CHAPTER 3

Well Jack had just spent the last half an hour explaining his troubles to Frost. He

had embellished some of the detail due to the fact that he was just a bit tipsy. Saying how

he had to escape from the fiery ruble using only his wit or something. In which Frost said

in response, "It's amazing how any of you survived."

Jack frowned at her groggily realizing a little late that she had insulted him again.

What else was new? But now that he had finished his story Frost was looking at him with

a thoughtful expression on her face. After Jack had waited for a good ten more minutes

she spoke again, her smooth cold voice rolling over his drunken mind like water, "Hum.

Well Jack I actually think that you're on to something for once." She got up unexpectedly

and turning around said, "Let's go!"

She was walking toward the exit and into the rain that had been falling in buckets

since he reached the tavern. He caught up to Frost and gabbing hold of her right forearm

said, "Wait, a second girl. Where are we going?"

Frost looked at his hand on her arm, raised her eyebrow and said, "You wanted to

see the Brethren, now the Brethren will see you." She pulled her arm out of his hand.

Jack stuck his head out the door and smiling viciously said, "But its pouring rain

love, you'll get your fancies all wet."

"Don't be calling me love Captain Sparrow. I have no wish to fill that bill. But,"

she said looking out the door and whistling, two large bulky black men came out of the

shadows one was covered in pistols and the other, covered in knives. The knife man

reached behind his back and Jack went for his own sword. The knife man pulled out an

umbrella. And holding it above the door helped Frost into the street.

Jack feeling quite foolish put his sword back and grumbled, "I've met English

ladies with less vanity than you."

"Yes Jack. But none of them are rumored to have killed twenty men,"

"Half in there bed's." Jack interrupted her. "Aye. I don't know many woman

who've done that."

She smiled an unfriendly smile and continued "Anyway Pink-eye wishes to speak

with you." She stepped out into the storm under her umbrella. "I only hope your sober

enough to make some real sense."

"Pink-eye?" Jack asked "You don't mean Lucious Crane do ya?" he smiled

pleadingly.

"Who else would I mean you half-wit." Frost rolled her eyes and began walking.

Jack looked at the black sky and cascading water then stepped out into it. He didn't want

to meet Crane. His reputation proceeded him, and that was enough. He could feel the

water soaking through his dirty cloths drenching his skin. Normally he liked the feeling

of rain on himself but tonight he couldn't enjoy it. It was a bad night and he could only

see it getting worse.

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Commodore Lucious "Pink-eye" Crane was the head of the most feared pirates in

the Spanish mane and the unacknowledged leader of the Brethren. He got his nickname

due to the fact that he had lost his left eye in a skirmish with the Chinese navy years ago

and replaced it with a ruby that he had smoothed down, and reportedly when Lucious

turned his eye on you he could tell if you were lying or not. Lucious, or so the story goes,

was first captured by a group of pirates off the coast of Madagascar and forced to work

as a slave rower in their ship. He escaped and finding his way to China and Japan, he

stole an old Chinese war ship and naming it THE RISING SUN turned pirate himself and

started to terrorize the waters off the coast of China and Japan. He always carried around

a special sword that he took off of a ship in Japanese waters. The blade was rumored to

be magical, it sings before it deals the final death blow. Longing for greater adventures

Pink-eye sailed his ship into the Caribbean and further into legend.

Now Jack who took every rumor he heard with a pinch of salt knew that even if

you didn't believe half the tales the other half was just as impressive. Every pirate wanted

to be Pink-eye. And Jack mulling all this over in his head realized with a smile, "What

better way to after a myth than with a bigger myth?" He knew if he could persuade Pink-

eye to help him then the Black Pearl was as good as his again. Jack realizing that they

were slowing down stopped and asked, "We here?"

"Just look." Frost said waving her hand toward a ship of apparent oriental

manufacture, the square sails folded like a fan on the top of the mainsail. Jack couldn't

keep looking up because the wind was blowing the water directly into his eyes.

He fallowed Frost on board and she guided them into a well lighted, and

expansive Captains quarters were four men sat around a rectangular table. Frost

smoothing her hair back from her face went and sat down at the table. Jack stood there

for a moment before a loud booming voice said, "Please sit down Captain Sparrow."

Jack turned to look at the man who had spoken, the man, who had stood up was

huge at least 6'5" and built like the Great Wall of China. His skin turned the color of

walnuts from too much sun. He had a long, bushy, think black beard, twisted about it were

long shark bones, but the rest of his hair was shaved close to his head. When the man

turned his head slightly it caught his left eye in the candle light flashing crimson on the

ruby embedded in it.

"Commodore Crane?" Jack asked smiling.

"Aye, the very same." The Commodore smiled back, (or at least Jack thought he

was smiling. It was a little hard to tell with the beard.)

Jack, feeling back in his element, slid forward in his lolling gate and slipped into

one of the chairs. Crane settled back into his and folding his large paws looked at Jack

and said, "Well Jack, I may call you Jack right? I've been hearing stories about a ship

with black sails, that's been blowing up pirate sloops without so much as taking their

cargo." He paused significantly and continued, "A ship that I believe was at one time in

your possession."

"Aye, the Black Pearl." She shot Frost a smile and was even more pleased as she

turned red with indignation. "I've been trying to catch up with her and take her back."

"I've heard about that too." Pink-eye said, "And I believe something about a girl

and you stealing a ship from another."

"Aye, those stories you hear are true." Jack said proudly. Pink-eye had heard of

him. That was damn near godhood for most pirates.

Pink-eye said, "Including the one about you using sea turtles to escape from the

island that Barbossa marooned you on?"

"What can I say?" Jack grin haughtily, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

Frost sputtered and looked like she would jump over the table and try to cut his

throat. Jack suddenly became aware of the other three men at the table he turned to

glance at them and Pink-eye realizing what Jack was doing said, "Those are my other

three Captains, Saint Nick, Daniel Gillis, and Donald Slash." The last man, Donald raised

his right hand in a half greeting showing off a very shiny silver hook that was strapped

into the place his hand should have been.

Jack smiled at them all politely and turning back to Pink-eye said, "I've got a

proposition for you mate." He began gesturing his hands emphatically as he got more

excited, "All right, the way I see it. You don't want to be having a rogue pirate ship

blowing up those other little pirate boats out there savvy? And you would also like to

retain your place as the reigning bogyman of the pirate world see? So the way I see it,

you help me get my ship back and no more ships or cargo being lost and you are the one

with the credit, Pink-eye brings down Barbossa who apparently was kicked out of hell

because he was so bad. Or at least that's what they're saying now."

The old pirate with the white beard that Pink-eye had introduced as Saint Nick

spoke up, "If we all agree to help you with this Jack then we must be compensated."

"What were ya thinking of?" Jack asked cautiously still smiling.

"We have been planning an attack on Portobello fer a couple of months. We was

thinking that if ya help us win the city then we would help ya get yer boat back."

"Portobello? Isn't that in the centrals?" Jack asked.

"Aye. It's about a month or two venture. If ye are up to it." Quipped in Gillis,

smoothing his greasy brown hair back under his three pointed hat.

Jack thought for a moment. And Pink-eye asked in his deep booming voice, "Do

we have an accord?"

Jack grinned evilly and said, "Aye." Jack shook hands with Pink-eye and looking

into his ruby eye said, "This ought to be fun."

Pink-eye laughed heartily and slapped Jack on the back, "Welcome to the

Brethren Captain Sparrow."

The only one in the room not smiling was Frost, she was glowering darkly at

Jack. But Jack didn't care, he was going to get his ship back, even if he had to sack every

island in the Caribbean to do it.