There once was a jolly, portly, bearded sailor named Captain Archibald Brineybeard. He had spent so much time out at sea that he was on a first-name basis with much of the aquatic life there; squids, sharks and dogfish alike all regarded Brineybeard as a friend, or at least an acquaintance. The Captain's closest friend, however, was his own ship.

"Shippy", as Archibald called him, was no ordinary vessel. He was alive, and what's more, he could talk. Archibald's father introduced him to Shippy at the age of five, and the two of them had been practically inseparable ever since. It wasn't until Archibald's 18th birthday, however, that he obtained his boating license, and with it, the privilege to call Shippy his own. He would go on to spend more than a decade sailing around Inkwell Isle, making his living by doing odd jobs and occasionally stumbling upon submerged treasure.

One day, Archibald was relaxing at the docks after a hard day of work, chatting with his reliable vessel.

"When are you gonna find a girl and settle down?" asked Shippy.

"Ah, who needs 'em?" scoffed Archibald. "Me only love is the sea. You know that."

"Oh, don't be such a stiff. You know that queen bee who lives across from the harbor? I think she might - say, who's that fellow mopping the piers?"

Archibald turned his head forward to see a peculiar-looking man in overalls scrubbing the docks. Although his back was turned, Archibald could tell that his skin was black as night. He almost looked like a human shadow.

"Ahoy, there!" he called. "I don't think I've ever seen you 'round before. What's your name?"

The stranger turned around and smiled, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth and two yellow, snake-like eyes.

"I go by many names," he said as he walked towards the sailor. "Beelzebub, the Prince of Darkness, Satan, Chernabog. But you can just call me the Devil."

Archibald trembled in the Devil's presence, but forced himself to stand his ground.

"Uh, C-Captain?" uttered Shippy. "Maybe we should leave."

But Archibald just waved him off. So, you're the Devil, are ye? And I assume you're interested in takin' me soul?"

"Right you are."

"Well, you're wastin' your time, landlubber. We Brineybeards aren't the type to just sign over our souls."

"Oh, I beg to differ," the Devil said with a grin. In a flash of flame, a soul contract materialized in his hand, with "Captain Archibald Brineybeard" emblazoned at the top. Brineybeard was so taken aback that he nearly toppled over.

"But t-t-that's impossible!" he stammered. "I never promised you me soul!"

"You didn't. But your great-great-grandfather, Bluto Brineybeard, did."

He hoisted himself onto one of the dock posts and took a seat as he continued his story.

"You see, Archibald, your ancestor was a seafaring adventurer just like you. He longed for someone to keep him company on his voyages, but his children were too young, and his wife, well, she got seasick easily. So I approached him one dark, lonely night out at sea, and I struck him a deal."

His eyes glowed yellow and his grin widened to frightening proportions as he leaned in closer. "Tell me, Captain, where do you think your precious Shippy came from?"

Brineybeard gasped. "N-no! That's not true! Me father said that he was rescued from Davey Jones' locker!"

He looked over his shoulder back at Shippy, hoping for a rebuttal. To his dismay, the crestfallen vessel's sails were drooping with shame.

"I'm sorry, Archibald. I couldn't bring myself to tell you."

The poor captain's heart fell into the pit of his stomach, while the Devil, rife with glee, continued his story.

"Of course, Bluto was too selfish to offer up his own soul. So instead, he signed a contract passing the burden down to his first great-great-grandson, who just so happens to be you. The contract stipulates that I will receive your soul on the day of their thirtieth birthday."

Captain Brineybeard, sweating bullets, pulled out his pocket calendar and flipped to the current month. "Shiver me timbers!" he cried. "Me thirtieth birthday's in a week!"

"I know," said the Devil. "I came here to give you a bit of advance notice. You have seven more days to enjoy your life as a free man before you become my eternal slave. Ta-ta!"

And the Devil disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the captain and his ship alone on an eerily quiet dock.