A/N : Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed. A hundred reviews ! I never dreamt I'd get that many, but each extra review is still as exciting as the very first I got. I'm also aware that my updates have been taking longer ; I'll try to post every two days, but no promise.
Last but not least, huge thanks to Spellcaster-Hikaru, who beta-read this chapter. All remaining mistakes are her fault entirely... Nooo, don't hit me, just kidding !
Chapter 21
The Black Pearl had finally berthed World's End, or more accurately, had downed the anchor nearby the big reef which had pompously be named thus. It couldn't be called an island, really. There was no vegetation, no life of any kind actually, save for a few crabs and seashells. The place gave also to everybody a most dire feeling. Everything, every sound seemed somehow muffled, even the thud of the waves crashing on the reefs.
"There is nothing here", Norrington sneered in his cultured voice. "We came for nothing. Not that I ever thought we would find anything. All this is sheer nonsense."
Jack cast him a sidelong glance, eyeing ferociously the commodore, but he couldn't find anything to answer that.
"Actually," Mihawk said, "you might want to examine the area before stating anything."
"Examine? What is there to examine? Crabs?" the commodore sniggered disdainfully.
"A cave", the swords master replied, merely pointing at said cavity. Obviously, his eyes were not only the color of a hawk's, but also its sharpness. Still, Norrington didn't look very much convinced.
"That's just a dirty hole, the sea water eroded the rock. Nothing to see there."
"Afraid of the dark, commodore?" Jack asked snidely. Norrington glowered at him, and didn't bother answering. For the umpteenth time, he wondered what had taken him to enlist onboard the Black Pearl, of all ships. He must have been drunk that day.
"No need to wait any longer", Shanks said with a grin. He already felt like he was going home, not to mention he had never been able to resist an adventure, unknown places and secrets to discover.
However, the only one who seemed to share his enthusiasm to some extent was Zoro, who was smiling smugly as well, his hand resting on his katana's hilts as always. Mihawk... well, never looked excited like that, Norrington just appeared to be disgusted, and Jack seemed resigned to his fate.
"All right lads, lift the launch down!" Jack called to his crew. "These gentlemen and me are going ashore."
Gibbs nodded and came to the starboard side of the Black Pearl. As the crewmembers executed his orders, the older man looked at the so-called island with dismay.
"To which shore?" he muttered, but no one was listening to him. And, well, Jack had always gotten himself out of trouble before... somehow. No reason why he couldn't do the same now. Even if this place sure was creepy.
A few minutes later, the dinghy was ready, and the Grand Liners, with Jack and Norrington, embarked. The commodore was requested to row, and Zoro gave him a hand, although the former officer had a hard time following the swordsman's rhythm. The green-haired man's intensive training had given him a strength beyond any man's normal abilities, and Norrington quite felt the difference. Eventually, the commodore settled for pretending to row and letting Zoro do all the work. The swordsman didn't even seem to notice the difference.
"Be careful with all these reefs", Shanks advised. "Some of them are at water-level and quite hard to notice."
"Hmm", Zoro groaned. He had obviously no wish to swim in these strange and troubling water, not anymore than his companions. No one knew what these depths might hold in their dark abyss.
Slowly, the dinghy got closer and closer to the cave. It was half full of water, although there were a few areas above the water where a man could stand and walk, but it would still be much easier to use the launch, rather than jumping from reef to reef. The inside was predictably very dark, but Jack had gathered onboard the small boat everything needed to light a lantern. When he raised it above his head, shadows danced on the walls all around, giving the impression that dark creatures were hidden, waiting for their chance to strike. None of the men present were cowards, and none was afraid of the dark or of mere shadows, but there was something about this place that still made them shiver in spite of themselves.
"We're here..." Zoro said, pointing out the obvious. "So what now?"
"I guess we keep going till we find something", Jack replied, ignoring Norrington's snort. If this man kept getting on his nerves, he would find himself thrown overboard before he had time to say 'Navy'. Jack kept wondering why he had taken him in the dinghy in the first place... Oh, right. He thought there might be a chance the commodore would get killed. And incidentally, he wanted to keep an eye on him.
"Keep going? I don't think so!"
Everybody jumped at the sound of the voice. It was a deep, vibrating male voice which seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time, and somehow there was an unmistakable impression of evil and hatred that emanated from it. Jack Sparrow had never believed in anything save for his wits and skills, but he still clearly felt that the owner of this voice was way beyond salvation. Then, he scowled in annoyance. It was just a voice. So far. Mihawk must have thought the same thing, for he stood up and looked straight ahead.
"Do you plan on hindering us ?" he queried quietly, almost with indifference. And he might as well, for indeed, who could the best swordsman in the world fear? No matter the challenge, he trusted his skills and his sword enough to take up the gauntlet.
"Hinder you?" A malevolent amusement vibrated in the voice. "No... I will kill you!"
Ben took a last puff at his cigarette, then threw the remaining ash and the butt of his cigarette overboard, before taking another cigarette and lighting it. He had been doing that all morning, and by now he was starting to feel a bit like the little Poucet, marking their way with cigarette butts instead of chippings. Yet he wouldn't remain still, or frustration would get the better of him. The first mate glanced ruefully at his last pack of cigarettes.
"That won't solve anything, you know." That was Yassopp, of course.
"It makes me feel better", Ben replied quietly. He raised his head, and saw Ace coming their way. The young, black haired man, looked concerned too, although he hid it well.
"I don't know what to think either," Ace said, "but I'm sure Luffy has a reason. We'll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, I must be getting back to White Beard, so I'll take my leave. My skiff is ready."
"Fine," Ben shrugged. "Say hi to good ol' White Beard for us."
"I'll be sure to tell him," Ace nodded with a grin. "See you later, then."
Without further ado, he jumped across the rail and landed safely on his skiff. Soon enough, the small craft got farther and farther away, but Ben and Yassopp could still see Ace waving them goodbye. They waved in return, before they settled back where they had been previously sitting.
"So what shall we do now?" the marksman queried, glancing at his taller friend.
"No much choice here," Ben sighed. "I didn't really want a confrontation, but there is no other way. This guy Winslow is obviously the key, so we must get to him."
"Get to him?" Yassopp raised a dubious eyebrow. "You saw his fleet. I know that the numbers don't really mean anything, but some of the pirates he gathered under his banner are pretty powerful. I recognized several of their emblems, painted on the sails."
"When did I say we would attack him on our own?" the first mate retorted with a wry snort. "This guy is a danger to every pirate, not to mention we are the crew of Akagami Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, which means most pirates bend under our will. We'll gather a fleet of our own, and go get that Winslow guy. Believe me, he'll regret the day he messed with us."
"Hmmm..." Yassopp mumbled, as he warily considered Ben's suggestion, determined to find the flaw of the plan if there was any. But eventually, he nodded. "Looks like it might work. But pirates against pirates? I don't like that. I know we occasionally fight against each other, but there have never been two pirate fleets of this importance waging war with each other, even when Gold Roger was still alive."
"Guess we'll deal with that once Shanks is back," the black-haired first mate replied lightly, as he shook away the ash from his cigarette.
"Few people ever managed to come here," the voice said. "But none have ever returned, for none escaped my wrath."
"Hum," Jack said nervously as the voice's words reminded him a bit too much of Tia's, "What kind of... grudge, exactly, do you hold against us?"
"What kind of grudge?!" The voice now was blazing with anger. "You dare to ask that, you living, breathing men, who still walk the earth ?!"
"Hem, excuse me?" Norrington sounded politely incredulous, but not really worried. "You are blaming us for... being alive?"
"Bloody damn right I do!" Insanity was now surfacing in the voice. Jack had never thought before that madness might have a specific sound, but he was hearing it now. "I was not meant to die thus! I was barely twenty-nine when my life was taken from me. But now, you will suffer the same fate and perish. That is only fair revenge."
"Who are you?" Norrington called. "Show yourself !"
Silence answered, and for a moment Jack wondered if they had not actually scared the voice away. The answer came soon enough, as a faint light shone in front of them, then brightened, until a shape appeared. Eventually, the pirates were able to make out the details; first a captain's coat, blue and gold, then a white, loose-fitting shirt, a red scarf at the waist under which was tucked a pistol and a sword. Then black pants, and brown leather boots. And at last, a face to go along, with long black hair tied back with a simple band. The group was now facing a fully-fledged pirate, from the top of his feathered hat to the end of his boots. No, not a pirate... A ghost, an evil spirit, a phantom, whatever. The ambient temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, as if the presence of death was already taking away any feeling of life.
"They called me Black Sam," he said in a hollow voice. "The Prince of Pirates."
Both Jack and Norrington gasped when they heard the name, for they had both heard of this man - as a legend. The commodore was white as a sheet, as what he witnessed tore in shreds all his convictions about the non-existent of anything supernatural, save for the rule of God, but in spite of the situation, Jack was rather thoughtful. What little he had heard about Black Sam didn't quite match the raving spirit now facing them. The Prince of Pirates had been known for his mercy and generosity. Was it possible that by becoming a... well, whatever he was now, he had lost his heart ? Whenever the word 'heart' came to Jack's ears, his first thought was always 'Davy Jones.' Was it possible that the Flying Dutch's captain had had something to do with Black Sam's current situation ?
"Prince of Pirates?" Shanks said with amusement, echoing the spirit's last words. "Sounds interesting." Both Mihawk and Zoro merely shrugged - obviously they didn't care much whether the ghost was the Prince of Pirates or the Queen of England.
Well, never mind that and the reason for Black Sam's change of heart, so to speak. It was irrelevant for now. What mattered was to reach the end of the cave.
"Ah, hum... please let us pass?" Jack tried tentatively. If it didn't help, it couldn't hurt either.
The ghost, for lack of a better word, started to laugh hysterically, then without a warning he dived on the dinghy. It was a nameless confusion when everybody tried to get out of his way at the same time, without consulting each other, and the launch very nearly keeled over. By some miracle, it didn't, and Jack found himself lying on top of Norrington, their limbs somehow intermingled.
"Get off me!" the commodore snarled.
Jack addressed him a seductive smile, and was rewarded when he saw the deep flush on the other man's cheeks. With a smirk, the pirate captain eventually complied - not that it wasn't fun to play games with Norrington, but they still had an evil spirit to destroy.
Said spirit was now hovering above the dinghy, and Jack wondered why his attack hadn't been more efficient. He didn't exactly know what Black Sam was able or not able to do, but if he said he had killed everyone who came here - and Jack didn't doubt his word - he must have at least some power. Then why... Was he playing with them? Well, it must be lonely to stay all the time on this deserted rock, so it might be that.
Meanwhile, Shanks had disentangled himself from Zoro and Mihawk and he rose to his feet, his saber in hand. At this sight, the ghost sniggered.
"You can't hurt me," Black Sam jeered.
"You won't mind if I give it a try," Shanks retorted, as he jumped out of the dinghy on the nearest reef.
Leaping from reef to reef, the red-haired pirate was able to quickly rise to the ghost's height, then he rushed at him and his saber sliced through the ghostly body of the one who had once been one of the greatest pirates of the Caribbean. Seemingly unhurt, Black Sam let out a ghastly chuckle, before he struck out at Shanks. What he did was hard to see from the dinghy, but it must have been efficient, for Shanks fell to the sea, apparently unable to react.
Mihawk jumped at once to get him, while Zoro chose to instead directly attack Black Sam, who was now hovering closer to the launch. The ghost didn't bother to defend himself - apparently he didn't need to, since blades didn't seem to hurt him. But then, how to destroy him?
Norrington had drawn his pistol, and he aimed carefully at the evil spirit, taking his time for he knew there wouldn't be a second shot. But the commodore was as good a marksman as he was good a swordsman, and his aim was perfect. He pulled the trigger, and the hammer of his gun hit the stone, creating a spark which ignited the gunpowder. A round, heavy lead bullet was cast and, following its course, went right through Black Sam's head. To no avail ; the ghost hardly seemed to even notice it. He roared with laughter, while Norrington glared in vexation at his useless gun.
"Do you understand, now? You are dead!" Black Sam yelled. "You can nothing against me!"
Jack raised a dubious eyebrow. A boastful ghost ?
"You talk too much," Zoro said, obviously sharing Jack's opinion on the matter as he tried once again to cut the evil spirit in two halves. But once again, the blade of the white katana sliced through the ghostly body without injuring it, and the green-haired man just hardly avoided Black Sam's retaliatory strike.
Eyes wide with disbelief, the swordsman jumped back on a reef. Never before had his blades let him down like that. Annoyed, Jack glanced at Mihawk, and noted that the hawk-eyed man had retrieved the body of his red-haired friend and laid him at the bottom of the dinghy. Whatever the ghost had done to him, it must not have been something healthy, for Shanks didn't look good, his skin ashy and his breath erratic, and Jack winced in sympathy, much too aware that he might end up just the same if he didn't have a brainwave.
However, the ghost problem took a back seat when the pirate captain saw Mihawk's eyes. As much as the swords master might show disdain and sneer at Shanks, they were still friends, and Mihawk obviously didn't like it when someone (other than himself) hurt his friends. His hawk-like eyes were glittering with controlled, cold anger, as he unsheathed the huge sword he always carried with him. A bit too huge for this small dinghy, actually, and Jack nearly got beheaded when Mihawk swung it around and pointed the blade in the direction of Black Sam.
"You still believe you can hurt me? Fool!"
"There is nothing my sword won't cut," Mihawk replied, too quietly for the spirit to hear. "Beware."
The swords master moved swifter than the eye could see, and the next second he was near Black Sam. His sword, aimed with deathly precision, bit in the ghost's stomach, and blood oozed from the wound. In shock, the spirit stared for a few seconds at the injury, as did Jack, Norrington and Zoro. How had Mihawk managed to successfully hit Black Sam, when neither Shanks nor the green-haired swordsman had seemed to hurt him ?
The phantom let out a hiss of pain, anger and fear, as Mihawk landed gracefully on his feet, in the launch. The three other pirates were gaping at him.
"Why?!" Zoro breathed. He sounded almost jealous.
"Don't know. Don't care," Mihawk shrugged casually.
Truth to be told, Jack didn't care much either. What mattered to him was that Black Sam could be defeated.
"The black sword is cursed," Shanks said from where he was laying. Obviously, the red-haired pirate had regained consciousness, and he managed painfully to come to a sitting position. "It must be why it had an impact when my saber didn't."
"Ooh?" a smile crept on Zoro's lips. "All it takes is a cursed sword, then?" With a smirk, he sheathed two of his sabers, keeping only one in hand. "The Sandai Kitetsu will take care of the matter, in that case."
Meanwhile, Black Sam had pulled himself together, but it seemed as though something had snapped in him. The insanity sounded stronger in his voice, now, and his moves were more erratic, like those of a madman. He dived in direction of the dinghy, with the obvious intention to give them the finishing blow. But Zoro jumped to the back of the small boat and raised his cursed sword. Black Sam, blind to reason, came to impale himself on the blade. A weird, translucent blood went down the katana, and the ghost howled in pain, before he flew away and eventually disappeared. Jack tried to locate him, but he seemed to have definitely disappeared.
"Seems like he won't bother us again", Zoro said wryly as he wiped clean his blade.
"At any rate, the way is clear now," Shanks said, his face still tensed from the pain. Jack couldn't see a wound on his body, but the ghost had definitely done something to the red-haired pirate.
"How do you feel?" Mihawk queried, and both Zoro and Jack stared at him. They had never heard such concern or gentleness in the swords master's voice before.
"In pain," Shanks groaned back. "Nothing too bad, though, but it was quite a shock. Feels like my whole body is on fire. Might have drowned." He didn't say more, but it was as much a thanks as Mihawk needed.
"Since we are all more or less unscathed," Jack commented, "shall we go forward?" The pirate captain squinted at Norrington, who still looked in shock after what he had seen. Well, some rowing should help him get back on his feet again.
They kept going for some time, and this time were not bothered by spirits of any kind. The temperature seemed to drop though, as they continued. Not enough to make them uncomfortable, but sufficiently for them to notice. After a while, the silence started to grate on Jack's nerves, and he began to sing an old pirate song, half for fun and half to annoy Norrington.
My wicked wicked ways, and those wicked wicked days,
When the blood and the gold poured down just like the rain,
That wicked wicked sea, and my most wicked company,
When they screamed for my head in England France and Spain...
"Would you please shut up?" the commodore snarled through gritted teeth.
"Why?" Zoro grinned. "I like it !"
Flashing a triumphant smirk at Norrington, Jack started on the second verse about jewelry, silver and gold, and an emperor's daughter with 'smoldering charcoal for eyes'.
After about a quarter hour, they reached the end of the subterranean channel. Jack jumped to the ground and helped Zoro moor the dinghy so it wouldn't float away. Mihawk and Norrington disembarked as well, followed by Shanks, albeit somewhat more slowly.
They now found themselves in a real cave, its walls damp and slippery. No daylight came from the outside, and they had only Jack's lantern to light the way. Ahead, the unknown awaited them.
"Commodore, you'd better stay here, mind the boat," Jack said, and the other man nodded wordlessly.
Norrington had reacted better than expected when faced with the ghost, but no one knew what they might find ahead, and the pirate captain didn't want to risk the former officer becoming a hindrance. Better to keep him there safely. Not to mention they did need someone to keep the boat, lest Black Sam thought it funny to destroy it. Of course, Norrington had no way to defend himself, but Black Sam getting rid of him would be almost worth the loss of the dinghy. Besides, the mere presence of the commodore should scare the spirit away, after the thrashing he had gotten.
The three Grand Liners and Jack continued alone their exploration, and they walked for ten or fifteen minutes before they finally had to stop. In front of them was a subterranean lake, apparently wide and deep. So deep, actually, that in spite of the transparency of the water, Jack couldn't quite find its bottom. All he managed to see was a patch of darkness, although it might be due to the lack of light. At any rate, it was obvious they couldn't go any further without a boat, or even a raft, but unfortunately there didn't seem to be any nearby. Jack heaved out a weary sigh.
"We need a boat," Mihawk said needlessly, and the pirate captain glare at him.
"Thank you so much for this useful piece of advice," Jack muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm, but the swords master apparently decided to pretend he hadn't heard him.
"Why not swim through it ?" Zoro suggested. "It would be quicker..."
"I am not swimming in a lake located in a haunted cave," Jack said at once, adamantly.
"We don't know what's down there," Shanks nodded. "Better not to risk it."
The red-haired pirate had found himself a broken stalagmite and had seated himself on it wearily, and Mihawk cast him a brief look of concern before quickly averting his eyes. Not quickly enough to elude Jack's notice. The pirate captain smirked. So the swords master really did have feelings for friendship after all, as unsocial as he might look.
"Fine," Jack said. "You wait here, I'll fetch the ship with our dear friend commodore Norrington. It's lightweight enough for the two of us to carry it." He somehow doubted Shanks would be keen on making the way twice more, and the two others could stay here and keep him company. Jack had no doubt he'd be fine on his own.
"All right," Mihawk acquiesced, and Zoro nodded nonchalantly.
There seemed to be light coming from somewhere, for the lake was slightly shining and the darkness wasn't as thick as in the rest of the cave, so Jack took the lantern with him - he'd need it for the way back to the dinghy. The ground was more or less level, but there were faults here and there, and a man could easily break a leg in one of those.
Walking quickly, the pirate captain reached the place where they had moored the dinghy about ten minutes later, and as he arrived he called Norrington to let him know he was coming. He certainly didn't wish to be shot by mistake - or would it really be by mistake ?
"Commodore? You there?"
"I don't know if he is, but I am, pirate."
Stagg appeared in the circle of light the lantern shed, alone. Behind him, the small boat he had used to come was moored, near Jack's own.
"You are that Navy captain!" Jack gasped as he fumbled with the lantern, trying not to drop it as he put it down and reached for his sword and pistol. He wielded the former, ready to rush at his opponent.
"Oh no, you won't!" that was Norrington's voice.
The commodore appeared from behind Jack, and before the pirate captain had time to react to this second surprise, he knocked him out with the handle of his gun. Sparrow fell on the ground limply, dropping his sword in the process. The curse of misfortune he had must still be effective, for he managed to somehow cut himself with his own sword as he collapsed, though not seriously. Norrington sneered disdainfully.
"Jack Sparrow really is the worst pirate I've ever seen," the commodore commented haughtily.
Water Seven was as busy as ever, with a crowd of people in the streets, and plenty of Yagara Bulls swimming around. One man among the crowd walked silently, alone, before he finally stopped in front of a bar. A 'closed' sign was hanging on the door, but the man entered without hesitation, and came to sit near the bar. Alerted by the sound of a bell that someone had come inside, the bartender quickly came to see who it was.
"The bar is..." he started, then interrupted himself when he saw the face of the man. "Oh, it's you."
"I have information to send," the man said in a dispassionate voice. "Can you take care of it?"
"That's not a problem," the bartender nodded. "What is it?"
"Tell him...that Winslow is ready to make his move."
Ending Note : the lyrics of the song Jack sings are from "Wicked", by the Jolly Rogers, and belong to them. Check it out, it's an awesome song.