Mr. Cotton knew that something was going to happen... a proverbial change in the wind ... his messenger had returned to the ship without the letter that Cotton had secured to him. Mr. Cotton had hoped that providence... or at least some plain luck... would smile upon him and the beleaguered crew of the Black Pearl, and soon. He never let on once what he was about, and did not know how help was going to be forthcoming, but he simply knew that it was to be... he felt it in his old bones, and on this day, the wind was talking to the dark masts and rigging of the Black Pearl in great and abundant whispers. The ship was anchored just off of a deserted stretch of the coast of Madagascar, so that they could lay in wait and plan their next move against the gemstone shipments that were to disembark from the ruby mines.
Mr. Pintel approached Mr. Cotton as he was coiling some rope, and there was an interesting look in the other pirate's yellowed eyes. Pintel also suspected something was amiss, and he and Cotton both looked up at the crow's nest, to Marty, who had pulled lookout duty for the morning. Captain Barbossa was pouring over his charts at a table that he had brought up to the main deck, charting the quickest escape route once the ruby shipment had been taken. Marty was watching something through his spyglass... something that Cotton and Pintel could tell was out of the ordinary.
The small pirate momentarily looked down from his perch, and his eyes met Cotton's and Pintel's. It was at this point that Mr. Pintel looked over at Mr. Ragetti, who was swabbing the main deck on his hands and knees. Due to his wooden eye, it was always difficult to tell in what direction he was actually looking, but Pintel slowly nodded his head up toward Marty, and his nephew Ragetti could also see that Marty was watching something, but not sounding an alarm.
Without so much as any kind of inkling of what was going to happen, if anything, Mr. Ragetti took it upon himself to distract the crewmembers hired on by Barbossa by giving his wooden eye a toss and enlisting their aid in chasing it...The original members of Jack Sparrow's crew could now see what something was in the air...it was all that they could all do to remain quiet as two familiar figures silently climbed up over the edge of the stern.
Captain Barbossa was concentrating on his labors over his charts, and was utterly taken by surprise when little Jack the Monkey squeeked with alarm and pointed behind him. Hector looked up, then turned around swiftly to find himself staring at the smiling faces of Captain Jack Sparrow and Joshamee Gibbs.
"Greetings, Barbossa!" Jack crowed from the top of the railing. He was hanging onto a rope that was tied off, and swaying forward almost to the point of hanging horizontally... he would have looked utterly ridiculous except for the fact that Barbossa found himself staring straight into the barrel of Jack's pistol. Mr. Gibbs was plainly out of breath, but was grinning at Hector as he held a bead on two of Barbossa's new crewmen with a gun in each hand.
"Well, Jaaaack! Isn't this a surprise?" Hector replied, annoyance plain in his voice. He smiled, grimly, as he tried valiantly to hide his shock that Jack and Gibbs had suddenly turned up on the east coast of Africa. "Soooo.. how did ye manage t' get off o' that island hellhole of Tortuga and find yer way halfway back aroun' th' world without a ship?" he chortled, fairly flaunting his possession of that which Jack prized above everything. Jack merely hopped down from the railing lightly, trinkets in his hair jingling, as crewmembers slowly gathered around to watch the goings on.
"... oh, I have me ways o' gettin' around these days... I should like t' thank ye fo' leaving me little dinghy tied up t' th' dock in Tortuga City... if ye look down...there," Jack pointed with his left hand, down over the edge of the stern, just past the conveniently strung rigging, just right for climbing, "...ye'll see her! Th' Sparrow's Revenge! I made th' flag meself! " he exclaimed, proudly.
"The what??? 'Th' Sparrow's Revenge'???" Barbossa almost laughed out loud at the absurdity that was nearly flaunted by this fool who was swaying before him .
"Why does everyone react like that, I wonder? Aye, mate!" Jack exclaimed, brightly. "I thought tha' th' name was appropriate, all things considered... although I have been convinced by me mates tha' I should really take exception this time, an' p'raps bargain wif ye in order t' get me ship back rather than bein' vengeful. I don't want t' bargain wif ye, but I have been advised tha' it might be th' wise an' noble thing t' do." Jack nodded, and puncuated the statement with a raised finger.
"Since when, Jack, have ye done anythin' wise?" Barbossa smiled, his bad teeth gleaming in their disgusting glory as much as Jack's gold teeth caught attention for their shine, "Ye aren't known fer yer wise decisions over th' years... tha's why I have my ship, an' you have a dinghy!"
"Ahhhh," Jack said, softly, his eyes sparkling, as he swaggered closer to Hector, waving one hand lightly in the air, as he held his pistol steadily upon Barbossa,"... I have a dinghy, an' I also have come here wif faith an' good will t' try to strike an accord wif ye..."
"An accord??? Wot th' bloody hell could ye offer tha' I could possibly be interested in?" Barbossa's patience with this buffoon was growing thin.
"Well, mate, let's just repeat tha' I have 'good will'..."
Suddenly, the waters off of the starboard side of the ship parted... waves sprayed silver crests high into the air as the bow of the elegant Flying Dutchman sprang from the depths like an avenging angel. The men on the deck of the Pearl, save for Barbossa, Jack and Gibbs, sprang for cover. The ghost ship bounced several times as though it were made of India rubber, and as it settled down on the water's surface, the members of the Pearl's crew came out carefully from their hiding places. Those who had never seen the Dutchman before took one look, and, for the most part, immediately took cover again. The members of Jack's crew gaped, then their faces split into grins when they saw who was standing at the wheel, tall and strong.
Gibbs fairly laughed, as Jack leaned forward into Barbossa's shocked face, cocked his head and said, "Good Will... savvy?"
In a move that was just as shocking to those who viewed the scene as a ghost ship suddenly bursting forth from the sea, there was a flash of light, and suddenly Captain William Turner the Second was standing next to Jack, his hardened brown eyes boring straight into Barbossa's. He also leaned forward until his face was inches from Hector's, and quietly said, "We request the right of parlay...no, let me rephrase that... we demand the right of parlay!"
Jack the Monkey squeeked, and took off to hide in the rigging...
Barbossa stared down William with cold eyes. "An' what if I deny th' right of parlay?"
"I would recommend that ye consider their demand..." came a growling, deep voice from behind them. From the forward bow of the ship came two figures, one, the tall and imposing Bootstrap Bill Turner, who had his hand resting lightly upon the hilt of his sword. Ragetti about fainted at the sight of him... come back to haunt them, he was sure. Bill only frowned at Pintel and Ragetti as he approached with his companion.
The figure who was him came forward slowly, with a slight swaying to his walk, dark dreadlocks laced with trinkets, topped off with a broadbrimmed brown hat embellished with long feathers. And under the brim of that hat was a heavily creased, mustached face, with deepset black eyes that were burning like hot coals. Under his strong arm was a huge, leatherbound book, inscribed on the cover with the words, "Pirate Codex". Jack stared in complete and utter disbelief, as William leaned over and whispered, "Surprise."
Jack turned his astonished eyes to Bill, who nodded slowly to him, then back to Bill's companion, who had approached Barbossa and was leaning into his face, just as Jack and William had.
"I would recommend the ye consider their demand of parlay..." the voice repeated, darkly, with a faint and threatening Irish brogue, "I am also here t' advise ye that you, Hector Barbossa, have committed some very serious violations of laws that you swore t' uphold... you have violated the Pirate's Code..."