Chapter 10: Captain Barbossa of the Black Pearl

Ten years had passed since Jack has managed to swindle Barbossa out of the ancient charts that led to the living waters. He had been studying them and when everything had finally come to a head he had left them set aside while a great battle raged. He had not been careful enough however and his greatest mistake was made in trusting that Jack Sparrow would keep his word. Unfortunately for Jack he had lost himself the Black Pearl once again but now Barbossa was a cheated pirate with a thirst for a great and awe inspiring treasure, the glimpse of which he had obtained from the charts, and now he was without a single clue as to how to find the living waters. But with years comes knowledge and Barbossa had spent all of his time sailing to the farthest reaches of the ocean in search of some secret that would give to him the whereabouts of the greatest treasure of life.

It wasn't until his last journey from the great Australian waters that he gained a small piece of information that led him back to a familiar shore and a safe haven for all men that sailed by the brethren code.

"Why have we come back here captain?" Ragetti

"Because the captain said so, that's why," Pintel answered as they stood at the helm and eased the Black Pearl into the safety of ship wreck cove.

"But Barbossa is hated by the brethren court for what he did to Jack by taking the Pearl again so why are we going in there when we know they are going to mangle us up," Ragetti asked.

"The captain has a friend he needs to see," Pintel said, "but I think it be best for us if we stay on the ship. If the captain gets mangled up then we can take the ship and be off in a flash."

"Captain Ragetti has a nice ring to it. Don't it?" Ragetti laughed.

"You ain't gonna be the captain, I'll be the captain!" Pintel yelled.

"Well why will you be captain?" Ragetti asked.

"Because it was my idea," Pintel said a little more nicely, "you can be my first mate though," he added seeing that he had upset Ragetti.

"Oh, aye, aye, captain!" Ragetti laughed.

Barbossa had been ignoring all of his crew's warnings and protests about returning to ship wreck cove. Most of the pirates saw the stealing of Jack's ship as very low even for a pirate in the midst of such unity among them. But he had done it before and he was sure, if he had too, he would do it again and if that bothered any of the other pirates he would put them in their place.

He disembarked from his ship, much to the chagrin of his crew, and left them waiting for him to return. Most of them didn't mind being left behind, they were worn out, run down and demoralized because they had been looking around for so long that many of them were wondering why they stayed at all and some were even wishing that they still had Jack as their captain. But Barbossa was determined to find who he had come looking for.

He walked through the winding town street, his head held high, as people watched and jeered at him but he soon found himself in the meeting place of the Brethren Court and the location where the pirate's code was kept. He stalked into the empty room to find the candles all out and a soft music coming from what seemed like a far off land.

"What use has the code been to me, hang the code!" Barbossa shouted into the darkness.

Suddenly the music stopped and a flood of light burst out of a door that had remained hidden, up until this point, by the darkness that had gathered in the great meeting hall.

"The code is the law," A voice said from within the light.

"And yet it hasn't always ruled your life, Teague," Barbossa said as Jack's father came into the room, "how did you come to be the keeper of the code?" he asked.

"What, was, was and what will be, will be," Teague answered.

"So how long has it been then, that you have been keeping the code?" Barbossa asked.

"You are asking far too many question Hector," Teague answered with a yawn.

"And you are answering far too few Teague," Barbossa laughed as he sat down at the dark table, "here's another one for you, why is it that you and I look about the same age but I know for a fact that you are quite my senior?"

"You've not aged well," Teague answered.

"Alright then, why have you looked the same for years and years?" Barbossa asked.

"The sea keeps me young," Teague answered.

"You mean the life water keeps you young," Barbossa said cutting to the chase.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Teague said as he turned away and walked back to where he had come.

"Why do you never leave ship wreck cove?" Barbossa asked as he followed Teague through the meeting room.

"I am plenty content right where I am," Teague said starting to sound annoyed.

"It's because you can't leave, there are too many forces out to get you," Barbossa laughed, "what good is eternal life if you can't enjoy it. Tell me how to get to the aqua viva and I'll help you back onto the seas. Think of what it could mean for us, two immortal pirates in a world where the royal navy thinks it can end piracy. We will change the world and the way the navy sees us," Barbossa said.

"No," Teague answered, "it isn't by the code."

"We'll live by the code, the way piracy was meant to be lived, it's the navy that is stopping us," Barbossa smiled.

"You've never lived by the code," Teague said as he turned finally to look at Barbossa.

"Neither did you at one time," Barbossa said.

"I have learned the errors of my way," Teague said.

"And yet you still haven't set that woman free," Barbossa said shaking his head, "aye, there is honesty in the code but you seem to ignore it yourself."

Teague glared at him in the dim light of his personal chamber.

"We could release her, you and I, we'll be immortal and we'll be the most notorious pirates in the world," Barbossa smiled, "you want your legend to be known don't you? You would want to see your son surpass you in glory. He is on his way to the aqua viva as we speak," he added.

"Jack, how did he find out about it?" Teague asked looking a bit worried.

"It's in the charts old man, your charts; the charts that followed you from east to west. Aye your son has them and with his compass he has set a course for the enchanted waters. Now you know how to find them don't you and we can stop Jack," Barbossa said.

"We must stop Jack," Teague said as he grabbed his hat, his guitar and motioned for Barbossa to take the pirates codex.

"We are not taking that," Barbossa said looking at the huge volume.

"The code is the law," Teague said and pulled a gun on Barbossa.

"Alright, we'll take it!" he said and grabbed the book from where it lay.

"And you will live by it so long as I am aboard my son's ship," Teague said, "and you will return the Pearl to Jack when we find him."

"It's my ship!" Barbossa said angrily.

"No, it belongs to Jack," Teague said, "and you have taken it unjustly and by very cowardly means. You do not deserve to be called captain."

"But I am a captain none the less," Barbossa laughed.

"I think not," Teague said as he aimed his gun once more at Barbossa, "I will be taking over Hector. Rightfully the Pearl belongs to a Sparrow."

"You can't," Barbossa yelled.

"Oh I can, in fact I just did," Teague said, "you are lucky I am letting you come along. You would be staying to keep the code."

"We are taking the code," Barbossa grunted as he readjusted the codex in his arms.

"And you shall be guardian to it as I will be to busy being the captain," Teague laughed, "or perhaps you would rather be left on a god forsaken island with a pistol and a single shot. I doubt very much that a non-Sparrow will escape as honorably as my son did or it won't be a very good story anyway. You don't have the creativity that is needed to be a truly notorious pirate. Stick with me, kid, and you may learn something," he added and with a swift kick to Barbossa behind he led him forward toward the Black Pearl.