Pirates of the Caribbean

Legend of the Dragon's Claw

By Amos Whirly

Chapter Nine: A Tale from the East

     Yue gnawed hungrily on an apple and chomped ferociously on a slab of salted pork.  He took a huge swig of whatever was in his hip flask and sighed enormously.

     "Much better," he murmured, sitting back in his chair and helping himself to another apple.

     Jack watched him suspiciously the whole time, an uncharacteristic scowl darkening his face.

     "Yue," Will leaned forward, "can I ask you something?"

     "Of course."

     "Who are you?"

     "I have told you," Yue seemed confused. "My name is Zao Yue, and I was a prisoner on El Corazon until I saved the two of you."

     "Did not," Jack snorted, looking away.

     "Speaking of which," Will cocked his head, "why did you save us anyway?"

     "Did you not require assistance?"

     "No, as a matter of fact, we did not require assistance," Jack spat. "We were perfectly capable of handling the matter by ourselves, weren't we, mate?" He punched Will in the shoulder.

     "Um."

     "You seemed to be severely injured, Captain Sparrow," Yue pointed out, gesturing to Jack's still-bleeding shoulder. "And outnumbered as well.  I reasoned that if I intervened—"

     "You could get yourself a free ride, eh?" Jack interrupted. "Well, I'm onto you, and if you try anything on my ship—"

     "Jack," Will hissed.

     "What?" Jack snapped. "This is my ship.  My rules."

     "I was not implying otherwise, Captain Sparrow," Yue bowed his head politely.

     Jack wrinkled his nose and sat down, crossing his arms.

     "Well, see that it stays that way."

     "You may have told us your name, Yue," Will leaned forward again, "but who are you?  How did you get to El Corazon?  I know.  I know you said you arrived there by means of a shipwreck, but from where?  Where were you going?"

     "It is a very long story, Mr. Turner," Yue bowed his head again.

     "We've got a long way to sail yet, friend," Will patted the small man's shoulder.

     "Well," Yue crossed his arms, "perhaps I should begin at the beginning?"

     "Always a good place," Jack rolled his eyes, earning a frustrated glance from Will.

     "I was born in China," Yue said, "to a very poor home.  An orphanage.  Because I had no parents.  I did not know my mother.  I did not know my father.  All I knew was the orphanage and that I loved the sea."

     Will settled himself more comfortably to listen, but Jack remained leaning on the table.

     "In those days, we did not leave our coast lines," Yue explained. "It was not wise.  But I heard of a man who built a ship able to withstand the power of the sea.  So I asked to be aboard his crew.  He agreed, although I was very young.  He took me in and taught me.  But the people of China did not like him.  They thought his thinking was too advanced and would threaten the old ways.  So they ordered him and his crew to leave forever."

     "All for building a new kind of boat?" Jack curled his lip.

     "Yes," Yue answered. "In China, tradition is important.  Those who break it are dishonored.  Thus, I was banished with him."

     "How did you end up on El Corazon?" Will asked. "Was that the ship that crashed?"

     Yue stirred uncomfortably. "No.  No that was a different ship."

     "Why did you leave your captain?" Jack narrowed his eyes.

     "He died."

     The sorrow in Yue's eyes was obvious.

     "His—you would call it first mate—attacked him.  He died.  I escaped and found another ship.  That is the ship that crashed on El Corazon."

     "Yue," Jack suddenly knelt in front of the small man, "what was the name of this ship?  This ship that caused all this ruckus."

     Yue watched him carefully and said something in Chinese.

     "English, mate," Jack reminded with a shake of his finger.

     "Red Dragon," Yue said. "It was called the Red Dragon."

     "Red Dragon," Jack whispered. "And your captain?  What was his name?"
     "Wang," Yue returned, also in a whisper. "Wang Shulong."

     "Wang," Jack repeated. "Wang?"

     Jack stood suddenly and grabbed Yue's arm.

     "Jack!" Will yelped.

     "What do you want?" Jack demanded sharply. "Are you after it too?"

     "After what?" Yue was perplexed.

     "I've been watching you since El Corazon," Jack snapped. "You move just like they do—the black pirates.  You're after the Claw, too, and you're just waiting for the right time to strike, aren't you, mate?"

     "The Claw?" Yue gasped. "The Dragon's Claw?  You know of the Dragon's Claw?"

     "Both of you, calm down," Will stepped in between them. "Jack, what's wrong with you?"

     "Don't you remember, Will?" Jack was still glaring at Yue. "The man who attacked my ship and killed Captain Jenkins for that stupid hunk of gold?  His name was Wang.  Wang something-or-other."

     "Wang Shonyu?" Yue suddenly paled.

     Jack and Will stared at him.

     "Yes," Jack's face was tight. "Yes, that was it.  He and his men attacked my boat when I was a lad.  All for the sake of that cursed dagger."

     "Oh," Yue sat down again, "this is very bad.  You should not be involved in this."

     "Well, we are," Jack snorted, "whether you like it or not, shorty."

     "You do know about the dagger," Will knelt beside the small man. "Then, tell us.  Where did the pirates go?  They took my daughter.  I have to find her."

     Yue looked at him in confusion, " They would not have taken her from you, if you had not taken something from them."

     Will and Jack exchanged a glance.

     "We can trust him, Jack," Will urged. "He's the closest lead we've had."

     Jack hesitated for a moment.

     "A sheath," he finally said. "Will pulled a fancy sheath off one of the pirates at Port Royal."

     "Yes," Yue smiled slightly. "Yes, that would have upset Shonyu greatly."

     "Keep going, mate," Jack sat down. "Don't stop there." He patted his sword hilt. "You're just getting warmed up."

     Yue watched him cautiously.

     "Shulong Wang," he started, "is the man who created the Red Dragon, who was originally banished from China, and who accepted me into his ranks.  Shonyu Wang was his son.  His only son, who set sail with us as well."  Yue took a deep breath. "For years and years, Captain Wang hoarded goods on an island here in the Caribbean.  It was a long journey to say the least, but he knew that no one would ever find it.  One day, he took me with him and hid the sheath of the Dragon's Claw within the treasure cave.  He kept the dagger itself with him because it provided a map to the island, and he never wanted to forget where it was."

     "What happened?" Will asked.

     "When we emerged from the cave," Yue steadied his voice, "his first mate Wushen Fa attacked him.  He died, but in his last breath, he gave the Claw to me.  I did the only thing I could think to do.  I returned to the cave, retrieved the sheath, and I ran, escaping the island with only my life and the Claw with its sheath."

     "What then?" Jack urged.

     "When word reached Shonyu Wang about what had happened, he had Fa killed," Yue said. "But when he found that I had the Claw, he became enraged, for it had been his birthright.  He hunted me down, and when he found me, I was on a merchant ship.  His ship attacked us.  I was the only survivor.  I washed up on El Corazon, and that is where I have been all these years."

     "What about the Claw?  And the sheath?" Jack asked.

     "Shonyu regained the sheath," Yue explained, "but I threw the dagger overboard.  It was my birthright, after all.  I could not allow him to take it.  Such a thing would dishonor me."

     "But didn't he want it to remember his father?" Will protested.

     "Shonyu had no respect for his father," Yue answered. "He did not honor him.  He only wanted the dagger to use the treasure within the cave, which is not what Captain Wang had desired.  Captain Wang told me this himself.  The treasure that is seen in the cave is not the greatest.  There is another treasure deep and hidden inside the cave, priceless and precious beyond measure.  This is what Shonyu desired.  So I threw away the dagger to keep the treasure safe from him."

     "What happened then?" Jack demanded.

     "I do not know," Yue shrugged. "I have been on El Corazon for the whole time.  I know not if Shonyu ever regained the dagger or if he found the treasure of his father."

     "Well, he's got the dagger now," Jack said. "But we have the sheath."

     "And he also has my daughter," Will sighed.

     "If only we had the dagger," Yue sat back in his chair. "I could guide you to the island."

     Jack and Will looked at each other.  Will quickly stood and opened the safe, drawing out the envelope within.

     "Don't move, mate," Jack winked at Yue and stood, grabbing Will's arm and dragging him to the other corner of the room. "Are you out of your mind?  Trusting our lives—and my ship—to this brigand?  We don't know anything about him."

     "I trust him, Jack."

     "Well, I don't.  The only thing I'm sure of is that these blokes don't play by the rules."

     Will smiled slowly.

     "Don't you remember, Jack?  The only rules that matter out here are what a man can do and what a man can't do."

     Jack scowled.

     "We can ignore Yue and choose to believe he's lying," Will said. "But we can't find the island without him.  Which means that we can't save Tori without him."

     Jack sighed heavily, and Will handed him the envelope with the pictures of the dagger inside.

     With a lopsided grin, Will quipped, "Can you sail under the command of a pirate, or can you not?"

     Jack tapped the enveloped on his arm, still frowning.

     "If he dings my boat, I'm blaming you," Jack shook his finger in Will's face and stalked back toward Yue.