Will was upset. No, scratch that. He was angry. To be precise, he was downright furious, and now he was taking out his rage on a piece of wood that he had happened to find. He kept carving it with his knife, trying not to think about how Jack had used him as nothing less than a pawn.

Of course, that was easier said than done, since he could see the man in question at the steering wheel, just across from him. So, all he kept thinking was of ways to have Jack suffer a slow and agonizing death. So far, throwing him to a lake full of pirate-hungry crocodiles sounded the most promising idea.

"Now that's a very familiar face," Gibbs noted as if out of the blue, cutting off Will's train of thought. The man walked up to Will and pointed at Nathaniel, who was talking Rys with a deep scowl on his features. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Nathaniel was related to you."

"Go away, Gibbs. I'm not in the mood," Will said, cutting off a large piece from the wood he still carved.

Gibbs did no such thing. Shaking his head with a sigh, he sat next to Will. "He does care about his brother, Will."

Will snorted. "So much that he started looking for him after he realised 200,000 pieces of eight were involved." Another large piece of wood fell on the floor with a light thud. "At least Silehard never pretended what he wanted from Nathaniel."

"And neither did Jack," Gibbs retorted. "That's what drove the two brothers apart in the first place."

Will faced Gibbs, feeling his curiosity piqued. "What do you mean?"

Gibbs scratched his beard in thought. "Well, I've already told you that Jack wanted Nate to become a pirate, right?"

Will nodded. "But Nathaniel refused. Not that I'm blaming him anymore," he added bitterly.

"Ah. But what you don't know is that Jack intended to share his captaincy with Nate."

Will stared at the other man with wide eyes. "You're joking."

"No," Gibbs answered. "Sure, their parents didn't think much of Nathaniel and his queer ideas, but Jack was sure his brother had a lot of potential as a pirate. And, even though Nathaniel didn't want that kind of life for himself, it didn't stop Jack. As far as he was concerned, he wanted his brother with him, sharing whatever loot they got and spend it together."

Will frowned. "Jack doesn't share anything with anyone."

"My point exactly," Gibbs replied with a smile.

Will had to admit that he hadn't thought of it that way before. Even so, there was still one small problem.

"Nathaniel doesn't see it that way."

"Oh, I think he does. That doesn't mean that he approves it," Gibbs said. "He wants to lead an honest life and that's that. And, since he's as stubborn as Jack…"

"Neither of them will back down," Will completed with a wince.

"Aye."

Will didn't speak. He looked at the brothers instead, noticing how they kept their distances from one another and acted as though not acknowledging the other's presence. Will shook his head wryly, sensing that this was going to be very trying journey indeed.

But, unfortunately for both brothers, they couldn't give each other the silent treatment forever. They were both captains, after all, and they had to set an example to their crew. More importantly, they had to make plans about their next course of action, and that lay in Nathaniel's jurisdiction; for he was the one that carried the most useful piece of information in that sort of quest they had entangled themselves in.

At least, that's what Jack believed, until Nathaniel informed him otherwise.

--------------------

"What do you mean you don't have the treasure map with you?" he exclaimed.

Will winced inwardly. He had never expected to ever see Jack surprised enough to spew the mouthful of rum he drank just moments before, and yet that was precisely what had happened. Jack sat up on his chair, coal-black eyes locked on Nathaniel and reflecting the hardened pirate's shock.

Nathaniel, on the other hand, seemed hardly disturbed. He simply looked at his shirt, scrutinising it in a nonchalant manner. Will somehow knew that Nathaniel was doing that on purpose, and he was even enjoying it in a way.

"I mean precisely that," the young captain replied coolly, dusting a non-existent stain from his sleeve. "The map had no use to me in its state."

"Its state?" Will echoed before he could help it.

Nathaniel huffed. "The officer didn't trust anyone else but himself. He didn't want anyone to read the map, either by accident or deliberately, and understand what this is about. So he wrote all the instructions in the Aztec language."

"But how did he expect Silehard to read the map?"

"Easy. He didn't," Nathaniel replied with a shrug. "The officer would translate it for him once he was back in Redmond Island."

"And, once he offered his services to Silehard, the good governor would have rewarded him with a nice beheading," Jack pointed out dryly.

"He probably didn't think of that," Nathaniel said. "Anyway, good plan or no, that was what he did, and he didn't offer me a translation along with the map."

"So… where's the map now?" Will asked.

"In Conceicao," Nathaniel replied. "There's an old man there who could translate the map for me."

"And you actually gavehim the map?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Nathaniel said. "He owes me."

"Let me guess. You helped him cross the street," Jack declared, grumbling.

A smirk flicked into Nathaniel's lips. "Something like that."

With that, the younger brother turned on his heel and walked away, so as to give the new orders to his crew. Will, however, remained behind, watching Jack as the latter looked as though ready to bang his head on the table.

"They switched him at birth," he murmured. "That's the only logical explanation."

But Jack didn't have the luxury to wonder about that for long. They had to sail to Conceicao as fast as possible, so that he, Will and Nathaniel could get their hands on their map before Silehard did. And, hopefully, by the time they arrived on the island, the old man would be able to give them the information they needed.

--------------------

"Don't worry," Nathaniel said at some point. He and Will were at the deck, and Nathaniel had noticed that the former blacksmith had become increasingly nervous. "De Oliveira is an expert on reading the Aztec language. If there's anyone who can translate the map, it's him."

"It's not that," Will said with a sigh.

"Oh?" Nathaniel asked, certainly intrigued. "Then what is it?"

Will shook his head and rested both hands against the rail, his eyes locked in the horizon. He figured Nathaniel wouldn't understand, so he didn't bother with an answer. Still, he could see the other man frown for a few moments, then make a face as if realisation caught up with him.

"What's her name?"

Will blinked in surprise and stared at Nathaniel incredulously. "How did you know?"

Nathaniel smirked. "I didn't. You just confirmed it for me."

Will couldn't help but huff slightly at that. Apparently, slyness was something that ran in Jack's family. Even so, he decided there was no point in denying anything.

"It's Elizabeth," he said. "We had known each other for years, but we have only recently confessed our love for the other. We… even meant to get married soon."

"And yet you're here?" Nathaniel remarked, raising an eyebrow of curiosity.

"Your brother is persuasive," Will answered dryly.

Nathaniel chuckled, obviously understanding what Will meant exactly. Nevertheless, the former blacksmith noticed that there was a twinkle of curiosity reflected in the other man's eyes, and it wasn't long before Nathaniel sobered somewhat.

"Still… you should feel proud."

"Really?" Will asked, certainly not expecting that.

Nathaniel nodded. "He could have picked just about anyone to try and locate me, but he chose you anyway."

"Because I was naïve; you said so yourself," Will pointed out.

"Are you saying you're the only one naïve in this world?" Nathaniel asked, amused.

"Now there you go, mocking me again," Will said resignedly.

"I'm only teasing you," Nathaniel corrected. "And my argument still stands. He didn't just want a pawn; he needed someone he could trust." He paused, regarding Will with respect. "You are not his friend, but you're certainly the closest thing to a friend he has."

Will caught himself wondering about that. He had never thought about things that way before, and he had to admit Nathaniel's words actually made sense. But, of course, if that were true, than Gibbs' story made even more sense. Jack was a pirate, a profession in which no one was supposed to trust anyone. To have someone close and wasn't planning on stabbing you on the back was, in a way, far more valuable than any treasure in the world. Jack had to learn that the hard way when Barbossa double-crossed him. So, it was only natural that Jack wanted Nathaniel as a partner.

"I can't replace a brother," he said softly.

Nathaniel shook his head and sighed. "Somehow, I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Does it make it any less right?" Will asked.

"No," Nathaniel admitted. "But if he truly cared about me as my brother, he would have at least the courtesy to respect my decisions instead of treating me like a child who doesn't know his own good."

Will bit his lower lip. "If I offended you, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry," Nathaniel said in reassurance, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm angry with him, not you. And once the matter with the treasure is settled, we can all go our separate ways. I bet you're missing your loved one."

"Yes," Will said, the memory of Elizabeth piercing his mind and making his heart flutter wildly in his chest. "You know… it's thanks to Jack that Elizabeth and I are together."

That took Nathaniel by surprise. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," Will said, smiling. "It all started when I was ten years old and I went aboard a ship in search of my father…"

Nathaniel just listened on, feeling curious about the tale.

--------------------

Silehard still paced up and down the dock, waiting impatiently for his ship to get ready. He knew that there was no time to lose, certainly not when Jack Sparrow had Nathaniel in his hands to use him in order to get on the treasures the governor coveted first. When he got his hands on that pirate, he would show him the true meaning of pain for certain.

Silehard was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't notice his commander approaching.

"Governor?"

"Yes, what is it?" Silehard asked impatiently.

Thornton took out of his pocket a piece of paper. "I've just received this from a travelling pigeon," was all that he said.

"Give that here," Silehard demanded, snatching the message from Thornton's hand. He scrolled down the message, eager to see what was in it, and a cruel smile formed on his lips when he realised that it was a piece of very good news.

"Sir?" Thornton asked, unsure what to make of Silehard's expression.

Silehard rolled the message again and put it in his pocket. "Commander… we leave for Conceicao at once."

--------------------

"Land ho!"

Will instantly got out of his room at those words and looked at the horizon. Anamaria was right; the island was clearly visible even from this distance, and Will couldn't possibly be happier. Conceicao was one of the furthest islands in the Archipelago, and it had taken the Black Pearl and the Victory more than four days to finally reach the Portuguese colony.

"It's not overly big," he noted aloud, still gazing in the island's direction.

"No, not really," Nathaniel said, overhearing Will and he approached the rail. "It's still one of the wealthiest colonies of the Carribbean nonetheless."

"Really?"

Nathaniel nodded. "It has a very busy market. Cocoa beans, spices, ebony… everything passes through here," he said. "And there are a lot of merchants willing to pay quite the handsome fee to anyone will carry their merchandise to the other islands."

Will frowned, surprised that Nathaniel should know so much about this place. "Is that what you did for a living?"

"For a time," Nathaniel said with a small smile. "I had to start my honest life from somewhere."

"And people trusted you?" Will asked.

"Not at first, of course," Nathaniel answered. "But, as time passed, I got good enough reputation and, soon, I got my first cargo. After that, everything was smooth sailing, and it wasn't long before I earned quite the heavy sum."

"Then how come you decided to work for Silehard?"

"I didn't exactly decide it," Nathaniel answered. "By his reasoning, if I managed to escape the French when they attacked Oxbay, I was sure to elude them again. So he hired me in order to help out on the situation."

"Of course. He needed someone honest enough to get the officer out of Oxbay and not run away with the treasure map."

Nathaniel huffed at that, recognizing his brother's voice. Will watched him as he turned around and faced Jack, who was standing a little further away from the two of them.

"And that is actually a compliment, if you think about it," he said defiantly. "But you wouldn't possibly understand that, would you?"

"Nate, he used you," Jack said. "Just when do you plan on getting it through that thick skull of yours?"

"So what if he did?!" Nathaniel exclaimed in exasperation. "What would you have me do, Jack? Lie and cheat my way through life, just because everyone seems to be doing that? I have more important things to worry about."

"It was your honest life that got you in trouble in the first place, in case you couldn't tell," Jack pointed out.

"No, it was Silehard's greed. And besides, we're talking about one time over my thirty-five years of life," Nathaniel retorted. "You still hold the record, oh dear brother of mine. Or do you think I haven't heard about your own adventures?"

"Yet I'm still here, aren't I?" Jack said sweetly, a broad grin on his lips.

"For how long, I wonder," Nathaniel said with a shake of his head.

"How about we wait and see?"

Nathaniel didn't say anything to that. Sighing a bit, he just patted Will on the shoulder and walked away. Will, however, cast quite the angry glare in Jack's direction, something that had Jack genuinely perplexed.

"What?"

"Why do you keep doing that?" Will asked.

Jack raised an eyebrow at that. "Care to enlighten me to what exactly you're referring to, mate?"

"Disparaging him; treating him like he somehow failed you," Will said. "Nathaniel doesn't need that from you."

"Considering you don't have any younger brothers of your own, I think I should inform you that I'm only doing this because I want what's best for him, savvy?" Jack said, frowning. "The life he's having is beneath his potential."

"He's happy anyway, Jack. You just don't want to see it," Will retorted indignantly. "And I hope it won't be too late by the time you do."

And with that, Will walked away as well, hoping that Jack would consider his words.

TBC...