The first few days were uneventful for the crew of the Black Pearl. However, it was refreshing to see that the repairs made to Sparrow's ship proved fruitful. On the deck, Sparrow's crew spent most of the time cleaning, the stench of sea scum clinging to the boards. At the helm, Sparrow kept an eye on his crew. He stood by his helmsman as the ship sailed peacefully on the water. Coming from below deck, Kenway walked up to join Sparrow.
"You seem to spend a lot of time with that man," Sparrow stated, referring to the prisoner below deck.
"Any information I can gain from him is valuable, though he has been less talkative as of late," Kenway explained.
"It's my understanding that Hector had a word with him while at port."
"Barbosa? Aye, he's a… persuasive man."
Jack chuckled.
"He's more than persuasive, he's a pirate."
"Indeed he is, and a strong one at that. One that is sure to match your crew and your ship."
"Is she to your liking?" Jack asked, a hint of pride in his voice.
"She is a remarkable vessel. Being able to sail after an attack by Man 'O' Wars is a worthy feat, even with repairs."
"Wouldn't trade her for any other," Jack agreed, "Became captain after sailing away from a Spanish pirate hunter some years back, don't even remember the name."
"Sounds like quite the tale," Kenway commented.
"What of your ship?" Jack asked.
"T'was a slave ship when I found her. Liberated her of its crew and gained my own,"
"A grand thing isn't it? Getting a ship and a crew?"
"Aye, never felt more free in my life then at that moment," Kenway agreed, "Do you by any chance know when we should arrive at our destination?"
"We should be there… soon. But first, I'm visiting an old friend of mine."
"Is that so? What kind of friend?" Kenway asked.
"The kind that can tell me how much my cargo is worth," he answered.
"Ah… and what type of… cargo yields such an interaction?"
"That is something you mustn't fret over," Jack answered vaguely.
"Is this cargo perhaps the reason you were being chased in the first place?"
"Of course, I stole it," Jack explained.
There was a moment of silence before Kenway spoke again.
"Maybe I should spend some more time with our prisoner, see if we can get anything from him."
"Very well then," Jack replied while Kenway headed below deck. However, he went below the brig and into the cargo area. Seeing the place empty, Kenway started exploring. There were barrels upon boxes upon crates of rum and supplies, but nothing out of the ordinary. With each container, he felt more and more discouraged. That's when it struck him. If this cargo was of any essential value, a good captain would keep it in his quarters. He didn't wish push his luck while the sun was still out, so he decided to stay below deck for some time more and then head back above.
"Any luck?" Jack asked.
"Afraid not, I believe tomorrow might offer me better opportunity," Kenway replied.
"Glad to hear it, now I need you to man the forward mast."
"Aye-aye."
The rest of the day was spent with Kenway taking various positions about the ship, executing tasks with acute position. As time went on, Kenway noticed how Jack spent little time looking at a map, that time replaced with his eyes fixated on his compass. He chalked it up to the idea that Sparrow knew these waters well and decided to instead focus on his assignments. Slowly, as the sun settled, so did the crew. One by one, members went below deck to rest. However, there were still a few men on deck at all times. In the dead of night, when Sparrow was asleep and Kenway's shift was over, he decided it was time.
He went below deck to his bunk with the others who had completed their shift and waited for them to sleep. For the exhausted and drunk crew, sleep was an easy feat. Kenway spent little time waiting and soon enough, got back to his feet and went above deck. The few remaining crew members were either too busy or too tired to pay attention to anything besides the tasks at hand. The helmsman on the other hand, was wide awake.
Kenway sat crouched in a corner, contemplating on what to do. There was no way to get past him and into the main door. Kenway did, however, remember the ship having windows on the back that looked into the captain's cabin. As the ship swayed to and fro, a small cannonball rolled against his foot. He then picked it up and tossed it into the water on his left side. The sound of the object impacting the water drew the helmsman's attention for a few seconds.
In those few seconds, Kenway rushed to the right side and dove over the side. As he fell he grabbed hold of a dangling rope and hung in place, listening. When he was sure no one saw him, he maneuvered his body towards the rear of the ship and soon found himself face-to-face with his objective. He spied an intricate desk currently empty. A locked glass window was all that stood in between him and the answers he sought after. In between the gap made by the window itself and the frame, Kenway ejected his hidden blade and slowly moved downwards, dislodging the lock mechanism.
He carefully opened the window outwards and made his way inside. He then sat at the desk and dug through its drawers. All over he found bullets, paper, ink, but nothing that one might consider valuable. However, as he dug around, he originally failed to spot the object that was concerning Kenway earlier that day. Out of curiosity, he picked it up and opened it. The needle spun around several times before centralizing on a location. However, Kenway felt off about its position.
After pulling out his own less-intricate compass, he compared the two side by side. Sure enough, they were different. His compass was pointing several degrees off course of Jack's. He then shook it violently to see if he could fix it, only to have it point in the same direction as before. Sighing in the realization that their captain was navigating with a broken compass, he put it down without closing it. When his fingers left the device, the needle spun around like it did just a second ago and focused on a different point.
Kenway looked back at his compass and noticed that they were both pointing the same direction. He picked it up again, only to have the needle switch to the first position. He looked to see where the needle led and saw a wooden chest. He walked over with Jack's compass in hand and stood just before the box. He waved the compass around to see that wherever it was, the needle always pointed towards the chest. He put the compass aside and opened the chest.
It was full of clothing that Kenway tossed aside. Eventually he found a small leather pouch near the bottom. He undid the latch and pulled out a spherical object, large enough to fit snuggly in his palm. It was gold in color and appeared most intricate. It was comprised of several metal shapes that varied in shape and size. Kenway immediately understood why Sparrow wanted it appraised. He picked and prodded the object for some sign of functionality, though his labor proved fruitless. Sighing in defeat, he put the object back and returned the chest to its former self. He then picked up the compass and eyed it for several seconds, admiring the device.
"Where can I get something like you?" Kenway asked himself before putting the compass back and leaving the cabin.
