A/N: Hello! Lest I remind you, when we last ended, Antina and Will were arguing about the position of the ship...
Their conversation is interrupted by a burst of cannon fire coming towards the Flying Dutchman by way of the Black Pearl.
ANTINA
Oh dammit to hell, it's little Teach.
With that, she races off, leaving Will staring after her.
WILL
Belay that! Load the guns and fire to port!
TOUSSAINT
(bellowing)
Load the guns!
Outta bed, you maggots! Load the guns!
Jack, hearing the shouts and the scurrying of the crew, gets up from his perch sandwiched between two barrels, and spots the Pearl approaching.
JACK
Bugger.
(sinking in between the barrels)
Bloody Hector, always havin' to ruin good fun with his intellect and all manner of undesirable behavior.
(perking up)
Then again, now's as good of a time as any to take advantage of the appearance of said vessel.
EXT.—PEARL—NIGHT
Barbossa at the helm, crowing as par usual.
BARBOSSA
We got 'er now, boys!
FIRE!
Another burst of cannons from the Pearl is followed by a explosion from the Dutchman.
The two ships get closer, moving in opposite directions with and against the wind yet parallel to one another.
BARBOSSA
Prepare to board her, lads!
Bill stands at the Dutchman's helm, wrenching it sharply but not quick enough to avoid the first boarders from the Pearl.
BILL
They're comin' aboard!
The rest of the crew begins battling the intruders from the Pearl, standard sword battles ensuing.
GIBBS
(waking up)
Fightin' yet again?
He unsheathes his blade and draws his pistol with renewed vim and vigor.
GIBBS
C'mon, men—
He realizes he doesn't have any, and is left midstep.
Barbossa leaves the helm in Cotton's hands, moving to board the Dutchman, limping furiously.
Pintel and Ragetti set a plank between the two ships, which Barbossa grandly uses to make it across the passage.
Pintel follows, leaving Ragetti alone. He makes a move to tag along, but is beaten by Little Jack the monkey, who screeches as he makes his way across.
EXT.—DECK OF DUTCHMAN—NIGHT
Will duels and beats an anonymous member of the Pearl's crew soundly, sending the man over the edge.
WILL
Fire!
Cannons go off in the background, and Toussaint uses a knife to combat Pintel. His knife becomes stuck in the railing of the ship, but Zelda Marie comes from behind and bashes Pintel on the back of the head, causing him to crumple.
TOUSSAINT
Much like a pirate.
Zelda dismisses the compliment.
ZELDA
Oh, I know.
Barbossa is now locked in combat with Will, both skilled enough with a sword that they thrust and parry with neither gaining the upper hand.
BARBOSSA
Captain Turner! Nice ta see yer smiling face again!
He lunges broadly, hoping to catch Will off guard, but is blocked.
WILL
Likewise, Captain Barbossa. How's Calypso been to you?
BARBOSSA
None to well, I must admit!
Seems the last time we was in battle it was fir different sides, no?
WILL
Perhaps the sides have stayed the same and it's merely the—
(ducks from a wild swing)
--circumstances that have changed.
Gibbs battles a short man with an impossibly large hat, but in the midst of clanging swords takes a pause, squinting at the man's face.
GIBBS
Hang on. Ain't you on the Dutchman's crew?
The man nods.
GIBBS
Well, never mind that.
Barbossa, crushing Will's foot with his boot and knocking him off balance, pushes Will into a few poorly stacked crates.
BARBOSSA
(to his crew)
Girl! Get the girl!
Get what we came fir, yeh forgetfully mangy cretins!
They do as commanded, brushing off sword battles and searching for Antina.
Ragetti spots Zelda fist fighting a member of their crew and tugs on Pintel's jacket.
PINTEL
New poppet…
They move towards Zelda menacingly, as she knocks her opponent to the deck and twirls to face them. Smiling broadly, they grab her and pull as she struggles.
BARBOSSA
(noticing Pintel and Ragetti)
Not that girl, ya idiots, the one from before!
Their faces fall as they let her free.
PINTEL
But we like this one…
Antina scurries about the debris and the fighting, avoiding any confrontation.
ANTINA
Kit?
Kit, she sees, is sitting atop Toussaint's shoulders, swinging an empty rum bottle wildly, cracking it on a sailor's head.
Antina, furious, begins to run up to him, but is grabbed around the neck by Barbossa first.
BARBOSSA
Nice to see ya again, Mrs. Sparrow!
Jack, paid attention to by no one, carefully figures a sort of half-pulley system of swinging over to the Pearl.
He is stopped by a blade to the back courtesy of Will.
WILL
Still a coward, I see.
JACK
(turning about)
Seems fairly lionhearted how I see it.
He kicks off the rail and swings over to the Pearl, crashing into Cotton and ending up before the helm.
JACK
(to Cotton)
Sorry, mate.
(to his ship)
Together again.
He violently turns the ship's wheel, sending the Pearl careening.
Now the plank Barbossa nailed between the ships in order to board the Dutchman begins to whine but refuses to break.
Bootstrap catches sight of it and begins to lean the Dutchman so their two ships are moving in a circle about each other, hooked together by a piece of straining wood.
Barbossa drags a kicking, screaming Antina by an iron grip around her neck.
ANTINA
Kit! Kit!!
She stretches her hand to him. He sees and pokes Toussaint on the top of his head. Toussaint hands Kit a pistol and makes short work of another member of the Pearl's crew with his knife.
Kit unsteadily holds the pistol and fires sloppily, hitting his mother instead of her captor.
She goes limp for a moment in Barbossa's arms. He gives another laugh and drapes her over his shoulder, fighting off a few members of the Dutchman's crew easily as he makes his way back to his ship, now captained by a grinning Jack.
BARBOSSA
We got her now, boys! Let's make it off this soggy excuse fir a ship with all we've got left!
(to Little Jack)
Step lively, now.
The monkey scuttles across the wooden plank, which is still in tact though groaning and protesting under the weight of two full ships.
Mutogg and Mullroy come charging full force at Jack, but stop a hair's breadth from him, lower their swords, and shake their heads.
JACK
Not an entirely unwise move, lads.
(to himself)
Let's see if we can't use this here wind—
His wrestling with the Pearl is precisely what Bootstrap is doing to the Dutchman, trying to keep the ship steady while trying to stay against the wind.
BILL
Captain! Best we wrap things up in a speedy manner!
Will, still fighting his way through the rest of his opponents, is left with fewer and fewer as they swing back to the Pearl.
WILL
What've they got?
He scans the deck and sees nothing out of place until the plank, the stubborn thick piece of wood, which is being crossed by Pintel and Ragetti, Antina held between them.
WILL
Jack! They've got—
Jack is becoming overrun with members of the Pearl's crew, but he ducks and jabs with his sword, using the wheel as a shield of sorts.
Will grabs a rope and swings, directly over the heads of Pintel and Ragetti, to the Pearl, where he begins to hack his way through a thicket of swords, some of which stick in his chest, just to be pulled out and used to pin others into crates, rails, tangle them in lines, anything.
He is pushed back, unable to dominate the mob of the crew and forced to stand on the rail, batting away loose strikes but eventually backing onto the plank.
WILL
Enough!
A slow rumble from the depths sounds. While Will looks just as surprised as anyone else, the fighting ceases.
WILL
You seek the Dutchman, Captain Barbossa, than you shall feel her fury.
BARBOSSA
(holding Antina by the elbow)
An' by what have you ta form any matter of equitable bargain?
JACK
I believe the absence of said fury is more than just payment for the salty wench there.
(to Antina)
With all due respects that are dueing to be paid, of course.
BARBOSSA
(stepping onto the plank)
I suppose what I'd have to say ta that offer would be a resounding…
NO!
He leaps into battle and Will scrambles to block, Antina simultaneously using the distraction to wriggle free from the pack and make her way to the side.
Jack hurriedly places Cotton back in front of the helm and creeps off, ready to make his tail-between-legs escape.
Marty, leaning on a line and squinting over to the Dutchman, shouts.
MARTY
(pointing)
Hey, it's Gibbs!
The crew looks over to see him and begins to wave.
GIBBS
Hey there, boys!
Jack takes note of their cheery greeting and shoots them a bemused look.
JACK
What side are you on?
He is met with no replies, just some shrugs and clanging that can be heard from Barbossa and Will's swordfight.
JACK
(con't)
Nonetheless, you will always remember this as the day when you almost re-betrayed for the third and hopefully final time—
They push him over the side and his shouting of his name is lost.
Antina attempts to follow, but she can't force herself to jump over the side. Her vision blurs and she grabs the rail tighter, voice weak.
ANTINA
Jack…please…
He looks back to see her dragged, fingers wrapped around the rail, white with the effort, by the crew. One hand slips and is outstretched.
Jack turns to the crew, pointing delicately at Antina, hoping to catch someone's attention.
JACK
Slight problem in the midst of arriving…
By the time he turns back, she's not only lost her grip, but she's been shackled as well.
Barbossa and Will continue to battle it out, their footfalls straining the plank to the point of splintering.
Barbossa takes note, and swings, hitting Will's blade and giving him a moment to pull out his pistol and put a bullet in the plank, the final straw, breaking the board and leaving the two captains wrenched apart.
Little Jack swings down to Barbossa's shoulder with a line, which the captain takes, mock bowing to Will as his ship moves sharply away from the Dutchman.
WILL
Mr. Turner! Pursue!
BILL
We can't, not in this wind! We're already too far-gone, what with the split between the ships—you should know we'd never catch the Pearl with their speed!
Barbossa watches the other ship ease into the distance, a half-smile on his face.
BARBOSSA
Top speed to the Island of New Providence, lads!
ANTINA
(whispered)
No.
(shouted)
Jack! Jack! They're takin' me to Teach! Teach!
JACK
(hearing her shouts)
(teeth gritted)
Bugger.
Will leaps down onto the deck, sword still drawn and now pointed at Jack's throat.
WILL
You would desert us.
And you proposed this plan in the first place.
JACK
Now, now. I consider meself a man of limited interest, only ever desiring a combination of three banal things.
(as Will's sword gets dangerously close)
A ship—preferably the one recently at very close proximity—but any vessel with the fine ability to stay afloat will do in a pinch.
Freedom—or the various analogous meanings of such—which a veritable menagerie of tonics, artifacts, or magically propertied objects claim to grant.
And—
He searches his mind for a third but comes up empty, prompting Will to raise an eyebrow.
JACK
(con't)
Gibbs!
GIBBS
Aye?
JACK
What is the third article on which I hang my objectives?
GIBBS
Rum?
JACK
Ah! Rum. Laudable as any!
So if we were to gain anything from this situation it would likely be that I myself have not changed one whit—which in and of itself is a comforting notion, is it not?
Will lowers his sword.
JACK
But what say you to releasing the contents of your…brig upon the day?
WILL
(snapping the sword back to Jack's neck)
Need I remind you that it contains the souls to be ferried to the world beyond? The task entrusted to me if I ever hope to get off this blasted ship?
JACK
You think it just ends there, mate?
(he brushes the blade aside)
Think the lass can save you here?
(shaking his head)
You're roped into this one. Can't get around it by bein' honest. No Elizabeth...no true love.
TOUSSAINT
They have been waiting, sir…so long…waiting for the next world…I would rather fight than stay locked in there.
GIBBS
Mary's knocker's, wouldn't we all?
JACK
How bout the Locker? You even have it anymore, mate? Or is your cod liver the only fishy part of you?
BILL
Need I remind you lads? This is not a normal ship! We listen to the captain!
TOUSSAINT
But this is why we chose this ship as our own. Is not a normal ship, no. We expected to see what our fate would be, what happens to a man when he goes beyond the world.
Instead, we get a coward.
JACK
'Sall I'm saying, mate.
You need a new girl--not in that way--my girl. And by a property of transitional sorts, you need old Jack.
Will lowers his sword grudgingly, but flips it back up and gives Jack a sharp poke with it for good measure.
JACK
Not deserved, that.