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Chapter 38 - Trade
🕑 Added 2025-04-28 16:06:42 +0000 UTCPuss looked at Jack, and a question that had been surfacing in his mind couldn't help but slip out.
"Jack, why did you go to Spain?" Puss asked, startling Jack slightly with the sudden question.
Long ago, Puss had abandoned any formalities and simply called him by his name.
Jack glanced at the orange cat, frowning slightly.
"Why are you asking that?" He said, raising an eyebrow, giving nothing away.
But Puss wasn't fooled. He looked at Jack, smiling just a little.
"You didn't come all this way for me, did you?" He asked, making Jack visibly flinch for a moment.
"You? No, I didn't even know you," Jack quickly said, turning his eyes back to the sea as he steered the ship.
Puss couldn't help but roll his eyes. He wasn't sure if Jack was just a terrible liar, or if he simply didn't bother trying very hard.
Either way, he already had his answer. Jack might not have known him personally, but if Jack's greatest desire was a way to reclaim the Pearl, then it wouldn't be impossible for his compass to point toward Puss.
Thus, Puss was about ninety percent sure that Jack had gone to Spain for none other than himself.
But he also knew there was no way he would get Jack to talk about his compass now. That sneaky pirata would probably only reveal something about it in a moment of extreme necessity — or after downing a few bottles of rum.
"Jack, tell me: what do you need? And what do I get out of it?" Puss decided to cut straight to the point.
He didn't bother asking how Jack knew he needed him — he already understood and didn't want to waste time — so he simply stated it as fact and moved on to the important part: his reward.
'Well, I have to make dinero to feed the niños!' Puss thought, amused.
The truth was, he didn't really care about money. But instead of running around doing favors for everyone, it simply felt better to charge for it. Of course, this didn't apply to heroic deeds — those he would still do freely when necessary.
And besides, it was more fun to see what Jack would offer in return.
Jack froze and turned his gaze back to Puss.
"What are you—" He started, but Puss interrupted.
"You want my help to get back your Black Pearl, correcto? Come on, I don't mind helping, but what's in it for me?" Puss said as he calmly sat on the ship's railing, crossing his legs.
Jack remained silent for a second, staring at him.
"What do you want?" He asked helplessly.
Puss tapped a claw against his chin thoughtfully and looked up at the sky.
He didn't really want anything specific, but then something seemed to occur to him. He turned his gaze back to Jack.
"How about this? In the future, I'll ask you to help me find three things. Promise me that, and you'll have my help," Puss said with a smile, making Jack's eyes light up.
Smiling, Jack extended his hand toward Puss.
"No problem, mate. There's nothing in these seas that I, Jack Sparrow, can't find. Deal!" Jack said.
Puss, with his small paw, clasped Jack's hand, and they shook on it.
"Deal," Puss echoed, smiling too.
Adventure was ahead, and he was excited to take part in it.
"And what about your trip to Far Far Away?" Jack asked, looking puzzled as he remembered.
"No rush. I can go after we finish this little quest. So, what's the plan?" Puss shrugged indifferently and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well, if you say so…" Jack didn't press it, and calmly turned the wheel, continuing.
"We'll need a fast ship if we're going to have a shot. This old thing won't cut it. I know where we can find one — not as grand as my Pearl, of course, but still very good."
Jack smiled subtly, a gleam in his eyes as he stared toward the horizon, and he finished with an upbeat tone:
"We're heading to Port Royal!"
...
It was a beautiful day in Port Royal.
At Governor Swann's mansion, the day had also begun with servants bustling about under a clear, pleasant sky.
Governor Swann was known throughout the city as a good, generous, and just man, and because of that, the servants did not feel oppressed serving the Swann family.
However lively the mansion might seem, the only true member of the governor's family was his daughter, Elizabeth Swann, whom he cherished above all else.
That morning, in her chambers, the beautiful young Elizabeth slept peacefully on her side when her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
She was dreaming of the past.
In her dream, she remembered meeting the young William Turner, and the black, tattered sails of a ship disappearing into the heavy mist.
Her final memory was the sight of the ship's sinister Jolly Roger swaying in the fog—and with that, she opened her eyes, waking with a start.
Taking a soft breath, she quickly calmed herself.
Say what you will about Elizabeth Swann, but she was no coward.
Pulling back her blankets, she sat up, grabbed a candlestick with a still-lit candle from her bedside table, and, after rising, walked toward the vanity in her room.
Reaching it, she opened a drawer and, with delicate fingers, triggered a secret compartment inside. There, hidden away, was a dusty necklace.
She had always believed it to be a pirate's medallion, and the proof of young Will Turner's true identity—she had taken it from around his neck when they were children.
Holding the necklace in her hand, she brushed her thumb across the pendant to clear away the dust. Beneath the grime, the gleam of gold was revealed, with a skull in the center and strange markings etched around it—markings she had no knowledge of.
She lifted the necklace and placed it around her beautiful neck, gazing into the mirror with a look of faint admiration.
The truth was, she had always been enchanted by tales of pirates, by the freedom they sang of—and she couldn't help but dream of having her own adventures, sailing the seas under a pirate flag.
But her admiration was quickly replaced by panic.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Elizabeth!"
Soft knocking at the door, followed by her father's voice.
Startled, she slammed the secret compartment shut, rushed to grab a robe—and accidentally knocked over a chair in her haste.
"Are you alright?" Hearing the crash, Governor Swann sounded concerned behind the door.
She didn't answer immediately, hastily throwing the robe around herself to appear more presentable, and slipping the necklace into her bodice to hide it.
"Are you decent?" Her father's voice came again, requesting permission to enter.
"Yes! Yes!" She quickly replied, finishing hiding the necklace and calming herself, forcing a normal smile onto her face.
With her permission, the governor opened the door and entered, followed by several maids.
The maids began opening the curtains and tidying the room while he turned to Elizabeth.
"Still abed at this hour? It's a beautiful day," Governor Swann said with a warm smile, amused at his precious daughter's unusual laziness.
As Elizabeth squinted at the sudden sunlight, her father continued:
"I have a gift for you." He smiled, and a maid approached, carrying a large box.
Elizabeth stepped forward, a genuine smile lighting her lips. She loved her father dearly, who had always treated her like a princess.
As he opened the box, a beautiful, decorated dress was revealed before her eyes.
"Oh! It's beautiful!" Elizabeth gasped, happily taking hold of the dress.
"Isn't it?" Governor Swann beamed with satisfaction.
But then Elizabeth's smile faded slightly, and she looked suspiciously at her father.
"May I inquire as to the occasion?" She asked, feeling that it couldn't be so simple.
"Does a father need an occasion to dote upon his daughter?" Governor Swann raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence with a chuckle.
Elizabeth seemed convinced and carried the dress behind the dressing screen—a simple partition that hid her from view while allowing her to continue speaking with the others.
"Go on," The governor said gently to the maids, who had finished their tasks and now moved to assist Elizabeth in changing.
"Actually, I, err… I had hoped you might wear it for the ceremony today," The governor admitted, a little sheepishly.
"The ceremony?" Elizabeth's voice came, confused.
"Captain Norrington's promotion ceremony," He said, his embarrassment clear, yet smiling because his intentions were good.
"I knew it!" Elizabeth's head popped from behind the screen, her gaze accusing as she realized her father's "simple gift" had a hidden motive.
"Commodore Norrington, as he's about to become!" He didn’t mind and smiled, putting emphasis on the word Commodore.
He believed Norrington to be a good, honorable man—and he truly thought the Commodore would treasure Elizabeth.
It wasn't about advancing socially; as Governor of Port Royal, his position already surpassed Norrington's. It was simply a father's wish to secure the best future for his beloved daughter.
"A fine gentleman, don't you think? He fancies you, you know," He added encouragingly.
"Ah! Ohh!" Elizabeth, however, was far more concerned with the corset being tightened mercilessly around her waist, letting out soft moans of discomfort as she struggled to breathe.
"Elizabeth? How's it coming?" Her father asked quickly, concerned by the noises he heard.
"It's difficult to say," She replied, her voice slightly nasal from the pressure on her chest.
"I-I'm told it's the latest fashion in London," The governor said, trying to reassure both her and himself.
"Well, women in London must've learned not to breathe," She muttered back through gritted teeth, pressing a hand against her chest, struggling for air.
Suddenly, they were interrupted as a servant arrived, calling for the governor.
"Milord, you have a visitor."
Comments
acdpqs
i dont read this one, just funny that you would release two chapters called 'trade' on the same day
