Little Sparrow
Summary: "Now up is down," was the last thing any of them heard before the rush of water drowned everything else out. Later, waking up on a random, deserted island, they almost immediately notice that something was not right with their Captain. Sparrington, Salazak, Willabeth, maybe others mentioned.
In return for her freedom, Calypso had gone and created a maelstrom in the middle of the soon to be battlefield just as the Black Pearl, under the command of Pirate King Captain Jack Sparrow, and the Flying Dutchman, under the command of Davy Jones but ordered around by Lord Cutler Beckett, lurched forwards. With Jack at the helm and the winds in their sails, the Black Pearl was cutting through the water and the raging storm like the mistress of the sea as her Captain directed her towards their enemy. The Flying Dutchman was the first to open fire, due to them possessing frontal cannons but Jack, the mad Captain that he was with the favor of the very sea on his side, managed to maneuver her somehow out of the way. He called out orders over the wind while his beloved ship sang in his ears, the two in sync as they entered the faster currents of the maelstrom to gain the edge in this battle.
Jack passed off the helm to Barbossa, who was grumpy at being ordered around by a mere teenager, as he ran off to the main deck when he saw that the Dutchman's mixed crew of Englishman and partially immortal fish men readying to board. He took up his bow and arrow, doused the tip with tar, lit it up and tied one of those special little bombs from Singapore he still had left to the end before firing, calling for cannon fire as soon as he let it rip. His order was echoed around the entire ship and both the Pearl and the Dutchman shook with the results. Jack called to Barbossa to bring her around, not wanting any holes in his own ship as the fire made the little bag explode, taking down two main deck cannons to the depths but leaving the ship utterly untouched. It was an indestructible ship. But her crew was not and this volley of attacks, as well as Jack's little archery shot had cost them a good number of the crew. Unfortunately, Beckett had stuffed as many men on the ship as she could take and with every one that was lost to the sea, the Dutchman was lighter and faster.
"We're not moving fast enough! Bring her deeper in!" Sparrow yelled over the wind to the current pilot, clinging to the rigging as the first set of cannonballs hit the deck. Only three men were lost but a part of the railing was destroyed and one of the cannonballs had hit the forecastle, leaving behind a big hole.
"Ye're crazy!" Barbossa yelled in response, too busy keeping her steady to shoot at the now swinging over enemies, so Groves was keeping his back safe, shooting them down with his gun. Jack took another arrow and repeated the earlier process, cursing when he saw he had only one left even as his arrow rid them of one of the triple cannons and two fish men. "She'll be torn apart!"
"She's made of tougher stuff than you know, Hector! Bring her in!" Jack yelled, firing another arrow, this one only set ablaze with no Singapore powder. He winced as the Englishman he'd set on fire started screaming in agony, managing to spread some of the fire on his mates or even on one of Jones' own crew, though theirs was put out quickly enough. The Dutchman lurched forwards as it was her turn to have the wind in her sails as she chased the Pearl in the circling currents and Jack repeated his order to Barbossa again even as he took aim, arrow prepared with fire and that little powder bag, aiming for the Dutchman's main sail when a fish man grabbed hold of him and hauled him into the air. His amazing luck reared its head when his arrow, pointed downwards as it had been in his startlement, when released completely missed his deck, barely the railing when it flew right through the entrance to the ship where the gangplank would usually be and sailed straight into the Dutchman's hull, only inches above the waterline, where it exploded and left a nasty hole that, unfortunately, didn't slow the cursed ship down. James was thankfully near by to cut off the Dutchman's crew member's head and free Jack before the teen could get hurt, pulling him up until they were back to back.
Jack glared down at his crushed bow before sending Barbossa a terrifying glare. Realizing Sparrow had the most to lose if his ship went down - for he would survive and have to mourn all his losses - Barbossa did as he was told, trusting Jack's madness to once again coincidence with brilliance and pulled her further in just as they spun around that the wind was in their sails. Ten of the would be boarding crew from the Dutchman missed the deck of the Pearl as she picked up speed, laughing with the battle rush she was experiencing as she easily evaded all of her adversary's attacks. Barbossa laughed when he realized she was holding stead and strong before finally handing the wheel over to the awaiting Mr Cotton, taking out his own cutlass and pistol, lunging at the enemies present on deck.
"It be too late to alter course now, matey!" Jack heard him bellowing at the crew as the two fastest ships in the world raced against each other in the maelstrom. "Dyin' is the day worth livin' for!"
"Your madness must be contagious!" James called over the wind as the crew of the Black Pearl cheered, dealing with a sailor dressed in the EITC's colors, who looked pale at the thought of dueling to the death with the pirate hunter from Jamaica since he'd seen Norrington fight before and knew he was well and truly outclassed.
"Aye, it must!" Jack agreed with a laugh, cutting down one of Jones' crew before being attacked by another. As soon as that one was down, Jack took out his gun and took pity on the man James was fighting, hitting him square in the chest and sensing him to a swift death rather than eventually being crushed in the rushing waters below the ships as they tilted more and more at an angle the lower they got. The Black Pearl shuddered when their mainmasts finally collided and entangled themselves, so close and tilted the ships were. Reloading his pistol quickly, Jack tucked it away and pulled James around so they were chest to chest and tugged him down for a desperate kiss. Surprised by it, James didn't get much time to respond before Jack disappeared from his side and was swinging over to the Flying Dutchman, shooting at a man that had aimed at him in return.
"Jack!" The ex Commodore made to follow but found himself facing two of Jones' crew and grit his teeth. He hoped the teen will be able to take care of himself because James couldn't follow him, busy as he was. He was soon engaged in the fight against the two and as good a swordsman as he was, he knew the third one that was approaching maliciously will be too much even for him. Fear made his heart clench as a sad thought occurred to him. He never got to tell Jack how he felt and he never might. He'll leave the teen again, all alone, just when his old lover was taken from him for a second time. Despair made him fight more fiercely than ever but it was soon enough that he got a deep gash to his left arm. Good thing he fought with his right. He grit his teeth, facing his opponents like a man and with pride and dignity as they laughed at his sorry state before one of them had their head cut clean off of their shoulders by none other than Frederico, who then dispatched another one. James took his opportunity and cut down the third cursed crewman, finding himself back to back with the older man once those three were taken care of, only to be replaced with a couple of ordinary EITC soldiers.
"You alright, señor Norrington?" The Spaniard called to the Englishman as they engaged their opponents once again. At least it was a fair one on one fight, all four of them swirling around each other, switching opponents just like dance partners.
"Never better, Mr Sanchez!" They both laughed at the absurdity of their conversation even as they took care of their opponents, shooting two startled ones coming in when Elizabeth called to Barbossa up on the quarterdeck to marry her and Will. James just shook his head at her request, eyes zeroing in on where Gillete seemed to be struggling. "Bloody hell, his madness is contagious!" He said even as he and the laughing Sanchez moved to help the struggling Lieutenant and his big brute of a cursed sailor.
"I'm a little busy at th' moment!" Hector was heard yelling just as, on the Dutchman, Jack appeared on the main deck with none other than the Dead Man's Chest in his arms. It had been easy enough to make it to the captain's cabin without being noticed in the mad fray going on up on the upper deck. Jack had encountered only two fish men and one Englishman before he entered the luxurious, cursed cabin with the big organs and two idiot Englishmen (known as Mr Murtogg and Mr Mullroy, a pair Jack would have known had he not been de-aged) whom he easily distracted - more like they distracted themselves after only a couple of words from Jack; bloody idiots. Jack really wondered at the low intelligence rate in this future of his: Barbossa with Pintel and Ragetti and now Beckett with Mullroy and Murtogg. Had the world gone completely mad in the past twenty years? And they call Jack daft - and took the chest. He didn't meet any trouble back on his way up but on the main deck, he found himself surrounded by Davy Jones and his crew. Apparently, Mercer was dead and thrown overboard, finished off by Jones himself, who was now laughing mockingly at the teen.
"Look what we have here. A little bird." Jack's hackles raised in an instant. No one but the Silent Mary's crew was allowed to call him little, a bird or a little bird - and that last one was actually reserved only for Armando (he ignored his own logic telling him birdie was the same as little bird for he didn't care and he had a point to make here). Jones seemed to be enjoying his ire. "A little bird wot never learned t' fly."
"To my great regret," he told Jones sarcastically with a fake little smile even as his eyes burned with anger that had a few of the crew hesitating in their mocking. The ship was now almost clear of EITC agents, a few still engaged in fights with Jack's crew but most fighting over on the Black Pearl. "But," Jack said mock brightly as he took a step back, closer to the railing and the lines of the rigging tied securely there. "It's never too late to learn!" He then smashed the indestructible chest against the wood, releasing one of the lines and being propelled upwards, landing neatly on the top mainmast. The Dead Man's Chest overbalanced him for a second before he rightened himself. And not a moment too soon as Jones materialized out of the mast itself, drawing a sword, intent on finally ridding himself of Jack Sparrow once and for all. Jack drew his sword and met his first attack easily, and the next and the next, easily riding the waves under the ship even this high up and during a fight, surprising Jones with his skill. "I can set you free, mate!" Jack said over the wind and Jones snarled at him, making to cut him down.
"My freedom was forfeit long ago." He lunged again, expecting to manage a clear hit, but he didn't know how to fight the older Jack Sparrow, let alone this younger one that actually still took things seriously most of the time. A serious Jack Sparrow as an opponent was unheard of, since he hid it so well, having found life to be a lot easier when people thought you a fool on top of underestimating you. As they dueled, Will, now married to Elizabeth by Barbossa, looked up and saw that Jack, amazingly but not surprisingly, had the chest and was fighting with Jones on top of the top mainmast of the Flying Dutchman. On the Pearl's own top mainmast, Gary was once again acting as a sniper, shooting down all those who tried sneaking up on any of the crew. Ahmed was on the top foremast, throwing his knives with that deadly precision while Lee seemed to be keeping him safe using some of the oddest weapons and techniques Will had ever seen. But Will shook it all off and grabbed hold of a line and swung over the rushing water until he was safely on the Flying Dutchman, just in time for a key on a string of rope, a tentacle still clinging to the black metal, to hit him on the head.
He looked up and gasped when he saw Jack clinging to the chest while Jones tried to shake him off and he quickly grabbed hold of the key, throwing away the angrily writhing tentacle just as Jones flung Jack over his shoulder and one Bootsrap Bill Turner, brainwashed by the curse, approached his son with a raised sword. Forgetting about Jack for the moment, Turner father and son engaged in a duel, one aiming to kill, the other not. Up on the line, swinging along with one of the sea-creatures covered men, Jack was clinging on for his life when the other moved to stab him, only for him to suddenly let go and fall into the depths. Looking up, Sparrow saw Gary tipping his cowboy had at him before going back to shooting with more of those strange "YiiiiiHaaaa"s of his. Jack just grinned before taking out his pistol and swinging his body around so he would go higher, taking careful aim and firing.
Jones released a high pitched yelp when the shot hit his arm and the chest fell right out of his hands. Jack let his momentum and gravity to bring him down and he caught the chest. Unfortunately, someone shot the rope he was swinging on and he crashed onto the deck, too close to the railing and the abyss below for his liking. To make things worse, the Dutchman's Captain was soon upon him, plucking a cutlass from an EITC soldier's hand and leaving him for his pirate opponent to cut him down, advancing on the sprawled teen, only to be barreled out of the way when Elizabeth came crashing into him with a barrel of rum tied to her line. Knowing where she was going with this, Jack shot at the barrel and pulled Elizabeth with him behind one of the remaining deck guns, covering their heads with his coat as it exploded in Jones' face.
The ancient man snarled at them, his face a bit burnt and his tentacles writhing in agitation as he lunged for them, only Jack had no more shots - not that they'd be all that useful on.a man that can't die as long as his heart is safe in this little chest - and his cutlass had been broken by Jones' claw not all that long ago, but Elizabeth was armed and, feeling she owed Jack still for what she had done to him with the whole Kraken ordeal, she jumped to meet Jones attack, parrying as best as she could and doing her damn best to lead him away from the sprawled teenager. Stronger and larger than her as he was, adding in how fast he was for someone of his stature and curse, Elizabeth soon found herself overwhelmed and Jones threw her against one of the stairways up onto the forecastle deck, dizzy and disoriented from the blow.
"Elizabeth!" Both Jack and Will cried, but she was already too far away from Jack so Turner Junior used his father's own knife to pin the man's sleeve to the railing before rushing off to save his newly wed wife. He stabbed Jones through the chest, in his panic forgetting that such a move won't kill him and the young couple's blood chilled when they heard Jones' cold, cruel laughter. While he was taunting them about their love and how feeble a bond it was, Jack was crawling all over the deck after the damned key Will had so foolishly dropped when he had been fighting his father and so the cut off tentacle had taken hold of it again and was trying to escape. Jack, though, was faster and nimbler on his worst drinking nights and soon got hold of it, just in time to see Jones making as if to stab Will through the heart. Without much thought, Jack unlocked the chest, took out the beating organ and his broken cutlass, and standing just as Jones asked his most famous question.
"Tell me, William Turner. Do ya fear death?"
"Do you?" Jack called over the sound of the battle and the storm, the rain pelting him hard and getting a bit in his eyes but he kept his gaze locked on Jones never the less, watching as the Flying Dutchman's Captain's gaze fell on his own heart, held in one of Jack's hands while the other threatened it with the very broken cutlass Jones had destroyed. His two friends smiled in relief, seeing he had succeeded in doing the unthinkable, once again. "Heady tonic, holding life and death in the palm of one's hand, isn't it? Enough to corrupt a man, to make him want more power and condemn his lover to an eternity of imprisonment."
"You're a cruel man, Jack Sparrow." Jones sneered but they could all see the fear in his eyes. In another situation, on another day, by another set of circumstances, Jack would have felt sorry for him. But this man ... He had done too bad many things to be forgiven. From his own lover to the countless nameless people he had left to drift forever between life and death, his crimes were many. Jack would never, ever forgive him. Especially not for the way he had treated the Silent Mary and her crew. Especially not for creating the Locker to torture those he was displeased with. Especially not for sinking his lady love. Especially not for the men he so ruthlessly slaughtered even now.
"Cruel is a matter of perspective," was Jack response and he made to stab the heart just as Jones said "Is it?" and whirled around to push his blade through Will, only for both of their hands to be stopped. Jones was pushed away by a man Jack had not seen since the day the Silent Mary sailed into the Devil's Triangle but who had thought him so much, including the dances he always complained about. Sopping wet, dressed in black, hat in place and his eye still covered by his black eye patch, Lieutenant Lesaro of the Silent Mary pushed the Captain of the Flying Dutchman away from the downed Will with a colorful curse in Spanish as Santos and Moss grabbed hold of Will and Elizabeth, jumped off of the cursed plague ship and carried them over the raging currents, walking on water in a jaw-dropping way all the way to the Black Pearl, just as Barbossa called for the crew to shoot at the Dutchman's mainmast in order to free the black one from its grasp. The black ship jerked and tore free before Barbossa took the wheel from Mr Cotton and started fighting the currents in order for them to go back out of the maelstrom.
"Not with you, my little Sparrow." Armando Salazar told the teen as he leaned down and claimed his lips for a final goodbye kiss before he stabbed the heart with his own cutlass that Jack had not even seen or heard him draw. The Flying Dutchman shuddered under their feet but Jack did not know whether that was because of Jones' howl of pain or because the Silent Mary had used her hull to 'cage' the plague ship, keeping them both up and above even as the ferry of the dead tried to pull them down. "You must go. Your friends are safe and so you must be as well."
"No! Bloody fool! You shouldn't have done that!" Sparrow screamed in Salazar's face, stunned by what he had done. Would the curse even work? Salazar was a ghost, for crying out loud! The sea needed someone to ferry the dead across or else-
"Part of the ship, part of the crew." Jack heard the cursed men chanting, seeing a man that looked a lot like Will under all that sea weed and other aquatic creatures that clung to his person approaching with a knife and the big hammerhead shark with the Dead Man's Chest. Well, that answered that question. Jack still refused to leave.
"I lost you once already today and once more two months ago!" He yelled in his once lover's face, desperately clinging to him as tears streaked down his face. There was no rain to mask them anymore. "I can't lose you again! Please!"
"And I cannot lose you at all." Salazar said even as his men started fighting back the Dutchman's crew, holding them back. He kissed the lad once more before pushing him away, hoping his little Sparrow had actually indeed learned to fly. "Go! If you ever loved me at all, go and save yourself!"
"I won't leave you!"
"You must let me go." Armando told him gently, accepting the younger back into his arms despite urging him to leave. "You must move on. You love too beautifully for you never to love another again. I will not begrudge you falling in love with another. But I will begrudge you if you stay deliberately unhappy." He kissed his young lover's hair and quickly took out something from his pocket, keeping it out of view as he swiftly braided it into Jack's hair. "Promise me you will forever remember me and I will be content. And I will be happy, knowing you will chase your happiness. Promise me, my little Sparrow."
Jack looked tearfully, clinging on to what he knew he had to let go before nodding and standing on his toes, pressing a chaste peck on the underside of Armando's jaw. "I promise," he said with sincerity around this thick thing in his voice as he finally let go and ran over to where the lines of the sails were. He made quick work of them and sent one last look at the crew that was holding the Flying Dutchman's crew back. "I'll never forget you!" He called out to them and sprung the sails, letting Calypso's wind take him higher and higher until he was finally fully out of the maelstrom as the raging waters took back what was theirs.
On the deck of the Black Pearl, her crew was keeping a watchful eye out for their Captain and despair had started sinking in when the sea finally calmed but there was no sign of the eccentric man. When James feared all hope was lost Marty called out and pointed at a strange thing in the sky, sailing the wind currents towards them. A sail ripped off the mast and utilized to glide through the air. A bird that finally learned a fly. A sparrow was said to always find its way home. The crew cheered when they saw a familiar looking man hanging on to the four ropes he was using to steer hit the water near the ship and Barbossa called out to Mr Cotton to bring her about. The pirates had all gathered around the plank entrance and were waiting with bathed breath as the new Pirate King climbed aboard, soaking wet and no doubt tired but alright. Gibbs practically shimmied his way to the front, vibrating with excitement and almost knocked off of his feet with relief. He reached down a hand to pull his young friend and Captain up that last little bit already talking a mile an hour.
"Thank goodness, Jack! We thought you lost. Should have known better than ta think even the Flying Dutchman can keep ya down! The armada's still out there and I think it's time we embrace that oldest and noblest of pirate traditi-"
"Mr Gibbs, wot the bloody 'ell are ye blabberin' 'bout this time 'round?" Gibbs stopped short, almost not recognizing the deeper, slurring and far less sophisticated sounding voice that once used to be the norm. He stepped back as the Caribbean Pirate Lord clambered to his feet in his usual silly manner and gasps echoed around the gathered crowd when an older set of eyes, set in an older but still young, beautiful face if only with a mustache and a goatee beard were revealed to them as Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl straightened himself, blinking in confusion at all the people on his ship. "Um, parlay?"
"Capt'n! You're back!" An over enthusiastic Joshamee Gibbs swept up the perplexed man into a bone-crushing hug, making him release a startled yelp he will later deny producing.
"Of course I'm back, Mr Gibbs! I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." He said as soon as he managed to pry his first mate off of him with a weary frown. "Where am I back from, exactly?"
The old sailor blinked. "Ye ... Ye don't remember?"
"Did I get drunk again?" Jack blinked back at him, further confused by the sorrowful expressions all around him. Even his Pearl hummed in disappointment. Heck, even Hector looked displeased. Why was he here again? "Am I missin' somethin'?"
"You ... really don't remember, Jack?" Will asked hesitantly, feeling the same hurt he had when an eighteen year old Jack hadn't remembered him only maybe ten times worse. That Jack had learned to trust him and Will feared this one never will again. It hurt, a searing pain through his chest perhaps more painful than Jones' stab at his heart ever could have been, to know his friend will never be so open with him again. Not that he exactly deserved it.
"Maybe Tia Dalma's spell wore off too soon?" Elizabeth offered, exchanging sad glances with everyone. She especially looked sorrowfully at James, who stood ramrod still and erect, except for his head that was bowed so his hair, tussled from the storm and their battle, shadowed his eyes. Groves and Gillete looked right uncomfortable to stand beside him.
"Nay, it wore off too late, says I." Barbossa grumbled. The teen Jack hadn't been all that bad and seeing that side of him again and reminded Barbossa why he had followed him as his Captain in the first place, before the mutiny. He wasn't sure he would ever look at his once Captain the same way ever again. Jack the monkey gave a sad chitering sound when his human namesake stepped away from him as though in disgust. They, too, had gotten along when Sparrow was a teen.
"Tia Dalma? Wot's she got t' do wiff anythin'?" Now Jack was really confused. You'd think he was used to strange things happening to him but this was ... Well, let's just say it took the cake.
"Excuse me," a voice said, a voice Jack knew all to well, and he looked towards the source just in time to see none other than Commodore James Norrington - or was he an ex Commodore again, judging by his garb? - push past the few men standing in the front line and come marching up to the new - not that he remembered that now - Pirate King. Without any prelude, he took Jack by the waist with one arm, the hand of the other coming to hold the back of his head. Jack tried to jerk away while his crew watched in interest.
"What are you doing!?" Jack was hardly aware of the slip in his mask, too focused on burning, determined green eyes whose color he found he really liked. James held him strong and tipped his head back while he leaned in.
"Fulfilling a promise." With that, James claimed the pirate Captain's lips with his own and poured as much of his passion and feelings into this one gesture as he could, desperate to make Jack remember. Sparrow remained stiff and unmoving for the longest time in his grip before his lips finally, finally moved in response, a small moan escaping him as he flung his arms around James in return. Wolf whistles and cat calls and clapping and cheering all surrounded them as they continued kissing, but neither paid it any heed until they had to pull away in need of breathe. They shared the air for the longest moment, still clinging to each other, foreheads pressed together, eyes closed.
When black met green again, a certain Pirate King couldn't stop his smile. "Pirate." James just laughed and held him tighter, for he saw that same twinkle back in Jack's eye as when they had first spent the night together. A round of cheers and applause finally had them separating and Jack focusing back on the matter at hand: the EITC's armada. "Mr Gibbs!"
"Capt'n," the man in question nearly saluted, coming to attention like a true military man.
"Close haul her. Luff the sails and lay her in iron." The orders surprised more than one person but Jack seemed dead serious. He had opened his Compass and was watching the needle as it pointed starboard. Leagues away from them, the armada was still waiting, although they could see the Endeavor had set off to meet them.
"Belay that! We'll be sittin' ducks!" Barbossa protested immediately, storming towards the younger Pirate Lord. "Maybe a good 'it on the old bonkers will get 'is 'ead straight."
"Belay that 'belay that'." Jack answered immediately.
"But the armada-" Gibbs tried to protest or reason with his Captain.
"Belay."
"The Endeav-"
"Belay. Belay. Belay." Sparrow repeated to every attempt at contradicting his orders before finally rising his voice, something no one had ever heard him do before. "Stow. Shut it!" They finally stopped talking and watched uneasily the arrogant approach of the Endeavor.
On said ship, Beckett had ordered for the Black Pearl to be fired upon. "Nothing personal, Jack. It's just good business." Unexpectedly, a little off of the Endeavor's course for the Black Pearl, a familiar looking ship burst through the surface, coming to rest upon the waves elegantly. "Ah, she survived." Beckett commented in pleasure. He didn't notice the immediate difference to the cursed ship but Jack saw it instantly and grinned like a mad man.
"Ready on the guns!" Capitán Armando Salazar called from the emerged ship, standing tall and proud at her helm, eying their target before they slid towards the distinctive form of one Captain Jack Sparrow as the now grown man walked across his ship in a far too familiar way with a knowing smirk as he rotated his Compass on its leather cord. Salazar smirked as Lesaro called that the guns were ready, the big ship lurching forward.
"Full canvas." Jack ordered smugly, hand reaching into one of his hidden pockets and taking out a small figurine the following Barbossa recognized immediately but still knew nothing about. It didn't matter. He cackled with glee and agreed to the order, Gibbs echoing it across the ship as the two fastest ships on the seven seas raced once more, this time as allies to take down the enemy. Sparrow took the figure and pressed it to his lips, as Tia had once told him to if he wished to unlock its powers, and speedy winds filled both of their sails. The crew seemed far too cheery for a lot that had just faced nearly certain death in the middle of a maelstrom not twenty minutes ago. Jack came to rest his hands on the railing of the quarterdeck, Will, Elizabeth, Gibbs, Barbossa, James and Frederico all flanking his sides, looking out at the new Captain of what used to be the Flying Dutchman but now looked like a bastardized version of it and the Silent Mary, bigger than the Endeavor by a good twenty meters.
As soon as they were in line with the Endeavor between the two ships, Gibbs turned to Jack. "Capt'n?" The crew were all looking at him, awaiting his order. Sparrow grinned almost ferally to his old friend and said one word and one word only.
"Fire."
"Fire!" Gibbs repeated, Will and James joining him in a single voice, the ordered echoed out to all the gun crews and everyone who had a pistol ready.
"Fire!" Salazar yelled on his own ship with Lesaro finishing the chant for them all before the cannons came to life. The wind Jack had released was now focused on slowing down the English ship while the two fastest ships in the sea were left to sail at their normal speeds, wrecking utter chaos on the Endeavor. The marines had already started abandoning ship long before Jack came to be in line of Beckett, who was staring at him wide eyes. Jack took hold of a single line and swung on the rope over the slowly sinking and burning ship, swinging around until he was straight in front of the midget Lord, pistol primed and cocked, aimed at his heart. Cutler Beckett stared at him with a slack face, already having come to terms with his demise but his eyes widened when he saw Jack's mouth moving but could not hear what was being said over the cannons.
Then the shot hit him true and he fell backwards into his downed flag while Jack swung to safety.
The pirates cheered at the big bonfire as the Endeavor sank.
