Chapter 13: The Ghost Behind the Wheel
The sea was calm, but the silence was louder than the waves.
Jake's ship—a modest vessel compared to the Black Pearl—cut through the water like a shadow, always just out of sight. Raina gripped the wheel tightly, her eyes trained on the black silhouette in the distance.
The Pearl drifted ahead, its dark sails blotting out the moonlight, unaware of the smaller ship haunting its wake.
Raina spoke over the wind, "We're close, but not too close. Just how you wanted, Captain."
Jake stood near the edge of the ship, hat tilted low, coat fluttering in the breeze. He didn't answer.
He hadn't said a word since they set out.
Elias leaned on the wooden railing, watching him.
Studying him.
"You've gone quiet," Elias finally said.
Jake didn't respond.
Elias tilted his head. "I saw it, you know. That look in your eyes when you saw the Black Pearl. Like something was ripped out of you and tossed into the sea."
Still nothing.
"But it wasn't just the ship, was it?" Elias continued. "When you saw Barbossa, you didn't look angry. You didn't look scared."
Jake's fingers twitched.
Elias smirked. "You looked like death itself."
Jake slowly turned his head, one eyebrow raising slightly.
"So," Elias shrugged, "I figured it's one of two things. Either you're completely mad—which, don't get me wrong, I deeply respect. Or…"
He paused, watching Jake closely.
"Barbossa did something to you. Something deep. Something personal."
Raina looked back from the wheel but said nothing.
Jake finally spoke, his voice calm, cool, as if brushing off dust from a memory that never truly left.
"Well," he began, dragging out the word, "seeing as we've got nothing but open sea ahead and no clue where Barbossa's headed, I suppose a bedtime story won't hurt."
He turned to face them, eyes twinkling but cold beneath the charm.
"Barbossa wasn't always a villain, you know. Once, he was my first mate. Trusted him like a brother. We sailed together, drank together, stole half the damn Caribbean together. The Pearl was mine—we found her, raised her from the depths, gave her life."
He smiled bitterly.
"Then he stole it. My ship. My crew. Left me for dead on an island with a pistol and a single shot."
Elias blinked. "He marooned you?"
"Aye," Jake said with a sigh, leaning back. "Took the Pearl and sailed under my name. He used everything I taught him—every trick, every lie, every map I stole—to carve out a legacy. But it wasn't his to take."
Raina spoke, her voice quiet. "That's why you looked like that when you saw him."
Jake's tone stayed light, but the edge was unmistakable.
"Imagine seeing your own ghost. That's what it's like looking at the Pearl now. She ain't just a ship. She's my heart. My soul. And he's defiling her with his filthy undead hands."
Elias nodded, silent for a moment.
Then he smiled. "Well, I think I like you more now."
Jake raised a brow. "You didn't like me before?"
"I liked your hat," Elias said with a shrug. "But now? You've got wrath. That's something I understand."
Jake chuckled. "Careful, mate. Wrath's a tricky companion. Makes you brave, makes you stupid. Sometimes makes you both at once."
Elias smirked. "Good thing I'm already both."
The three shared a quiet laugh as the Pearl drifted farther ahead.
Jake turned to Raina. "Keep us steady. If Barbossa leads us where I think he's going…"
He paused.
"Then we're headed into cursed waters."
Raina frowned. "Cursed how?"
Jake's voice was almost a whisper now. "The kind where legends sleep. And monsters remember your name."
Elias grinned, one hand resting on his sword.
"Well then, let's make sure they remember ours too."
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