Yup, this is just a teaser, the first bit of the next chapter, which is practically finished...

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            Four ships after the Neptune's Favor, Jack decided to stop in Tortuga to see what the rumours were saying.  The size of the crew had doubled, which was a good thing, but Ana Maria and Bloody were beginning to get impatient.  She was whining insistently about getting her own ship, and he about getting taken back home to Port Royal.  Jack decided to make certain that word of his pirate-hunting hadn't gotten out to the wrong people; he'd now sunk four of the most successful and daring pirate ships and he knew that other pirates might not be too pleased about it.  Last time's target, the Hellfire, had limped off towards a storm Jack wasn't too keen on sailing into, and he had had to let her go, risking that she'd make it home and spread stories.  Jack abstained from rum for two whole days so that he could think of how best to counter them.

            The new crew members had all been sworn to silence.  Anybody who had refused Jack's terms had been locked up for awhile and then, if they couldn't be persuaded to change their minds, shot.  So far there had been only two who were so stubborn.

            Surprisingly, the former Commodore Norrington didn't raise too big a stink about that.  "We fought under the red flag," he said, "So they knew exactly what was coming to them.  Besides, they deserve it – they're pirates."

            Still, although the workload about the Pearl had decreased considerably with so many sailors, it was time for a break.  The food was running low, the curiosity was running high, and the men were itching to get their hands on something female.  Time for Tortuga…

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TBC

And why did I only post such a little bit? 

Three reasons: 

I don't want to get in the habit of only posting every couple weeks again. 

I was secretly hoping to break 100 reviews this time and didn't, so come on, guys, drop me a line! 

13 is unlucky so I wanted to get a 14th chapter out as soon as possible.

R/R!