(OT: Well, this is for your pleasure. The Singapore scene, from top to bottom, straight from the script that I personally typed out from the subtitles and youtube haha.(Next one will include the brief moment between the pair when Will returns to the crew and says that he has the charts. Except... It will be lengthed D) It is a bit of a novelization this time, with a few extra notes that is. So much more angst to come, and a little admiration for Elizabeth from Will. It's a long one! Enjoy!)
Elizabeth deposited the various weapons off her person, seizing a few from the captain to situate them as well. All was going as planned. Nothing had gone terribly amiss since their unfortunate attack in the bay, and she barely kept herself from smiling as she stepped forward.
"You think just because she is a woman, we would not suspect her of treachery?" Tai Huang inquired, holding up the palm of his filthy hand.
"Well," Barbossa replied diffidently. "When you put it that way…" His eyes rolled over to Elizabeth, who sighed in exasperation.
"Remove, please." the Chinese man ordered, his eyes greedily observing her waif figure.
Wonderful. That is the last time she would ever think they were free to go without a warrant to search. With menacing eyes locked onto the man, the woman untied the wide Asian hat, allowing it to drop to the floor. She had advised Will and Barbossa that it would not work if they attempted to conceal weapons, but no, they wouldn't listen to the lady, even though she was the most pirate of them all.
Elizabeth split the cloak apart, partially vexed by this command, and she thrust the article of clothing into another man's face, pursing her lips together as her black vest of weapons was revealed. Removing the tucked in pistols, she placed the arsenal of weapons on the table, piling one on top of another. She slipped off the thin black vestment, now yanking an inky black grenade out of her belt and popping it in the air before adding it to the mound. Elizabeth opened her mouth and held up her index finger. Oh, one more; she almost forgot. Bending backward and making her translucent blue shirt rise above her torso, Elizabeth detached the leather straps from her leg and yanked out the huge gun. She pursed her lips innocently, shrugging as she glanced at Barbossa's rolling eyes. She stepped forward, but Tai Huang held up his hand once more. What could he possibly want now?
The Chinese man's eyes lit up and instructed, "Remove." He paused to ogle her pretty countenance. "Please."
Elizabeth's mouth gaped open and she gazed down at her trousers in shock. No, he couldn't make her! The man's fine eyebrows bounced as he skimmed her genially. She cast a fleeting look to Barbossa, who shrugged and sighed in vain. What could they do? "I promise," she proclaimed, patting her legs as she did so. "I'm not concealing any other weapons."
Now every foreign man was glowering at her, eager to see the woman's body and also recognizing the fact that this woman, Miss Elizabeth Swann, had no power here. "Fine!" she screeched irately, unfastening the identical blue belt that looped about her waist to hold up the men's breeches. Elizabeth allowed the black trousers to crumple at her feet, and after readjusting the length of her high-neck blue shirt, she tugged the clothing over her derriere, knotted the belt at her hips, and made the blouse into a very indecent skirt. The woman snarled a crude comment to Tai Huang, gripping the hem of her dress as she shoved forward into the stifling warm bathhouse alongside Captain Barbossa.
"Captain Barbossa," Sao Feng swiveled around, coated in a thin layer of steam with two identical twin concubines standing silently on either side. "Welcome to Singapore." The lord brought the long crimson red sash to his nose, adoring the stagnant aroma. "More steam." He commanded to one of the lovely black-haired ladies as he stepped off the slightly raised platform. "I understand you have a request to make of me."
"More of a proposal to put to ye," the pirate replied, alluding gently to his scheme. "I've a venture underway, and I find myself in need of a ship and a crew."
Elizabeth observed the exchange closely, peering around Captain Barbossa's shoulder. She forgot her indecency, now eyeing the Chinese man's long narrow black beard, equally elongated mustache, and elaborate dragon tattoo on the side of his gritty bald head. She admired his armored clothing for a moment, observing the distinct patterns and Chinese figures spiraled across the robe. She had heard of his fierceness, not only from Barbossa's brief description, but also from Mr. Gibb's narrations and Pintel's additive remarks. The exact level of power was extremely high, by her count, but Elizabeth stood with her head held high, listening in an intrigued, but mild countenance.
Sao Feng scratched his head, the sash dangling against his prominently scarred cheeks, and he responded, as if in thought, "It is an odd coincidence."
"Because you happen to have a ship and crew you don't need?" Elizabeth earnestly inquired, but was quickly glared at by the pirate lord of the South China Sea. Her eyebrows cocked again in partial apology, attempting to remember her "place" and stay on guard.
"No," the menacing man answered. "Because earlier this day, not far from here, a thief broke in my most revered uncle's temple and tried to make off with these." He whipped the navigational charts from a nearby canister and displayed them to the pair. "The navigational charts... The route to the farthest gate." He tossed the charts to a Chinese man as he inquired mockingly, "Wouldn't it be amazing if this venture of yours took to the world beyond this one?"
Barbossa's eyes widened, but he remained composed. "It would strain credulity at that."
A small sough escaped Elizabeth's throat, only reaching Barbossa's ears as Sao Feng nostrils flared. Something wasn't quite right. What did he know? Or rather, what did they not know? Sao Feng turned his head to the wooden tubs and nodded concisely to two shirtless men guarding one large steaming container. Will burst from the broiling water, his hair whipping behind his head and his maroon v-neck blouse seeping with water. Elizabeth's eyes bulged at the shock. How long had Will been under? A few seconds? A minute or two? More? It made her tremble at the thought of her Will suffocating… Then again, he wasn't hers anymore, was he? Elizabeth abruptly flushed with anger and wondered why he had volunteered to steal the charts. She should have sneaked into the temple and left Will and Barbossa to meet with the pirate lord. But she had allowed him to run off and do everything himself.
Oh, no. Oh no. Shit. Now he his vision was no longer blurred; Sao Feng came into focus, as did his beloved and the captain of the Capsulet. The realization that he had been caught… That all of this was his fault, plunged to the pit of his whirring stomach. With the men still gripping the pole the prisoner was attached to, Will writhed a little as the pirate lord marched toward him, his eyes flaming with an avid fury.
Elizabeth's mouth gaped open as Sao Feng gestured to the intruder smugly. He then gripped the boy's moist brown locks, holding his head in place as he announced, "This is the thief. Is his face familiar to you?" Elizabeth and Barbossa shook their heads, unaware of the consequence of that simple motion. The woman watched in horror as Sao Feng removed a spearhead from his robe and directed it toward Will's throat. Will's face diffused with fear and anxiety. He couldn't just allow himself to be caught, but they were all unarmed. The man had thought Gibbs and the crew were supposed to be below the floorboards, but obviously they had not realized that things were not going the way they planned. "Then I guess," Sao Feng announced, his eyes swiveling from one group to another. "He has no further need for it."
As the sharp tip plummeted toward Will's gullet, Elizabeth gasped, "No! No!" quickly as she covered her mouth with both hands, the long sleeves draping over her slender fingers. It had been an automatic reaction, and Will gazed at the woman in bewilderment; he hadn't expected such a squeal. Sao Feng retracted the dagger and replaced it on his belt as Elizabeth's clenched fists lowered from her mouth. Ah, she could see satisfaction spread across the man's face.
Barbossa weakly expressed, "Sao Feng, I assure you I had no idea…"
"That he would get caught!" the lord angrily shoved into the captain's face, grimacing at the man. All at once, mostly shirtless Chinese men leapt from the tubs, trickling water as they crowded around Barbossa and Elizabeth. "You intend to attempt a voyage to Davy Jones' locker." Elizabeth attempted to shove forward; she would inform that man just what their voyage concerned. But Barbossa held out his arm, thwarting her step. "And I can't help but wonder…" He trailed off as he spun around and raised his hand as he ascended the platform and inquired, "Why?"
Barbossa immediately drew his piece of eight and tossed it to the pirate lord. Sao Feng caught the coin with ease, instantly hoisting it to his ear and listening to the distinct piercing ringing tone. "The song has been sung," Barbossa replied as he stepped forward. "The time is upon us. We must convene the Brethren Court. As one of the nine pirate lords, you must honor the call."
Sao crumpled the piece of eight in his palm and commanded, "More steam." A few seconds passed, and puffs of the gas did not emerge. "More steam!" he shouted, and one of the strumpets rapidly tugged on the lever again. "There is a price on all our heads." He spun on the platform, directing his remarks to William. "It is true; it seems the only way a pirate can turn a profit anymore is by betraying other pirates."
Elizabeth inquisitively listened, while turning to her loved one, and hoped that he was not burning nor chilling in the tub of water. He was breathing heavily, and they briefly locked gazes. "We'll get you out." she mouthed, and Will released a slight smile. It slit into her heart; she imagined he had something already forming.
"There was a time when a pirate was free to make his own way in the world, but our time is comin' to an end. Our enemies have united, and have vowed to destroy us. The first Brethren Court gave us rule of the seas, but now that rule is being challenged by Lord Cutler Beckett!" Barbossa was as equally fervent about retrieving Jack from the land of the dead as Elizabeth acted.
Sao Feng replied solemnly, "Against the East India Company, what value is the Brethren Court?" He raised his voice as he asked boisterously, "What can any of us do?"
Elizabeth shoved forward, breezing past Captain Barbossa. What a coward! To think that any act would be futile! There was still time. There was her father… There was Port Royal…And there was Jack Sparrow to save. "You can fight!" she threw aside the Chinese man's calloused hand. "Get off me!" she commanded as she bounded forward to confront the man face-to-face. "You are Sao Feng! Pirate lord of Singapore. You command in the Age of Piracy where bold captains sail free waters; where waves aren't measured in feet, but in increments of fear, and those who pass the test become legend." Her lip curled in mounting infuriation. She could not allow him to just stand by! She had to rescue them the right way, not by murdering another man. "Would you have that era end on your watch?" she asked, her voice quavering with the thought of leaving without those damn charts. "The most notorious pirates from around the world uniting against our enemy and yet you sit here cowering in your bathwater." She watched his chin tilt up at her courage, but a small flame danced in his eyes as he stepped forward. Elizabeth stepped in reverse, realizing the harshness of her words and his surrounding power as he circled her like a dog.
"Elizabeth Swann," he said gently, eyeing her thick legs and narrow nose. "There is more to you than meets the eye, isn't there? And the eye… Does not go wanting."
Her expression relaxed, now filling with fear of what this man could do after considering how she had been forced to strip off her outer garments. Will twitched, his hands writhing beneath the ropes. He realized the desire that lay unslaked in Sao Feng's glowing eyes; he had witnessed it swell when they had come into focus minutes ago.
"But I cannot help but notice you have failed to answer my question." Sao Feng gestured to Willaim, who still wriggled beneath the grip. "What is it you seek in Davy Jones' Locker?"
Will cleared his throat and announced, "Jack Sparrow." He paused when the girls giggled, but they halted their chortling upon notice. Yes, he would reach Elizabeth through that pirate. It was his plan. He was relying upon him. His eyes swiveled to Elizabeth's face and witnessed a brief look of horror vibrate along her lips. She was affected by the name. "He is one of the pirate lords," Will added indignantly.
Sao Feng scratched his scalp again, strolling over to one of the wall's beam and directing his gaze to a few of his trusted men. "The only reason I would want Jack Sparrow returned from the dead... Is so I can send him back myself!" The pirate lord thrust out his foot, kicking over an empty barrel as he growled.
Captain Barbossa marched over to Sao Feng, and Elizabeth checked Will's countenance as the man held up his index finger and narrated, "Jack Sparrow holds one of the nine pieces of eight. He failed to pass it on to a successor before he died, so we must go and get him back."
Sao Feng gazed at a Chinese man's bare back, and he watched the signature tattoo melting and dribbling down his back. "So you admit…" Sao declared in a tight-jawed tone. "You have deceived me." He whipped his red sash and his sword from his belt as he hollered, "Weapons!"
Barbossa stepped backward alongside Elizabeth as men erupted from all angles with their swords poised, prepared for bloody combat. "Sao Feng," Barbossa replied in an almost apologetic tone. "I assure you, our intentions are strictly honorable." He and Elizabeth outstretched their hands, and four swords catapulted through the boards' slots and the pair promptly caught them. Elizabeth and Barbossa allowed smiles to creep at the corners of their mouth, proud of the maneuver. Will grimaced even though he admired the strategy, wondering how they would manage to battle more than twenty men.
The lord of the China Sea gripped the betrayer's shoulders, spinning him and holding the long sword to the spy's throat. "Drop your weapons or I kill the man!" he shouted, his eyes twitching from the woman and the captain. They both appeared puzzled, and Elizabeth glanced at Will, curious if he knew who this Chinese man was. He showed no sign of recognition, and Barbossa was already replying.
"Kill him; he's not our man."
Will's eyes now widened, realizing the gravity of this spy's appearance. "If he's not with you," he noted, watching Barbossa spin around. "And he's not with us, who's he with?"
With an explosive roar, the East India Trading Company soldiers barged down the delicate bamboo screens with their muskets raised and slammed through the various entryways. Everyone now switched sides; Barbossa swirled in position, slitting a few men's throat as he forced his way through the chaos. Will thrust out of the Chinese men's grip and bent at the waist, allowing a soldier to slice the binding. He swung the wooden pole left and right, but it was soon bashed from his hands. Now weaponless, he glanced around weakly, quickly surveying the area for a fallen armed soldier. He ducked as Elizabeth shouted his name.
"Will!" cried she, tossing one of the sabres through the air and into her beloved's hand. He nodded as he caught the sword, participating in the battle as he attempted to make a break for the door. Elizabeth swiveled from side to side, growling as she thrust her sword maliciously, her eyes boring into the blue-buttoned militia. Elizabeth paused as the soldiers assembled, but was stunned in place when Mercer cocked his little pistol, aiming for her forehead. Her mouth gaped open, and her feet were unfortunately planted.
Will panicked, dropping his sword to his side as he leapt in front of Elizabeth, diving toward the woman and saving her from the gunshot. With one hand firmly pressed against her thin waist, Will escorted Elizabeth through the throng. "Will, this is madness!" she feebly proclaimed in a hiss, gripping his free hand lightly. He squeezed her hand as they paused in the doorway beside Barbossa and Sao Feng, their eyes bulging in one foul swoop as soldiers lined in orderly rows to fire upon them. A bomb suddenly exploded beneath the floorboards, sending squirting blood and gory bodies spiraling in all directions as the crew of the Black Pearl clambered from the pit. Sao Feng hollered and the four members separated, but Elizabeth remained close to Will. With one hand still sliding up and down her torso, Will guided Elizabeth until they were in the middle of the grating swarm, avoiding various bullets and fireworks. They were abruptly separated, but they knew it was for the best for the moment, charging with a final glance into Singapore's warped streets.