"Back to Port Royal—we still have a chance!"
It took Beckett a long time to recover from the shock of the sea being split apart; finally pulling himself together, he spoke.
"This time the Royal Navy committed fewer than half its ships, and that sea-controlling Sorcery of the Black Emperor…" He paused, steadying himself. "We can report to His Majesty; the Empire will find a countermeasure!"
"I can help you," Tia Dalma said.
The Calypso human form looked far weaker now, her lips bloodless.
"I am the Sea-Goddess Calypso, sealed away by pirates. Free me, and I will help you defeat Fang Yuan. From then on, the Royal Navy will rule the waves unchallenged."
"Calypso?"
Beckett repeated the name—one of the Greek gods. England did not worship her, but in this situation the enemy of an enemy was a friend.
If Calypso kept her word, the British Empire might yet profit from this disaster.
"Commodore Norrington, we return to Port Royal first, then take the longer route back to England!" Beckett decided at once.
"Won't we expose ourselves sailing back into the Caribbean now controlled by the Black Emperor Pirates?" Norrington looked troubled, as if genuinely concerned for the fleet.
Beckett turned to Tia Dalma. "I trust the Sea-Goddess can see us to Port Royal unseen?"
The Calypso human form's face darkened further; her escape had cost her dearly. Still, she knew the Royal Navy was her last hope—if this failed, she would have to kneel before Fang Yuan and beg to be freed.
But Calypso knew herself well: if Fang Yuan had ever wanted her, he would have released her long ago.
"It can be done," Tia Dalma answered.
Norrington nodded at once and went to adjust their course.
With Tia Dalma's magic disguising the Effort as a Merchantman, the ship reached Port Royal without incident.
Stepping onto the dock, Beckett expected the port to be in panic after news of the Navy's defeat—only to find the opposite.
Port Royal had long been Black Emperor territory; only an outsider like Beckett hadn't known. The pirates' victory had made the port even more prosperous.
"Strange—does this Harbor Master possess extraordinary skill?" Tia Dalma mused aloud.
She had visited countless ports, yet none had thrived under such adversity.
Beckett was equally puzzled; he pictured Governor Swann's listless demeanor—hardly the image of capable leadership.
All doubts vanished the moment Tia Dalma laid eyes on Swann.
Seeing the beaming governor beside a radiant Elizabeth, Tia Dalma's eyes narrowed sharply.
She said nothing then, but late that night, after the party had settled in the town, she knocked on Beckett's door.
"…"
Beckett opened the door in his nightgown; finding Tia Dalma, he frowned.
A woman knocking on a man's door after dark invited all manner of thoughts.
Yet the sight of Calypso's human form—Dreadlocks, Betel-Stained Teeth, Dark Skin—left the English Gentleman in a quandary.
"I… don't… swing that way."
Beckett forced the words out.
Reason told him this was the moment to forge a deep bond with the Sea-Goddess.
But that same reason also whispered—
he simply couldn't.
Beckett fancied himself a Hard Man, yet before Tia Dalma he was nothing but soft.
Tia Dalma's face darkened further; she glared, then took several breaths to quell her rising anger.
The woman was clearly wasted on him; even Davy Jones had been Mad For her, and Jack Sparrow had kissed this very human form with gusto.
"I've uncovered pirate intelligence," she finally said.
Beckett exhaled in relief and let her into the room.
"What intelligence?" he asked at once.
After pacing a moment, she answered, "Your governor of Port Royal is one of Fang Yuan's men!"
"Impossible!" Beckett protested.
Governor Swann had been a favorite of the late King George I; the new monarch, George II, had tried to replace him on arrival, yet found no fault.
"The sea tells me so—Swann reeks of pirate. Believe me or not, we must leave at once!" Tia Dalma warned.
Though not fully convinced, Beckett dared not risk it. "I'll find Commodore Norrington—we sail tonight!"
He had hoped to rally scattered Navy remnants, but if Port Royal was compromised, better to reach England quickly.
"Bring those two Swanns with us," Tia Dalma added. "They're clearly close to Fang Yuan—perfect hostages if needed!"
Beckett hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright!"
The Caribbean Sea's navy had been crippled anyway, and this was Black Emperor Pirates territory; a governor made little difference here.
Besides, Calypso's mortal vessel was right—they did need some contingency plans.
Norrington would handle the arrests; he was already Beckett's most trusted subordinate.
When the commodore acts, he always succeeds.
Norrington carried out Beckett's orders flawlessly, seizing Governor Swann and Elizabeth without alerting anyone else in Port Royal.
It let Beckett breathe a huge sigh of relief—Norrington was also from Port Royal; thankfully he hadn't colluded with Governor Swann.
Thus, under cover of darkness, the Effort set sail for England itself.
"We're just letting them go like this?"
Jack Sparrow asked Fang Yuan, puzzled.
Because of the staggering power Fang Yuan had shown, after the Siege of Shipwreck Island was lifted the pirates didn't return to their own waters; instead they stayed with Fang Yuan to see what he'd do next.
In this great battle the pirates had mostly played spectators; the Black Emperor Pirates had almost single-handedly defeated dozens of navy warships plus the two cheat-like ships, The Flying Dutchman and the Silent Mary.
Any clear-eyed man could see that the future flow of the seas would depend on Fang Yuan's mood; anyone who could become Pirate King was shrewd—who would slip away now?
Still, Fang Yuan's decision not to pursue the navy left many puzzled, which was why Jack asked.
"What's the rush?"
"We have to give them time to gather their forces."
Fang Yuan swept an eye over the anxious crowd, then immediately ordered the crews to assemble.
Norrington had sent word: they were almost there.
"Pirate Emperor, where is our target?" Sao Feng asked hurriedly.
By now this powerful Pirate Lord followed Fang Yuan without reservation.
Fang Yuan smiled faintly and named a destination that startled everyone—
"The England Isles!"
"Strike straight at the navy's home!"
Nearly every pirate had heard of the Black Emperor Pirates' debut: the bombardment of London Port, an exploit that instantly pushed the then-unknown Fang Yuan's bounty past those of several Pirate Kings.
Now that Fang Yuan proposed hitting the navy's homeland, every pirate's interest was fired up.
"Charge!"
"Charge!"
Sao Feng, Chevalle and the other Pirate Lords were ecstatic—if they could really cripple the Royal Navy, the seas would be theirs to roam at will.
So the united pirate fleet set out in force, all heading for England.
"My Lord Black King, the trident has been cast."
As they prepared to sail, Sakazuki had a group of black men carry over a gigantic trident.
It resembled the golden trident Fang Yuan had obtained in DC, but was nearly half again as large.
For Fang Yuan, however, wielding it wasn't difficult; after a careful test he confirmed it didn't interfere with the oceans' authority.
"Excellent," Fang Yuan said with satisfaction.
The Poseidon Trident was too fragile, so Fang Yuan had had a protective sheath forged for it; he would fully solve the material problem once they left this World.
Fang Yuan's lips curved slightly—with the Poseidon Trident in hand, the pirates' presence hardly mattered; bringing them along was just for extra atmosphere.
Speaking of atmosphere, Lord Beckett was furious right now.
"Your Majesty, Weatherby Swann colluded with pirates; he must be publicly hanged to deter other officials!" Lord Beckett declared firmly.
En route he had wrung the truth from Governor Swann: just as Tia Dalma had said, Swann had long since sided with Fang Yuan.
George II was grossly obese with the very face of Harry Potter's Uncle Vernon.
"Hang him—hang him!" George II's face was red with rage.
He grieved for his navy's ships.
"Allow me a word, Your Majesty," the usually timid Governor Swann said, no longer afraid. "The Empire must reconsider how it deals with the pirates—pardon me—with Fang Yuan."
"Exactly—Fang Yuan is unbeatable!" Elizabeth declared stubbornly.
Beckett couldn't bear it: "Miss Swann, you're hardly behaving like a lady."
But Elizabeth lifted her chin. "I'm a lady of Port Royal—not London!"
George II realized both were dead-set on following Fang Yuan and disgustedly prepared to give the order.
Suddenly, a clamor rose outside, accompanied by a tremendous rumbling.
"Your Majesty!"
The Guard Captain rushed in to report: "The Black King—he's surrounded London with seawater!"
"What?"
George II leapt up, nearly toppling from his bulk, and hurried outside to look.
The sky had darkened; half the heavens were now a wall of water hundreds of meters high, nearly giving the king a phobia of colossal things.
"C-can we..." he stammered through cold sweat, recalling Governor Swann's words, "still make peace with the Black King?"
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