At the dock, the terrifying ship with black sails slowly came to a stop.
A ramp was dropped, and dozens of skeletons descended it fiercely, laughing like hyenas, joining those who already surrounded Elizabeth.
And forming a circle around them were dozens of soldiers pointing swords and a few crossbows at them.
Elizabeth, with a knife at her neck, tried to fight back a bit, gritting her teeth in anger, but it was useless.
Then, under the fierce gaze of everyone present, heavy footsteps sounded from the ship, before a skeleton with a large black hat and a monkey on his shoulder appeared at the top of the ramp.
Just then, the black clouds drifted over the moon again, blocking its glow and plunging the battlefield into darkness—now lit only by the flickering torches and the flames of the burning wreckage—turning all the skeletons back into humans, deepening the soldiers' psychological strain.
Barbossa, smiling wickedly, calmly descended the ramp.
"I'm truly impressed. You actually discovered our ambush and set one of your own against me. So, I had to prepare our escape route to avoid being sunk by cannons as we departed after acquiring what we wanted," he said as he approached his men. "And this lovely beauty here seems to be the high-value hostage I asked my men to retrieve. I must admit I was thinking more along the lines of the governor as a hostage, but I believe I'll prefer this one's company."
Barbossa spoke and grabbed her cheeks with his dirty black-nailed hand, without the slightest delicacy, while smiling—receiving a fierce glare in return. Elizabeth tried to bite him, but he pulled his hand away.
"Wow, she's feisty!" Barbossa laughed heartlessly.
He then looked at the crowd of soldiers and at the governor, who stood firm, but had a worried face as he looked at his daughter held hostage.
"What do you want? Is it gold? Let Elizabeth go, and I'll give you as much gold as you want!" Governor Swann demanded, sweating nervously.
"Hehe, gold? Well, we do want gold. Tsk, tsk!" Barbossa grinned and then clicked his tongue twice.
The little monkey on his shoulder, hearing the command, jumped to the ground and ran to the unconscious Will, who had been thrown onto the dirt, and pulled a gold necklace from his neck. It then turned and ran back to Barbossa, climbed onto his shoulder, and handed him the necklace.
With his dirty fingers and black nails, Barbossa held the necklace by the pendant, which was a gold coin with a skull and Aztec inscriptions, and looked at it with satisfaction.
'All that's left is to search for Bootstrap in the depths of the sea to take his blood, and then the curse will be lifted. It'll be difficult to find him in the darkness of the depths and with no real reference point in the open sea, but it's what we have to do,' he thought, then unconsciously looked at Will—the man who had been wearing the necklace—his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
That face... it was somewhat familiar.
Thinking of something, his eyes lit up.
"What's this boy's name?" he asked his men, pointing at Will, his eyes narrow.
The men who had brought Will looked at each other, and no one seemed to know. After all, they had only fought and taken down the man they had felt, through the call of the curse, was the one carrying the Aztec gold.
Barbossa was about to lose his patience when one of his men spoke up.
"Captain, we don't know, but I think he does," a hunched, dirty, bearded pirate gathered his courage and spoke, pointing to the side.
Barbossa followed the man's finger and saw whom he was referring to.
"The horse?" he asked, puzzled.
"Snort!" Tornado, the horse in question, snorted arrogantly when asked to give information and turned his head, unwilling to speak.
"No, Captain, behind the horse!" the man said, confused by the horse's reaction. The animal somehow genuinely seemed to think it had been asked for information.
"Behind?" Barbossa, though slightly confused, walked to the side of the horse, which now looked a bit offended at being ignored, and saw someone hiding there—causing his eyes to widen slightly. "Jack?!" he exclaimed, surprised.
Jack, crouched behind the horse with his fists held to his chest, bitterly raised his head upon seeing his old acquaintance and gave him a fake, friendly smile.
"Barbossa! How long has it been!" He smiled and stood up from his crouched position.
"Heh, Jack, I may be immortal, but it seems you're still the hardest one to kill around here," Barbossa mocked.
"Not for lack of trying by others, of course." Jack raised his fingers and made his point, flashing a fake grin.
"Yes, indeed." Barbossa looked at him with boredom. "Now, the name," he demanded, not playing around anymore.
"Name?" Jack feigned confusion.
Barbossa rolled his eyes and drew his sword, placing it at Jack's neck.
"Yes, the name." He slightly widened his yellowed eyes and gave a false smile back, pointing with his other hand at Will.
"Oh, you're talking about little Smith? He's no one, just a blacksmith's apprentice," Jack said and smiled honestly, placing a finger on the blade and gently pushing it away from his neck.
Of course, Barbossa didn't believe Jack's nonsense, but he did need confirmation of the boy's identity—whom he suspected he already knew.
"Jack, Jack, you really haven't changed. Now… give me the name!" Barbossa said in a light tone, before his voice turned heavier and his sword returned to Jack's neck, starting to pierce his skin.
But Jack didn't speak. If he did, he'd lose the value of staying alive—and, besides, there was another reason why he dared to take the gamble.
From the corner of his eye earlier, he had seen a hat with a yellow feather floating above the sea, with a small shadow beneath it, before it disappeared under the dock.
He knew—Puss was there.
Seeing that Jack wouldn't speak, Barbossa couldn't help but grow irritated—but just when he wasn't sure what to do, a voice shouted out, making Jack close his eyes, frustrated and helpless that his plan had been ruined.
"Let Elizabeth go, and I'll tell you who he is," it was the governor, shouting, surrounded by soldiers.
Barbossa looked at him, then at the girl.
"That won't work. We need a hostage so our ship isn't destroyed as we depart." He narrowed his eyes and refused.
Barbossa might have been a cruel and deceitful villain, but he didn't like breaking his word. At most, he would bend what he said to favor himself.
And he also wouldn't release the girl, because without such a valuable hostage—and with the power of the cannons of the Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, plus the many other cannons on the shore and the Interceptor—the Pearl could be sunk before getting far.
He could also kill everyone before escaping, but there were too many variables—like the demon cat his men had spoken of—and the great risk of the Pearl sinking before the battle was even won.
There was no ship like the Pearl for him, and he wasn't willing to lose it in an unnecessary battle.
"A hostage, right? Take me instead of my daughter, and I'll give you the name," the governor shouted, his expression deadly serious.
"No, Governor, you can't!" The guards around him panicked.
If the governor's daughter were kidnapped, it would be a scandal—but just that. But if the governor himself were taken, now that would be a serious problem.
But the governor paid no attention to the frantic guards around him and stared at Barbossa, who smiled wickedly at the offer.
"Well, if that's what you—" he began, but a cry interrupted him.
"No, take me as the hostage, leave my father, and I'll say the name!" it was Elizabeth shouting, anxious.
After saying that, she couldn't help but glance apologetically at the unconscious Will. She had a certain interest in Will—not quite love—but when faced with the choice between him and her father, the choice was easy.
"No! Elizabeth!" the governor shouted, anxious and distressed.
"HAHAHA! Very well, girl, say the name." Barbossa smiled even wider.
Taking the governor might have been safer, but it would bring more trouble with the Royal Navy, and he believed the day he lost his immortality was not far off—so it was better not to create more problems than necessary.
"William. William Turner," she gritted her teeth at that damned pirate, but still spoke—for her father's sake.
The pirates, who had been grinning and glaring fiercely at the guards—and who were also confused by their captain's behavior—suddenly lost their smiles and went serious, turning their faces to look at the unconscious Will on the ground.
"Turner… Bootstrap's blood," some of them murmured quietly, stunned.
Soon, the eyes of all the pirates began to shine.
And giggles began to spread before turning into full-blown laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!!!"
"YAHAHAHA!"
Like hyenas discovering dinner, they laughed like madmen, terrifying the soldiers surrounding them.
"VERY WELL, MEN, TIME TO DEPART!!" Barbossa shouted with a wicked grin on his face, turned, and began walking up the ship's ramp.
"Aye Aye, Captain!" The men, still laughing, pushed Elizabeth, Jack, and Tornado to follow Barbossa, while carrying the unconscious Will.
"Wait, my daughter!" the governor shouted in horror.
Barbossa stopped in his tracks and turned around.
"Don't worry, my dear governor. She will receive the finest lodging a pirate can offer! Hahaha!" He laughed wickedly and this time entered the Pearl without a second thought.
"Hahaha!" The pirates laughed and followed.
Then, with the raising of the Black Pearl's anchor, the cursed ship slowly left the dock under the grim and furious gazes of the guards.
In the trembling pupils of the governor, the massive ship slowly drifted away into the darkness, taking his precious daughter to an uncertain fate.