Will's mouth opened in a shocked O. "Bar---Barbosa?" He repeated meekly.

"Aye. Barbosa," Jack said, taking a drink. "Little brother to me own former first mate."

Will digested this information. "But why... why a merchant? Why wasn't he a pirate like his brother?"

Sparrow snorted. "That fat, lazy cad was never cut right to be a pirate. And he's not really a merchant either. Gets stolen goods from his cronies and hocks them on the black market. He may not be in the best of shape but his mind's as sharp as a ruddy pin. He knows how to manipulate and lie with the best of 'em."

Will was putting the picture together. "So that's why he killed Elizabeth and Billy? For revenge?"

"Aye." Sparrow stretched his legs out. "Guess he can't just sit back and watch his only remaining family be cut down by the meager likes of us."

"Yes, I understand, but, I don't mean to be rude, why us? You killed Barbosa, Elizabeth and I didn't." Turner turned a light shade of pink as he subtly pointed out that Sparrow was the murderer.

Jack shrugged. "You were there, you helped with the blood spilling. He figure if Elizabeth never got in the way his brother would have gone on his merry way and still be alive today."

Turner nodded, knowing this was true. The information was all sinking in. "So he has a vendetta then. Out to kill me, and you."

Sparrow raised his eyebrows to say that Turner had gotten it correct.

"Well all the more reason for you to help me!" Will pounced. Jack sat up abruptly as Will continued. "We're in the same ship now, you and I, wouldn't it be better if we stuck together then, since he's out for us both?"

"Aye, why not make it easier on him and put us both together, less traveling for him," Sparrow replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Turner ignored him. "You already know I'm going to go after him with or without you, so why don't you just agree to help me? Don't you want to kill him? Before he kills you? You're not scared of him are you?" Will taunted Sparrow with cowardice, knowing it would get under the roughened pirate's skin.

"Listen here, you don't know everything Turner," Sparrow said sharply, leaning forward and staring into the boy's eyes. "It ain't cowardice that's got me from chasing the rogue down and sticking me sword in him."

"What is it then?" Will demanded, not backing down.

"It's self-preservation. Anguila is searching for the most powerful weapon ever rumored to have been forged. When he gets it, because you mark my words, he will get it, I want to be hundreds of miles away, because there isn't any surviving once that thing is unleashed." Jack's eyes roamed over the crowded room as if he expected Anguila to come crashing through the walls at that very moment.

Will, however, could not be reasoned with. "What weapon?"

Sparrow gave an exasperated sigh and muttered some choice words under his breath. "Forget about it lad, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

With a clatter Sparrow sprung from the stool, sending it to the floor. "Get up then Turner, you want to know what it is, nothing I can do to stop you. Come along." He started for the door, weaving through the boisterous crowd.

"What? Where are we going?" Will asked, jogging to keep up.

"To the Pearl. I can't tell you in here can I? 'Sides, once you hear about it I'm not sending you along on your merry way to go running to Commodore Norrington with your savory information."

Will decided not to argue. He would never go to Norrington with any information, despite his wife's former fiancé's attempts to be cordial. He was going with Sparrow on the Pearl, which was a step, after all.

///

The Pearl was heading out to sea when Jack Sparrow finally entered the Captain's cabins and sat down across from Will, a serious look on his face.

"So you want to know what Anguila's after then, do you?" Sparrow asked. Will nodded eagerly. "You won't be so excited once I've told you," Sparrow said pointedly, the continued. "I don't expect you've heard of it, but pirates have. It's a deadly weapon, most just call it the Unnamed, but it's proper names is 'La Espada del Destino'." He stopped, looking at Will to see if this had made any impression. From the blank look on Turner's face it obviously had not.

"The Sword of Destiny, mate. Most say it's a myth, but you and I both know myths have an uncanny ability to be founded in truth. The Sword is lethal. It'll kill anyone it's blade pricks. And do you know why?"

Turner shook his head.

"The Sword of Destiny, put it together mate. What's every man's destiny?" A blank from Turner pushed Sparrow on in an annoyed air. "Thought you're supposed to be clever. Every mortal man's destiny is to die, savvy?"

Comprehension dawned on Will's face as he nodded.

"That sword, no matter what part of the body it draws blood from, no matter how deep the wound, will kill the stabbed. Period. The end. 's not something you'd want to be shavin' with, if you catch my line here."

"So, Anguila wants to find this sword just to kill us? Why doesn't he just do it with a regular sword?" Turner asked slowly.

"Ah, let me finish then lad. Now, I suppose I went a bit far by saying death. 'Cause for all reasons the person stabbed ain't very dead, in the regular sense of the word. Nay, if you're punctured by La Espada del Destino you'll be stuck in the ether, meaning, the space between the mortal world and the world of the dead, for the rest of eternity."

Will gulped.

"Aye, it isn't a very pleasant thought, especially when your time spent there will be in eternal pain and suffering."

"Why didn't get it before he killed Elizabeth then? Why wait until now?" Turner asked.

"I guess he's supposing it's mostly our faults his big brother is dead, seein' as I did the stabbing And you made with the spilling your blood over the gold." Jack stood up, staring out the glass windows, now sparkling clean, at the black ocean.

This made sense to Will. "Well, there's only one thing to do then," he stated after a bit.

Sparrow turned around with a grin on his face. "Exactly. So me, you and the crew are heading north to spend some time in the arctic for a bit."

"Jack."

"I'll give them the orders now. Straight north, here we go."

"Jack!"

"Glad you thought this through Will, I halfway expected you to still got through with this featherbrained scheme of yours---"

"JACK!"

Sparrow turned to stare at Will, who was also standing now. "We're not running away."

Jack swallowed. "Nay, we're sailing away..."

Turner didn't crack a smile. "The only thing left to do is find the Sword before Anguila can, and kill him with it instead."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Captain Jack Sparrow replied, sinking down into a chair and laying his head on the tabletop with a defeated sigh.