Jack never shut his eyes but rather stared intently at the rows of pointed teeth passing him hastily. With a shout he raised his sword and swung fearlessly at the leviathan. It screamed and roared as fresh blood spewed from inside its throat. Jack let the flying lifeblood hit him. It gave him new strength as he brandished his blade once more.
From the boat Elizabeth was plugging her ears. Partly to drown out Jack's intrepid yells, but also to silence the raging voices in her head, accusing her of leaving a good captain and friend to die. The worst part of these voices, was that all they said was true. What had she done? Just moments after he had saved her life and Will's, she had manacled him to the mast without guilt. She could still see those eyes, glinting with their ordinary mischievousness. But what stood out more in those eyes was the confusion, the disappointment, the thought that he may not get out of this one. His characteristic shout rang clear in her mind:
"You will all remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!"
Tears shoved their way past her eyelids, down her burning face. She glanced up and caught Will's piercing eyes. He never rested his gaze, but rather pushed harder and harder as if trying to read her mind. She glared at him and buried her face in her knees. What had she done, leaving Jack like that. Was it really for the best? She had tried so hard to despise Jack after their first meeting, when he saved her life then used her to escape the guard. But something inside of her loved that dark, pirate heart. It was a feeling she couldn't explain, even to herself. Will was so good. He could never do anything to make her unhappy. But was he really what she wanted? Playing the part of a young pirate had forced her to spend time with Jack. She lived the way he had all his life, and she liked it. She wasn't forced to have tea at three every day, or wear hot dresses that didn't allow you to breathe. The freedom of the seas was what she wanted. The life of a pirate. Jack's life.
She lifted her head set her face to the wind to dry her tears. The salty sea spray clung to her face and mingled with the tears. She looked back at the Pearl. It had sunk by now and Jack was nowhere in sight. She looked back at the crew, but their gazes were fixed on where the Pearl should have been. Cob's parrot screeched, breaking the silence.
"Rrrrack! Dead men tell no tales!"
Gibbs sighed and took off his hat.
"Aye, but if they could, Jack would tell the very best, and he'd never run out, not 'til Judgment Day."
The rest of the crew solemnly removed their hats and lowered their heads. The world would be quite different now, without Jack Sparrow.