"Gibbs, my good man, you 'ad better have rum aboard that vessel."

His first mate stuttered and gaped for a few moments, the rest of the crew who had come ashore in the longboat looking equally surprised to be seeing him. Back aboard whatever ship the Pearl's remaining crew had managed to commandeer, Tia Dalma, on the other hand, looked quite pleased with herself. That, of course, was most definitely not an odd thing. Quite usual for her, really.

"Cap'n?"

"The rum, Master Gibbs?"

Gibbs shook his head in utter amazement, the rest of the pirates—and a certain governor's daughter—looking equally flabbergasted. Jack waved a hand about in front of their faces, but didn't get any sort of reaction until he pushed the tip of his forefinger against Gibbs' forehead. The Scotsman jumped back, crossing himself fervently.

"You're still alive?"

Jack turned about on his heel and weaved the few steps that separated him from the young Miss Swann. "Don't think I'm so easy t' kill, do ye?"

"But the captain is supposed to go down with his ship."

"Th' captain did go down wi' his ship," Jack confirmed, grinning widely and leaning in close. "The captain also 'appened to swim away whil th' beastie was otherwise occupied. No rule 'gainst that."

"And Will?"

Spinning away from her, Jack made straight for the longboat. "Snap to, gentlemen an' lass, I need t' consult with a witch about our next heading."

"But what about Will?"

With the help of Gibbs and the two from Barbossa's lot, Jack got the longboat back in the water and pointed in the right direction. "No time fer that now, Lizzie. We 'ave other things t' worry 'bout."

"Jack!"

"Captain, if you please," he called over his shoulder while clambering into the small boat. "Me Pearl may be temporarily lost, but I am still her captain."

"What about Will?"

Sitting himself at the helm, Jack's attention was caught by a shadowy figure he could very nearly make out standing near Tia Dalma. Still, he couldn't refrain from hollering back, "Funny ye should worry 'bout William now."

Whatever else she shouted at him was lost as the waves began to drag the longboat away from shore. The half-hidden figure on the deck of the mystery vessel crossed through a patch of sunlight and Jack felt a tremor snake up his spine. He hoped it was simply a matter of his eyes playing tricks on him after four rather dull days on a rather dull island. Enough food, shade, and water to keep him content, but no rum whatsoever. Or any other form of alcohol.

"Correct me if th' lack of rum is affectin' my brain, Mister Gibbs, but di' I just see a dead man there on tha' fine ship you've commandeered?" Jack asked, scanning the shadows for another glimpse of what was possibly his mutinous former first mate.

Gibbs stammered a bit, his lips flubbering without making much sense. Even without the words, his answer was obvious enough. Barbossa was on the ship.

"Do I want t' be knowin' how it is that snake Barbossa is still alive?" Jack turned his head about so that he could see his present first mate.

"Well, Cap'n, I wouldn't say 'e's alive exactly. Perse," Gibbs mumbled, looking everywhere but at Jack himself. "I would say it's more a matter o' him bein'... animated."

Jack felt a sudden urge to once again shoot the damned monkey. He could say with almost absolute certainty that it was the reason Barbossa was suddenly back among the living. No doubt Tia Dalma had worked her strange magicks on the monkey and brought back its cursed owner from whatever corner of Hell he'd been wallowing in.

As they rowed back to the ship—the Triton, Gibbs told him it was named—Jack's mind went back to young William who was now sailing, albeit unwillingly, with Davy Jones to the ends of the earth. Or so the coral reef impersonating a man had said to him.

"Give Jones back the heart and the Pearl is yours once again."

Jack eyed the cursed pirate suspiciously, rising to a more upright position. "An' what makes 'im think I 'ave any clue where it is?"

"Don't much matter t' the Captain," the barnacle shrugged. "He wants 'is heart, you want th' Pearl"

"What of th' boy?"

"Come quick e'nuf an' he may still be alive."

Never let it be said of Jack Sparrow that he was entirely unfeeling towards his crew members. Will may not have signed the Articles, but he had done all within his power to keep the Pear from being swallowed. Will had even gone beyond to save Jack himself, something that could most certainly not be overlooked. The fact that young Will had chosen to do so could undoubtedly be put down to the boy's unwavering and highly frequent bouts of stupidity, but one had to admire his determination... while muttering curses under one's breath.

"She said that we were coming here to collect a new crew member," the slightly bedraggled Miss Swann broke into his thoughts once again. "She said that we'd need to travel to the ends of the earth to rescue you, but that we had to get one more crew member first. I thought she meant Will."

Turning about on the bench so that he could see her, Jack couldn't help but smirk at her utterly confounded expression. "Y' know wha' they say 'bout 'ssumptions, luv. Tia's well known fer her tricks. Canna say for sure wha' she knew 'bout me Pearl's death, but it was you 'oo decided it'd be me dead an' Will still livin'."

"You mean that Will's..."

"Might 's well be in 'is present state," Jack sighed, turning back to the galleon that had been commandeered. "Young William had made a fool of old Jones before so I doubt very much tha' he's been welcomed back wi' open arms."

"He shouldn't have gone after you."

The sound of waves breaking against the sides of the longboat made it difficult to determine if the snuffling he heard was real or imagined. Even so—

"No, he shouldn't have."

—Jack couldn't help but share her sentiments. The boy was too noble by half, a trait which would earn him more than the five stripes that already scarred his back.

"'Course, he wouldn't be the brash young Mister Turner if 'e hadn't done something foolish."