The process of locating the Black Pearl was uneventful. The only real surprise was Elizabeth's presence on board, but after that, the days gradually became monotonous.
Norrington patrolled the warship daily, and most of the time, he spoke with Ethan. He still couldn't make sense of the strange compass Jack carried and wanted to know if there was a more reliable method to track the Black Pearl.
"Don't worry, Commodore." The ship's course had remained steady over the past few days, Jack had already locked onto their target, and it wouldn't be long before they encountered the Black Pearl. "Even if Jack's method fails, we have another way to lure it out."
Ethan carried the gold coin on him. Only three people on board knew its true significance—Ethan, Jack, and Elizabeth, who had once possessed it.
Standing nearby, Elizabeth shot Ethan an irritated glare, clearly displeased that he had "snatched" the coin from her and hadn't let her "play" with it.
Unaware of the complex history behind the coin, Norrington simply nodded, reassured that Ethan had a backup plan, before returning to his duties.
He wanted to spend more time with Elizabeth and develop their relationship, but his strict sense of discipline kept him from indulging in personal matters during a formal military operation. Instead, he kept himself busy to avoid dwelling on such thoughts.
"He's a good man," Ethan remarked.
"I know." Elizabeth turned to look at him. "Will you give me back the gold coin?"
"No."
Regardless of whether the gold coin was useful or not, Ethan had no intention of returning it. It wasn't something Elizabeth should be holding onto, and the strange energy it radiated wasn't harmless.
"But it's not yours," she argued.
"It's not yours either... nor does it belong to Mr. Turner." The sunlight reflected off the gold coin as it rolled between Ethan's fingers. "This thing carries a curse. Keeping it isn't a good choice for you."
"I just… wanted to return it to Will."
"Trust me, Will wouldn't want it." Right now, Will Turner was just a simple blacksmith, content with his ordinary life. Like many common folk, he had no fondness for pirates, nor did he know that his father had once been one. If this coin resurfaced, it would change everything.
Then again, Ethan realized he had no right to make that decision for someone else. Will's father wasn't truly gone, and Will had the right to know the truth.
Deciding to tell Will about his father's situation, Ethan resolved to let him make his own choice.
As he pondered, Elizabeth pressed on. "How do you know he wouldn't want it?"
"I'll give Will an explanation that he'll understand, so there's no need for you to dwell on this." Ethan pocketed the gold coin. "Either way, I'm not giving it back to you."
Just then, a lookout suddenly shouted, "Ship spotted!"
All eyes turned to the observer stationed at the highest point of the Interceptor. Norrington rushed to the ship's side, scanning the horizon in the direction the lookout pointed.
"Black sails… It's the Black Pearl!"
At night, the black sails helped conceal the Black Pearl's movements, but in broad daylight, they stood out starkly against the sea. It wasn't long before everyone on deck could see the dark silhouette of the approaching ship.
"The Black Pearl," Ethan murmured.
But no one felt its presence more keenly than Jack Sparrow. As the former captain of the Black Pearl, he had thought of this ship day and night. And now, at last, it was right before his eyes. Though still distant, he had no doubt—it was his ship.
"They're turning! They're trying to escape!"
The moment the Interceptor spotted the Black Pearl, the pirates had spotted them as well. Out on the open sea, with no obstacles to provide cover, the moment two ships appeared on the horizon, both sides could see each other from miles away.
At the same time, because the open sea provided a vast, unobstructed view, it also meant that when the two ships spotted each other, they were still quite far apart. Even if one remained stationary while the other sailed at full speed, it would still take a considerable amount of time for them to meet.
Although the sudden appearance of the Interceptor put the Black Pearl on alert, its crew did not panic. Instead, they calmly adjusted their course—at the Black Pearl's speed, they were confident they could outrun any pursuer.
"Well? Can you get us as close as possible?"
According to the plan, the Royal Navy only needed to send Ethan to the Black Pearl, and the rest wasn't their concern. But now that they had actually found the infamous pirate ship, how could they simply stand by and do nothing? Norrington's first instinct was still to charge forward and take down the pirates with his men.
Jack immediately turned to Ethan and pointed at the Black Pearl in the distance. "You said that once you saw the Black Pearl, you'd have a way to deal with it. I'm looking forward to seeing what you've got."
His words drew the attention of everyone nearby, all eager to see what this mysterious young man would do.
Ethan chuckled. There was no need to keep a low profile anymore.
The Black Pearl was right there. Even at this distance, there was no way he would let it escape.
"It's time for the show to begin," he said, grinning. "And there should be thunderous applause."
Jack patted his own face twice, then quietly waited for Ethan's next move, completely ignoring the looks of bewilderment from the Royal Navy officers around him.
A second later, those same officers—who had just been looking at Jack as if he were an idiot—were now staring at Ethan in stunned disbelief. Even Norrington took an involuntary step back, unable to hide his shock.
Before their eyes, Ethan's appearance changed with just a wave of his hand.
His long cloak billowed out, engulfing him completely. Beneath the hood that now obscured his head, only his mouth and chin remained visible. Even Norrington, standing right in front of him, could see nothing but pitch-black darkness beneath the hood.
If that alone wasn't shocking enough, what happened next shattered their entire perception of reality. Ethan's cloak suddenly ignited, transforming into a raging inferno. The flames then surged outward, spreading to his sides—until they formed a pair of enormous, fiery wings.
Even Jack, who already knew Ethan could use magic, was left gaping. Now, at last, he understood why Ethan had always been so confident.
A powerful gust erupted from Ethan's transformation, pressing down on the entire Interceptor as if some immense force had just slammed the ship deeper into the water. Many crew members lost their balance, falling onto the deck, and a few unlucky ones were even injured. But no one cared, every single person was fixated on the spectacle before them.
"Lord above! Did you send a messenger to punish these wicked pirates?"
More than one sailor clutched the cross at their chest, murmuring frantic prayers. Ethan's flaming wings bore such a striking resemblance to biblical depictions of divine beings that it was easy to misunderstand. Even Norrington, a man of reason and higher education, found himself wondering if he was truly witnessing a messenger of God.
Jack, who actually knew that gods existed, swallowed hard. At this moment, Ethan's earlier words came back to him, and he finally understood why the man had never been worried about breaking his promise.
Watching Ethan ascend into the sky, his flaming wings leaving a visible trail as he streaked toward the Black Pearl, Jack suddenly felt certain—the Black Pearl was as good as his now. This time, Barbossa was doomed.
And he was right.
In the movies, Barbossa was an undeniably charismatic character. But in the real world, countless people wanted him dead.
Barbossa was a true pirate, ruthless and cunning. If all his crimes were listed out, it would take a long time just to read through them.
It was precisely because Barbossa and his crew were such heinous criminals that Ethan had no hesitation in using them as bargaining chips with Norrington. There was no moral burden in handing them over.
Ethan's flying speed was astonishing. For a brief period, he could even match Tony Stark in his Iron Man suit, though not for long. The suit could break the sound barrier once it reached full acceleration, something Ethan couldn't do just yet.
But in this era, even his current speed was utterly terrifying. The distance between Ethan and the Black Pearl was shrinking at a rate visible to the naked eye.
On board the Black Pearl, the pirates were frozen in shock. Even Barbossa himself stood motionless for a long moment. By the time he realized something was terribly wrong and tried to bark orders, he found that the enemy's speed was far beyond what they could react to. There was no escaping.
"Prepare for battle!"
When none of his men responded, Barbossa stormed over and kicked a stunned crew member.
"Prepare for battle! You're all immortal—what are you afraid of?!"
That was their final reassurance. As long as they couldn't die, they were invincible. But the way that thing was coming at them… it was terrifying.
"Cap… Captain… do you think our immortality… works against an angel?"
If he weren't so furious, Barbossa would have cut the idiot down himself. "Whether it works or not, do you want to stand here and die without a fight?! Pick up your weapons!"
Barbossa's roar finally jolted the pirates into action, giving them some semblance of morale.
But the moment Ethan landed on the Black Pearl, using the sheer force of his flight to send several pirates flying into the distance, whatever morale they had managed to muster instantly crumbled.
(To be continued.)
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