A/N: Chapter four! Thanks everyone for the reviews so far. Glad you like it. And don't worry; the Commodore isn't going to die…yet.

BUT YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT!

Oh, and the beginning of this chapter is VERY Davy Jones-centric, so…if ya don't like it, don't read. But who in their right mind could hate Davy?

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The Flying Dutchman.

He was there the day she was finished, gleaming easily in the noonday sun, fresh linen and shining wood. The most beautiful ship in the world, he'd called it, and she was his first love.

Calypso.

The goddess of the sea, sun-kissed hair and eyes that burned. She had descended like a whirlwind, and swept him away fast and furiously. No woman before, and no woman since, had ever been as glorious as one night with a goddess, and she had been his second love.

Both were gone now.

Calypso had destroyed everything in her fury, and left him with nothing but a chest of letters and a broken heart. He lost the woman he loved, the son he'd fathered, and his own mortality in one fell swoop. Then that horrible Beckett spirited away his most precious possession, and not even the Dutchman belonged to him anymore.

Davy Jones was, indeed, a lost soul.

Sighing, he leaned over the edge of his once-proud vessel and cried openly. Many of his doomed crew looked at him in quasi-pity, shaking their heads. Whatever upset the captain would upset all of them sooner or later. Davy stared out over the ocean…HER ocean…and spotted the quiet, unsuspecting port of Galveston, lamps lit for the night. The Commodore had issues its death order, and The Dutchman had to comply. So it would be, port after port, till the blood of innocents would cover the ocean and scream to the gods against him. Davy shuddered violently at the thought, and called to his first mate. "Find Bootstrap Bill and bring him to me." He closed his eyes sorrowfully.

" I need to see him…."

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The brig, for all intents and purposes, really was no worse than the rest of the Dutchman, in Bootstrap's opinion. It all smelled the same, anyway; dank, and reeking of fish. After almost nine years of service, he thought he'd be used to it by now. Actually, Bill's mind was FAR away from the cold dampness of the brig on Davy Jones's infernal ship.

It was with William

He knew, deep in his bones, that his son had survived his encounters with the Kraken. Where Will was now, he hadn't a clue, but Bill wished fiercely that the sea would carry his son safely to wherever he was headed. The cheers that he heard as the Pearl was destroyed certainly weighed him down as well, and he had nearly wept when he heard that Jack Sparrow had been dragged down as well. Jack had been his only friend aboard that ship, and he never did get to say how truly sorry he was…

A knock on the bars of his cage got him to look up sullenly, right into the face of Clacker, the shark-headed first mate. He stared at Bill with his one human eye sadly. "Cap'n wants to see you, Bootstrap", he said as he undid the padlock and swung the heavy iron door to one side. Bill stood wearily and made his way towards the stairs. Clacker followed close behind, and said in a hushed voice, "Bill, th' captain ain't been himself lately. Don't rightly know what's wrong, but it's got to be his heart." Was it Bill's imagination, or was the first mate actually WORRIED for their captain? He looked at Davy Jones, leaning sullenly over the edge of the ship, and walked to his side.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Davy didn't look up or seem to acknowledge, just stared straight ahead. "Bootstrap Bill…", he said, voice as distant and hollow as a far-away cave, "You are released from your debt."

He couldn't believe his ears. "Wh-What did you say?"

Davy turned slightly and looked at him. "You are released. Feel free to leave at your convenience." He smiled sadly. "Go…warn the ports and ships of Beckett's plan. Innocents will DIE from this, and I refuse to be the one to do it." He turned back to the ocean. Bill walked cautiously to the captain's side and laid a hand on his gnarled and barnacle-covered shoulder.

"Captain…. what will happen to you?"

Jones just shook his head. "I will die…. And let me tell you, it can't happen soon enough." Then suddenly, he laughed. A mirthless, empty laugh. "Ah, Bill… I was once not too different from yourself…" Jones smiled at him and shook his head. "Go…. Your son will need ye." Bill nodded and walked quickly to the longboats. Davy looked after him, and sighed. "Better hurry, Bootstrap me boy…."

"I know the pain of losing a son…."

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The sea was still, as flat and clear as a sheet of glass.

The sun was shining, and a gentle, welcome breeze blew from the west. Truly, a wonderful day for sailing.

Naturally, everyone was suspicious.

"T'ain't natural…", mumbled Gibbs, as he took a swig of gin (rum had been all but banned from the ship since Jack's death). "Th' sea was furious no more than an hour ago. It be Calypso's doing, mark me words, and it bodes ill for all of us."

Barbossa nodded gravely. "Aye, she be hiding somethin' from us, watery wench." He looked to the crow's nest. "Mr. Turner! Any sign or warning?"

Will had been up in the crow's nest since they found the floating tomb, and had increasingly found an appreciation for swabbing the deck. There had been nothing to see in either direction for DAYS now, and he was starting to get irritated. "It's the same as it was yesterday and the day before, and I'm pretty sure that tomorrow will look surprisingly like this one!", he barked down miserably, and tried and failed AGAIN to stretch his legs. Standing was an option, but he was tired of that as well. Finally, he swung down to the deck and marched up to Barbossa. "Admit it, SIR," he pushed past him fiercely. "You have NO idea where you're going, and are leading us in circles."

Barbossa drew his sword and held it to Will's neck. "Care to repeat such a dangerous accusation, boy?" Will had to hand it to Barbossa; he did know how to keep himself calm. Will just shook his head, and pushed the sword away. The captain grinned. "Good. Now as it so happens, I DO know where we're going, and where we are." Pointing to northeast, he continued, "We are nearing the East China Sea, and closing fast on the Nessau port."

Elizabeth, who had been repairing one of the sails, looked up. "N-Nessau port?" She looked at Will, and he nodded at her. It was the same port that Jack Sparrow had sacked without losing a single shot, and it was rumored that the captain of the Nessau fleet had sworn revenge on the sly pirate. She paled and looked down again.

Will sighed. "Are we stopping in Nessau, Barbossa?" The captain just nodded, and started barking orders to the crew to make ready to land. Will sighed, and caressed Elizabeth's cheek. "Feeling better?"

She nodded slightly. "A----A little, I guess…." Sighing, she smiled at him. "Thank you, Will."

"For what?"

"For not hating me." Tears welled in her emerald eyes. "I know you saw me k-k—"

"Kiss him." A sharp pain shot through Will's heart, but he ignored it for the moment and gave her a reassuring smile. She laid her head on his shoulder and wept again. All he could do was just pat her gently and wait for it to stop. At first, he had hated her for what she'd done, then hated Jack, then hated himself for not being there enough for Elizabeth. Now, nothing was left but a dull ache in his chest, and he was through mourning love lost. If she didn't love him anymore, he would be all right with whomever she chose, even if it WAS Jack….

"SHIPS SPOTTED!"

Will snapped his head up, and they looked at each other before standing up. Marty, who had reclaimed the crow's nest, was pointing frantically at an approaching fleet of ships, dark and menacing, and the men cowered. Barbossa took one look, and shouted, "ALL HANDS ON DECK! Pull the ship hard to starboard and try to outrun them!" He pulled Will to one side. "Mr. Turner, get the lass below deck. The Chinese are notorious for spiriting away pretty girls to sell as slaves." Will nodded frantically and grabbed Elizabeth's hand just as the first cannon ball struck the water, rocking the boat violently and sending Will crashing to the ground. Shakily, he stood up and reached for Elizabeth.

She wasn't there.

"Elizabeth!" Will looked around, but she was nowhere to be found. Another cannon blast knocked him over again, and a sharp pain shot through his leg. A scrap of metal had pierced right through it, and he cried out in pain. Gibbs, who was handing out guns, rushed over to his side.

"Will! Get below deck NOW!" Gibbs hoisted him up and helped him over to the stair well, and lowered him down.

"What about Elizabeth!" Will started to protest, but his leg reminded him that he couldn't move. He grasped it, and groaned.

Gibbs just shook his head. "We'll try and find her, but you stay here." With that, he closed the hatch, leaving Will in the dark.

Meanwhile, further out to sea, Captain Sao Feng was hoisting an unconscious woman out of the sea and onto his deck. His crew gasped and bowed in reverence, and Feng himself took off his helmet in respect. He pointed to his first mate. "Wui! Take her to my cabin and lay her in my bed."

"She is the goddess of the sea…."

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A/N: woo! That was fun. Next chapter soon!