Author's Note: Not much to say, except I'm sorry for being a little late with this update. I was busy celebrating my birthday and St. Patrick's Day after the last update. Anyway, keep those votes coming in for the one-shot multiverse. And be sure to point out any mistakes I make so I can fix them asap.
Review Responses
Zir Alcatraz: Hahaha that was a great flick. Scary though. "Outbreak" would probably make a good one-shot adaptation, but not full length.
EmeraldStirling: I'll respond in segments as well to keep this simple. 1.) Oh yeah. That's a good idea. But whoever makes the pun will have to apologize afterwards. Like you said, that's a low blow. 2.) Now that you mention that, you're absolutely right. Compared to the Boostrap Summer, the rest of the Black Pearl's crew got off way easier. 3.) Oh, absolutely. Everyone will be either weirded out or laughing their asses off at Captain Blake's antics onscreen. And the Kraken will be so scary, nobody will want to eat calamari again.
Fomoriam191: It's right at the top of my profile. Look for a little graph icon, then on the right side of the text, click on "Vote Now". Make sure you choose carefully.
Cinderfall20412: Hahaha! That's a good idea. Maybe I can throw that in for a rewrite. Thank you.
Black Cross0: Thank you. And "Scream" would make a good horror film adaptation, whether full length or one-shot.
Pharamine: Thank you for pointing out the mistakes for me. As for your question, some of the one-shots will be chosen by poll vote, others will be chosen randomly by yours truly as a surprise for my readers.
Yawar: Personally, I doubt I'll get that far with POTC adaptations. But if it comes down to it, they could always adopt a child.
Last Primaris: Me too. Unfortunately, I don't have as much free time as I used to two years ago. Only time will tell if I can tell if I get the opportunity to adapt Tolkien's work.
MarioCatjr: Yeah, it does suck. But when I have the time again, I'll return to this story, and she'll kick loads of Xenomorph ass in "Aliens".
Komod0-Sensei: In hindsight, you're absolutely right. Unfortunately, people tend to do crazy and stupid things when they are in love. As for leaving Jack/Blake for dead, that was pretty scummy, but to be fair, Will/Ruby was being used as leverage and, subsequently, Elizabeth/Weiss was endangered.
GojiraRWBYSW18: Oh yes. Sagely old Ozpin always guesses the closest to the truth. And honestly, who better to play Mr. Cotton than Neo?
Inside the Black Pearls' cabin, Adam sat at his table while Blake stood before him. The monkey sat on his perch in the background.
"So, you expect to leave me on some beach with nothing but a name and your word it's the one I need, and watch you sail away in my ship?" Adam questioned, chuckling with the last few words.
"It would be pretty karmic for Blake to maroon Adam on an island while she takes back the Pearl," Yang said with a bit of spite.
"Yeah, but I don't think she'll be able to trick him so easily," Qrow doubted, knowing Adam's counterpart was a clever one.
"Qrow is right. They know each other too well," Ironwood agreed as he sipped a glass of water.
"No. I expect to leave you standing on some beach with absolutely no name at all, watching me sail away on my ship, and then I'll shout the name back to you. Savvy?" Blake responded as she paced across the table.
"But that still leaves me standing on some beach, with naught but a name and your word it's the one I need," Adam retorted, knowing better than to trust Blake's word.
Blake took an apple from a bowl on the table. "Of the two of us, I am the only one who hasn't committed mutiny. Therefore, my word is the one we'll be trusting."
"Although, I suppose I should be thanking you because, in fact," Blake continued, putting her feet up on the table. "If you hadn't betrayed me and left me to die, I would have an equal share in that curse, same as you."
Blake took a bite out of the apple she held. "Funny old world, isn't it?" she asked.
Adam huffed and nodded in annoyance.
"He doesn't like people eating his apples from the look of it," Marrow noted with a smirk.
"Just like how I don't like people eating my cookies," Ruby said as she munched on aforementioned snack.
"Especially since he can't enjoy them himself," Elm added, feeling only the slightest pity for Adam.
"So, she's mocking him? Kind of seems like of a low blow," Ren remarked, even if Adam was a villain.
Hazel entered the cabin. "Captain! We're coming up on the Interceptor," he reported.
The monkey screeched excitedly and hopped across the table, startling Blake.
Up above, Adam and Blake ascended to the main deck, the former approaching the poopdeck while the latter looked out on the horizon. On the horizon, the Interceptor was visible.
Everyone was dumbstruck at how quick the Black Pearl caught up to the Interceptor.
"Whoa. Look how fast the Black Pearl caught up to them," Harriet commented in surprise.
"They couldn't escape, even with a head start," Winter fretted.
"I wasn't exaggerating about the Pearl's speed," Blake recalled about her counterpart. "Little wonder why I want the ship back so much."
Startled, Blake quickly ran up to the poopdeck just as Adam observed the Interceptor through his telescope. That is, until Blake appeared in the lens.
"I'm having a thought here, Taurus," Blake said while Adam lowered his telescope. "What say we run up a flag of truce, I scurry over to the Interceptor, and I negotiate the return of your medallion?"
Adam lost his patience with Blake. "Now you see, Blake? That's exactly the attitude that lost you the Pearl. People are easier to search when they're dead," he said ruthlessly.
"Gold-Sith was right. Adam prefers brute force and ruthlessness over reason and negotiations," Blake said angrily, reminded of her past alongside her dead enemy.
"But wouldn't his method risk killing me too?" Ruby questioned with worry.
"Yes. But Adam doesn't know you're Summer's daughter. And even if he did, he doesn't even know you're aboard," Penny explained, also fretting for Ruby.
Adam glanced at Hazel. "Lock her in the brig!"
Hazel grabbed Blake by the shoulder and took her away while Adam took the apple from Blake's grasp. Then he angrily threw the fruit overboard.
Snickers and chuckles filled the theater at Adam's expense since he couldn't enjoy the taste of apples thanks to the curse.
"How do you like them apples, Adam?" Yang joked, surprisingly prompting more laughter.
"Well, what do you know. Sometimes you do come up with a good joke," Harriet remarked.
Meanwhile, the Interceptor bounced over the waves as the Black Pearl was visibly in pursuit behind.
"How did they even get back aboard the Pearl so quickly without any oars?" Oscar asked aloud in confusion. [1]
"It may be an advantage the curse grants them," Ozpin presumed.
From a hatch, Weiss emerged on deck. All around, the crew were quickly rushing to their tasks.
"Hands aloft to loose the gallants!" Qrow shouted commands to the crew. "With this wind, she'll carry every sail we've got."
"What's happening?" Weiss asked Qrow.
"The Black Pearl is gaining on us!" Ilia answered from the helm as she steered the ship.
Weiss shot a look at the Black Pearl with its ghostly fog and tattered sails visible. As Ilia said, she was gaining.
"Man, even in broad daylight, the Black Pearl looks creepy," Ruby said uneasily.
"But how can a ship with tattered sails be catching up them? Or even capable of sailing?" Oscar questioned.
"It's probably just part of the curse that makes them look tattered. The Pearl can sail as well as it always could," Ozpin answered internally.
Weiss approached Qrow. "This is the fastest ship in the Caribbean," she said in disbelief.
"Tell them that after they've caught us," Ilia snarked.
"I hate to admit it, but that's a pretty badass line," Yang conceded.
Weiss walked up to Ilia. "We're shallower on the draft, right?" she asked.
"Aye," Ilia affirmed.
Weiss pointed towards "Then can't we lose them on those shoals?"
Qrow followed Weiss' finger to the vague shapes of islands in the distance.
Nora looked puzzled. "What does that mean?" she asked.
"Shallower on the draft means the Interceptor can traverse waters shallower than the Black Pearl," Ren answered his partner's question.
"So, if they can reach those waters, they can escape?" Ruby asked.
"Maybe. If they can reach it," Qrow answered his niece.
"We don't have to outrun 'em long. Just long enough," Qrow said in realization.
"Lighten the ship! Stem to stern!" Ilia commanded.
"Anything we can afford to lose, see that it's lost!" Qrow hollered to the crew.
"Will that be enough?" Marrow questioned.
Elm shrugged. "We'll see soon enough."
"If not, I don't know what the hell they're going to do," Harriet concluded.
Down in the Black Pearl's brig, Hazel led Blake to a cell while walking through ankle deep water. With a grunt, Hazel shoved Blake into the cell, locked it, and returned above deck.
"Apparently, there's a leak," Blake joked as she peaked out through a hole in the bulkhead.
"They could at least take better care of my ship," Blake grumbled.
She saw open sea. And a barrel drifting by.
The Interceptor left a trail of jetsam as the crew desperately threw anything disposable overboard.
Back on the Black Pearl, the monkey chittered excitedly while Adam eyed the Interceptor through his telescope.
"Haul on the main brace! Make ready the guns!" Adam called out before turning to Hazel. "And run out the sweeps."
Along the Black Pearls starboard side, cannons began to emerge. On deck, Mercury hoisted up a Jolly Roger flag.
Back on the Interceptor, Ruby emerged from a hatch and looked around. She saw the crew dumping all kinds of stuff overboard. She gazed out at the pursuing Black Pearl.
And with horror, she saw hatches open on either side of the pirate ship's hull, and oars extended out.
"Uh-oh," Jaune and Oscar said together in low voices.
"They're pushing the Pearl to its maximum speed," Vine remarked.
"So even without unnecessary cargo, the Interceptor can't escape," Clover added in concern for the vessel.
Nora struggled with pushing a cannon overboard, but Ruby's foot came down on it, keeping it in place. "We're gonna need that."
Weiss stared pale faced as the Black Pearl sped up with the help of its oars, trailing fog behind it.
"It was a good plan, up till now," Ilia lamented.
Ruby approached the wheel. "Qrow! We have to make a stand. We must fight!"
Everyone stared at Ruby as if she'd grown a third head.
The audience had mixed reactions on Ruby's insistence on fighting the pirates.
"Fight? But that's suicide. The pirates can't be killed," Clover reminded loudly.
"And besides, the Black Pearl is bigger and better armed than the Interceptor," Ironwood added.
"Don't get me wrong, sis. That's a very brave move...but it's kinda dumb too," Yang said with reluctance in her voice about the last part.
Ruby crossed her arms defiantly. "I don't care. If they can't outrun them, then they might as well go down swinging."
Qrow looked on in admiration of his niece's courage. "If only Summer were alive to hear her say that."
"Load the guns!" Ruby ordered.
"With what?" Ilia asked, since most, if not all, of the cannonballs had been thrown overboard.
Ruby paused. "Anything! Everything! Anything we have left!"
Ilia glanced up skyward in exasperation.
"They may not even have cannonballs. What are they supposed to load the guns with?" Jaune asked.
"If only Ruby suggested fighting before they started lightening the load," Ren sighed.
Qrow descended onto the deck. "Load the guns! Case shot and langrage! Nails and crushed glass! With a will!" he commanded the assembled crew.
Down below deck, Qrow supervised the crew as they loaded silverware into the cannons. Nora even snatched Qrow's flask and stuffed it into the cannon she was loading, much to the latter's annoyance.
Qrow was outraged. "Really? My flask too?"
"Don't complain, Qrow. It was probably empty anyway," Winter dismissed.
"Would loading a cannon with stuff like that even be effective?" Marrow asked skeptically.
"Well, the silverware may work, but the glass and nails would only cause superficial harm," Penny answered scientifically. [1]
On the Black Pearl, Adam eyed the Interceptor excitedly, victory seemingly at hand.
Down below, Blake continued peering through the hole in the hull. The long oars hit the water. The Black Pearl picked up speed.
Back on the poopdeck, Qrow and Ruby rejoined Ilia as they observed the Black Pearl as it drew closer.
"The Pearl will luff up on our port quarter! She'll rake us without presenting a target!" Qrow shouted in realization.
"So, they'll sail right past the Interceptor before they can even fire back," Ironwood said in realization.
"So how are they supposed to fight?" Qrow questioned.
Looking at the Interceptor's bow, Weiss got an idea. "Lower the anchor on the right side. On the starboard side!"
The three looked at Weiss in dismay.
"It has the element of surprise," Ruby conceded.
"You're daft, lady. You both are!" Ilia shouted.
"Daft like Blake," Qrow said almost excitedly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby asked.
"It means the idea is crazy enough to work. Like many of Blake's ideas," Yang said while shooting Blake a smirk.
Blake paused before shrugging as if to say: "Good point."
Qrow turned to the crew. "Lower the starboard anchor!" he ordered.
The crew gave the same look Weiss just got.
"Do it, you gobs, or it's you we'll load into the cannons!" Qrow threatened, and the crew immediately got to work.
The starboard anchor dropped into the water, its rope uncoiling quickly as it was dragged along the sea bottom.
On the Black Pearl, Adam squinted his eyes in puzzlement as he spotted one of the Interceptor's anchors being dropped.
Underwater, the anchor snagged on a coral reef, making the rope go taut.
The Interceptor then made a sharp starboard turn. The crew all held on to avoid falling overboard.
Inside the Interceptor, a table holding the medallion tipped over. The cursed treasure slid off.
"I forgot the medallion. If the Interceptor is sunk, it'll be lost forever," Weiss said seriously.
Maria put a hand to her chin. "On one hand, Taurus and his crew will be cursed for good," she pointed out.
"On the other hand, there's no chance of stopping them from terrorizing the Carribean," Ironwood countered.
"Or the heroes surviving," Yang concluded, worried for her onscreen teammates.
"Let go!" Weiss shouted at Ilia, who complied, and the helm spun rapidly as the Interceptor continued its swift turn, nearly capsizing itself.
Adam's eyes widened. "They're club hauling. Hard a port! Rack the starboard oars!" he commanded Hazel.
"Hard a port!" Hazel shouted.
Two pirates quickly spun the Black Pearl's helm.
Down in the brig, Blake was struggling to stay on her feet.
The Black Pearl's oars receded back inside the ship as the Interceptor pulled up on the Black Pearl's starboard side.
Ruby ran along the Interceptor's deck with a couple of grappling hooks in hand.
Blake peered out through the hole again, spotting the approaching Interceptor.
Aboard the Interceptor, Ruby approached Qrow. "Keep her steady, man," she instructed.
Nora bounced in her seat. "Oooooh, this is gonna be awesome!" she said eagerly.
"They may not win this one, but this is still gonna be kick ass!" Yang shared Nora's excitement.
"Even with such odds stacked against them, they're willing to fight," Ironwood praised the courage of the Interceptor's crew.
"Exactly the kind of fighting spirit all soldiers should have," Clover agreed with Ironwood, prompting the other Ace-Ops to nod in agreement.
The two ships were now perpendicular to each other. Both crews shouting and hollering with their weapons at the ready.
"Now!" Ruby shouted with a musket in hand.
Adam drew his sword. "Fire!"
"Fire all!" Weiss yelled.
Then, all hell broke loose as cannons from both ships unleashed salvos of cannon and small arms fire. Crewmembers fell or were launched off the decks. Smoke filled the air and chips of wood flew in every direction from each cannon ball hit.
Everyone watched with enjoyment at the intense action scene, especially the younger audience members. It was exactly the kind of ship-to-ship battle they'd want to see in a pirate flick.
Inside her cell, Blake ducked just in time to dodge an incoming cannon shot that blew a foot wide hole through the hole.
"Stop blowing holes in my ship!" she shouted in outrage.
A few people snickered or chuckled while everyone else grinned in amusement.
"I wouldn't say it's your ship at the moment, Blake," Yang corrected with a smirk.
"Don't remind me," Blake groaned in frustration.
The battle raged on as cannon and small-arms fire peppered both ships. Unfortunately, it seemed the Interceptor took more damage than the Black Pearl.
Inside the Black Pearl, Mercury glanced over in befuddlement to see a spoon embedded into a post on his right. He looked to his left to see Emerald with a fork stuck into her wooden eye. Mercury reached over and pulled the fork out, and the eye comes out as well. The two pirates then looked angrily out the cannon port, the hull around it embedded with silverware.
Laughter filled the theater at Emerald's counterpart looking dumbstruck with a fork sticking out of her eye.
"Hey, look. Penny was right. It does work," Ruby giggled.
"I guess they had no eye-dea that was coming," Yang joked, prompting groans from everyone else.
Down in the Black Pearl's brig, Blake spotted Qrow's flask floating in the knee-deep water. She snatched it and tried to take a swig, but it was empty.
Weiss scoffed lightly. "Really, Blake? At a time like this?"
Dropping the flask, Blake noticed the last cannon hit had blasted a hole through her cell door. She slowly pushed it open and stepped out.
Aboard the Interceptor, things weren't looking very good for the heroes. Behind the gunwales, Ruby and Qrow were taking potshots at the Black Pearl with muskets while Weiss reloaded for them.
"We need more ideas, lass!" Qrow said to Weiss.
"It's your turn!" Weiss shot back.
"We need us a devil's dowry!"
Ilia appeared behind Weiss and put a pistol to her head. "We'll give them her!"
"Hey!" Weiss and Winter shouted in tandem outrage.
"Ilia!" Blake said angrily at her old friend's counterpart.
"I understand she just wants to survive, but still," Elm said in disapproval.
"She's not what they're after," Ruby calmly informed Ilia, who lowered her weapon.
Weiss looked down at her chest and clutched for the medallion. But it wasn't there. "The medallion," she said softly.
Ruby paused for a second before turning and running towards a hatch, dodging musket fire as she went. She jumped down the hatch and into about a foot of water. She began searching frantically for the medallion.
"The Interceptor is already taking on water," Clover noted with concern.
"The battle is definitely going poorly for them," Ironwood added.
"Ruby needs to find the medallion fast," Penny said, knowing it was the only chance of placating Adam.
Back aboard the pearl, Mercury and Emerald carried a pair of cannonballs connected by a chain. They gleefully loaded it into their assigned cannon.
"What's that they're loading into the cannon?" Nora asked.
"A chain ball shot. They were used to sever masts," Maria answered.
"Oh, that's not good," Marrow muttered, hoping the chainshot would miss.
Up on deck, Adam walked along, shouting commands even as the fight continued: "Strike your colors, you bloomin' cockroaches! Hands, grapnels at the ready! Prepare to board!"
The pirates obeyed and began picking up grappling hooks.
Ruby continued searching for the medallion. The water was nearly at her knees by this point.
Emerald fired the cannon. The chain shot flew across, and struck the main mast of the Interceptor, severing it.
Everybody flinched at the direct hit Emerald scored on the Interceptor's mast, knowing it meant the Interceptor would be unable to sail anymore.
The impact of the chain shot blew another hole through the bulkhead behind Ruby, knocking her to the floor.
Outside, the Interceptor's main mast tilted and fell like a big tree, two crewmembers were sent falling from it.
The mast came crashing down onto the deck of the Black Pearl. The pirates ran or ducked for cover. But Adam didn't move an inch from his spot as the mast landed right next to him. He didn't even flinch.
"I hate to say it...but that was pretty cool," Yang said reluctantly about Adam's counterpart.
"Now the Interceptor is dead in the water," Clover grieved for the vessel.
"And the pirates can board at their leisure," Ironwood added, knowing the tide of the battle was turning in favor of the villains
Inside the Interceptor, Ruby emerged from some debris and looked around in alarm, noticing more water was pouring into the cabin.
"Pistol and cutlasses, men! Fennec, Corsac, to the dust magazine! And the rest of you, bring me the medallion!" Adam bellowed to his crew.
The monkey ran across on the fallen mast like a bridge and onto the Interceptor. The Black Pearl pirates threw grappling hooks onto the Interceptor's lines, preparing to swing across.
Ruby tried to exit the rapidly flooding cabin, but the hatch was blocked by debris. "Hey! Hey!" she cried desperately for help.
"Oh no! I'm trapped," Ruby said with wide eyes.
The pirates began to swing aboard the Interceptor via rope. Weiss and Nora defiantly kept shooting at the boarders.
"That's it, girls. Never give up the ship!" Yang cheered Weiss and Nora's counterparts.
"Damn straight. They're not getting me without a fight," Nora said with a defiant smile.
Below deck, Ruby continued trying to attract help by hitting the ceiling with a wooden plank. "Hey! Below!"
Elsewhere on the Interceptor, Corsac and Fennec cackled as they poured a fire dust trail leading towards a pile of more dust kegs. They then hurled the empty barrel into the pile.
"They're going to blow up the ship," Vine realized.
"Oh boy..." Jaune mumbled with worry.
"And Ruby's still trapped below deck," Penny said in horror.
Blake stepped onto the deck, the Black pearl crew to occupied with battle to notice her. One pirate swung towards the Interceptor, missed, and swung back toward the Black Pearl. Blake, standing atop the railing, caught the rope knocking the pirate off and onto the deck.
"Thanks very much," Blake said simply.
Adventurous and jaunty music played while Blake swung out on the rope while the two crews continued their battle. She messed up her first attempt to land on the Interceptor as she swung over the deck.
Qrow was knocked prone by a pirate, the latter's sword pointed at the former. But luckily, Blake swung into said pirate, knocking him overboard.
"Thanks for the save," Qrow thanked Blake.
"No problem," Blake said with a nod.
Blake sailed back towards the Black Pearl, then finally, she swung back to the Interceptor, let go, and landed beside Qrow.
"Blake!" Qrow exclaimed.
Blake handed Qrow his empty flask. "Bloody empty!"
Blake then ran off, leaving the surprised Qrow to continue fighting. He briefly dueled a pirate before knocking him down with a punch.
"Yeah, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cheered with her fists raised.
"Kick pirate ass!" Yang added loudly.
Below deck, the water had almost reached Ruby's neck as she struggled to escape. She then heard a screeching sound, turned, and spotted the monkey holding the medallion. Ruby lunged, but the monkey easily slipped away and fled above deck.
Yang narrowed her eyes. "I'm starting to hate that monkey."
"I think everybody is," Nora agreed with Yang, not finding the animal cute anymore.
Back above, a pirate cornered Weiss and prepared to strike her when his arm was grabbed from someone offscreen. He turned to see Blake holding it.
"That's not very nice," Blake scolded.
With the pirate distracted, Weiss struck him in the face with the stock of her musket, knocking him overboard.
Blake pulled Weiss behind cover. "Where is the medallion?" she questioned.
Weiss scowled. "Wretch!" she hissed as she took a swing at Blake, who caught her hand.
"Hey!" Blake said defensively.
"You were using Ruby as leverage. And put me in danger in the process," Weiss defended her counterpart.
"But you didn't know that," Blake retorted.
"All. Knock it off. Both of you," Maria scolded the two girls into silence.
Blake noticed the bandage on Weiss' hand. "Ah! Where is dear Ruby?" she asked smugly.
"Ruby," she fretted softly, realizing her friend hadn't returned.
Weiss ran to the grated hatch, now blocked shut by a fallen piece of mast. Ruby's fingers could be seen poking through the holes.
"Ruby!" Weiss called down.
"Weiss!" Ruby answered.
Meanwhile, Blake spotted the monkey scampering across the mast back towards the Black Pearl with the medallion in hand.
"Monkey!" Blake shouted as she took off in pursuit.
"Stop him, Blake," Yang said anxiously.
"I'm trying," Blake replied in exasperation.
"I can't move it!" Weiss shouted just before two pirates grabbed her from behind and dragged her away screaming.
"Weiss!" Ruby cried out helplessly.
Weiss and the surviving crewmembers were rounded up as the battle finally drew to a close.
"Unhand her, you degenerates!" Winter yelled at the screen.
"I believe the battle is lost," Penny sadly pointed out to Winter.
"At least they didn't give up without a fight," Marrow said.
Blake meanwhile scampered across the mast in pursuit of the monkey. She reached out to grab the medallion, then stopped in mid grasp as she looked up.
A smiling Adam loomed over Blake holding the medallion and the monkey on his shoulder. "Why thank you, Blake," he said smugly.
Blake smiled back. "You're welcome," she replied.
"Not you. We named the monkey Blake," Adam corrected while the monkey gave Blake a cheeky grin. [3]
Blake narrowed her eyes in irritation at the monkey.
A few audience members couldn't help but chuckle or snicker at the monkey's little grin. And the fact Adam named the monkey after Blake.
"Seriously?" Blake mumbled, sharing her counterpart's feelings.
"He's starting to remind me of Sun," Yang giggled.
Adam held up the medallion. "Gents! Our hope is restored!"
The Black Pearl crew cheered in victory with their weapons raised.
Down in the dust magazine, Fennec lit the trail of fire dust and walked off laughing.
Everyone went tense at Ruby's perilous situation, especially RWBY, Penny, and Qrow.
"Oh no..." Penny whispered in fear for Ruby.
The scene cut from between Ruby, now underwater, and the lit trail of dust inching closer and closer to the pile of kegs. Then Ruby took a deep breath and submerged herself.
"Move kiddo! Hurry up!" Qrow shouted urgently.
"Quick, Ruby! Get out of there!" Yang cried, knowing her sister would get blown up if she didn't drown first.
Ruby put her hand on Yang's shoulder to calm her down. "Don't worry, sis. I'll be all right," she said with faith in her counterpart.
Back aboard the Black Pearl, Adam held the medallion as he observed the half-sunk Interceptor's wreckage. The surviving members of the crew were tied to the mast behind him.
Mercury circled the captured crew with his sword pointed at them. "Any of you so much as thinks the word "parley", I'll have your guts for garters!" he threatened.
Weiss slipped out from the ropes. Right after that... the Interceptor exploded in a huge shower of splinters as the dust magazine detonated.
Everybody went still and silent, hoping against hope that Ruby had escaped in time. Yang and Qrow crossed their fingers and prayed.
"Please...don't let me be dead..." Ruby whispered to herself anxiously.
"Ruby," Weiss said softly in shock, thinking her friend was dead.
"You godless pirate!" Weiss shouted as she rushed Adam from behind.
Adam spun around and grabbed Weiss. "Welcome back, miss. You took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now you return the favor,"
Threw Weiss at the crowd of pirates, who hooted and tore at her clothes while she shrieked in terror, knowing what they had in mind.
Everyone looked angry or terrified for Weiss, realizing just what the pirates planned to do to her.
"No!" Weiss cried out in horror as she shrunk in her seat.
Winter bristled and stood up. "Get your filthy hands off her, you bastards!" she shouted.
Just then, a soaking wet Ruby climbed up the side of the Black Pearl and stood atop the railing.
"Taurus!" Ruby hollered.
Everyone turned to look at Ruby in surprise.
"Ruby!" Weiss said, overjoyed to see her friend survived.
Everybody looked overjoyed to see Ruby managed to escape.
"All right! I knew she was alive," Yang cheered with her fists raised.
"Yeah. I'm not going down that easily," Ruby added with a proud smile.
"Yes, but the Interceptor was lost. She was a fine vessel," Vine lamented the naval loss.
"That she was," Ironwood agreed with a nod.
Ironwood, Winter, and the Ace-Ops all saluted the loss of the Interceptor.
Ruby hopped down, grabbed a pistol from a table, and aimed it at Adam. "She goes free!"
"What's in your head, girl?" Adam scoffed as he approached Ruby.
"She goes free," Ruby repeated.
Adam stood right in front of Ruby's weapon. "You've only got one shot, and we can't die," he reminded.
Ruby glanced cautiously at Blake.
"Don't do anything stupid," Blake said under her breath with her hands clasped together.
"You can't. I can," she said as she climbed back atop the railing and placed the pistol under her chin.
Weiss gasped and tried to break free, but the pirates held her back.
"Like that," Blake sighed, as if he should have seen it coming.
Everybody was shocked by Ruby's valiant move. RWBY themselves gasped sharply, not wanting to see her commit suicide onscreen.
"Ruby, no..." Yang said shakily, scared to watch her sister shoot herself.
"She's so brave," Penny praised her friend's willingness to sacrifice herself for her friends.
"She's willing to die for me and everyone else," Weiss whispered with a blush which she tried to hide.
Adam, along with everyone else, stared in befuddlement at Ruby.
"Who are you?" Adam asked.
Blake quickly stepped in front of Adam "No one. She's no one. A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though."
"My name is Ruby Rose! My mother was Bootstrap Summer Rose. Her blood runs in my veins," Ruby revealed.
Adam cast a narrowed look at Blake, who lowered her head in exasperation and walked off.
"You really can't catch a break, can you?" Yang mumbled to Blake.
"Nope," Blake replied, making a popping sound with the 'p'.
"Well, looks like any plan she had has just be derailed," Marrow noted about Blake's counterpart using Ruby as leverage against Adam.
Emerald pointed at Ruby. "It's the spitting image of old Bootstrap Summer come back to haunt us!" she said superstitiously.
"On my word, do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger, and be lost to Ozpin's locker!" Ruby threatened. [4]
"She's willing to die to save her friends. And the woman she loves," Clover said in admiration of Ruby's courage.
"It might not save, Weiss. But it'll doom the pirates to remain cursed," Qrow corrected, knowing Adam wouldn't risk it.
Jaune blinked as he realized what Ruby just said. "Wait a second...Ozpin's locker? What's that?" he asked.
"And how does Ozpin fit even into this universe?" Ruby added in question.
"I'm afraid that's another viewing for another day," Gold-Sith answered.
"Hmmm..." Ozpin hummed in cuimrious interest from Oscar's mind.
"Name your terms, Ms. Rose," Adam gave in.
"Weiss goes free!" Ruby repeated.
"Yes, we know that one. Anything else?" Adam asked impatiently.
Ruby paused. Having not thought that far ahead. Blake discreetly signaled to her as if to say: don't forget about me.
"And the crew. The crew are not to be harmed," Ruby added.
"Agreed," Adam said as he stepped towards Ruby, flashing his rotten teeth.'
"Ugh. I'm so grateful we have proper dental care these days," Jaune said in disgust at Adam's teeth.
"There's no way Adam will let them go so easily," Elm claimed, given how Adam gleefully agreed to Ruby's demands.
"Juding from that smile of his, you're probably right," Marrow agreed.
Cut to one of the tiny islands the Interceptor tried to break for. The Black Pearl was anchored nearby.
Aboard the ship, Weiss was being forced to walk the plank by a gang of sword wielding pirates. Adam stood behind them, laughing.
Weiss nervously gazed down at the water below as she was prodded towards the edge of the plank.
"Oh, great. The old 'walk the plank' bit," Harriet said, all too familiar with the pirate stereotype.
"Let's just hope there's no sharks down below," Marrow said.
"If there aren't, perhaps they can swim to that nearby island," Penny said hopefully.
"I hope to the Brothers she can," Winter said.
Ruby tried to lunge at Adam but was held back. "Taurus, you lying bastard! You swore she'd go free!" she protested furiously.
Adam turned to Ruby. "Don't dare impugn me honor, girl," he defended. "I agreed she'd go free. It was you who failed to specify when or where."
Adam and the pirates laughed while Ruby just looked angrier as a gag was placed inside her mouth.
"He did it again. Just like with Weiss at Port Royal," Jaune said with a frown.
"Damn it! I hate it when people take advantage of exact words like that," Yang said angrily.
"I guess I didn't think that one through, did I?" Ruby said sheepishly.
Adam turned back to Weiss. "Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don't it, lads?" he asked his crewmembers,
Weiss felt a brief moment of reprieve.
"So, I'll be havin' that dress back before you go," Adam requested, eliciting chuckles from the crew.
Weiss hesitated for a moment before angrily stripping off the red dress, leaving herself in a silk slip. The pirates cheered and wolf whistled.
"Disgusting pigs. Thank Oum Ruby showed up in time," Winter said gratefully, shuddering at the earlier scene.
Winter nodded with a scowl of disgust. "You can say that again."
"Goes with your black heart," Weiss snarled as she threw the dress at Adam.
Adam held the dress against his face. "It's still warm," he joked before throwing it to another crewmember.
"I doubt he even has a heart," Weiss sneered.
The pirates laughed as they prodded Weiss towards the edge of the plank again.
"Off you go! Come on!" Mercury shouted.
Weiss stopped just at the end of the plank. She turned to lock eyes with Ruby, preparing to say something.
Everyone leaned forward or watched the screen, expecting Weiss to confess her feelings for Ruby. The two girls even looked excited to hear it from their counterparts.
"Too long!" Hazel shouted as he impatiently stomped onto the end of the plank.
Weiss yelped and fell off the plank, into the water. Ruby watched in wide eyed helplessness as the laughing pirates held him back.
The whole audience groaned in disappointment and anger towards Hazel's counterpart.
Yang pounded her fist on her armrest. "He ruined the moment!"
The pirates laughed again, as did Blake. That is, until she was pushed towards the plank.
Blake turned to face Adam. "I'd really rather hoped we were past all this."
Adam stepped up onto the plank beside Blake and threw his arm around her shoulders chummily.
"Blake. Blake! Did you not notice?" Adam asked as he glanced out towards the island. "That be the same island that we made you governor of on our last little trip."
Blake looked out towards the island. "I did notice," she said flatly.
"Perhaps you'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape. But I doubt it," Adam said.
"You bet she will. And she and Weiss will rescue Ruby," Yang said confidently.
"How do you think she'll do that?" Harriet said doubtfully.
Nora shrugged. "Sea turtles, maybe?" she assumed with a grin.
"I'm pretty sure she made that up, Nora," Ren corrected his partner.
"I know that. But hey, you never know," Nora said optimistically.
Adam drew his sword and pointed it at Blake. "Off you go."
Blake hesitated. "Last time you left me a pistol with one shot," she reminded.
"By the Brothers, you're right," Adam confirmed as he sheathed his sword. "Where be Blake's pistol? Bring it forward."
A pirate handed Blake's pistol and sword to Adam.
"Seeing as there's two of us, a gentleman would give us a pair of pistols," Blake tried to persuade Adam.
"It'll be one pistol as before, and you can be the gentleman and shoot the lady and starve to death yourself," Adam suggested as he tossed Blake's weapons into the sea.
Wide-eyed, Blake dove in after her effects.
"She's still trying to hold onto that pistol?" Jaune questioned in confusion.
"Well, it's loaded with a bullet for Adam. So, it makes sense," Maria said, now realizing who Blake was saving the shot for.
Cut to an underwater shot of Blake swimming downwards with her hands bound. She spotted her effects sitting on a coral reef, grabbed them, then pushed off the reef to launch herself back towards the surface.
Cut to the tiny island just as Weiss and Blake waded ashore. They looked back to see the Black Pearl sailing away into the distance.
Everyone felt their spirits lower as things looked very bleak for the protagonists.
"Well... this sucks," Harriet remarked.
"How are we going to get off that island?" Weiss questioned.
"And save Ruby?" Yang added with a frown.
Oscar scratched his chin. "Hmmm. Well, Blake did escape once. She can do it again," he reasoned with a hopeful smile.
"That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship," Blake noted sadly.
Blake moved inland with Weiss quickly following.
"You were marooned on this island before," Weiss asked. "We can escape in the same way."
"That's right. Even if that sea turtle thing never happened," Ruby said, hoping Blake and Weiss had the same means to escape.
"Let us hope so," Winter said, not wanting to watch her sister's counterpart slowly die of exposure or starvation.
Blake whirled on Weiss. "To what point and purpose, young missy? The Black Pearl is gone," she then glanced down. "Unless you have a lot of sails hidden in that bodice...unlikely."
Weiss looked offended by Blake's words.
"Ooooh," multiple people said softly in sympathy for Weiss.
Weiss was affronted. "Excuse me?!"
Elm shook her head. "I understand she just lost her ship again, but that's out of line," she said.
"Young Ms. Rose will be dead long before you can reach her," Blake finished as she moved on, stopping at a palm tree.
"But you're Captain Blake Belladonna," Weiss reminded.
Blake ignored Weiss as she began to pace off the ground in search of something. She stopped on a sandy patch and hopped on it a couple of times to test it and confirm it was the right spot.
"You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East Mistral Company. You sacked Kuo Kuana port without even firing a shot," Weiss went on, noting Blake's alleged accomplishments.
"I'm going to have to assume none of that ever happened," Qrow guessed as he sipped a glass of water.
"Given Blake's track record so far, you're probably right," Ironwood agreed with Qrow.
"Are you the pirate I've read about or not? How did you escape last time?" Weiss asked pressingly.
Blake paused before answering. "Last time I was here a grand total of three days, all right?" she answered.
Weiss looked puzzled while Blake knelt down and opened up a hatch hidden under the sand. Beneath it was a pit and a worn-out looking staircase leading down into it.
"Last time...the rum runners used this island as a cache," Blake explained as she descended into the pit. "They came by and I was able to barter passage off."
Weiss gaped in disbelief as Blake returned carrying a few bottles of rum.
"So, that whole thing with the sea turtles never happened?" Nora said in disappointment.
"You can't be surprised," Ren said as he glanced at Nora.
"No, not really," Nora sighed, figuring Blake made it up to begin with.
"From the looks of things, they've long been out of business," Blake said. "You probably have your bloody friend Ebi to thank for that."
"So that's it, then? That's the secret, grand adventure of the infamous Blake Belladonna?!" Weiss asked furiously as she got into Blake's face. "You spent three days lying on a beach drinking rum?"
Blake shrugged and held her arms out. "Welcome to the Caribbean, love," she said as she handed a bottle to Weiss and walked off.
"So now what are they supposed to do?" Jaune asked aloud with concern.
"Perhaps they'll run into the rum smugglers and get a ride back to civilization," Penny assumed.
"Or maybe they'll build a raft made of palm trees to get off themselves," Marrow suggested.
"And then what? Just float out into open ocean without even knowing what direction they're facing?" Harriet pointed out the flaws in Marrow's idea.
"Good point," Marrow admitted with a downcast look.
Later that night, Weiss and Blake were drunkenly dancing and singing around a large campfire on the beach.
"We're devils, we're black sheep We're really bad eggs."
"Drink up, me hearties, yo ho Yo ho, yo ho A pirate's life for me."
Everybody either burst out laughing or gaped in disbelief at the antics of Blake and Weiss onscreen.
"I never thought I'd see you drunk, Weiss," Winter said in disapproval.
Weiss sighed deeply and hung her head in embarrassment.
Yang laughed initially, then stopped suddenly. "Really? Ruby is in danger and you two are partying?"
"Well, I'm guessing there's no way for us to escape. What else can we do?" Blake replied with a sheepish look.
"She's right. If you're going to die, do it while having some fun first," Qrow said, feeling he'd do the same if she were in Blake's shoes.
"I love this song! Really bad eggs!" Blake hollered as she stumbled and fell on her butt with Weiss falling next to her.
"When I get the Pearl back, I'm gonna teach it to the whole crew, and we'll sing it all the time," Blake drunkenly voiced her plan.
"And you'll be positively the most fearsome pirates in the Caribbean," Weiss added in support.
"Not just the Caribbean, love. The entire ocean. All of Remnant! Wherever we want to go, we go. That's what a ship is. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails. That's what a ship needs. But what a ship is...what the Black Pearl really is... is freedom," Blake gave a long, drunken statement.
"You know, it seems Blake isn't a pirate for the pillaging and killing, but for the freedom it seems to grant her," Yang identified Blake's character.
"It does seem that way. She's only a pirate by letter of the law," Weiss added as she sipped a cup of tea.
"Unfortunately, yes," Clover said with a nod, not agreeing with his counterpart's steadfastness against pirates.
Weiss lay her head on Blake's shoulder. "Blake...it must be really terrible for you to be trapped on this island."
"Oh, yes," Blake affirmed, putting an arm around Weiss' shoulder. "But the company is infinitely better than last time. And the scenery has definitely improved."
"Uh oh. It looks like Blake homing in on your girl, Ruby," Yang teased Ruby.
"Quit it, Yang! I said I don't like Weiss that way," Ruby whined with a blush.
"I just hope this won't turn into a love triangle," Blake said as she munched on some anchovies.
Weiss shirked away from Blake. "Ms. Belladonna! I'm not entirely sure I've had enough rum to allow that kind of talk," she slurred.
"I know exactly what you mean, love," Blake replied with a slight gesture.
Weiss shrugged with a smile. Blake returned the smile while twisting of one of her locks of hair.
Weiss raised her bottle in a toast. "To freedom!"
"To the Black Pearl," Blake proposed as she and Weiss clinked their bottles together and continued drinking.
By now everyone was grinning or laughing at the onscreen duo's drunken antics. It was a fortunate sense of levity after the previous scene.
Cut to the next morning. Blake was lying face-up on the beach. Around her, white smoke drifted by.
With a groan, Blake woke up, awoken by the scent of the smoke as her nose twitched. She sat up, and her eyes widened as she spotted the source of the smoke.
"Where's the fire coming from?" Oscar asked about the smoke.
"And where's Weiss?" Winter added in question.
Weiss had piled up all of the casks from the rum cellar and set them on fire. Smoke was rising high up into sky. Weiss tossed another keg onto the fire, which then exploded briefly, forcing her to duck. Many of the surrounding trees had caught fire as well.
Weiss continued with her work building up the fire while Blake ran towards the former.
"No! Not good! Stop! Not good!" Blake cried, waving her arms as Weiss walked past her. "What are you doing? You've burned all the food, the shade, the rum."
"Oh. So, it was just a ruse to get Blake to pass out while she made a signal fire," Winter said in praise for Weiss' cleverness.
"Good move. Even if it was a waste of rum," Qrow said, speaking from his previous self.
"That's a shot in the dark, given the size of the Carribean. But, I'd say it's worth a try," Penny said in approval of Weiss' idea.
"Yes, the rum is gone," Weiss confirmed as the fire continued burning in the background.
"Why is the rum gone?" Blake asked.
Weiss turned to Blake. "One, because it is a vile drink that turns respectable men into scoundrels. Two, that signal is over 1,000 feet high," she answered, as she glanced skyward.
"Hey, I used to drink rum and I was never a scoundrel," Qrow contradicted Weiss's counterpart.
"I find that highly debatable," Winter retorted dryly.
Qrow waved dismissively at Winter. "Yeah, whatever."
"The entire Atlesian Navy is looking for me. Do you think there is the slightest chance they won't see it?" Blake questioned.
"But why is the rum gone?!" Blake asked more emphatically.
A few people laughed or chuckled at Blake asking why the rum was repeatedly.
"Why do I get the feeling that would make an awesome meme?" Yang said while tapping her chin.
Weiss cocked her brow. "She's trapped on an island and all she cares about is rum?"
"Well, she probably thinks she's going to die out there. She'd want to enjoy herself while she still can," Blake defended her counterpart.
"That's how my past self would definitely want to go out," Qrow shared Blake's sentiments.
Ignoring Blake's question, Weiss sat down and stared at the sea. "Just wait, Captain Belladonna. You give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye open, and you will see white sails on that horizon."
Blake drew her pistol, barely controlling her urge to shoot Weiss. Putting her gun away, Blake stalked away down the beach, just to get away from Weiss.
Everyone shot angry or shocked looks at Blake's counterpart.
"Blake! How could you?" Weiss reprimanded.
Yang shook her head. "Really, Blake? Just for rum? Save it for Adam, will ya?"
"I doubt even I would have gone that far," Qrow said.
Blake simply stared in shame at her counterpart.
Blake reached the opposite side of the tiny island; the cloud of white smoke had grown huge.
"Must've been terrible for you to be trapped here, Blake," Blake grumbled to herself in an imitation of Weiss. "Well, it bloody is now!" she yelled back in Weiss' direction."
Most of the audience laughed or chuckled at Blake's imitation of Weiss.
Weiss groaned in annoyance. "I do not sound like that."
"Meh," Yang, Ruby, and Blake all said with shrugs, making Weiss stare daggers at her teammates.
Blake scaled a short sand dune and then stopped to stare at something incredulously.
Just offshore was the HMS Dauntless. A longboat launched from it was heading towards the island.
"There'll be no living with her after this," Blake muttered.
"And there will be no living for you at all once they get you back to Port Royal," Harriet said darkly.
"I'm aware of that, thank you," Blake groaned, knowing she faced the gallows for piracy.
"Unless, maybe, she can persuade Clover to chase the pirates and rescue Ruby," Yang said hopefully.
"I doubt it, but we'll see what happens," Clover said uncertainly.
[1]- A bit of foreshadowing for the creepy underwater walking scene coming up in the finale.
[2]- Yet another disproven part of the film on Mythbusters. Just leave it to Penny to bring up facts like this.
[3]- According to special features on the DVD for Curse of the Black Pearl, the monkey did this purely by chance and it wasn't planned out at all. Lucky!
[4]- More foreshadowing towards the sequel films. I can't promise I'll get to them given changes in my schedule, but I'll try.
[5]- Lol. I just had to throw this in there.