Jack keeps me so busy for the next day or so that I have no time whatsoever to think of anything but catching up to the Black Pearl and Barbossa, the pirate that took Elizabeth.

I appreciate the lack of time to think of things such as Thomas and Greaves but some of the work that Jack has me doing is plain ridiculous.

"Sweep the deck." Jack says, almost dropping the bottle of rum in his hands as the rough waters pitch the Interceptor forward.

"Jack, the deck is sopping wet."

"Then mop it."

"The deck is as clean as it will ever be. Besides, three of your crew have already done so."

"Then you can feed the parrot."

"And risk the chance of losing a finger. I would rather not."

"A finger won't be the only thing you risk losing if you don't shape up and find something useful to do!" Jack says exasperated, before being thrown to the floor as a particularly large wave hits the side of the boat.

"I don't know why you drink so much rum when you are on deck." I say, mostly to myself, "It is almost as if you want to have an affair with the ground."

All of a sudden, the waters quiet and the boat drifts peacefully into a dark lagoon.

Jack leaps to his feet and chuckles, "We are almost there." He says before rushing to the top deck.

Seeing most of the crew rushing for the side of the boat, I find a place beside Will and Gibbs, the woman hater. The waters are covered with wrecks strew everywhere.

"Puts a chill in the bones how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage." Gibbs says into the silence.

Will however, isn't paying much attention. I turn to see what he is looking at and watch as Jack quickly snaps his compass shut when he realizes that Cotton, the man who owns the parrot and is unable to speak , stares at him too much.

"How is it that Jack came by that compass?" Will asks.

"Not a lot's known about Jack Sparrow before he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta." Gibbs replies.

"Wait. Treasure?"

"Jack hasn't told you?" Gibbs replies, "I may not like having a female on board this ship but I believe that you deserve all the information."

I lean forward, waiting for the story.

"The Isla de Muerta, the Island of Dead, is a natural fortress that holds treasure of many shapes, and forms. From silver statues to silver crowns, to gowns of silk and jars of spice. None has seen true wealth till their eyes have beheld the wonders of the Isla de Muerta. Anyways, the treasure belonged to the infamous Cortez. Have you heard of him?"

I nod my head, "I learned that in my history lesson."

Gibbs looks at me quizzically before continuing his tale, "The pride of all of the treasure was the Aztec gold pieces. Eight-hundred and two identical gold coins were delivered in a stone chest to Cortez by the Aztecs. A payment, a plea, to end the slaughter he had started of their people with his great armies. However, this was not enough. Cortez was unable to be satisfied and the persecution. So the heathen gods of the Aztecs placed a horrible curse on the gold pieces. Any mortal that takes even a single golden piece from that chest of rock shall be terribly punished for all eternity."

"I am sorry, Gibbs, but I don't believe in curses."

Gibbs looks at me with sad eyes, "Aye, but you will, Miss Swann. You will."

I brush aside his foreboding comment. "But what does that gold have to do with Jack, Barbossa, Elizabeth, or the Black Pearl?"

"Well, when Jack first appeared in Tortuga with the treasure on his mind, it was long before I met him, back when he was Captain of the Black Pearl."

Will looks stuck, "What? He failed to mention that."

"Well, plays things closer to the vest now. And a hard-learned lesson it was. See three days out on the venture, the first mate comes to him and says everything's an equal share. That should mean the location of the treasure too. So Jack gives up the bearings. That night, there was a mutiny. Then the first mate led the rest of the crew to the Isla de Muerta where they took the gold pieces and spread them around the Caribbean, spending them on food and wine and frivolities. It was only when most of the gold was lost that they began to change."

"Change?" I ask.

"Yes, Miss Swann. Change. As they consumed more and more foods and drinks bought by the cursed gold, they realized that they could no longer taste anything, feel anything. Food became ash, and their skin no longer felt the spray of the sea or the whipping of the wind. They were as the dead and at night, they truly finish the transition."

Gibbs pauses as if contemplating whether or not to subject my ears to what he has to say.

"Go on, Gibbs." I prod, "I deserve to know."

"When moonlight touches them, they turn into living ghosts, stripped of skin and sinew. Only bones."

"Gibbs," I say after a few moments "If I wanted a bedtime story, I would have stayed in Port Royal."

Gibbs starts to argue but Will, thankfully, interrupts, "What did they do to Jack after the mutiny?"

"They marooned Jack on an Island and left him to die but not before he'd gone mad with the heat."

"So that is the reason for all the... uh, strange behavior." Will says.

Gibbs shakes his head, "Reason's got nothing to do with it. Now Will, and Miss, when a man is marooned, he is given a pistol with a single shot, one shot. Well, it won't do much good hunting or to be rescued. But after three weeks of starvin' belly and thirst, that pistol will start to look real friendly. But Jack, he escaped the island, ,and he still has that one shot. Oh, but he won't use it, though, save for one man... His mutinous first mate."

"Barbossa," Will and I say in concordance, having come to the same conclusion.

"Aye."

"But how did Jack get of the island?" I ask Gibbs.

Gibbs leans forward and it is quite obvious that this part of the story is the one that he garners the most pride and joy from. "Well, I'll tell ye. He waded out into the shallows and there he waited three days and three nights till all manner of sea creatures came and acclimated to his presence. And on the fourth morning, he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, lashed 'em together and made a raft."

"He roped a couple of sea turtles?" Will says, unbelieving and I can tell that we are having the same thought.

"Aye, sea turtles." Gibbs confirms.

"What did he use for rope?"

"Human hair." Jack suddenly appears behind us. "From my back."

Turning to a few dawdling crew members, he shouts, "Let of the anchor! Young Mr. Turner and I are to go ashore."

"What about me?" I ask following Jack as he maneuvers through the working crew, dodging thrown rope and crates.

"What about you?" Jack replies, ducking under a barrel being hoisted by two men.

I follow him under the barrel, "I am coming with you."

Jack laughs, "You will do no such thing."

I grab his arm just as he is about to climb to the top deck. "My sister is there. I will go to her and if you don't let me come with you, I will take another raft. And if the crew won't let take a raft. I will swim and let me tell you something: I am a very good swimmer. I will reach shore and I will do everything within my power to save my sister and deliver you back to the warden at the Port Royal Prison."

Jack yanks his arms from my grip. "Fine. But you must obey my every command. It isn't just your sisters life or your finger at risk here."

As the anchor hits the bottom of the sea, the ship jolts to a stop and a raft is lowered.

I watch from Gibbs side as Will climbs down the side of the ship and into the boat. Jack quickly follows and I come after him. Will just glares at Jack in disparagement.

As the raft is unattached and Will starts rowing the boat to shore, Gibbs calls out, "Captain! What if the worst should happen?"

"Keep to the code." Is Jack's only reply.

He then turns to me and pulls out a long dagger from his boot. "Do you still have the pistol?" He asks.

I nod and pull up my cape to reveal the pistol attached to my belt.

"Good." He a says, "Try to use the pistol if need be but should anything happen, it is a good thing to have a more manual weapon."

I take the knife and its sheath from his hand shakily and attach it to the inside of my boot with a nifty miniature belt.

Seeing my frightened expression, Jack says, "Unfortunately, it is too late to go back, but don't worry. The weapons are only for precautions. Nothing will happen."

I let myself relax.

"Probably." He adds and then laughs at my sudden shock. Finally noticing Will, he mutters in disgust and takes the oars, starting to row us twice as fast.

Will seems a bit put off but that the opportunity to observe his surroundings. Looking down in the water he sees a nearby skull.

"What code is Gibbs to keep if the worst should happen?" He asks warily.

"Pirate's Code." Jack replies, "Any man that falls behind is left behind."

"No heros among thieves, eh?"

"You know, for having such a bleak outlook on pirates you're well on your way to becoming one. Sprung a man from jail, commandeered a ship of the Fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga,"

Will leans over the ship, a pile of gold attracting his attention, "And," Jack continues as the raft hits shore and he jumps out, "You're completely obsessed with treasure."

Will leaps over onto the rocks, holding out his hand and helping me out as well.

I had known that Will had done all these things but hearing them said out loud makes them so much more real, so much more frightening. What would Elizabeth say once she found out the lengths that Will Turner had gone through to find her? Would she thank him for it? Or would she find him dishonest and want nothing more to do with him?

Jack motions for us to follow him into a cave and we walk for a few minutes, through the damp darkness, feeling the walls for direction. "That's not true." Will argues, "I am not obsessed with treasure."

Pressing a finger to his lips, Jack carefully climbs a small slope. Will and I follow close behind and from the top, we can see the main cavern of the cave. An enormous room covered in piles of treasure. And in the middle, on a literal mountain of gold, lies the stone chest filled with Cortez's gold pieces with Elizabeth behind.

"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate." Jack says motioning to where my sister stands, behind the stone chest and with Barbossa holding her captive.