Chapter 13
They were to be arriving at the island soon. And still Jewel was pouting in the crow's nest, although she would not call it "pouting". She was thinking with an not amused expression.
Occasionally, her thoughts would drift back to her father's comment. Was she really acting like Barbossa?
She did threaten him in a way Barbossa might have, though. However, that was all the similarities she could think of between her and him. Jack, the monkey, crawled up to the crows nest and chattered something to Jewel.
"Wait a moment." Jewel said, reaching into her bag and pulling out her necklace, "Alright, speak." she said as soon as it was around her neck. Jack repeated what he said.
"We're almost to the island." he said
"Thanks." Jewel replied, scratching under his chi-
Wait a moment, she never liked the monkey. The monkey never liked her! Jewel withdrew her hand, much to the confusion of Jack.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked
"You make me think of papa." he said
"Your papa wouldn't happen to be Barbossa, right?" Jewel asked
"My papa!" Jack said cheerfully. Jewel shook her head and turned away from the monkey. Jack crawled closer to her.
"Please stay away from me for a while. I need to think." Jewel said. Jack stared at her for a moment before climbing the rigging away from her.
She was not like Barbossa. She will never be like Barbossa. Jewel looked down to the main deck and saw the captain in question. She closed her eyes and appeared next to him. He only flinched slightly at the occurrence, not entirely used to her ship-jumping.
"I am not like you." Jewel said firmly, pointing at Barbossa.
"You have grown roguish qualities Sparrow. I could almost say I'm proud of you." Barbossa said
"I am not like you!" Jewel shouted, drawing her sword. Barbossa looked back at her. He smirked looking from the girl to the sword, then back to her.
"Are you so sure?" he asked. Jewel calmed down and looked at the sword in her hand. She quickly sheathed it and moved to stand at Barbossa's other side.
"I don't want to be like you." she said, "Aye, it feels better speaking my mind and it helps get my dad to loosen his grip, but you killed hundreds of thousands of people without any regret or remorse. And I feel terrible after killing just one person."
"Then who do you want to be like Sparrow?" Barbossa asked. Jewel looked up at him, unable to think of an answer.
"I don't know." she said, looking at the water, barely able to see her own reflection.
"Land ho." Barbossa said. Jewel looked up, seeing a patch of green on the horizon. She reached back into her bag to pull out her spyglass. Barbossa pulled out his, longer than hers, spyglass. There was a few clicking sounds nearby. Jack lifted up a long black spyglass that was longer than both of the spyglasses to his left. The two looked over at him. While Barbossa was unamused, Jewel cracked a smile at him.
"Dad." she said, shaking her head.
"Is there a problem with you and my spyglass luv?" he asked
"No dad, but I find it funny how long it is." Jewel said
"Make ready the boats!" Barbossa yelled, getting out of the middle. Jewel pushed her spyglass together and put it back in her bag.
"Just... How are you going to put that back together." she asked
"Gibbs!" Jack said loudly. The man in question was nowhere near them, and therefore, could not hear his captain.
"Oh, I'll help." Jewel said. She grabbed on to a part of the spy glass and held it up as Jack, fiddled with the rest of the device, clasping and unclasping parts to shrink it down to a smaller size. It took some time, but the deed was finally done.
"Thank you luv." Jack said, "This moment wouldn't help me atone for my past... crimes against you, would it?"
"Not yet. I'm still angry at you." Jewel said, pointing at her father.
"How can I make you forgive me then?" Jack asked. Jewel looked away and pursed her lips, before looking back at her father.
"Just wait for the opportune moment dad." she said with a smirk.
"All hands to the boats!" Barbossa ordered, "Grab what ye can to hold all the water you can carry!" Jewel hurried to climb into one of the boats. She did not grab a cask or a bottle, but she still wanted to get off the ship for a moment. She noticed Pintel and Ragetti in a boat of their own.
"Are you certain you don't want to join us?" Jewel called over to them.
"We'll be fine!" Ragetti called back. Jewel shrugged and let them be. Their boat was lowered into the water and rowed to shore in no time at all. Jewel looked back at Pintel and Ragetti's boat. Then she laughed as a large wave crashed into it, making them fall out and turning the boat over. They swam and walked the rest of the way.
"Honestly you two. It seems your gluttons for this..." Jewel stopped talking to them, seeing something large on the beach not too far from them.
"Crimety!" Pintel said running towards it with Ragetti right behind him.
"Hods bodkins!" he said. Jewel stood still staring at the beast. Barbossa and Jack walked up to her. As soon as she acknowledged their presence's, the three walked toward it.
The kraken was feared all around the world. From its bad breath to it's large tentacles, it was a very real legend. No man would dare chase after it, or attack it, unless they had God on their side to help them slay the beast.
But there it was. Very dead. Seagulls perched on the tentacles and flying all around it. Jewel looked at her tattoo, putting a hand on it.
"Bugger." she said. She looked at the large brown eye, then at her father and Barbossa's reflection in it.
"Still thinking of running, Jack?" Barbossa said, "Think you can outrun the world? You know, the problem with being the last of anything is, by and by, there be none left at all."
"Who would do something like this?" Jewel asked herself, noticing scars on its body.
"Sometimes things come back, mate." Jack said, with a smirk, "We're living proof, you and me." He pointed at himself and Barbossa. Jewel looked back at the men.
"Aye, but that's a gamble of long odds, ain't it?" Barbossa said, "There's never a guarantee of coming back, but passing on, that's dead certain." They stood in silence, absorbing Barbossa's words. Jewel put a hand on the kraken's moist, rubbery skin.
"Summoning the Brethren Court, then, is it?" Jack finally said. Jewel looked back at him.
"It's our only hope, lad." Barbossa nodded solemnly
"That's a sad commentary in and of itself." Jack replied
"You're going willingly?" Jewel asked
"Aye luv. It needs to be done." Jack said
"The world used to be a bigger place." Barbossa commented, crossing his arms.
"The world's still the same. There's just... Less in it." Jack replied. Jewel looked back at the kraken. She petted it once before walking back to Barbossa and her father, noticing the rest of the crew watching them behind them.
"Lets go to this spring." Jewel said
"Aye. Master Ragetti," Barbossa said, the one eyed man stumbling up to them upon hearing his name, "Stay on the beach and let us know if something should happen."
"Marty, stay at the edge. Let us know if Ragetti sees something that we aren't aware of." Jack said. The men nodded and took their places, before the rest, and Jewel, walked into the jungle. The spring wasn't far.
Unfortunately, a body was face down in it. Barbossa moved to it and dipped a couple of fingers in the liquid, tasting it. He quickly spat out what was in his mouth.
"Poisoned. Fouled by the body." he said.
"There went our fresh water." Jewel said. Pintel grabbed the body and turned it over. He looked like a member of Sao Feng's crew, even with a bamboo knife shoved through his mouth and into his head.
"Hey, I know him. He was in Singapore!" Pintel said
"Rawk, Singapore!" Cotton's parrot said
"Captain!" Marty yelled, pointing back at the beach. Everybody looked in the direction he pointed. Ragetti was waving his arms frantically.
"Oy! We've got company!" Ragetti yelled, pointing out at the ocean. In the distance, sailing up to the Pearl, was Sao Feng's ship. Tai Huang and his men pulled out their guns, pointing them at Jack, Barbossa, and Jewel.
"We're no longer the highest bidder?" Jewel asked, holding her arms up.
"... He's the captain." Jack said pointing at Barbossa, who only rolled his eyes in response.