some of the crew, and now, Salazar and the rest of his men would wait. It wasn't a long wait. Soon enough, news was brought back that there were no living to bring aboard. His men had been thorough once he gave orders, and Salazar would not fault them for it. After all, he expected his ship to be run orderly and exact. It would follow that his crew, despite their ragged appearance, were effective as ever at following their captain' orders.
"What now, sir?" Lesaro was back, but Salazar had no answers to give to his lieutenant. Not right now. Salazar realized only now that he had been so consumed and blinded by rage that he had ruined the chance to find the trident of Poseidon and secure command of the sea. And with it, ridding the world of pirates with ease.
"Capitan?"
Salazar wordlessly held out his cane to the side once he had limped to the helm, knowing that Lesaro would have followed him. "We continue on, lieutenant. There are still many pirates to hunt." Once Lesaro took the cane and stood a respectful distance away, Salazar met the other man's eye. "Tell the crew we're leaving, lieutenant."
"Aye, sir." Lesaro said with a nod, before he strode off and began relaying Salazar's orders. "All hands on deck, prepare the Silent Mary. Sails full."
Salazar exchanged a silent nod with his lieutenant when he returned, before the Spanish navy captain gripped the wheel of the Mary, and steered them further away from land.
And away from an enemy that had haunted Salazar for so long, one that had finally been destroyed after such a long time.
-x-x-x
The longer Salazar and his men hunted down pirates, the more Salazar began to understand that even if destroying pirates gave him purpose, to rid the sea of such riff raff, it wasn't as satisfying. No, Salazar found that he didn't have as much pleasure destroying pirates now. Not after he'd killed Jack Sparrow.
Salazar gnashed his teeth, displeased that even in death Jack stole more from him than he already had.
And as several years passed, and the pirate ships grew fewer, Salazar began to lose purpose. Weeks could go by without sighting a telltale Jolly Roger, or any sail in general. Much of the time, it was nothing but empty sea, and the Silent Mary cutting through choppy seas, unimpeded.
It drove him mad.
-x-x-x-
"Capitan, there have been no sightings of pirates in months. Perhaps we hunted the last of them?" Lesaro questioned, interrupting his captain's quiet watch of sea. When he noticed that his captain had turned to regard him, Lesaro couldn't help but notice his captain appeared wearier and even more ragged than before, despite being dead. "What shall we do, sir? We cannot go on land, nor can we rest. Some of the men had gone overboard, searching out land, unable to stand this existence of ours anymore."
The few years that had gone by weighed heavily on Salazar; more so than when they had all been trapped in the darkness of the Devil's Triangle. Perhaps sailing by their homeland months ago had been a mistake. Many men aboard the Silent Mary had gone to their doom, unable to resist the pull of their native land. Salazar steered clear of it after that, not wishing to lose any more of his crew. Not when all of them had been so loyal, following a captain who had lost his mind over a single pirate, yet still faithfully followed his orders. His pride was still there, but weaker than before, most days being unable to do much more than ensure that the Silent Mary didn't run aground and destroy them all. Shaking his head at a telltale splash, Salazar limped away from the side of the Mary to the helm, taking the wheel and gripping the weathered wood tightly.
"We are cursed, mi amigo. What would you have us do differently? As you say, we cannot go ashore. Has every man aboard this vessel lost faith in the curse being undone?" It was really the only thing keeping them all going, and for Salazar, it was what he clung to, now that Jack Sparrow had been dead three years.
Lesaro remained silent, unable to meet his captain's gaze.
It was answer enough, and Salazar felt a familiar rage begin to course through him. It was not directed at his crew, but at the dead pirate. It wasn't right, that his men would become so demoralized that they would choose to end their own existence.
"I won't let this be the end, Lesaro." Salazar's voice was soft as he steered the ship away from a distant land coming up in front of them. "I won't let it end." Salazar's voice came out stronger, the rage building up. "I will not let the Silent Mary and its crew fall into further ruin. We are the pride of the Spanish Navy. We will be free of this curse one day, lieutenant. Do not despair; let the men know that we will continue on, no matter what may come." Salazar looked back to seas, to where the water stretched out endlessly before him. Coughing up some blood, Salazar's cold gaze fixed on the horizon as he wheezed in a lower tone. "I won't allow the Sparrow to defeat us like this."
Lesaro heard his captain, and he didn't have it in him to tell Salazar that Jack had already defeated them the moment the Silent Mary had sailed into the Devil's Triangle. With a shake of his head, out of pity or acknowledgment of his captain's words, Lesaro took the cane being held out to him, and after giving orders to the crew, returned to his captain's side. How long they would sail the seas, Lesaro didn't know, but what he did know was that the crew that would remain on board were unwavering in their loyalty, and would follow their captain wherever he chose to go.
Just as Lesaro was about to say something, a ship became outlined in the distance.
"...Sir...could that be?"
"Spyglass." Salazar managed to say, and Santos, walking by, heard his captain, and quickly fetched one and handed it over.
"What is it, capitan?" Santos and Lesaro exchanged a glance. If nothing else, if it were a pirate ship, it would certainly improve Salazar's mood, but what Lesaro and Santos hadn't expected was to hear was their captain take in a hissing breath of air he did not need as his body went rigid at whatever he had caught sight of.
"Capitan?" Lesaro became concerned when his captain didn't move or speak, seemingly in shock. Lesaro gently pried the spyglass from his captain's hands, which brought Salazar out of his frozen posture, and straight to the wheel again as he focused on the ship ahead of them, his gaze fixed on it.
Lesaro saw a pirate flag.
A familiar one.
The ship was different, of course, but there was no mistaking the figure up in the crow's nest. Lesaro peered at the pirate's face through the spyglass, and caught sight of the way the man jauntily waved as if he knew he was being looked at. Lesaro dropped the spyglass and whipped around to face his captain, who looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"Capitan, did you not kill him?"
"My sword pierced his heart. I am sure of it." Salazar confirmed, though a slow smile had taken place of the frown at the prospect of hunting down a supposedly dead enemy.
Lesaro passed the spyglass to Santos, and when he confirmed he saw the pirate as well, Lesaro looked again. Jack Sparrow was still in the crow's nest and clearly alive. Jack could be seen holding something aloft, still waving, and as the ship sailed close enough to make it out, Lesaro saw what it was Jack was holding.
A book with a hole in it.
"Capitan, your aim was true." Lesaro informed him. "The pirate is holding up a torn book. Perhaps that diverted your blade." Lesaro lowered the spyglass again to find his captain limping to the front of the Silent Mary, fists clenched at his side, shaking with suppressed fury. Lesaro took the helm to keep the Mary going in a straight line, awaiting his captain's orders.
"Jack!" Salazar was seething as he dissolved into his native tongue, cursing the pirate. How dare that pirate have the nerve to show himself, clearly alive and breathing, and mock him as if he hadn't a care in the world. "JACK!"
Lesaro highly doubted that the pirate could see his captain raging at him, but Jack certainly should have seen the dark clouds over the Silent Mary grow dark and stormy.
Salazar limped back, stumbling a little without the aid of cane or sword, but managed to catch himself on the wheel. He held out his hand and Lesaro had a feeling it was the spyglass and not the cane his captain wanted, and was proven correct when he handed the spyglass to his captain. Salazar raised the spyglass to an eye and focused on the damn Sparrow that was still alive. "Lieutenant, tell the men to make ready for battle. We will not let that pirate escape."
"Sir." Lesaro turned and gave the order, and when he looked back at the ship Jack was in, he realized that it was fading in and out of sight. "Capitan, there is a fog up ahead."
"We have nothing to fear from fog. What more can be done to us or the Mary?" Salazar shook head. "We'll follow that damn pirate while keeping watch for land. We will sink his vessel, and this time, I shall make certain he is dead."
The Silent Mary seemed to be propelled faster through the water at her captain's wishes, and Salazar let out a laugh when he saw Jack's ship try to hide from him in the fog. It was only when the Silent Mary was shrouded in fog that the Spanish captain seemed to notice that something was amiss. The ship they had been following was nowhere to be seen, until it came slowly back into view. Yet the closer they got, the less like a sailing vessel it became, until the ship they'd been chasing materialized out of the fog as a wreck like their own vessel. And when Salazar turned the Silent Mary to come alongside it, he and his crew found no living aboard. No Jack Sparrow, alive and well, jauntily waving and mocking the dead.
Nothing was there.
Nothing.
Salazar paced the deck of the Mary, angrily tapping the deck with his cane as he tried to figure out what this meant.
"Capitan. There's something out there." Santos pointed.
Salazar limped over to the side where Santos was pointing, and held perfectly still as a wispy…something drifted by the ship. Frowning a little, Salazar turned back to the wheel and began to steer the Silent Mary through the fog. They continued to sail unimpeded, but now and again, they would hear the screams of sailors around them, lost in the fog.
"El diablo." One of the crew muttered, flinching back from the side of the ship as another tortured scream tore through the air, closer than before. "These are cursed waters."
"The screams...where are they coming from?" Another man with a missing arm wondered.
The crew murmured worriedly, and despite their ghastly forms, they were more apt to believe in curses and myths, now that they were under one. But nothing apart from the swirling fog crossed the Silent Mary's deck, giving no reason or explanation for the screams. The fog would occasionally solidify, brushing by them and making their ruined clothes flutter. It was almost as if the fog was alive, and that the fog itself was disappointed that Salazar and his crew were not living men.
But that was a foolish thought even if there surely were other curses at sea. Salazar and his men, after all, were cursed…doomed, to live as they were, to feel the pain of their deaths over and over yet be unable to die. Unless, of course, one of them chose to step foot on land, which meant that man would be in for a second violent and painful death, and wouldn't be coming back. A few times Salazar though he heard whispers amongst the occasional scream, whispers within the fog itself, but brushed it aside as he focused on steering the Silent Mary around shipwrecks that littered the foggy expanse of sea.
Soon, the Silent Mary sailed soundlessly out of the fog, and back onto a rough churning sea.
The entire crew was puzzled at what they had just experienced, but none so more than their captain, who had been sure that he had seen Jack the Sparrow alive again. Perhaps he had been imagining it because he had wanted so much to take pleasure in hunting pirates again, and had enjoyed immensely running Jack into a corner. With a frustrated shake of his head and the fog getting further and further behind the Silent Mary, Salazar and his men continued on, not having any idea that they would not have sailed away from the fog so easily had they not already been dead.
-x-x-x-
Days later, the undead crew of the Silent Mary would begin to hear tales about the life-like hallucinations sailors had been experiencing in a certain part of the sea. That they would witness the sight of a loved one or enemy, waving to them from another ship and enticing them toward a foggy sea. The ships, if they didn't wreck in the fog, would come sailing out some months later, a dead crew on her decks yet with no marks of death upon them. As much as Salazar was furious at the thought of being forced to see an apparition of an enemy he thought dead, it was a relief to know that the Spanish captain had not been mistaken in seeing Jack Sparrow dead years ago, sword firmly in the pirate's heart.
And as the years continued to pass by, Salazar and his crew came into contact with even more cursed beings such as themselves, and it made Salazar wonder if they would ever be free of their own curse. Salazar was not one to give up, despite the hopelessness of the situation, so neither would his crew. They would live again. They would live to step foot on the dry land of their homeland again, and be greeted with a warm welcome for purging the sea of pirates.
Until that day came to pass, Salazar and his crew would continue to roam the sea in search of any remaining pirates, and bring down any and all in their path that would dare to stop them from completing their mission.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
A/N: Really limited Spanish words so as to try to not butcher the language. I enjoyed writing this, so maybe I'll make another fic about Salazar and his crew stalking the seas and trying to find a way to be rid of the curse. If I'm up to it or it hits me sometime, then I might write more. If not, then this is my contribution to PotC fanfiction.