Both soldiers stared at Daniel's clothes. The long brown trench coat, the strange cut of his shirt, the unfamiliar fabric—nothing about him belonged to this era.
Murtogg frowned. "Sir… are you some kind of noble?"
Yeah, Murtogg thought, only nobles would wear clothes that fancy.
Daniel shrugged casually. "Nah. But I am rich."
Before either of them could react—or ask what being rich had anything to do with their question—Daniel slipped a hand inside his coat and pulled out a small handful of gold coins. The dull clink was soft, but to the ears of two underpaid soldiers, it sounded deafening.
"So," Daniel said lightly, letting the coins rest in his palm, "take this gold and go buy yourselves something nice."
Murtogg and Mullroy both stiffened. Their eyes widened despite themselves, drawn instinctively to the gleam of gold. For a brief moment, temptation flashed across their faces.
But discipline—barely—won.
"We're on duty," Mullroy said, forcing his gaze away. "We can't leave the ship."
Daniel nodded as if that were perfectly reasonable. "Fair. But look at yourselves—you've been standing here all day, guarding this big ship in the dock."
He gestured lazily toward the harbor, the fort looming above, officers bustling back and forth.
"Do you honestly think anyone would dare steal it?"
The two guards hesitated.
"And really," Daniel continued calmly, persuasive without pushing, "just look at us." He motioned between himself and Jack. "Do we look like two men capable of stealing a ship like that?"
Jack blinked, glanced at Daniel, then at the ship—and smiled faintly. Very faintly.
Daniel extended the gold again. "Go get a drink. Five minutes. Stretch your legs. I'll still be standing right here when you come back."
Murtogg swallowed.
Mullroy licked his lips.
Murtogg exchanged a glance with Mullroy.
"…Five minutes," Murtogg muttered. "No more."
Daniel smiled. "Of course."
The soldiers took the gold quickly, as if afraid it might vanish, and stepped away from the dock—making a visible effort to look like they were definitely not abandoning their post.
Jack watched them go, then slowly turned back to Daniel, eyes lingering on the coat… then the pocket where the gold had come from.
"Mate," Jack said casually, lowering his voice, "you seem to have an impressive amount of money."
He tilted his head, a faint grin forming.
"Would you mind terribly if some of it found its way into my pockets as well?"
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
Wow… this guy's way of asking was actually impressive.
"I don't mind," Daniel said calmly. "But I need a captain—one who can take me to Isla de Muerta."
Jack stiffened for half a second, then laughed it off easily.
"Mate, that's just a pirate fairy tale," Jack said, waving a dismissive hand. "Nothing but stories to scare children and drunk sailors."
Daniel smiled faintly. "If the Black Pearl is a real ship, then why wouldn't Isla de Muerta be real too?"
He tilted his head. "And you're the former captain of the Black Pearl… aren't you?"
Jack's smile didn't disappear.
But his eyes sharpened.
Jack's brows lifted slightly, interest flickering in his eyes.
"Well now," he said lightly, "it seems you know my history, mate."
Among pirates, his story was well known. Among certain people, even more so.
Daniel nodded. "Of course I do. The infamous Captain of the Black Pearl—Jack Sparrow."
A faint smirk crossed his lips. "One of the most famous pirates sailing the seas."
Jack let out a slow, satisfied hum.
"Ah," he said, nodding to himself. "Fame. Always good to be recognized. Less good to be recognized by the wrong people."
His eyes flicked briefly toward Fort Charles, then back to Daniel.
"So tell me, mate—are you one of the right people… or one of the unfortunate ones?"
"You can consider me a friend," Daniel said calmly. "I need your expertise at sea."
Jack gave a small, thoughtful hum. "My services are… costly," he said, already half-deciding to take whatever money was offered and vanish the moment he got the chance. "But they are reliable."
Daniel smiled. He slipped a hand into his coat and pulled out a heavy, intricately carved Egyptian gold idol. Sunlight caught its surface, the metal gleaming unmistakably real.
"Is this enough?" Daniel asked.
Jack stared.
Then he stared harder.
Slowly, he looked from the idol… to the coat… then back to Daniel.
"Mate," Jack said carefully, lowering his voice, "that coat of yours is beginning to worry me."
He reached out, hesitated, then gently tapped the idol with one finger. Solid. Very solid.
"That," Jack continued, swallowing, "is not sailor money. That's change-your-life-and-get-killed-for-it money."
Daniel shrugged. "I've got more."
Jack's head snapped up. "…You've got more."
He had no idea where this man had fallen from—or how—but one thing was obvious: with that kind of money, Jack could swim in rum for the rest of his natural life. Possibly two natural lives, if he planned it right.
Yes.
This man absolutely needed to be scammed.
Jack's expression softened instantly, his earlier caution melting into warmth like sunlight on the sea. He adjusted his coat, flashed an easy smile, and stepped closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret.
"Friend," Jack said smoothly, placing a hand over his heart.
He tilted his head, eyes bright with false sincerity.
"What is your name? Because I have a feeling—strong feeling—that we are about to become lifelong friends."
The word lifelong rolled off his tongue like a promise… or a very convincing lie.
Inside, Jack was already planning it out:
Get the gold.
Lose the man.
"It's Daniel."
For a brief moment, they simply looked at each other.
Two cunning foxes, each wearing a friendly smile.
A scammer trying to scam another scammer.
Let's see how this ends.
*****
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