You're kinda right, Anne. As stated earlier, description's not my best subject. Well, in scenery, anyway. Could I have made it more glorious sounding? Yes. One thing I learned writing this fic: Making a setting is hard! BTW, this was supposed to be apart of chapter 14, but because of how long it'd really be, I had to split it. You'll notice this is really long all by itself.

Disclaimer: I don't own either "Danny Phantom" or "Pirates of the Caribbean". Most of the characters you see are either property of Nickelodeon or Disney. Some others are my own.

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The Spirit of the Ship

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Chapter 15: It Can't Be

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Shock filled the room as Jack lied in an unconscious heap on the ground. "You do not know how long I've wanted to do that!" Gustavo said, sounding relieved.

"Look, Gustavo," Danny said, still shocked at what just happened, "I know you and Jack haven't exactly been the best of friends, but don't you think this is pushing it A LITTLE TOO FAR?" Gustavo gave a smug look to the half-ghost hanging above him.

"I wouldn't say 'pushing it'," Skulker interupted. "I'd say it's a performance most award-worthy!"

"I'm touched by your words, Skulker," Gustavo thanked. After that Danny looked back and forth between his capturer and his former friend. He finally put the pieces together and blurted out his thought.

"You mean you two were working together?"

"It's an interesting story, really," Skulker began. "It all started two months ago..."

"Two months?" Danny said, surprised. "But it's only been..." Danny paused, recalling the days he's been in this time period. "Nine days... I think."

"We were dropped off at times," Skulker informed. "Also different places. In fact, it was right here where I was dropped off. After I mantained my composure, my scanners indicated a great power source. It lead me to that staff that Gustavo has right now."

"Wouldn't it have just been easier for you to use the staff than to get Gustavo to it?" Danny said, finding a good point.

"Do you think I would have if I could?" Skulker angrily asked. "It's like I have to explain everything to you! When I tried to get a hold of it, it blasted me back. Further scans indicate that the staff can only be held by the living. Hence why I found Gustavo. However, I had to search and wait for you, ghost-child. Speaking of search, I also found that vase that was ironically a map and storyboook all in one in Italy. Small world, isn't it? When I arrived in Spain, my scanners indicated a rift weakness in an alley, small but detectable. I knew you'd show up there in a matter of days, and I had to find someone who would deliver you to me. Someone who'd do anything for power. Someone so miserable, they'd do anything to change there life."

"Miserable?" Gustavo interupted. "I still had a good life, I just wanted a better one."

"Well, excuse me if you looked all mopey," Skulker argued. He then slyly whispered to Danny, "Just between us, he screams like a girl."

"Why don't I just continue?" Gustavo said. "Skulker toldme that he'd give me ultimate power if I found you, Danny, which included everything Skulker told me was on the vase. In other words, we didn't need Don. The plan was simple: Skulker would put the vase antique shop, which I would get at night once Skulker informed me that you'd arrive. He showed me where you were, I'd show you the vase to catch your interest, and we would have easily gotten there with you flying me there. It would have worked until Jack Sparrow ruined everything. I had to improvise fast and had no choice but to bring him along. It became more interesting, really. I'll have to thank him."

"I had to keep a close, yet frustrating eye on you," Skulker continued, "yet stayed far away enough to avoid you ghost sense. Sure, you may have phased that ship through the bottom of that waterfall all by youself, but I handled many of those zombies before the got to your ship. If I wasn't there, you'd all be dead. And look who destryed a giant sea serpant from the inside? It's very gross in there. I wouldn't recommend it. For those, I think I deserve a thanking from you, Ghost-child."

"I still don't understand, Gustavo," Adriana said, on the verge of tears. "You still stayed loyal to Skulker? Didn't any feelings change on our journey? WEREN'T WE YOUR FRIENDS?"

Gustavo laughed, as if told a good joke, and replied, "A man who almost ruined everything, a boy who I could trade for a much greater prize, and a girl who's been stealing my goods for far too long. Skulker made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Besides, why would I be friends with someone as low as a thief?"

Having taken much offence to Gustavo's words, she walked over to what she thought was Jack's lifeless body (which had slightly gained consciousness) and took his sword from under him. Gustavo laughed at the thought of what she would try to do. "The only people lower than thieves," she angrily said, "are people like you!" She ran at Gustavo, sword in hand, ready to slice him in two. Gustavo just patiently waited for her. She approched with a violent slash, only to swing at air as Gustavo spun out of the way and was directly behind her.

Gustavo grabbed at Adriana's hair before she could even think of a second move. "Cáigalo," Gustavo said, pulling Adriana's hair to near-scalping point. She dropped the sword immediately, which rolled down to Jack, who slyly placed it back under his belt. Gustavo held the staff so it's head was just inches away from her gut. Sparks and electrical streams jumped up from the head as Gustavo said, "How much lightning does it take to kill a thief?"

"Gustavo, wait!" Gustavo looked up, noticing the cry came from Skulker. "Turn the girl to face me, and keep a good grip on her." Gustavo did what he was told, turning Adriana rather forcefully in Skulker's direction, still with a grip on Adriana hair. Skulker gave a hard look at her, grinned evilly, and told Danny, "Look closely at her. Does she remind you of someone? Anyone you know?"

Danny looked at Adriana as Skulker said. Danny look went from observant to horror as he knew why Skulker didn't want her dead... yet, as far as he knew. It was all in the way Gustavo was holding Adriana's hair, like a ponytail worn up if Gustavo's hand was an elastic. A green one, maybe. That's when it hit him. He never noticed because Adriana always had her hair down, but, with the exception of eye and hair color, she looked exactly like his friend, Sam. It rolled on and on in his mind on how it was possible.

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"Your powers make you unique. Unique is good."

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"I think your powers make you unique, and I think unique is... good."

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"It can't be," Danny said to himself. "It just can't be!" He then proceeded to asking the question that would have him kicking himself for the rest of his life... or afterlife. "Adriana, are you an only child?"

"Uh," Adriana went, almost too frightened to answer, "yes."

"It is," Danny said to himself. He proceeded to trying to struggle out of the net. If he couldn't phase through it, he might as well do something.

"Try to escape," Skulker said to him, "but just think of what we can do to her. Think of how it wil effect the future, or better yet, how it could effect you." Danny gave in and quit. "If you want her to live, just come with me so I can mount your head on my wall. I'll even get her off this island for you."

Without any other choice, Danny sorrowly answered, "Fine."

"Good," Skulker said, firing a net at Adriana. "Easier for transportation." Danny scowled at Skulker for how he just put her in a net like some animal.

"Take him with us," Gustavo said, pointing at Jack. Skulker floated down and started netting Jack up. "The first place I want to test my new... abilities. That one place Jack told me about, what was it called... ah, yes. Port Royal. Where better to kill him than in front of his only friends?" Jack had heard all of this, and balled his fist in rage. As soon as Skulker grabbed Jack's tied net and Gustavo grabbed Adriana's, the two started to rise. Gustavo used the power the staff gave him to open up the cave from the inside. Within an instant, he and Skulker jetted out of the cave in an instant.

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Gustavo and Skulker were flying to their destenation at mind blowing speeds to Port Royal. Curious, Danny asked Gustavo, having to yell over the wind, "Do you even know where you're going?"

"I'm using Uranus's winds to guide me to Port Royal," Gustavo answered. "They're blowing me towards it. It's also what's making Skulker and I fly so fast."

With a good joke in mind, Danny asked, "So what you're saying is that the winds of Uranus are helping you fly at really high speeds?"

"Exactly," Gustavo said. He then got a barrage of laughs not just from Danny, but from Skulker too, who heard it all. Gustavo stopped quickly and said, "What's so funny? What'd I say? Not you too, Skulker!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Skulker appologized, trying to maintain his composure. "Okay, I'm good. Keep going." As flight resumed, Danny continued to mope on how no matter what he did, his life was over.

"Psst, Danny," a voice close to him said. Danny looked over to see it came from Jack. Before he could get a word out, Jack said, "Shh. They still think I'm knocked out. I heard most of what they said, including how much Adriana means to your future. We'll get out of this, so stop doubting yourself."

"But..." Danny started, to be interupted by Jack.

"As long as there's a breath in my salty lungs," Jack started, "I'll help you, Adriana, anyone as long as it removes Gustavo from power. Now first, you have to get us out of these nets."

"I can't," Danny said. "These nets are ghost proof. I can't do anything ghostly to get us out."

Jack looked as if it were all over, before an idea sprung into his bizzare head. "Ghost proof, you say?" He then proceeded to drawing his sword out.

"Yeah," Danny answered.

"You can't go through it?" Jack slowly started to rub his blade through a section of both his and Danny's nets.

"Nope." Danny was too down to notice what Jack was doing.

"You can't destroy it with that ghost zap thing you do?"

"Nope."

"You can do anything ghostly possible to that net and you can't break out of it?"

"Nope."

"That's all I wanted to hear." Jack had cut through a good portion of the net and positioned his hands to push the sword down hard enough to, hopefully, cut through the nets like butter. But he couldn't do that without a taunt. "Skulker!"

"Huh?" Skulker looked down at his victims.

"Remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow... and Danny Phantom!" With a quick thrust down, Jack cut through the nets, his sword going through multiple squares of them. The nets then lost balance in which Jack and Danny fell out, with Danny screaming all the way down. As they hit the water, they skipped across the water, each skip like hitting concrete, before finally submerging.

Gustavo looked back and notice what happened. "They're going to get away!" he shouted, angrily. "Get them!"

"No!" Skulker ordered. "We let them come to us."

"How do you know they'll follow?" Gustavo asked, his frustration showing.

"The one thing all prey come to," Skulker informed, "is bait." He pointed at Adriana, who was in the net Gustavo was holding. "The ghost-child will do anything to get to her. Now let's continue." At that Gustavo and Skulker continued flying to Port Royal, going out of view in just seconds.

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Back in the middle of the ocean, Jack and Danny arose for air. With the situation that happened seconds earlier, Jack said out of fun, "We have to do that again."

"Are you nuts, Jack?" Danny asked. "Skulker and Gustavo are gonna kill us for that. Or even kill Adriana." That thought absolutely terrified Danny.

"It's obvious they want us to follow them," Jack pointed out. "They'd have been back here by now. Don't worry, Danny. We'll defeat Skulker, remove Gustavo of his power, and save your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Danny defended. "She's heavily connected to my time. And if we don't stop those guys, they could ruin everything by killing her. The entire future's on the line, let's go! Cause it's time for me to go ghost!" A single bright ring emerged up over Danny, the other under water, changing him to his ghost form. He flew up and picked Jack up from the ocean.

"That's the spirit!" Jack said, never really intending a pun. "Now let's get to Port Royal. Now if the wind's still blowing towards there, we should go..." Jack stuck his finger in and out of his mouth and placed it in the air. "...That way." He pointed in the direction where his finger was coldest. "We shouldn't be too far from Port Royal." With that, Danny flew as fast as he could to keep up with his enemies.

"I just hope we can get there before they can do too much damage," Danny hoped.

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Wow, glad that's over. Well, now I'm gonna get to where references were for all that's happened so far.

Gustavo is Bad
Chap. 11: "Ahora un buen rato de hablar con él", roughly translated, means "Now's a good time to talk to him".
Chap. 13: Gustavo had to shout if Skulker was in earshot of his cry.

Adriana and Sam Related
Chap. 12: That whole "unique is good" stuff mentioned earlier.
Chap. 7, 13, 14: They share the same sense of sarcasm.

These were just what I found, and I wrote the darn thing. Give me feedback, and I'll keep writing. Watch "Reign Storm"!