As night fell, the lights of Port Royal cast long reflections across the sea, shimmering like a golden ribbon against the obsidian waves.
This strongest fortress in the Caribbean Sea appeared tranquil and peaceful at night. Inside the harbor, masts stood tall like skeletal fingers, and several Royal Navy warships flying the Union Jack were quietly docked at the military pier.
No one would have thought that beneath this tranquility, a black phantom was silently approaching.
The Explorer had lowered all its sails. Even the albatross flag representing its identity had been taken down to avoid detection. The crew, using wet cloths to muffle their oars, carefully rowed under Hugo's command, steering the ship toward the secret waterway marked on the map.
"Everyone listen," Hugo whispered, his voice low and cold. "From now on, no one is allowed to make any sound! If anyone alerts the British, I'll be the first to throw him overboard to feed the sharks!"
The pirates nodded nervously. Even their breathing became lighter, as if the air itself might betray them.
Jack Sparrow stood at the bow, holding his eccentric compass, the one that always pointed toward what he desired most. He constantly compared its reading with Hugo's chart, his expression shifting from initial skepticism to genuine shock.
Hugo's map was surprisingly accurate, down to the smallest detail.
"To the left, a little more..." Jack directed in a low voice. "Yes, behind that rock that looks like an old woman's backside. The entrance is there!"
The Explorer, like a nimble fish, skillfully slipped into an extremely narrow entrance. The rocks on both sides of the hull were so close they nearly scraped the blackened wood.
Upon entering the waterway, a strong undercurrent immediately grabbed the hull, carrying them rapidly toward the interior of the harbor.
"My goodness, there really is such a waterway!" Billy exclaimed in a low voice, watching the rock walls recede. "Captain Hugo is simply the Sea God himself!"
Hanson was even more impressed. The fear he once held for these waters was slowly being replaced by absolute faith in the man at the helm.
Finally, after a dizzying spin, The Explorer burst out of the waterway into a calm, open body of water.
This was the abandoned old pier of Port Royal. It was empty, save for a few dilapidated fishing boats leaning crookedly against the shore. In the distance, the brightly lit white building of the Governor's Mansion was clearly visible.
They had truly snuck into the heart of the lion's den without a soul knowing.
"Alright, everyone." Hugo steadily moored the ship in an inconspicuous corner and dropped anchor. He turned to look at Jack Sparrow with a hopeful smile. "Captain Sparrow, it's your turn to perform."
"Leave it to me." Jack adjusted his tricorn hat and winked.
He pulled out a small glass bottle containing several lively fireflies. "This is my treasured luminous navigator," Jack said mysteriously. "With it, I can come and go freely in the dark."
After speaking, he hung the bottle on his waist and picked up a pre-prepared rope with a small grappling hook. He swung the rope dashingly, aiming for the pier on the shore.
The ideal was grand, but the reality was lean.
The grappling hook drew a crooked arc in the air and landed with a pathetic thud in the water, several meters short of the target. On the deck, there was a burst of stifled laughter.
Jack's face instantly darkened.
"Ahem... a mistake, purely a mistake," he coughed awkwardly while pulling the rope back. "The wind at night was too strong, affecting my aim."
He threw the grappling hook again.
This time, it caught onto a wooden pile on the pier, though it looked somewhat loose. Jack didn't care. He grabbed the rope, pushed off the ship's side with his feet, and intended to make a cool pendulum swing to land on the shore.
He was only halfway through the arc when a sickening crack echoed through the night.
The wooden pile, which was as rotted as Jack's reputation, snapped in response. Jack Sparrow let out a muffled scream and, with a heavy plop, fell into the cold seawater.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Billy could no longer hold back. He clutched his stomach, laughing and rolling on the deck. The other pirates also laughed so hard they swayed, clutching the rigging for support.
"My God... is this the legendary Pirate King?"
"Is he sure he's not here as the court jester?"
"I'm starting to feel a little sorry for Barbossa; how did he put up with this guy for ten years?"
Gibbs covered his face with his hand, looking as if he couldn't bear to watch. He felt as though all the dignity he had accumulated over a lifetime had vanished in a single splash. Meeting Jack again was starting to feel like a very expensive mistake.
Hugo was also caught between laughter and tears. He finally understood: Jack Sparrow's passive skill was that he couldn't stay cool for more than three seconds. As soon as he started showing off, he was bound to make a fool of himself.
The crew eventually pulled the drenched and shivering Captain Jack back up.
"Alright, stop playing," Hugo said, handing him a bottle of rum. "Warm yourself up, and just swim over."
Jack took the bottle, took a massive gulp, and only then felt alive again. He glared fiercely at the snickering crew, then jumped back into the water without a word, swimming clumsily toward the pier.
Hugo watched his desolate back and silently prayed. He hoped the next "performance" would be a little more reliable.
Half an hour later.
A grand ball was being held in the banquet hall of the Governor's Mansion. Governor Swann was chatting with elegantly dressed nobles while his daughter, Elizabeth, absentmindedly responded to Commodore Norrington's polite advances.
"Father, I'm feeling a bit unwell; I'm going back to my room first..."
Not long after she left, the heavy banquet hall doors were kicked open with a loud bang.
A man, soaking wet and covered in seaweed, staggered in. His eyes were rimmed with heavy kohl, and he was covered in large, red bumps. He held an empty wine bottle and pointed at the crystal chandelier.
"Hiccup... I, the great Captain Jack Sparrow, declare... the requisition of your... your shiny thing!" he announced in a drunken roar. "And all your rum!"
The hall fell into a stunned silence.
"Guards! Guards! Arrest this lunatic!" Governor Swann's face turned pale with fury.
A group of red-coated guards rushed forward, surrounding Jack.
"Oh? Want to fight me?" Jack grinned, showing a mouthful of gold teeth.
He suddenly smashed the wine bottle on the floor and pulled out something unexpected: a honeycomb wrapped in cloth.
"You red-trousered idiots!" Jack shouted, throwing the honeycomb directly into the middle of the guards.
Buzz--!
Countless disturbed bees instantly swarmed out, filling the hall with a frantic, angry hum.
"Ah! Bees!" "Help! They're everywhere!"
The banquet hall descended into absolute chaos. Nobles fled in all directions, and the guards stopped their pursuit of Jack to swat at the air, rolling on the floor in agony. The entire security force of the mansion was drawn to the front to deal with the "invasion."
Meanwhile, in the back garden, Hugo, Billy, and Hanson silently climbed over the wall.
"Captain, this guy... he really has a way of making an entrance," Billy whispered, watching the chaos from afar.
"Let's go," Hugo said, his voice dropping. "Our target is the room on the far right of the second floor."
He looked at the lit window, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "Miss Elizabeth Swann, we've come to 'invite' you as our guest."