Tortuga was as lively as ever. And with plenty of drunkards meant there were plenty of souls who didn't know what they were signing up for! That was the one thing Pearl loved about Tortuga. It was so easy to find newbies to sign on. "I figured I should get out and see the world while I'm still young!" "You'll do, next!" "I've always loved the sea, ever since I was a little boy. And I always wanted to sail... Forever." "Sooner than you think, sign the roster. Next!" "Me have one arm and a bum leg." "It's the crows nest for you. Next!" "My wife runs off with my dog... And I'm drunk for a month... And I don't give an ass rat's if I live or die." "Perfect! Next!" Jack looked over as he fiddled with his compass, "How many we got?" "Well all together that makes four, so four." She turned to look at the next contestant. "And what be your story?" She asked. "My story," the red and black brig growled, "is exactly the same as your story except one chapter behind. I chased a ship around the seven seas. The pursuit cost me my crew, my commission, and my life." he took a swig from his bottle. Pearl narrowed her eyes. "Commodore?" "Not anymore weren't you listening! I almost had you off Tripoli. I would have, if not for the, hurricane." "Good god, you did try to sail through it." Pearl breathed. "So do I make your crew?" he looked at her, "You haven't mentioned where you're going. Somewhere nice?!" he tossed the table at her berth aside and turned to the crowd, "So am I worthy to sail under Captain Jack Sparrow?" he shouted, before pulling out his pistol and aiming at Jack, "Or should I just kill you now?" "Yeah, maybe it's somewhere I can kill you at and benefit myself with your precious treasure." hissed an eerily familiar voice. Pearl stiffened and slowly craned her neck around to look. "Impossible." She breathed. "You, are dead." The red and black Interceptor growled, "And yet, here I am." "What do you want from me?" "You murdered me. What do you think? It's time you pay." he hissed, "but first, you're taking me to wherever you're going. Maybe your loot can buy me back my life. Put my name down on that roster." he hissed. Pearl blinked then nodded. "Very well, go ahead and sign."
"Try anything and I'll blow your brains all over the vomit covered ground." he growled as he signed, looking up after every letter to see what she was doing, all the while keeping his cannons pressed to her side. Soon enough, his name was on the list. "Me try anything. Who has his guns against my side?" She snorted. "Didn't stop you last time, witch." he hissed back.
"Easy sailor! That's our captain you're threatening!" a random man who'd signed up ran over to Norrington and grabbed the pistol to save Jack. The shot taken hit a drunkard's tankard. All hell broke loose after that! "Time to go!" Pearl said. "I have to agree!" Interceptor nodded, dodging a cannon shot from a drunk sloop as a bar fight began. Pearl waited until her men were onboard before setting out. Once they were out of the harbor, the brig sighed in relief. "Alright so. Where are we going?" Pearl thought for a moment. "What is it you want most?" She asked. He snorted, "I want my life back, to serve the British Empire." "You're a ship brought back from the dead. There's someone who will want you dead again. And the only way to stop her is to control her captain. By taking his heart." "What are you talking about?" "What do you know of Davy Jones?" "Oh please, the captain of the Flying Dutchman?" "His cursed ship has something I want. To get it, I need leverage. To have leverage I need the literal heart of Davy Jones, beating away in a chest." A schooner passed by making a squeaking motion with his rigging. "Thump, thump." "And that's where we're going?" he cocked an eye. "You need the heart too. Do you really think Jones will let a ship sail free from his locker?" "Have been so far." "That's because I've been distracting him. Now you need the heart, so do I. I have the means of finding it, a means I cannot currently use." "Quit speaking in riddles! Get to the point." "What is it you want most in this world?" She dangled the compass in front of him. "I guess to find the heart." he eyed the compass, "Any hints where it is? A direction to follow?" "You tell me." She tossed him the compass. "That's now how a compass works. It points north." "Why do people always say that." She sighed. "Mine does not point north. It points who whatever it is you want most in this world."
"I'd say I don't believe you." Interceptor growled, then sighed, "But considering our last meeting I'm inclined to believe anything. Alright fine." he peered down at the piece of navigation equipment. As soon as he looked something happened. It began to rotate, slowly at first then it picked up speed. Pearl backed away, leaving Interceptor holding it. It finally settled on a bearing of NE. Pearl looked pleased. "Let's go." She said. "That's now how a compass should work. They point north!" the brig gasped, following Pearl out of the harbor and heading towards the northeast, where the compass was pointing. "It's how mine works. Now come on, keep up!" She grinned, setting stunnels./span span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"Interceptor followed suit. He would notice when she hit a particularly large wave, a barrel of cannon balls was knocked overboard. He would have picked it up, but Pearl didn't seem like she was slowing down, so he left it. As the pair vanished into the night, the barrel floated away towards the rising sun. Towards a lone merchant. He picked it up and grinned. "Extra cargo, extra pay."
Pearl didn't notice, nor did she care. Speed was the name of the game. She was like a hunted animal, fleeing from a predator. A predator that the lone merchant would soon meet. Something brushed against his keel, and lurched to a stop. "Bloody...must have hit an uncharted reef." he growled, wiggling his rudder back and forth to free himself. As he did so, cold wires slithered their way up his sides, tickling him at first but their grip quickly tightened. His hull creaked and groaned. He looked around, at first confused, before his eyes widened in horror. "Kraken!" he screeched out in desperate hope someone would hear and come to his aid. Pearl heard the cry and did the exact opposite, increasing speed and completely forgetting about Interceptor in her bid to get away! The wires tightened their grip even more and his scream was cut off as his keel snapped and his remains vanished into a hungry maw filled with teeth.