Jack and Barbossa circled one another in the heart of the cave, blades flashing as they clashed again and again. Neither man yielded an inch.
Every swing carried years of anger, betrayal, and unfinished business, each strike driven not just to wound—but to settle a score long overdue.
At the edge of the cave, Elizabeth's head cautiously appeared from behind the rocks near the entrance, eyes scanning the chaos.
Then she froze.
Moonlight poured down through the cracks in the ceiling, washing over the pirates locked in combat.
Skin vanished.
Flesh peeled away.
What remained were skeletons—white bone grinning under the silver light, empty sockets burning with cursed awareness as they fought on, swords clashing as if nothing about this was unnatural.
Elizabeth's breath caught. "So… that's what they really are."
Gibbs, standing beside her with Will, nodded grimly. "Aye. That's their true form under moonlight. Dead men walking."
Will stared, disbelief written all over his face. His grip tightened unconsciously. "That's… impossible," he whispered. "They're skeletons."
"And that," Gibbs said quietly, "is why you're here, lad. The last blood they need to break the curse."
In the center of the cave, Barbossa slashed hard toward Jack's neck. Jack twisted aside just in time, the blade passing close enough to whistle through his hair.
"Jack, you were a useless captain," Barbossa snarled. "I did nothing wrong betraying you. A captain should be clever, decisive—cruel. Not like you."
He slashed toward Jack's neck. Jack leapt sideways, the blade missing him by inches as it struck stone.
"Funny," he shot back, breath steady, "whenever pirates say they did nothing wrong, it's usually followed by a lot of stabbing."
Barbossa lunged again. "You never deserved the Black Pearl. She's mine."
Jack's eyes flashed. "That's where you're wrong." He kicked a loose block of stone toward Barbossa's face.
Barbossa knocked it aside—and Jack took the opening.
He drove his sword straight into Barbossa's chest.
Barbossa staggered back as the moonlight fully caught him, the blade jutting from a ribcage of bone. He looked down at it, then up at Jack, almost amused.
"You can't kill me, Jack."
He ripped the sword free and hurled it aside, bone fingers clattering against stone. In the same motion, he slashed toward Jack with renewed fury.
Jack barely had time to react. He turned and ran, boots pounding across the cave floor, Barbossa's laughter echoing behind him as the chase resumed.
"It's always fun to watch Jack," Daniel said lightly, eyes following the chase.
Then his expression shifted.
"I seem to have forgotten something," he thought.
The thought surfaced slowly, buried under all the chaos, the banter, the spectacle of Jack and Barbossa trying to kill each other. Daniel frowned, replaying his own trail of decisions.
A second later, it clicked.
"Oh. Right. The fragment."
He exhaled, almost amused at himself. Somewhere along the way, he'd gotten completely sidetracked. Watching Jack fight, messing with cursed pirates, enjoying the drama—he'd lost track of his actual objective.
Daniel straightened slightly and focused inward, opening the system interface while the sounds of battle echoed faintly around him.
[Recovery of fragment initiated.]
A brief pause followed.
[Fragment located.]
[Recovering…]
A soft glow appeared in the air near him—warm, golden. The light drifted toward him on its own, then slipped into his body, spreading a subtle warmth before settling deep within.
[Congratulations.]
[You have gained: Golden Tongue.]
[Effect: Increases persuasiveness. Spoken falsehoods become significantly more believable, with heightened effectiveness when directed toward women.]
Daniel blinked.
"…Huh."
That was not what he'd expected.
He considered the description for a moment, then let out a quiet chuckle. "That's… oddly specific."
Daniel was sure of one thing—this would be useful later. Maybe not now, maybe not here, but definitely later.
"Mate! Can you lend me a hand?" Jack shouted, narrowly parrying another vicious strike. "I'm a bit in a pinch here!"
Daniel didn't even look concerned. He leaned back against the rock, arms crossed, watching the fight like a particularly entertaining play.
"No," he said calmly. "I'm enjoying this. Deal with it yourself."
Jack ducked just in time as Barbossa's blade hissed through the air where his head had been a second earlier.
"Enjoying it?!" Jack yelled, scrambling sideways. "I'm about to be killed!"
"Details," Daniel replied lazily.
Barbossa pressed the attack, relentless.
"Stop running, Jack!" Barbossa snarled. "Stand still and die like a man!"
Jack barely avoided another slash, panting as he shot Daniel an incredulous look. "You hear that? He wants me to be polite about it!"
Daniel only smiled, eyes flicking between them, clearly entertained.
"Come on, Captain," Daniel said mildly. "You wanted this revenge. Don't tell me you need me to hold your hand now."
Jack didn't reply. He was already moving, blade flashing as he kept Barbossa's full attention on him—drawing him farther away from the center of the cave.
That was the plan.
While the two captains clashed, three figures slipped away along the shadows at the edge of the cave—Elizabeth, Gibbs, and Will.
They reached the Cortez chest.
Elizabeth leaned closer, eyes fixed on the open casket. Among the piles of gold, one coin stood out, a thin string still looped through it.
"That should be the coin," she said quietly.
"Now, boy, give me your hand," said Gibbs.
Will shook his head without hesitation. "No," he said flatly. "I won't be part of this."
Gibbs didn't argue.
"Sorry, lad," he muttered.
Before Will could react, Gibbs grabbed his arm, drew his knife, and cut across his palm. Will cried out, struggling, but Gibbs held him firm.
Gibbs forced Will's bleeding hand over the chest, pressed it down, and shoved the coin into his grip.
"Drop it," Gibbs said sharply.
The coin slipped from his bloodied hand and fell into the casket, landing among the others with a dull clink.
*****
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