Chapter 11: A Pirate's Life

The Pearl sailed to the location Tia had indicated in the midst of a watery gale. Soon all of the men were soaked through, though no amount of rain could bring down Sora's gravity-defying hair.

"I wish I knew how he does it," muttered a saturated Jack, glaring jealously at Sora.

Amidst the sheets of water, a ship could be seen, cleaved in half.

"That's the Flying Dutchman?" shouted Will over the rain, skepticism etching his face. Sora looked at the sad wreck of a vessel dubiously and privately agreed with Will's disbelief. Gibbs nodded feebly at the query.

"She doesn't look like much," stated Sora, with Will nodding in agreement.

"Neither do you two," Jack pointed out, a very fair point, indeed. "Do not underestimate her. So, what's your plan, then?"

"We row over, search the ship until we find your bloody key," Will said irritably.

Jack grimaced. "And if there are crewmen?"

"I cut down anyone in my path," Will replied. He glanced at Sora, who hooked his hands behind his head. "Sounds good to me," said Sora.

"I like it," mused Jack. "Simple, easy to remember."

Will and Sora descended to the longboat, with jeers from Ragetti. As they were just about to shove off, Jack hailed them.

"If you do happen to get captured, just say Jack Sparrow sent you to settle his debt," he called. "It might save your life."

They pushed off into the storm and Sora thought he heard something like, "Douse the lamps." But the rain soon washed out everything but the ship wreck.

The boat slowly crept forward until, at last, it bumped against the ship. It was even eerier up close. Sora became nauseous as he saw bodies tangled in rigging and floating in the water.

There was one man, at least, still alive. He was feverishly pulling at a rope, muttering about jibs and Captain's orders.

Will looked at the man pityingly. "There's no use. You've run aground."

"No," cried the man, his eyes bulging. "Beneath us. Foul breath."

Something crashed down from the rigging; a body. Sora went to it and turned it over, only to see that the face had been suctioned off.

Suddenly, another ship burst out of the water next to them, covered in coral and barnacles. Men, similarly coral- and barnacle-covered, oozed from the wood of the shipwreck and, to Sora's horror, a new type of Halfhearted climbed out of the water.

They were the same color as Golems, but had a more defined form. Coming up to Sora's hips, these Halfhearted looked like humans with extra-long fingers and ropey dreadlocks. One whipped those thin tentacles at Sora, leaving nasty welts.

Another had grabbed Will's ankle. He sliced the tentacle, which immediately lost form and oozed around Will's leg like the Golems did. The Medusa – that's what Sora decided to call it – meanwhile, had regrown the tentacle.

"Hold still!" cried Sora, casting Blizzaga on Will's feet. Will stuck his sword in the tentacle-turned-Golem and a grimly satisfied smile formed on his face as it shattered.

"What are they?" Will gaped.

"The black ones are Halfhearted. I don't know about the sea creatures," Sora said.

Sora decided that the immediate threat was the Medusas. He froze them and Will shattered them, all the while dodging sword swings from the sea creatures. Strangely enough, the Medusas and sea creatures fought each other, creating a three-sided battle. So Davy Jones and Astan weren't too chummy, a small consolation for Sora.

Struck with sudden inspiration, Will dipped his sword in an oil barrel and smashed it against a lantern, instantly igniting it. This made quick work of whatever it touched.

Now Sora and Will were back to back, Will still swinging his fiery sword. Since they were surrounded, though, Will didn't see the arm that smashed into his head, knocking him cold. Neither did Sora.

When Sora woke up, his head pounding furiously, the Halfhearted were gone, but more sea creatures had come. He was kneeling at the end of a line of men, the survivors of the wreck. Will was next to him, looking groggy but wary. A slight look of relief passed over his face when he saw that Sora was awake, but it became fearful once more as they heard thumping.

A man with a barnacled hat and cloak came aboard. He had tentacles instead of hair and one of his hands had been turned into a crab claw. The thumping had come from his peg leg. All the sea creatures parted for him respectfully. This, Sora realized, could only be Davy Jones and the sea creatures his crew.

"Six men still alive. The rest have moved on," reported a hammerhead shark-man.

Jones stumped up to one of the survivors, who whimpered loudly. "Do you fear death?" Jones asked. The man began nodding vigorously. "Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare. All your sins punished." Jones snorted. "I can offer you an escape."

"Don't listen to him!" cried another man down the line. Jones glanced sharply at the man and the rosary clutched in his hand. The crab claw snaked out and grabbed the man's throat. Sora moved to help, but Will touched him in warning and Sora reluctantly became still.

"Do you not fear death?" said Jones, amusement on his face.

The man stared at him defiantly. "I'll take my chances, sir."

"To the depths," Jones commanded. A crewman, baring the man's throat, put a knife up to it and Sora shut his eyes tight. This didn't block out the man's last, wet choke or the splash as his body was thrown overboard, unfortunately.

"Cruel blackguard!" spat another man.

"Life is cruel," growled Jones. "Why should the afterlife be any different? I offer you a choice. Join my crew and postpone the judgment. One hundred years before the mast. Will ye serve?"

Sora could not believe that anyone would be tempted by the offer, but the first man that Jones had addressed stammered, "I-I will serve."

With a satisfied noise, Jones began moving down the line, until he got to Will. Jones did a double take and examined Will. "You are neither dead nor dying."

Sora wriggled uncomfortably and instantly regretted it. The movement brought to attention what the night had hidden from Jones; Sora's outlandish appearance compared to the other inhabitants of this world. Jones's eyes flickered from Will to Sora, growing more and more suspicious.

His claw shot forward again, this time at Sora. Already tense and half expecting this, Sora summoned his Keyblade in front of him and the claw closed around it instead of Sora's neck.

Momentary surprise flitted across Jones's face, but he quickly recovered. "A Wielder," he said with contempt. "No, the Wielder…. I WILL NOT HAVE IT!" he roared. The claw tightened its grip on the Keyblade and Sora copied it. A big mistake. With surprising strength, Jones used their grips to throw Sora sideways into a broken mast. White stars burst across his vision.

"I will not have you meddling in my affairs," Jones said quietly, advancing on Sora. The whisper sounded more dangerous than the shouting. Blearily, Sora saw Will torn between helping Sora and keeping his head down. Sora shook his head ever so slightly, telling Will not to do anything. It was still possible that Will would be spared, but not if he openly consorted with the Keyblade Master.

Jones kicked Sora and he rolled into the water covering the severed midsection of the ship. "You may find my practices despicable, but they are perfectly within the world border and you don't have the right to meddle in them. Likewise, I cannot kill you. But, I don't have to tolerate your presence, not when I have your friend here to interrogate. So, I bid you good riddance, oh bright and shiny Master of Light."

He clicked his claw and it echoed ominously in the night. A giant tentacle burst from the water and grabbed Sora around the waist. Before he could retaliate, it had flung him across the ocean and he landed with a splash a little way off from the Pearl. He swam closer and had started climbing up the side when he heard Jones's voice on the deck.

"You have a debt to pay. You've been captain of the Black Pearl for thirteen years. That was our agreement."

Now Sora heard Jack's voice, trying to smooth talk his way out as always. "Technically I was only captain for two years; then I was viciously mutinied upon."

"Then you were a poor captain, but a captain nonetheless. Have you not introduced yourself all these years as Captain Jack Sparrow?" More thumping.

"You have my payment. Not one, but two souls to serve on your ship. They're already over there." Sora nearly lost his grip and he could hear his heart pounding angrily in his ears. So, Jack meant to sacrifice them, did he? Not if Sora could help it.

Jones laughed. "I couldn't touch the Wielder, even if the worlds allowed it. His heart is too strong for any power to hold. Besides, he's probably out to sea by now. As for the other one, one soul is not equal to another." Sora sagged in relief. So there was hope yet.

"Aha!" Jack exclaimed and began talking more quickly. "We've established my proposal is sound in principle. Now we're just haggling over price." Sora couldn't believe his ears!

"Price?"

"Just how many souls do you think my soul is worth?"

A pause. Jones must have been pondering the offer. "One hundred souls. Three days." No. Sora couldn't let this happen.

"You're a diamond, mate. Send me back the boy. I'll get started right off." Was Jack trying to save Will, even after sacrificing him in the first place? Yes, but at the expense of one hundred others.

"I keep the boy. A good-faith payment." Sora's heart sank. "That leaves you only 99 more to go."

"Have you not met Will Turner? He's noble, heroic, a terrific soprano. Worth at least four. Maybe three and a half." The greedy scumbag. "And did I happen to mention…he's in love? With a girl. Due to be married. Betrothed. Dividing him from her and her from him would only be half as cruel as actually allowing them to be joined in holy matrimony. Eh?"

Now this was just ridiculous. Who would believe that? Apparently Davy Jones, who paused as if considering the prospect. "I keep the boy. Ninety-nine souls. But I wonder, Sparrow, can you live with this?"

"Yep. I'm good with it." Jack said this so brightly that Sora wondered if Jack still had a plan up his sleeves. "Shall we seal it in blood? I mean…ink." Jack gasped in disgust, perhaps because of the fishy texture that Jones's hand was sure to have.

"Three days." Then there was quiet and Sora guessed that Jones had gone.

"Mr. Gibbs," Jack mumbled. "I-I feel sullied and unusual." His voice was, indeed, sullied and unusual as he said this.

"And how do you intend to harvest these 99 souls in three days?"

"Fortunately, he was mum as to the condition in which these souls need be." The swagger had returned.

"Ah. Tortuga."

"Tortuga."

That's where Elizabeth and Kairi were going. As much as Sora wanted to stop Jack from doing this, he wanted to find them more. Besides, they could help him. So, he kept hidden until they reached Tortuga.

Kairi had to stuff her fist in her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Even so, tears streamed down her cheeks and she was shaking with the effort to keep quiet. All the sailors must have thought Kairi was petrified in fear, but Kairi and, up on the yard arm, Elizabeth were having the time of their lives.

They had stolen back Elizabeth's wedding dress and now Elizabeth was swinging it around the ship on strings, like a puppet, making it seem like a ghost was animating it. The captain came bustling out and Elizabeth made the dress point at him, then out to sea.

"She wants you to do something," whispered the bursar.

"She's trying to give a sign," said the captain, stepping forward. Not superstitious, indeed. Man, were they ever eating this up!

Now Elizabeth swung the dress around wildly, aiming to knock a lit lantern onto the deck, which would ignite the oil they had put there. But the lantern landed just short of it and didn't ignite anything. Kairi bit her lip. What now? She couldn't try to fix the situation when the crew was watching.

Elizabeth must have realized this, because she made a big show of swooping the dress to the opposite side of the ship.

"Over there!" the captain cried. "Look for a sign."

While they were trying to decipher signs in seaweed ("Morons," Yuna muttered in Kairi's ear.), Kairi flicked a Firaga at the oil. The flames spread quickly and Elizabeth nodded, indicating that they said the right thing.

Disguising her voice, Kairi said, "What's that over there?" She indicated the burning word: TORTUGA.

Sora decided to keep hidden as Gibbs signed up men to crew the Pearl, seeing as Sora hadn't yet seen any sign of Kairi and Elizabeth. Besides, Sora thought as he looked around the tavern, Tortuga did not seem like a good place to confront Jack. He thanked whatever higher power that had determined his journey before for not bringing him to Tortuga the first time around.

Jack was not involved with the collecting; in fact, he was behaving curiously…more curiously than normal. Withdrawn to a secluded corner, he was muttering, "I know what I want" and opening his compass, then closing it in frustration and repeating the process.

"And what's your story?" Gibbs asked the fifth man to turn up.

"My story," the man slurred, half-drunk. "It's exactly the same as your story, just one chapter behind." This guy sounded a lot like Auron, except for being plastered. "I chased a man across the seven seas." Now Jack looked over at the man, frowning. "The pursuit cost me my crew, my commission, and my life." The man grabbed some rum off the table and took a swig.

Gibbs furrowed his eyebrows and whispered, "Commodore?" Commodore? As in Commodore Norrington, the fourth person destined to swing courtesy of Lord Beckett?

"No, not anymore," Norrington snapped. "Weren't you listening?" He leaned in, causing Gibbs to lean away. By the look of him, Norrington could not have smelled too pleasant, not to mention the air of frightening insanity. "I nearly had you all off Tripoli. I would have, if not for the hurricane." Jack slowly edged behind a potted plant, eager not to be seen by Norrington.

"Lord," Gibbs breathed. "You didn't try to sail through it?"

"So, do I make your crew or not?" asked Norrington. He paused, watching Gibbs, who hadn't moved, before continuing hurriedly, "You haven't said where you're going. Somewhere nice?" Norrington overturned the table. Rather loudly, he asked the room, "So, am I worthy to serve under Captain Jack Sparrow?" He cocked his gun at Jack. At least Norrington was sober enough to realize that plants don't move on their own. "Or should I just kill you now?"

Jack did a small dance around a pole to try to confuse Norrington, but the gun followed Jack's head perfectly. "You're hired," Jack said in a last ditch attempt to save his life.

"Sorry," Norrington sneered. "Old habits and all that." He pulled the trigger just as two of the Pearl's crew grabbed his arm and forced it upward. The bullet hit a chandelier and ricocheted into a man's mug, shattering it. The man punched the guy next to him, which started an enormous fight throughout the entire bar.

Jack and Gibbs escaped unnoticed to the second floor, where Jack twittered around trying on hats. Now that Sora realized it, Jack hadn't been wearing a hat this whole time. He must be serious about all this to forget about his hat.

Sora followed, easily going unnoticed as well amidst the chaos. Halfway up the stairs, he saw two of the smallest, thinnest sailors he'd ever seen enter the bar. The second sailor's deep, blue eyes met his for a second, but that was all they needed. Following Jack was more important at the moment.

Kairi met Sora's clear, blue eyes briefly before he made his way up the stairs, following the strangest pirate she'd ever seen. True, the only pirates she had ever seen were on Captain Hook's ship, and she hadn't really seen them, but these were minor details. This pirate had to be Captain Jack Sparrow if Sora wanted her to wait just a little longer. She understood, though, and let him go.

Elizabeth ducked farther into the room to see what the commotion was. The instigator of this fight appeared to be a man in a frazzled wig and a dirty, blue uniform. Upon seeing him, Elizabeth drew her sword and joined the fray. Wanting to impress Sora, Kairi summoned her Keyblade and went into the most complicated combos Elizabeth had taught her.

Sora watched the girls out of the corner of his eye, slightly annoyed that they would put themselves in danger, especially when Kairi knew that he was busy. He needn't have worried, though. Both were handling themselves nicely and Kairi seemed to have practiced while she and Sora were separated. She even pulled off some impressive – but unnecessary – combos that Elizabeth must have taught her.

Unfortunately, Jack was leaving and Sora couldn't stay to watch Kairi show off more.

Poor Yuna was having difficulty not being noticed. Kairi's combos moved all over the place, making it hard for Yuna to stay in her pocket.

The girls found themselves backed into a pole. Backed into the other side of the pole was the man who had started this.

"Come on, then!" the man challenged. "Who wants some? Form an orderly line and I'll have you all, one by one. Come on, who's first?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and grabbed the rum bottle in his hands, smashing it over his head. The whole pub stopped to stare at her. "I just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself," she said.

The crowd cheered and tossed the drunk man out back with the pigs. Elizabeth pushed through the crowd and bent to help the man up. "James Norrington," she murmured sadly.

"Norrington?" The name stirred something in Kairi's memory. "The man on the fourth warrant?"

Elizabeth nodded and addressed James again, "What has the world done to you?"

Sora watched from his hiding place as Elizabeth strode down the pier, closely followed by Kairi and Norrington. He must have told them that Jack was here.

"Captain Sparrow!" Elizabeth called.

Jack looked quickly over his shoulder. "Come to join my crew, lad? Welcome aboard."

"I'm here to find the man I love." You won't find him here, Sora thought bitterly.

Stopping short, Jack exchanged an uncomfortable look with Gibbs. "I'm deeply flattered, son, but my first and only love is the sea." Idiot.

"Meaning William Turner, Captain Sparrow," Elizabeth said as Norrington vomited into the water.

Quickly turning to look at her, Jack muttered, "Elizabeth." He turned back to Gibbs and told him, "Hide the rum," before completely giving the girls his attention.

His eyes swept Kairi once and Sora had a hard time not strangling Jack right there. "You know my dear, you don't hide your feminine qualities as well as Miss Swann here." Sora was delighted to see Kairi glare at Jack after he said this. "You see, these clothes don't flatter you at all. It should be a dress or nothing. Why don't we get acquainted in my cabin, where I happen to have no dress?"

This was going too far. Sora stepped behind Jack and pressed his Keyblade to the side of Jack's neck, hooking his throat with the tip.

Jack was unconcerned with the threat on his life. "You must be Kairi," he simpered.

"That's right," she replied, now glaring at Sora in displeasure, although the corner of her mouth twitched and Sora knew she was slightly amused with him.

"I have a message for you, Jack," Sora said, dismissing his Keyblade. As Jack turned to face him, Sora slapped him as hard as he could across the face. "How's the blood-thirsty crew coming?" Sora asked, surprising even himself with the amount of contempt in it. "Still 94 souls short, aren't you?"

Jack stared at Sora in utter amazement. "You're actually pretty bloody terrifying when you're this angry."

"Never mind that," Elizabeth cut in. "Will left with you" – she pointed to Sora – "to find you," – she pointed at Jack – "now where is he?"

Sora angrily opened his mouth, but Jack raised a hand and cut Sora off. "Darling, I am truly unhappy to have to tell you this, but…," Jack began, "through unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable circumstances that had nothing whatsoever to do with me," – "Liar!" Sora spat – "poor William has been press-ganged into Davy Jones's crew."

"Oh, please," Norrington bit. "The captain of the Flying Dutchman?"

"You look bloody awful," Jack commented. "What are you doing here?"

"You hired me," snapped Norrington. "I can't help it if your standards are lax."

"You smell funny," Jack returned.

"Be quiet!" Elizabeth shouted. "I'll hear the story later, but right now, all I want is to find Will."

Jack stared into Elizabeth's face intently. "Are you certain? Is that what you really want most?"

"Of course."

"Because I would think you'd want to find a way to save Will most," Jack said, leading Elizabeth away.

Sora blocked their path with his Keyblade. "What are you up to, Jack?"

"I'm improvising a way to save Will without having to get those 99 souls," Jack said. "You've no problems with that, do you?"

"No," Sora said grudgingly.

"Good," Jack said, turning back to Elizabeth. "There is a chest." – "Oh dear," drawled Norrington – "A chest of unknown size and origin what contains the still-beating heart of Davy Jones and whoever possesses that chest possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever it is he or she wants, including saving brave William from his grim fate."

"You don't actually believe him, do you?" sneered Norrington.

Elizabeth smirked. "I'll believe anything that can make Sora violent." Sora flushed as Kairi and Elizabeth laughed at him. Elizabeth turned back to Jack. "How would we find it?"

"With this." Jack took out his compass, the thing that had started this "adventure" in the first place. "My compass…is unique."

"'Unique' here having the meaning of 'broken,'" Norrington mocked.

"True enough," Jack went on, "this compass does not point north."

Elizabeth was now staring at Jack impatiently. "Where does it point?"

"It points to the thing you want most in this world."

"Oh, Jack. Are you telling the truth?"

"Every word, love. And what you want most in this world" – Jack placed the compass in her hands and closed her fingers around it – "is to find the chest of Davy Jones, is it not?"

"To save Will," Elizabeth corrected.

"By finding the chest of Davy Jones." Jack opened the compass and backed away. The arrow spun around several times, bouncing back and forth before settling.

Jack peered at the needle. "We have our heading."

Everyone headed aboard the Pearl, Jack and Sora last. As they walked up the gangplank, Sora grabbed Jack's shoulder and spun him around.

"You've saved your skin again, Jack. I'd think you'd have learned by now that each time you save it from one person, another person steps in to try and take it. Keep that in mind."

"Beckett?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"Yes, they're signed. Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company," replied Kairi.

"Bluergh!" Jack said, with a motion that looked like he was hurling.

Gibbs rounded on Sora. "You two were working for Beckett and never said a word?"

Sora scowled, "We told you why we needed the compass. Why does it matter who wanted it?"

"Because, this can only mean one thing: Beckett wants the chest," Jack mused.

"Yes, he did mention something about a chest," Elizabeth admitted.

"If the company controls the chest, they controls the sea," said Gibbs.

"A truly discomforting notion, mates," Jack explained.

"And bad," Gibbs explained further, not that it was needed. "Bad for every mother's son what calls himself a pirate. I think there's a bit more speed to be coaxed from these sails. Brace the foreyard!" He ran off.

"Might I inquire as to how you came by these?" Jack asked, indicating the letters. For some reason, Kairi turned slightly pink, matching her normal outfit that she had returned to wearing.

"Persuasion," Elizabeth deadpanned.

"Friendly?"

"Decidedly not."

Sora raised an eyebrow at Kairi, not believing her capable of something like this. She mirrored his expression, reminding him that he was guilty of the same.

"Will and Sora strike a deal and uphold it with honor, yet you two are the ones standing with the prize – full pardon," Jack pointed out. "'Commission as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company,'" he read. "As if I could be bought for such a low price." Jack pocketed the letters.

"Jack, the letters, give them back," Elizabeth said, rushing forward. Kairi and Sora both moved in, too.

"No," Jack replied. "Persuade me."

"You do know Will taught me how to handle a sword, I taught Kairi, and Sora's always been an amazing swordsman?"

"As I said, persuade me."

Elizabeth stared at Jack, looking like she wanted to shout at him, but didn't know what to say. Then, she sniffed and went to lean against the railing. Jiminy and Yuna went off to collaborate notes and upload them to the Commspheres. Sighing, Sora led Kairi to another section of railing. Truth be told, his feelings about Jack were confused to no end. He didn't know what to do anymore. He sank onto the deck, resting his head on the railing.

Kairi sat next to him and crawled under his arm so that she could rest her head over his heart. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. Why had no one mentioned how natural this was? They sat there, only vaguely aware of anything around them.

"It's a curious thing." Norrington.

Sora gently kissed the top of Kairi's head.

"There was a time when I would have given anything for you to look like that while thinking about me." Norrington again.

Kairi turned her head up and kissed Sora's neck, tickling his chin with her eyelashes.

"I don't know what you mean." Elizabeth.

"I think you do." Norrington.

Sora caught Kairi under the chin before she put her head back down. He stared into her eyes for a moment before bringing her lips to his.

"Oh, don't be absurd. I trust him, that's all." Elizabeth.

They broke away slowly, a knot of guilt forming in Sora's gut. He hadn't told Elizabeth yet.

"So you never wondered how your latest fiancé ended up on the Flying Dutchman in the first place?" Norrington.

Sora and Kairi walked over to Elizabeth just as Norrington left. Elizabeth ripped open the compass and, to her horror, it landed on Jack.

"Don't worry, it's just coincidence," Sora assured her. "Listen…" He told her what had happened to Will and himself, Kairi's grip on his arm tightening throughout. When he had finished, he couldn't help asking, "Do you still trust him?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth muttered. "Things always seem to work out for Jack in the end…" Sora couldn't argue with this. "I trust you, though," Elizabeth said, looking Sora in the eye, "and that's good enough for me."

New Characters:

Davy Jones: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
James Norrington: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)