She knew, however, that now was not the time for relaxation. Several years ago, a vicious beast known as the kraken had killed her father. He had been sailing through the very waters in which she was now when Davy Jones, the beast's master, targeted her father's ship for his attack. The woman tightened her fists, remembering the day she'd heard the news of her father's death.
It was the day after her eighteenth birthday. Her father, who was the governor of the town she lived in, had promised to buy her a ship of her own as a coming-of-age present. That day, he was sailing for some reason or another; the particular cause had escaped her memory. Before he left, he promised her that, as soon as he returned, he would buy for her the beautiful ship that she had chosen.
But he did not come back. Not that day, nor the next, nor even the day after. She eventually received word from the sole survivor that their ship had been attacked by the kraken, and, save the man who was there, none had made it out alive.
From that point forward, the woman had dedicated her life to finding the heart of Davy Jones and destroying it. As legend had it, his heart was buried in a chest deep underground on an island somewhere in the Caribbean. Jones had cut it out of his chest, still beating, and buried it deep beneath the sand. He could not walk on land but once every ten years. Since then, he'd sailed the seas, using his squid-like monster the kraken to destroy ships and gather members for his crew.
She scanned the ocean, looking for land, but something else caught her attention off the starboard side of the ship; a man was drifting through the ocean on a piece of wood, which seemed to be from a ship that had been destroyed fairly recently. His eyes were closed, and the woman guessed that he was either asleep or unconscious.
She jumped into the water and swam over to him. She grabbed his arm and helped him swim to her small, yet nice, ship. She climbed onto the ship and threw him a rope, helping him a bit as he climbed up.
"Are you okay, sir?" she asked him concernedly.
Thank you, miss," he said. "I'm Captain Toad. At least, I was the captain before my ship got caught in a storm and separated me from my crew." For a short moment, he displayed what the woman thought might have been a smile. He was tall, towering over her tiny five-foot-two body. His dark brown hair, wet from the ocean, clung to his head, some of it resting over his bright blue eyes. He had a strong build and his skin was dark, presumably from spending a lot of time at sea. Judging by his garb, she assumed he was a pirate. "No need to be worried. I only steal from pirates," he said with a wide grin.
"Welcome aboard, Captain Toad," she said with a fleeting smile. "I am sailing for Tortuga to find a crew. You may join me, or I can drop you off somewhere along the way if you'd prefer. My name is Becky, by the way," she said with a smile, extending her hand.
Toad ignored the gesture and gazed out across the sea. "I'll stay with you for a while. With any luck, my crew will try to attack you."
Becky pulled her hand back. "That would hardly be lucky, I'm sure. Your crew just left you for dead after the storm?" she asked with a slight smirk. "You're lucky I was generous enough to pick you up."
"Oh, no, madam," he said. "It would be lucky because, as you will learn, we are kind to our foes." He paused for a moment and changed the subject. "However, you will need an experienced pirate to help you out, especially in Tortuga."
"You speak the truth." She paused for a moment, hesitantly searching for words. "I search for an old friend, a Captain Jack Sparrow. Do you know where I might find him, or at least begin to search for him?"
"Jack Sparrow…" Toad sat in thought, trying to remember where he'd heard the name. "Captain of the Black Pearl?" he asked finally.
"The very same," Becky said with a smile. "Do you have any knowledge of his whereabouts?"
"Last I heard, he was caught in a storm. Couldn't really say where he's at now."
There was a moment of awkward silence as Becky eyed Captain Toad curiously, trying to judge whether or not to reveal why she, the respectable, elegant daughter of the governor, was sailing to Tortuga. "I'm searching for the heart of Davy Jones," she said slowly, hoping that he would have information. "I seek a man named Captain Jack Sparrow. He's the only one who can tell me how to find it," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm searching for the heart, too." He sat down. "Do you have any milk?" he asked.
"Milk?" she laughed. "Absolutely not." She handed him a bottle of rum. Since she'd been sailing, it had been a taste she'd quickly acquired. "Consider yourself lucky; I don't share with many." She got out a bottle for herself and took a swig. "You search for the heart as well? Perhaps it was lucky that you showed up after all. And they say having a woman on board is bad luck," she said with a half-smile.
"I don't think so myself." He sat down and looked at the rum. "I guess it's okay," he muttered. "However, on my ship, we drink milk. It's good for you, you know."
She smiled at him. "I never thought I'd see the day when a pirate would turn down free rum. Well, I guess we can get you some milk at Tortuga so you can be a big, strong pirate," she teased.
"Hey, when I'm doing cartwheels at sixty and you're rotting in a cell…" He let his voice trail off. "Remember, a strong pirate is a free pirate."
She laughed. "You've convinced me. We'll get some milk next time we stop. Either way, I do not intend to rot in a cell. I've done nothing wrong; I'm no pirate."
"Well, that's good." He put his feet up on the table. "This is a pretty comfy little ship you've got."
The next afternoon, Becky pulled the ship into the dock at Tortuga and tied it off. She looked over at Captain Toad again and smiled. "Here we are. Now, let's go find our crew." She walked off the ship, the bottle of rum still in her hand.
They were greeted by a man who was known throughout Tortuga as Dave. "What be yer business here?" he asked, eyeing the two suspiciously.
"I need a crew, and probably a bigger ship. My business is not important," Becky said, frowning.
Captain Toad drew his cutlass. "Simply give us what we need, please," he said in a threatening voice.
"Well, ye better take yer business somewhere else, then," said Dave.
"Let us go into town," Becky demanded as she drew her pistol. "We just want a crew! What harm is that to you?"
"Well, fine. Ye can go get a crew." Dave shrugged and returned to watching for incoming ships.
"Good." Becky put away her pistol and looked over at Captain Toad. "Ready to go find a crew?" She paused, then added, "and some milk?"
Before Toad could answer her, she heard a yell from Dave. "Cap'n Jack's on his way!" he yelled, pointing at an entirely black ship that was coming closer.
"He's here?!" Becky asked in excitement, holding her hand to her face to shade her eyes from the sun as she looked at the ship.
"Aye," Dave said. "It's the Pearl all right."
"I'll go find a crew," Toad said. "You stay here and talk to Jack. I'll be back soon." He walked off into the chaos that was Tortuga.
Becky stared at him as he walked off into the town. "Where is Jack?" Becky muttered as she waited for someone to come off of the ship. When Jack finally walked off, Becky ran up to him. "Jack! I haven't seen you for so long. How have you been?" She frowned. "I have something very serious to talk to you about. My father... He's dead. The kraken got him…" She fought back the tears that were stinging at her eyes. "I need your help. I need you to help me find the heart of Davy Jones. I was here to get a crew, and to see if I could find anyone who knew where to find you." She looked over at his ship. "That's an awfully nice ship, Jack. How'd you get one this time?" Becky looked up at him. He would help; he had to help. Becky's father had gotten Jack out of a lot of trouble on more than one occasion, and she was confident that Jack would help her out in avenging his death.
Jack simply smiled, avoiding her question. "Aye, we'll help you out, love. We're already searching for the heart. I've got my own reasons. You can come along if you want."
Becky smiled. "I met someone at sea yesterday- a man who calls himself 'Captain Toad'… Do you know of him? He'll be coming with us as well."
"Captain Toad… Can't say that I have." Jack shrugged and grabbed Becky's rum out of her hand, gulping down the rest of it. He handed the empty bottle back to her. "Thanks, love," he said.
Toad walked up to the two of them, shaking his head. "Scurvy rats… I can't believe they didn't have milk at the tavern…" He glanced over at Jack. "Aye, the great Jack Sparrow," he said with a grin. "I've heard many a tale about you."
"Captain," Jack corrected him. "Captain Jack Sparrow."
"I'll join with your crew, but I have one question," Toad said. "Do you have any milk aboard your ship?"
"I'm quite certain we don't, mate," Jack said.
Toad shook his head. "Well, I'll be needing a new cutlass and then we can be off."
When Toad returned soon after, Becky looked over at Jack. "Well, Captain? Where are we headed?"
"Well, wherever old tentacle face hid it, I suppose," Jack said.
"Well," Becky said with an obvious slur, "let's go to the island, then!" She tripped over her own feet and fell. She got back up, clutching Toad's sleeve. "I think I'mma bit drunk," she said, whispering as if it were a secret.
"All the more fun!" Jack grinned.
On the Black Pearl the next day, Becky sat in Jack's quarters with him, clutching her head. "I've got a wicked hangover," she whined. Do you have any more rum?" she looked around the cabin anxiously. "How do we even know that the heart will be there? What if someone else finds it first?"
Toad burst into the cabin. "Thought you might want to know. There's a ship coming. White sails, British flag." He pointed at it out the window.
Becky looked out the window where Toad was pointing. "What are we going to do? Can we outrun it?"
Ignoring Becky, Jack stepped out onto the deck. He looked through his telescope at the approaching ship. "That's Will all right."
"Well, this is one of the fastest ships in the sea.." Toad pointed out.
Becky looked around nervously. "What are we going to do?" she asked, downing an entire bottle of rum.
"Arm the cannons, boys! Did you get your cutlass?" Jack asked Toad.
"I would rather not use it," Toad answered. He climbed up to the wheel. "Give me all the speed you can muster," he whispered to the ship.
Becky pulled out her pistol and walked over to Toad. "What should I do, Captain?" she asked.
"Put your gun away, that's what!" Toad said to her.
The British ship pulled up alongside the Black Pearl. Jack saw Will standing with British troops. "Ahoy there, William!" he shouted. Jack jumped onto the ship and started attacking Will's men.
"What am I doing here?" Toad muttered to himself. He pulled the Pearl away from the British ship. "Let's get out of here."
"I don't know, Toad… I think we'll have to fight. Are you sure we can outrun them?" Becky asked nervously.
"Just you watch," Toad said with a grin. "Get your friend back here before he gets the Brits even more mad than they already are." Toad turned the Pearl so that it was at a ninety degree angle to the British ship. "Let's see your speed," he said to the ship.
Becky nodded and looked over at the British ship. "Well... He's kind of already on their ship. Should we leave him? He's Captain Jack Sparrow, he can get out of anything. We can always meet up with him later."
Toad glanced over at the British ship, where Jack was fencing with Will. "Fine. SPARROW!" Toad yelled over. "I EXPECT TO SEE YOU SOON!"
Becky stood next to Captain Toad, watching as the British ship grew smaller and smaller. "You do think he'll be okay?" she asked nervously.
"Well," Toad answered. "I can't really tell."
"Captain, I just realized. We have no idea where we're going. Where's this island Jack told us about? We'll have to beat him there, or at least catch up with him."
"Oops. He will be going slow, won't he? With so little of his crew?" Toad quickly turned the ship around. "We should be able to catch up with him in a day or two."
"So… What are we going to do until then?" She thought for a moment, then ran into the cabin and came out grinning. "Rum!! I'm going to get you drunk tonight, Captain Toad! Forget the milk tonight. Live a little!" She handed him a full bottle, keeping one for herself.
"Umm… Are you sure you don't have any martinis?" he asked, looking at the bottle. "Or grog?"
Becky sighed. "Toad, what do you have against rum?" She shook her head. "There might be some red wine in there, but not enough to get you drunk."
"Well, why do you want me drunk so badly?" Toad asked.
"Oh, no reason," she said, looking around nervously. "OH! Look, we're catching up! I see the ship!" she said excitedly as she pointed at the spot on the horizon that was the other ship.
"So do I." He ordered the anchor dropped. "I won't get drunk, but we will stay here tonight."
"Damn," she muttered under her breath. She'd really hoped he would lighten up and get a little drunk. "Okay, we can stay here for the night. I don't want to lose Jack, though. What if they don't stop?"
"Well," said Toad, "it's either that or head into a force five hurricane." They sat there in silence, waiting for Jack's ship to stop. It didn't.
"Dammit, Toad!" Becky yelled in frustration. "They're not stopping!"
"Don't worry," Toad assured her, "he won't beat us if he continues. They'll head right into the storm." Suddenly, the ship began to slow down, just as Toad had predicted. "See?" he said, pointing at the ship. "It's all good."
"Well, we can rest, then," Becky said. "Good night, Captain."
"Good night." He headed into the captain's quarters. "Nice ship," he muttered.
The next morning, light flooded into the cabin of the ship where Toad and Becky were sleeping. Becky opened her eyes and headed out on the deck of the ship. Jack's ship was still the same distance away as it had been the night before. She woke Toad up.
"Well, let's go, then," Toad said groggily as he sat up. He pulled up the anchor and let the wind carry the Pearl to Jack's stolen British ship. "Ho! Jack! Not leaving without us, are you, mate?"
"No, mate, not at all. Shall we split the treasure eighty for me, twenty for you?"
"That depends. Can you defeat me in a duel?"
"If you mean by killing you, I assure you I can do that."
"No," Toad said. "A fair fencing duel."
Becky rolled her eyes. "Oh, honestly, you two," she said.
Toad turned around to face her. "Shush."
"Toad, don't you DARE shush me. I'm trying to avenge my father's death and here you two are quarrelling like a couple of children. Jack, you owe me your help. Stop this childish arguing. Honestly…"
Jack thought for a moment. "Well, I do owe you, I guess," he shrugged.
"Thank you. Toad, are you with me or against me? I like you, my friend, but I will NOT let you stand in the way of my revenge." Becky frowned and laid a hand on her pistol.
"Hey, now," Toad said. "I just wanted a fair fencing match to see who gets the treasure. I didn't mean my shush that way. It was simply to keep you out of our… negotiations."
"If you choose not to help me, you'll be negotiating with my pistol," Becky said angrily as she cocked it and stuck it in his face.
"I am and always have been with you, love," Jack said, taking off his hat and bowing.
Toad raised an eyebrow, wondering what could possibly be in this for Jack. "I think you should lay off the theatrics, mate," he stated to Jack. He pulled the Pearl ahead of Jack's ship. "Race you!"
"Toad, you bastard!" Becky hit him upside the head with her pistol with a great deal of force. "I'm sorry, I must avenge my father."
"Ouch, what was that for?" Toad asked, rubbing his head.
"Well, it was supposed to knock you out," Becky said.
"Now, that's not nice. I'm on your team!" Toad said a bit angrily.
Jack put out his hand. "I can help you. Come with me," he said.
Becky gave Captain Toad one last look. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She backed up, then took a running leap over to Jack's ship.
Jack grabbed Becky's arm as she jumped onto the ship. "You made the right choice. Now, let's go get that heart, shall we?"
"Jack, I am in search of the heart, too. I hope you know, I don't trust you. But I have your beloved ship, and your crew. You don't honestly think you can outdo the Pearl!" Toad said with a laugh. He turned to face the crew. "Mr. Gibbs! Would you explain to Jack exactly what we're going to do?"
"Well, sir, we're just going to continue to follow them so we can get the heart."
"Exactly. We don't have to be enemies, Jack, if you don't want to be."
"We're not enemies, mate, but I can't trust you," Jack said.
"Maybe you don't understand. Of all of the pirates, I am the most trustworthy. You, however… I've heard many a tale about you, Jack Sparrow."
"Captain," Jack muttered under his breath.
"Unless I'm mistaken, Jones himself rose this vessel from the depths of the ocean for you in exchange for 100 years of service."
"Wait, so the Pearl's going to get there faster?" Becky did another running leap back onto the Black Pearl.
Captain Toad grabbed her by the arm as she jumped and helped her onto the ship. "I will get you there as fast as possible," he promised her. "I will not stop."
"I'm trusting you now, Toad. Sorry about hitting you before," she laughed. "So, where are we headed now?"
Toad called Mr. Gibbs back over to him. "What will Jack do now?" he asked.
"Well, sir, he'll be needin' himself a new crew, so it's likely he'll be headin' for Tortuga."
Becky shook her head. "We still don't know were the island is, then. We did need him for that."
"Well, that's a little problem, now, isn't it missy? Did it ever cross your mind that neither does he?"
"He absolutely does know where it is. I think… Oh, I guess he might not. But without his help, how are we going to find it?" Becky crossed her arms and frowned. "He was our main lead, and now he's sailing off for Tortuga. What now, Captain?"
"Well, I do have one lead," Toad said. "It's a small sandbar island off the coast called the Outer Banks, I believe."
"Well, we can try it, I guess," Becky said miserably.
Toad gave Gibbs the heading. "Miss, come with me to my quarters. We must speak."
Becky followed him silently into the captain's cabin. "Yes, Captain?" she asked.
"You trust Jack?" he asked skeptically. "He is a pirate. He doesn't want to help you! He just wants to save his own ass." Toad offered her a chair. "Here," he said more gently. "Have a seat. I want to hear about how you two met, if that's all right." He offered her a bottle of rum as he sipped his milk.
"Thank you," she said as she graciously accepted the rum. "I… I really don't know whether or not to trust Jack. He's an old family friend, and I want to trust him, but… He was a friend of my father's. He was a government official, while he was alive. He'd do Jack favors, get him out of trouble. All the time. He saved Jack's neck, literally, more times than I can count. My father… He died at sea. By the kraken. There was one survivor. Only one. That's why I'm searching for the heart. In memory of my father." She took a long sip of her rum. She blinked a few times to hold back the tears that she knew would come if she gave even a moment's weakness. "What about you, Toad? Why do you search?"
"Well, I am searching for the heart for a reason similar to yours. A couple of my friends were attacked by Davy. He killed them and destroyed their boats. I can't let him get away." He poured her some more rum, noticing that hers was gone. "That, and I'm trying to free up the seas for everyone. But mostly for revenge."
"Well, we shall have our revenge. Pirate or not, Toad, I trust you." They sat in silence for a few moments as they each sipped at their drinks. "Well, Captain, where to now? The Outer Banks?" She smiled warmly at him.
He nodded. "Yes. But, Miss Becky, I fear for your safety, so you shall stay here, in the captain's quarter's."
"Excuse me? You fear for my safety?" she laughed. "Why is that?"
"Have you been a raping, pillaging pirate who hasn't seen a lady in over a year?" He ran his eyes up and down her well-built body as if to add emphasis to his statement.
"I see. Well, thank you for caring," she said, smiling at him again. "I get to spend the night with you, then? How do I know you're not a raping, pillaging pirate who hasn't seen a lady in more than a year?"
"I happen to be married."
For some reason, Becky's spirits seemed to drop after that statement. She frowned deeply. "Oh. I see. Well then…" She searched for a way to change the topic of the conversation. "What's going to happen tomorrow?"
Just then, a member of the Pearl's crew came running in. "Captain Toad! There's a ship, about two hundred miles away, and closin' in fast!"
"Well, then," Toad said as he stood up, "raise anchor! Let's get this ship moving." He ran up to the helm. "Move!" he yelled to his crew. "Jack is coming so soon?" he mumbled to himself.
Becky sat in the captain's quarters alone, deep in thought. The past few days had certainly not gone as she'd hoped. She looked out the window and saw how close the ship was getting. She chugged another bottle of rum and passed out on the floor.
"HURRY!" Captain Toad pushed the ship as fast as she could go. He slid down the rail and entered the captain's quarters. He picked up Becky. "Come on. Let's get you up and into the bed. Don't you worry a bit, lass, I will sleep with the crew tonight." He laid her down in the bed and went back out on deck.
Jack had caught up and was now only five miles behind Toad. "Ahoy there, mate," he said to himself, grinning as his ship pulled up alongside the Pearl. He waved to Toad.
"All right," Toad said with a grin. "Let's play." He jumped onto the British ship and drew his sword. "Now then. Shall we have ourselves a little duel?"
"Toad! I don't want to hurt you, mate," Jack said, keeping a hand ready on his sword but not unsheathing it.
"I don't trust you, and I don't believe you," Toad said simply, not backing down.
Becky opened her eyes slowly. She leaned over the side of the bed and threw up. "Ugh," she said, feeling extremely nauseous, "Toad's sure not gonna be happy about that." She stood up. Over the roar of the waves, she could just barely hear Toad and Jack arguing. She ran out on deck, in spite of Toad's orders to stay in the cabin, to see what was going on.
Jack had drawn his sword and was now fighting Toad. Toad was parrying all of Jack's attacks with ease. "Weakling," Toad taunted.
"You two are so ridiculous!" Becky yelled at them from the Pearl as they fenced on the other ship. "Why are you even fighting?"
Jack ordered his men to attack Toad and everyone on the Pearl.
Becky shot one of Jack's men with her pistol and stole his sword. She jumped onto the British ship and stood next to Toad, helping him to fight off the men attacking him. "Stop, Jack!" she screamed. She fenced surprisingly well, and was able to hold her own until the rest of the crew came to help Toad and her.
They fought off Jack and his crew. Toad stood above Jack, one foot on his chest and his sword at Jack's neck. "We are asking you to leave us alone. Next time, we will not hesitate to blow you out of the water." He helped Becky jump across back onto the Pearl.
Becky hung her head low and walked wordlessly back to the captain's quarters.
Toad followed her in. "Miss, he's not really a bad man. I hope you're able to find him again after this. I surely hope that this doesn't put a damper on your relationship with him." He looked at her with a sincere sympathy.
"I don't know," Becky said as she buried her face in her hands. "This isn't how I wanted it to be… I need more damn rum."
"Get the woman more rum," he ordered the cabin boy. "And bring up some of the chocolate."
Becky's eyes lit up when she heard the mention of chocolate. "I do love chocolate," she said. "What are we going to do now? I feel so… Lost. It feels like all of this was for nothing. We'll never find the heart," Becky said with a sigh.
"Well, let's think. We know one thing: Davy Jones can only set foot on land once every ten years, should the rumors be true, and he always lands in the same place. We don't know where, but we do know that Jones usually hangs out around sandbars, right?"
"So the Outer Banks, then? Still our best bet, I suppose." Becky laid down on the bed, putting one hand behind her head and loosely holding the bottle of rum with her other. "Did I do the right thing?" she asked Toad.
Toad thought for a moment. "I think you did. But then again, I'm not the one to say what's right for you. Only you can."
"I sure hope so," Becky said, looking up at Toad with teary eyes.
They finally came to the island they were searching for. Toad looked through his telescope and saw another ship already docked at the island. "What's this? Another ship's already here. Pirates, dammit." He went around the ship and roused the crew. "We need everyone prepared in case something happens." Toad turned to see Jack laying anchor next to the Pearl. "Jack! Ahoy! Pirates already here!" he yelled. "You got enough men to attack?" He told the crew to stay aboard and help attack the other ship with Jack and his crew. "I will only take a few ashore with me. Gibbs, the dwarf, and you-" he pointed to Becky- "will come ashore with me."
"Becky, don't go," Jack said.
She frowned. "Why not? I came all this way to avenge my father. Why would I stay back and hide now, when I'm so close?"
"I assure you," Toad said to Jack, "she will not be in any danger. I will keep her perfectly safe."
"Well, what the hell are we waiting for, Toad? Let's go!" Becky said.
"Already ahead of you." He and the others were already in the long boat, ready to go ashore. "Come on. We don't want to get shot by a cannon on the way, do we?"
She jumped into the boat with them. "Of course not," she grinned. "Now, let's get that heart."
Toad started rowing as the cannons shot around them, landing at times only inches away. "Let's get out, now," he said as they reached the breakers. He jumped off and ran ashore.
Becky jumped out also and ran next to him. She pointed at a man who was running up a dune. "There! That man's got the heart!"
"No," Toad said, "it can't be Barbosa…" He pulled out his pistol and shot the chest out of the man's hands. "Let's hurry up!" he called to Becky and the two men. He ran up the hill with his sword drawn and ready for a fight.
Becky ran after the heart. "Toad, you take care of Barbosa! I'll get the heart." Suddenly, she screamed, almost dropping her sword. "THE FLYING DUTCHMAN!" She'd never seen it before, but the ghost-like appearance and the way it had come out from the depths made its identity obvious.
"This can't be," Toad said again, slashing at Barbosa. "Look closer! It's a mirage," he shouted. He slashed again at Barbosa, and he disappeared. "The heart's a fake, too!"
"So this is all… fake? No heart, no Flying Dutchman, no Barbosa?" She dropped her sword and fell to her knees, punching the ground beside her and cursing under her breath.
They got back in the boat and rowed back to the two ships, where Jack was still fighting. "Ay! what's happening, Toad?" Jack asked as he shot two more "men".
"Stop wasting ammo," Toad said. "It's all fake."
"God DAMMIT. What the HELL are we supposed to do now?" Becky asked, looking up at Toad.
"I think it's best we stick together, for now." He helped Becky climb onto the Black Pearl. "Jack, let's work together to find this heart. Can I trust you?"
"Well, I suppose you can, mate, but can I trust you?"
"Aye." They shook, and the two ships sailed off into the sunset, heading for wherever their quest would take them next.