"How long will it take to reach Bermuda, do you think?" Kate asked Gibbs for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Days, lass. Weeks, months!" Gibbs replied. It was the same answer he'd given her over the passed three days.

"Of course." Kate sighed.

"Lookit, I know ye are anxious to find yur father," Gibbs said, "but askin' 'bout it all the time won't get us there any faster."

"I know." Kate mumbled. They'd sailed away from English soil four days ago and right now they were cruising across the Bay of Biscay. And Jack had said that there was an enormous stretch of water between the Black Pearl and her intended destination.

"Mark me words, 'tis a fool's quest to be settin' sail for Bermuda!" Pintel exclaimed.

"Aye." Ragetti nodded. "I hear there be frightful things a-happenin 'round there!"

"What sort of things?" Elizabeth asked.

"Ohhh, poppet, there be evil spirits deep down below who come alive and take down any poor soul that set sail to Bermuda." Pintel said in a creepy voice.

"I highly doubt that." Elizabeth smiled wryly.

"It's true though." Ragetti insisted fearfully. "They done seen ships sail and then-wwwhhhh-vanish into thin air, right before yur very eyes! If you have two eyes." He touched his fake eye.

"You mean the Devil's Triangle, don't you?" Will addressed him. Both men nodded briskly.

"What is the Devil's Triangle?" Kate asked nervously.

"Ahhh, they be dangerous waters, lass." Gibbs answered in his dramatic, storytelling voice. "Sharp rocks stickin' out of the water like giant razors, ready to slice the belly of a traveling ship to shreds. An archway leading into a cave. They say ships that go in, never come out!"

"W-why? Are there bands of cannibals in there?" Kate asked with wide eyes.

"People seem to think it's cursed." Will replied calmly. "There is a long triangle-formed stretch of water south off the island of Bermuda. Many ships have tried to pass through the hundreds of miles of that ocean, but many have never made it across."

"Or returned." Gibbs added darkly with a nod.

"Has anyone ever seen how these ships just disappeared?" Elizabeth asked.

"Aye." Anamaria nodded. "Some say the ships enter the waters, then begin to evaporate, like a cloth in flames! Some say there is an undetectable, live monster that grabs the vessels from underneath without showing itself, then drags the ship to the depths!"

"I'm sure there must be an explanation." Will said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. After his and Elizabeth's experience with Barbossa and his band of ghosts, Will was willing to believe things he never imagined himself actually believing in.

"Notice ye didn't say, 'logical' explanation." Pintel pointed out. Kate looked nervously at Jack.

"That isn't along our route, is it?" She asked him, gulping.

"Nay, luv. Now don't ye worry yur pretty little head about the Devil's Triangle, nor the rest of you scurvy blokes." Jack said confidently. "Our destination is on the completely opposite angle of the treacherous, mysterious waters." He added with a slurring growl.

"Did you have to say the word, 'angle'?" Kate grimaced. That doesn't exactly reassure me!

"As long as we all keep our heads, no matter what we run into, we should be fine." Elizabeth said quietly.

"Ship! I see a ship, Captain!" Marty called out from his perch atop the wheelhouse.

"A ship?" Jack sputtered and gestured for his spyglass. He took a peek. Sure enough, several leagues out, was another ship. It was larger, and much broader than the Black Pearl. Jack couldn't quite make out the name on the stern yet.

"More pirates, cap'n?" Pintel asked.

"Aack! Friend or foe? Friend or foe?" Cotton's parrot spoke up.

"Nah." Jack grunted in disappointment. "She not bearing the Jolly Roger flag. Too bad, I was hopin' to do some tradin' 'n catchin' up with some old mates." He sighed dejectedly.

"A merchant ship, perhaps?" Elizabeth suggested.

"Hard to tell." Jack shrugged. "I say we move in for a closer look." He let Anamaria have the wheel, and he kept checking his telescope as they crawled near to the visiting vessel. Elizabeth stood next to him, seeing if she could make out any identifying details as to who their visitor was. Will double-checked his weapons, to be sure to have them on hand in case it was enemies. He made sure that Kate did the same.

"You don't think we'll really need these, do you?" She looked up at him nervously.

"It's better to be prepared. Just in case." Will told her. "We don't want any more incidents like we had with Briggs."

"I'm not going to dispute with you on that point!" Kate agreed. Her wounds were still appalling to look at, but thanks to Anamaria's expert hand at nursing, they were, very slowly starting to heal. She followed back to the rail where the entire crew had gathered.

"Has Jack identified that ship yet?" Will asked.

"Aha!" Jack replied, sounding very pleased.

"What? Who is it, Jack?" Gibbs pressed.

Jack lowered his spyglass. "Well, well, well, it's our lucky day. That fine vessel is the miserable old Cartwheel herself!"

"The Cartwheel?!" Kate's eyes widened and her heart pounded, a mixture of excitement and worry.

"Are you sure, Jack?" Will raised an eyebrow. Jack glared at him.

"Aye, I recognize that stuffy, sweltering, dross-guised, oversized dingy. I tried to pilfer some real goodies off it, but...things, err...didn't go as planned."

"You don't say!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"What's the Cartwheel?" Pintel asked with a scowl, confused.

"Slave traders." Kate snapped, clenching the rail tightly. Her face rose thirty degrees hotter as they drew in closer.

"Do you really think they'd stay in business this long?" Elizabeth interjected.

"I imagine our friend Briggs has fashioned himself a legend, dodging navy ships, and still managing to bring in the profits." Jack suggested.

"You mean people." Elizabeth corrected him indignantly.

"They're not after us, are they?" Ragetti gulped.

"Nah." Jack shrugged. "We just happened to stumble upon them during an importation errand."

"Orders, captain?" Marty asked.

"There are people on that ship." Elizabeth said unhappily. "And they're treated like animals!"

"Worse, actually." Jack corrected her. Kate's chest tightened as she felt like crying. This was the same kind of ship that had taken her father! And he'd most likely received the same treatment the poor hundreds of souls aboard had.

"What shall we do, Jack?" Will added.

"Get ready for some honest pillaging, me hearties! We're gonna commandeer the Cartwheel!" Jack announced.

"You mean steal the ship?" Kate asked.

"Just a little." Jack grinned. "We need to find our way in, and release the poor devils trapped in there like sardines."

"We're going to free the slaves?" Gibbs' eyes lit up.

"Aye!" Jack grinned smugly. Anamaria grabbed him by the neck and kissed his cheek. "Much obliged, love." He purred.

"Jack, that's very risky." Will said. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Ahh, what's a pirate for, but to take maddening chances?"

"Do you really believe you can actually pull this off?" Kate gaped skeptically.

"Backing out on us, huh, dearie?" Jack snarked.

"No! I think it's a grand idea!" Kate retorted. "I would just like to know just how you propose we are going to do this?"

"I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! Captain Jack Sparrow always has a plan! Wha'dya say, Lizzie?" Jack asked excitedly.

Elizabeth drew her sword. "I say...what are we waiting for?" She smiled darkly.

"Good woman." Jack approved. "Trim the sails."

They were still a ways off the Cartwheel, and Jack said they'd use the element of surprise by sneaking up on the ship in the long boats. Jack grinned slyly as he watched Elizabeth fully preparing for a rescue/raid. She was ready for action! "Lizzie, you need to put on a dress." Jack said casually.

"What?" Elizabeth's jaw dropped.

"We have a lady present." Jack narrowed his eyes.

"Jack..." Elizabeth returned his playful stare.

"Nothing like a surviving damsel in distress from a shipwreck, to keep a platoon of idiots a tad busy." Jack told her.

"Fine." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. When she returned in said dress, she looked at Jack defiantly. "Are we ready?" She huffed. Instead of answering, Jack took a hold of her left sleeve and ripped it down! "Jack! What are you doing?!" Elizabeth protested. He only continued to tear the dress up in various places till it was all in tatters.

"Ahh, yes. Much more better." He grinned, obviously pleased with himself.

"Jack Sparrow, what right..." Elizabeth scolded him furiously.

"You improvise whatever sad, woeful tale ye have to to get their sympathy." Jack interrupted her. "Leave the rest to me."

"You're such a devil." Elizabeth muttered. Jack smiled at the 'compliment'.

Anamaria chose to remain behind on the Pearl, to make sure nobody stole it, slave or otherwise. She was more than ready to put up a fight if necessary.

Kate was scared, not sure what they'd be coming up against with the actual bearers of this profession, but her anger was stronger. She felt more than ready to follow Will and the other pirates onto the slave ship and help those poor, unfortunate souls aboard. Yet, as she remembered her flogging with Briggs, her wounded arm tensed and she couldn't shake off a shiver of dreadful deja vu that she prayed would not happen. She stayed close to Will and Gibbs, nervously yet anxiously waiting for Jack's orders.

Two rugged patrolmen in bright green uniforms stomped around the Cartwheel's stern, keeping a lookout. Personally, the two were bored to death, with the mindset that 'there's nothing to see out there, it's all just ocean water'. That's what they'd told their captain and he'd withdrawn their guard duty relief for the coming evening. As soon as one was out of sight around the corner, Jack, Pintel, and Gibbs crept up behind the other one, disarmed him and covered his mouth. Jack held his finger to his lips, shushing the man. They dragged him away. As soon as his befuddled partner returned searching for him, he received the same treatment.

Gripping a railing on the ship's rear, Will waved his handkerchief to Elizabeth, indicating that it was time to make her move. She nodded. "He wants a sad, woeful tale does he?" She complained to herself about Jack. "Well, I'll give him one!"

"What is that?" An officer named Leroy cocked his head from one of the upper decks.

"What's what?" His partner Evans asked.

"I heard something!" Leroy exclaimed.

"We carryin' loads of boisterous cargo, and now you say you hear something?" Evans rolled his eyes. "Most likely one of the bloody b-'s tiny brats again!"

"No, I really did hear something." Leroy argued. "It sounded as if it was coming from down in the water." He peeked over the edge to see.

"One of the troublemakers who won't shut up. I still say we just show him a watery grave."

"Oui! What's that?" Leroy pointed down excitedly into the water. Evans took a look.

"Good heavens! Why, it's...it's a lady!" Evans gasped.

"Help! Oh, please help me!" Elizabeth wailed desperately. She was leaning on a broken piece of driftwood, her upper body laying across it and her legs and skirt in the water.

"She seems to be in distress." Leroy stated.

"Find the captain!" Evans urged him. Leroy raced away to obey.

Jack and his band had managed to sneak inside the ship through windows and using the element of surprise and unconsciousness on unsuspecting members of the crew. Jack knew what the whereabouts inside of a slave ship looked like, so the crew followed him carefully. Kate already didn't like this place. It was humid and smelled awful, and had a personality of desperation and defeat floating around inside it, almost as thick as the air. She figured the extra stench and stuffy air was from all the prisoners' mingled body heat and unsanitary conditions they were forced to be in.

"Here, drink this." A young man said kindly, offering one of the many dark-skinned prisoners a drink of water from the scoop he dipped in the bucket. The weathered man gulped it down gratefully. This youth was not dressed in a uniform, but rather a cabin boy's wardrobe, yet he felt just as trapped on this floating vehicle as the people who were chained together like mad dogs. He was quite lanky, with skinny limbs. He kept a tricorn hat over his deep blue eyes and his dark hair had been chopped short.

His fellow superiors called him 'the flea', because he had been severely reprimanded more than once for feeding the slaves part of the ship's rations without permission. At first, he'd begged for mercy on behalf of the human cargo, which had led to a terrible flogging. The next time he'd been caught, he'd tried a different tactic, by telling the captain, "You know, the prisoners won't bring you much profit, if they're so feeble they're unable to do the work their new masters will require of them. Now, if you were to, say give them their own rations, they could gain strength, and be in quite the robust ship-shape by the time we make port to sell them." His captain suggested that they could also gain strength to create a mutiny though 'the flea' interjected of how they could possibly do that, when they were chained like cattle. One of the officers told the captain that the lad did bring up a point, about them possibly gaining more profits if they had more appealing to the eye livestock. The captain reluctantly agreed, but dangerously warned 'the flea' that the slaves would receive only one portion of nourishment in an entire day, then viciously slapped the boy. 'The flea' knew that one helping a day would not be good enough, especially for the sick, the weak, and the older people. But, this was better than nothing: at least with this order, he could make sure they got any food at all!

So, 'the flea' was put in charge of feeding the two hundred slaves on board, seeing as no one else had the gumption or kindness to do it.

"Gibbs, ye lead them out through this door, onto the outer deck, and see that they get into the long boats. Savvy?" Jack instructed.

"Aye, aye, sir!" Gibbs nodded. "This is I think so far the best venture I've ever been on with ye, Jack!" Jack nodded, then led them to a barred wooden door.

"Ah, the hold." He said in disgust. Taking his knife, he popped the hinges out, and managed to free the barricade holding the door shut. It flinched! "Now, slowly and quietly." He warned everyone.

"What was that?" A dark-skinned woman in chains asked frantically.

"I'm not sure." 'The flea' replied, standing up straight to his full height. "Everyone stay calm! I'll find out what's going on." He hauled the bucket of water with him as he slowly approached the door. Before he could stand behind it, bracing himself for an attack, the door flew open! 'The flea' stumbled backward against the wall. The slaves all looked up, their faces painted with fear, bewilderment, and curiosity.

"Pirates!" One of them cried.

"Shhh! Everyone, stay calm. We're taking over the ship!" Jack announced grandly as he strutted inside.

'The flea' wasn't about to let this band of pirates come in and hurt the people in his charge, or take them for themselves and do worse to them than they were already receiving! "Stay away!" He stammered frightfully and doused Jack with the bucket of water. Jack stood there, frowning and just looked at him pointedly. "Please don't hurt them!" The boy begged. "They're people! They're human beings, not livestock! You harm them, you'll have me to answer to!" He told Jack firmly, but his face was petrified.

Mmm, wet behind the ears as usual, but with a touch of spunk. That's a new one. Not all bad, Jack thought to himself. "Son, we're not gonna hurt anyone now." He smiled wryly.

"You're pirates!" The young man clearly did not trust him.

"Son, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?" Jack grinned. Then Pintel grabbed the boy from behind, with his hands tightly around his throat.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Kate gasped.

"Let da poor boy go!" One of the slaves protested. 'The flea' squirmed frightfully from under Pintel's grip, with a few of the other pirates surrounding him with their guns pointed at his face.

Kate shook Jack's arm. "Jack, make them let him go!" Kate begged. Jack haughtily held his head high, with a stone face countenance.

"Why should we spare the young bloody cur, dearie?" Jack asked in a gravelly voice.

"He's trying to protect them!" Kate insisted. "He cares about them."

"Pfft. Oh, please." Jack scorned. He was giving the whelp similar treatment that he and his fellow pirates received because of their reputations. "You're so naive. Do you not know what he is? Why should we vagabonds throw in our lot with this scurvy, money-grubbing mongrel? He's a slave trader, luv." Jack finally looked at her.

"And a good man." Kate retorted softly. The boy stared at her helplessly-and gratefully-, praying Jack would listen to reason. Jack rolled his eyes.

"I say we keelhaul this one!" One of the pirates jeered.

"Aye!" Gibbs played along. "He don't look like much. They won't miss him."

"I say first we gut him up." Pintel growled devilishly. "Like the other codfish in this line of work."

"No!" Kate wailed, digging her nails into Jack's arm. "Jack, don't!" Jack pried her hand off and held his up in surrender.

"Just simmer down there, luv." He smiled darkly, waving his hands. "Don't ye trust me?"

"Considering where your stand is on this at the moment, I'm not too sure." Kate frowned sadly at him. The pirates laughed at her.

"Now, now, just calm yur pretty little head, luv. We weren't gonna hurt him." Jack said sarcastically. "Were we, boys?"

"Oh, nooo." They chimed in.

"We only wanna use him for fish bait." One of them joked. Kate glared at him and aimed her pistol in his direction.

Pintel tightened his hold on the boy, nearly choking him into unconsciousness. "L-look, what do y-you want?" He sputtered.

"Listen, boy. We didn't come here to hurt anyone." Jack said nonchalantly, crossing over to him. "Now, you tell us where a certain trinket is...say, a key? Key to your friends' iron bonds. You hand over said key, we remove their said bonds, send them on their merry way, and we'll never bother you again. Savvy? Now, where is it?" He pointed his gun in the boy's face.

"I don't have the key!" He cried. Jack gaped with a pouty lip.

"How's that?"

"I don't have it."

"What sort of man on guard duty keeps no key, to keep in the poor devils he's been kept up to keep?" Jack asked pitifully. The boy frowned at him in confusion. Jack stepped closer and clicked his gun into the lad's throat.

"Jack!" Kate begged, appalled. Her old fear of not understanding Jack's way of handling things as a pirate was returning quickly.

"Easy there, lass. He's just playin' with him. Jack knows what he's doin'." Gibbs assured her.

"Doesn't look like it to me!" Kate strongly disagreed.

"You lay a single 'nother bad hair on dat lad, and it's yur head we'll stick in dese hellish irons next after ye free us!" One of the slave women warned Jack.

"Where's the key?" Jack asked sternly.

"The captain has it." The lad told him. "He always carries it, or keeps it in his office, in his chambers. If, if you'd be so kind as to release me before this man strangles me, I'll take you there! I'll take you to it!"

Jack seemed to be contemplating. "That won't be necessary, son. Leave him! Get the prisoners ready to abandon ship, while I find a key." Jack ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The crew agreed as they began to bound and gag the boy.

"Jack!" Kate huffed.

"You're comin' with me." Jack told her, the authority in his voice leaving no place for argument. Ordinarily, he'd just go after the key himself, but he'd learned the hard way too many times in his previous misadventures with Will that the fastest way for his plans to go backwards was when he took his eyes off the whelp who decided to take matters into his own hands! Jack wasn't going to take any chances here, especially with someone of the female kind, who were known to cry when it was convenient for them.

"But what are you going to do with him?" She asked anxiously.

"What we pirates do with all brats that we don't like." Jack teased. Kate didn't like the sound of that. Not at all!

"You bloody pirates." She frowned. Jack just gave her his infamous grin.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth had been assisted up onto the ship. The Cartwheel's captain, Captain Conner, and his men-well, most of them-were gathered around her. She was giving an impressive performance as a traumatized victim escapee. She told them that she'd been kidnapped from London by the crew of the Black Pearl, and held as a hostage by Captain Jack Sparrow. They all listened with open ears. They'd given her a blanket, and had brought her some warm tea with biscuits. Inwardly, Elizabeth found it distastefully ironic at how all these fools were more than willing to display chivalry toward her, but wouldn't lift a finger to treat their 'livestock' with human decency!

Jack found Captain Conner's chambers and slipped inside without knocking. There were no guards, so they were in luck. Kate could not help glancing around the captain's office, observing the exotic finery. "Would you look at all this?" She remarked icily. Jack didn't pay attention, but searched the bureau drawers. Kate eyed the bowl of fresh, mouth-watering fruit sitting on the desk. "Did you see those people, Jack? They were literally skin 'n bones! Why, some of them I can see practically every bone in their body!" She grimaced, recalling the grisly sight that remained etched in her mind. "He could at least give them some blankets, or some clothes to put on! Or food!"

"Found it!" Jack smiled with glee, triumphantly holding up the key. "Excellent. Shall we be off then?" Then his eyes fell on a small crate of tobacco sitting on the desk, bearing the label of the East India Trading Company. "Ugh." Jack curled his lip. "So our mate Briggs has made some rather convenient connections for himself with an old friend, Beckett, I see." He said flatly. "That explains a lot. Well," he grabbed a banana, "come, luv. We have a brigade to let loose."

"Were you not listening?" Kate gaped at him.

"Heard every word, luv." Jack nodded.

"No, you didn't." Kate shook her head. Jack had seen this hypocritical scenario before, back when he'd been employed by the East India Trading Company. He'd found Beckett's methods as a 'humanitarian' appalling, hence he'd been branded a pirate.

"No time for frettin' or lolly-gagging, luv." Jack said, and tromped out. Kate followed him. They made their way back down into the cargo hold where their fellow comrades were waiting. "I found it, gentlemen!" Jack held up the key. Then he addressed the slaves. "My good fellows, allow me to introduce to you, the key to your freedom!" With that, they began unlocking the chains and shackles.

As Jack and his band helped the slaves climb down into the boats and sail away toward the Pearl, Elizabeth had kept the men very occupied with her tale of horror and pain. She was glad they were biting the bait with such relish, yet at the same time was impatiently wondering when her friends would show up and she could stop pretending! She was startled by a large, crimson-faced man carrying a bullwhip that barged his way toward them. "Captain! Mutiny, sir! Mutiny!" He yelled. Elizabeth glanced nervously at the captain and his men to see if they'd caught on to her act.

"What are you talking about?" Captain Conner glared at the overseer.

"The slaves! They're escaping!"

"Impossible!" Captain Conner gasped.

"See for yourself, sir! I thought you should know." The overseer replied. Captain Conner and his men forgot about Elizabeth and raced to look over the rail. Sure enough, there were several of the malnourished figures, rowing away from the Cartwheel as fast as they possibly could.

"Bloody h-!" Captain Conner cursed furiously. "There go my profits! To the hold!" He ordered. "How in blue blazes?! Have your firearms at the ready! Let none of them escape!" His men obeyed.

"Captain?" Elizabeth asked in a small voice. He turned back to her.

"You must forgive me, lass, but we've run into a dire streak of bad luck." Captain Conner said softly.

"My good, sir. I have a confession to make. You've been had." Elizabeth smirked.

"Wha-" Captain Conner stuttered, but was unable to finish his sentence as Elizabeth cocked him on the back of his head with her pistol. He dropped instantly to the ground, out cold. She raced to the rail and looked off to the Pearl, searching for Anamaria. She laid eyes on the other woman and fired two shots into the air, signaling to her that she should let Jack know they were busted. Anamaria got the message, and fired a cannon into the upper deck of the Cartwheel, far on the opposite side of Elizabeth.

"What was that?" Will asked, when the cannon's blast shook the ship. Jack froze, with wide eyes.

"Bad news!" Gibbs exclaimed. "Any of you poor devils that has the strength better swim for it!" He warned the rest of the prisoners who were waiting their turns to slip out the exit.

"Follow me!" Will told Ragetti, Cotton, Marty, Kate, and a few others. He drew his sword and raced up the stairs to draw off the guards, giving Gibbs and Jack a chance to free the rest of the slaves. They even tossed 'the flea' down into one of the boats!

Elizabeth-having thrown off the ruined dress and was now in her pirate outfit-disabled the rudder, but one of the officers spotted her. "Oui! You there!" He snapped. But as he aimed his rifle at her, she drew her sword and pounced at him, picking a fight. She did not notice Captain Conner regaining consciousness!

"Kate, stay with me!" Will told his 'sisterly' friend as she'd never come up in a sword fight before. She tried to remain at his side, but it was easy to get lost in the crowd. The overseer, and three officers charged at the pirates. Will did not cower and countered them. Pintel and Ragetti tried looping one of the men with a rope, but only succeeded in tying themselves together! The overseer noticed Kate and approached her stealthily. It wasn't the look on his face that her eyes were glued to, but the whip in his hand! No! She was not going to go through that again! And she'd seen the horrible scars on the many slaves, courtesy of this monster. Petrified, she fumbled, trying to draw her pistol. He laughed wickedly at her, but Marty shot him in the side. Kate panted with relief. "Thanks." She breathed.

More officers-ones Jack had bound or knocked out-had regained their senses and found their captain. He sent several of them to the brawl. Will saw them coming. "Cotton! Marty! A hand!" He yelled. The two men followed him and Marty bashed open a barrel of rum. Together, as the officers raced for them, the pirates knocked over and rolled the barrel of rum, spilling it and making the guards slip and spit and curse.

Jack had instructed the slaves to follow the Pearl, till he had command of the Cartwheel, then they could relax on the ship like true sailors, like free men. "Nice work, Jack!" Gibbs smiled, fist-bumping his pal.

"What do you say, we pay our regards to the dear captain and celebrate with a barrel of rum?" Jack spoke enticingly.

"Aye, that would be most refreshing." Gibbs agreed. They made their way up on deck, unaware that is was no longer noisy. As Jack made his way outside, he was greeted with swords in his face! He frowned in confusion.

"Jack Sparrow," Captain Conner slurred. "I might have known."

"There should be a 'captain' in there somewhere. At your service." Jack bowed. Conner slapped his face. Jack blinked and shook his head. "Seems we've come to a respite of differential opinions." He said nonchalantly.

"I believe we have a good friend in Cutler Beckett." Captain Conner narrowed his eyes.

"More acquaintance than friend." Jack sighed. "How is he? Been a long time. Last I heard, he was working his way up to becoming Lord Beckett. How's that turning out for him?"

"He's still working on it. I'll give him your regards." Captain Conner said.

"Do that." Jack smiled. "So, what brings us together on this bright, and uninviting day?" Captain Conner wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulder.

"We have a surprise for you, Jack." He chuckled darkly. Jack bit his lip as he was forced to look at the Black Pearl. It was towed to the Cartwheel, but his crew was not in command of it!

"More like a nightmare." He grinned sheepishly.

Jack and Gibbs were roughly brought aboard their own ship, to find the crew held at gun point and sword point. Dead bodies-shot-of slaves floated along in the water along the ship. "Guess I didn't hit 'em hard enough." Jack muttered to Gibbs. "What's this? Have any of you yeasty maggots been suggesting mutiny?" He asked his crew. Will and Elizabeth glared at him.

"It wasn't us!" Kate growled.

"It be them, cap'n!" Pintel accused Conner. "They come down on us they did, like the dead comin' back to life! Outnumbered us, they did! And now we're prisoners on our own ship!"

"My ship." Jack shrugged. "Just what do you have in mind? Perhaps we can come to some peaceful negotiation?" He looked at Conner.

"Your stupid, heroic ambush is going to cost me...dearly. And that is NOT a price I am willing to pay." Captain Conner hissed. "In exchange for your disrespectful misuse of my hospitality, I'll have not only my livestock back, but I'll throw in a few more bonuses to compensate for my insult. The crew, the ship...and the ladies." He smiled sadistically at Anamaria, Elizabeth, and Kate. "They will sail with me. I'll dispose of the ones I don't like at the opportune moment. But the ladies shall be quite comfortable, if they cooperate, that is."

"I'd rather be chained to the stocks than be in debt to vermin like you!" Anamaria snapped at him.

"Aye!" Elizabeth agreed.

"Jack, you can't just let them take us!" Will called out. Surely, Jack wouldn't. They were his friends! But with Jack's method for negotiating, Will wasn't too keen on which way the captain would lean in this case.

"Captain to captain," Jack spoke up calmly, "for the sake of exhausting all of our options, do we not want to consider a slightly less, gruesome alternative?"

"Ohh, it sounds more than satisfactory to me." Conner nodded.

"Ahem." Jack scratched the back of his head. "What do you say, we meet in my chambers, and drink on it?" He suggested lightly.

"I do not break bread with filthy pirates, scum of the earth." Conner cringed, as if Jack was a carrier of the plague.

"And what makes you such an exception?!" Kate cried. She couldn't help lashing out. These were the same kind of people who'd broken up her own family. Her father had been held captive on that very ship, and without justice. She was sick of this fancied up dude strutting around like a peacock, acting like a Greek god, when he treated people no better than dirt. Jack gulped.

"Don't do anything stupid." He whispered.

"Oui? How's that, miss?" Conner tilted his head.

"You starve and beat innocent people, as if they were animals." Kate rambled. "And yet you sit around in your fancy office as if you're the only thing in the world that matters."

"You're no better than the 'scum of the earth' as you call us." Will added.

Oh, shut it, you stupid whelps! Jack thought.

"They're right." Elizabeth glowered at Conner. "You in fact, are ten times worse."

"Aye!" Anamaria cheered. Several of the crew did also.

"Oh, is that so?" Conner sneered. Then, without warning, he took his hand to Kate's face, slapping her so hard that she flinched and went limp as consciousness left her and she tilted back, overboard, and plunged down into the ocean water.