To find Blackbeard, it wasn't just about cleaning up. The Black Pearl needed to dock, restock supplies, and dismiss part of the crew.
This time, they were going to pick a fight with Blackbeard. After spending time together, Jack had come to realize that this group of subordinates was unreliable, and there were too many people aboard.
"Cut the numbers. Keep about ten good hands, then set sail after resupplying."
"You can handle the arrangements."
Blackbeard was different from Jack. Jack preferred the relatively calm seas and pleasant climate of the Caribbean and operated mainly in that region.
Blackbeard's territory was much broader. Almost the entire Atlantic was his hunting ground. To challenge Blackbeard, Jack and his crew had to leave the Caribbean and venture into the Atlantic, and possibly even the Mediterranean or North Sea.
Leaving the Mediterranean aside, the Atlantic's sea conditions were much more treacherous. Sailing from the Caribbean to Europe meant crossing the entire Atlantic. No one could predict what might happen along the way. A single mishap could mean being buried in the vast ocean.
In this era, sailing was still a life-threatening endeavor. But Jack didn't believe that he and his crew would die in the Atlantic, especially with Ethan aboard.
"Make sure it's cleaned thoroughly. Our guest can't stand such a dirty and messy cabin."
"No need to bother with that. Just repair and maintain the Black Pearl. I'll take care of the cleanliness once we're at sea."
As the pirate haven of the Caribbean, Tortuga was the only suitable port for repairs and restocking. Once they arrived, Jack paid most of the crew their wages, retained a few reliable hands, and began overhauling the ship.
Gibbs was sent ashore to handle the procurement of various supplies, while Jack remained on the ship to supervise the crew in thoroughly cleaning the cabins.
Sailing ships of this era weren't just dirty. Even the open deck reeked with a foul stench.
Even naval warships from Port Royal couldn't completely avoid this. They were only marginally better.
On a pirate ship like the Black Pearl, conditions were simply appalling. Ethan felt like he was standing between a garbage dump and a public latrine. Even after casting magic to block the unbearable smell, he stood on the poop deck all the way to Tortuga.
Besides being unable to bear the interior stench, another reason was the lack of space on the Black Pearl. There weren't many cabins. The lone captain's cabin had already been given to Elizabeth. Jack and Will had to share the common crew quarters or sleep in a random corner.
If Ethan had spoken up, that room would have definitely been given to him. But it wasn't worth arguing with Elizabeth over something so trivial.
If it were the Jack of the past, seeing Ethan react this way, he would definitely have mocked him as some pampered noble who couldn't handle a little filth. He might have even played a trick or two on him.
But ever since Jack began treating Ethan as a "special being," he rarely joked with him. Even the infamous Jack Sparrow held a sense of awe toward certain figures.
Ethan never bothered to clarify that he wasn't what Jack thought he was. In his mind, his relationship with Jack Sparrow would probably remain like this.
Especially after dealing with Blackbeard and Davy Jones, there might be no need for further interaction between them.
After staying in Tortuga for a while and restocking, the Black Pearl returned to sea.
Once at sea, Ethan cast a spell to thoroughly clean the ship's interior.
A gentle breeze infused with magic swept through every corner of the ship, finally carrying away thick, foul-smelling black smoke that drifted down into the sea. The entire Black Pearl, aside from visible wear and aging, was now as clean as a newly built ship. Even the most hidden corners were spotless.
"Oh, oh, such convenient magic exists?"
Jack ran back and forth several times, inspecting every hard-to-clean spot on the Black Pearl. The result left him in awe.
"Why didn't you use this last time?"
"I hadn't mastered this spell back then."
At that time, Ethan didn't know many spells. He relied more on his equipment to cast magic and fight.
Now, he could be considered a true mage. He had already learned a large number of practical spells for daily use, though he rarely used them on his own ship, the Aurora.
Jack was stunned. He realized something incredible from Ethan's words—Ethan's strength was still increasing? At the time, he had already thought Ethan was as powerful as a god. So what was he now?
"Does it suddenly feel like your little problem isn't a big deal anymore?"
Jack's smile became difficult to describe. While he was glad he didn't have to worry about the threat of Davy Jones anymore, part of him felt that after worrying so much for so many days, finding out it was a minor issue to Ethan was kind of demoralizing.
In the past, he believed that there was no problem in this world that he couldn't solve with his cleverness. Even Davy Jones wasn't insurmountable—it was just a matter of time and effort.
But when it came to Ethan, no matter how hard he schemed, there was no way to overcome him.
The difference in strength was overwhelming. No matter what trap he laid, Ethan could likely break it with pure brute force.
The sailors on board were amazed by the magic Ethan displayed, but no one dared approach or be friendly with him. Ethan's mysterious power inspired more fear than admiration, and most sailors went out of their way to avoid him.
Fortunately, Ethan spent most of his time alone on the poop deck, lost in thought. He didn't interfere with the crew's work.
"How long will it take us to find Blackbeard?"
Jack was holding the compass, adjusting the ship's course. Hearing Ethan's question, he casually handed the helm to Gibbs, then walked over to the railing and looked out at the distant sea with Ethan.
"I'm not sure."
His compass could only point to a direction, not determine distance. Judging by the direction the compass pointed, Blackbeard was likely in Europe. Whether it was the Mediterranean or the North Sea, they wouldn't know until they crossed the Atlantic.
"Never mind. Let's just hope this guy doesn't move around too much."
Expecting Blackbeard not to move around was unrealistic.
After a long, uneventful journey, the Black Pearl finally crossed the Atlantic and reached European waters. After some searching, they discovered that Blackbeard was headed toward the Mediterranean.
Initially, the compass had indicated that Blackbeard was in the North Sea, so the Black Pearl sailed in that direction, avoiding the European mainland and heading north.
Unexpectedly, Blackbeard veered south and headed toward the Mediterranean, forcing the Black Pearl to sail in a wide arc across the Atlantic, adding unnecessary distance to their journey.
Ethan, already annoyed, was now in an even worse mood. Just looking at his expression, Jack could already imagine the tragic fate awaiting Blackbeard.
As it turned out, he wasn't wrong. Just as the Black Pearl reached the Strait of Gibraltar, they finally caught up with the Queen Anne's Revenge, which had been roaming restlessly.
The distance between the two ships wasn't far. Through a telescope, they could clearly see the condition of the other ship's deck.
Jack Sparrow's crew was observing the other ship, and Blackbeard was also watching the Black Pearl. His face showed confusion. He couldn't understand how someone like him, the infamous Blackbeard, had become the target of someone else's pursuit.
The Black Pearl was clearly a pirate ship. Its all-black appearance, including black sails, was infamous among pirates.
Who gave this guy the guts to challenge him? That was what Blackbeard couldn't figure out.
Whether the captain of the Black Pearl was Jack Sparrow or Barbossa, he didn't care.
"Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish."
Blackbeard was not known for having a good temper. If a pirate was provoked by another and didn't retaliate, how could he show his face in the future? Especially someone as well-known as Blackbeard.
Just as the Queen Anne's Revenge began to change course, a streak of fire shot out from the Black Pearl and flew straight toward it.
"What's that?"
From afar, it looked like some kind of rocket. But what kind of weapon could fire a projectile that far?
Using his telescope to get a closer look, Blackbeard—Edward Teach—was so shocked he almost dropped it.
"A... person?"
It was a man with huge, flaming wings spread behind him, flying at astonishing speed toward him.
He didn't know whether this was human or something else, but instinct told him this was serious trouble.
"Everyone, prepare to fire!"
Blackbeard gave the order. His pirates took out their muskets, but before they could aim, Ethan had already landed on the deck of the Queen Anne's Revenge.
From the moment Ethan took off to the moment he landed in front of Blackbeard, only seconds had passed—too short for Blackbeard to think of how to react.
And despite that incredible speed, Ethan's landing caused no damage. In fact, he had slowed down before touching down, gently landing on the deck like a feather. Calmly, he allowed dozens of muskets to point at him.
"Are you Blackbeard, Edward Teach?"
(To be continued.)
***
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