Chapter 31: Desecration


The fleets all move. The fleet of Admiral Jack Sparrow begins to coagulate around Tortuga. The Royal Fleet believes Sparrow's fleet to be the mysterious new threat, and slowly closes in. Barbossa's fleet begins to move towards Tortuga as well. Now it is a waiting game.


Jack watched as two fleets came into sight. One was obviously Royal Navy, and remained anchored several miles offshore. The other...

The other remained enshrouded in fog, while one ship—a very large ship—crept into port. Then when it came into view, Jack's blood froze.

He recalled how the Pearl had looked when it was cursed by Barbossa, with ragged sails, and a ghostly appearance. This one made the Pearl look like some child's nightmare. The sails were much the same, but the ship...it was filled with holes—God knows how it still floats...or is that 'Devil knows'?—and it had dark red, almost blood-colored sails. The name, he saw, was Red Dawn—appropriate.

Then he saw with horror that a boat carrying a man with an overlarge black hat was going ashore. The Devil-spawn dares desecrate Tortuga! As an afterthought, not that there's much worse that could be done to it now; it's a hell-hole as it is, anyhow. But this was a direct challenge to him. One he'd have to answer.

"James, take over the group for me—you're Brevet Admiral as of right now. Congratulations mate, and good luck. Kursar, Marty, Cotton, get a boat ready for me. I'm going into town."


Jack rowed slowly into Tortuga. He saw ahead of him the other boat land ashore. Almost immediately, the new fleet opened fire on both the town and his fleet. Here's hoping them Navy blokes gave him that promotion for a reason.