Using someone like Jack to expand the tavern would be a waste of talent.
Morin had better people for that.
And without Jack, in an era when Franklin might have only just finished his kite experiment, searching the vast ocean for those things would be slow and exhausting.
Jack mainly relied on his compass, of course.
But Morin had no interest in stealing it.
Besides, Jack was a protagonist.
Someone with a strong protagonist's halo.
There was no reason to sour their relationship.
Helping each other was the better option.
"The first thing we need to do is clear your name as a pirate," Morin said. "That's difficult for now. We'll need to go to London for that, and there are other things we need to handle first."
"So," Jack pointed at himself with curled fingers, "I guard the wine cellar?"
"Trust me, Boss. I'm very good at this."
"I think he'd drink all the wine," Turner said flatly.
"No!" Jack objected immediately, eyes wide.
He looked at Morin and pinched his fingers together, leaving a tiny gap.
"I'd only drink a little."
"The weather isn't great," Morin said, glancing at the sky.
Then he looked at Jack.
"You know about the curse of the coin, right?"
"If you mean the coin that lady was wearing around her neck," Jack said, bobbing his head, "I know a little."
"What?!" Turner exclaimed.
"Don't worry," Jack waved it off. "I'm pretty sure that curse won't affect the girl you love... Tur... Tur..."
He struggled to remember the name.
"Turner. Will Turner," Morin supplied.
"Turner? Will Turner..." Jack raised an eyebrow. "Will is short for William, right?"
"To honor your father?"
"...Yes," Turner replied, surprised but honest.
"You know that too?" Jack asked Morin.
"Of course," Morin said with a small nod. "I know many things."
"What are you two talking about?" Turner asked, completely lost. "Does this have something to do with me?"
"Yes," Morin said.
"To be precise, that cursed coin originally belonged to your father."
"No," he corrected himself. "It belonged to your father."
"Bootstrap Bill Turner."
"You're just telling him outright?" Jack shrugged. "Then I guess I don't need to keep it secret anymore."
"No need," Morin said. "He was going to find out eventually."
"Alright." Jack pointed at Turner. "I knew your father. 'Bootstrap' Bill Turner."
"He was my crewman. My former crewman."
"And the only one who didn't betray me."
"...Is that true?" Turner asked, staring at Morin in disbelief.
"My father was a pirate?"
"Yes."
"So... I'm a pirate's son?" Turner's voice fell.
"I don't see why you're so down," Morin said calmly. "First, your father's profession has nothing to do with you."
"Second, your father was a pirate like Jack Sparrow."
"No," Jack protested. "The great Captain Jack Sparrow is one of a kind."
"Correction," Morin said immediately. "A pirate similar to Jack Sparrow."
Turner: "..."
That's exactly why I'm depressed.
"In any case," Morin continued, patting Turner's shoulder, "who your father was has nothing to do with who you are. Understand?"
"But he did leave you something."
"A debt."
"A curse."
"The coin!" Turner realized.
"There's nothing wrong with you liking Miss Elizabeth," Morin said. "She took that coin and prevented your identity from being exposed."
"She saved you from the gallows."
"The curse is... what exactly?" Turner asked.
"I don't feel anything wrong with my body."
"Only those who took the coin from the stone chest on the Isle of the Dead are cursed," Morin explained.
"Your father took it, so he gained immortality."
"The coin Elizabeth has was passed down. It carries no curse."
"Immortality..." Turner hesitated.
"Boss," Jack interjected, "this immortality sounds a bit suspicious."
"If it were just immortality, it'd be a blessing," Morin said.
"But this curse has a flaw."
"In moonlight, the cursed turn into skeletons."
"They lose taste. Pain. Smell."
"And they're trapped in eternal hunger."
"...That's horrifying," Turner said, shivering.
That kind of immortality wasn't a blessing.
It was endless torment.
"If you don't have any more questions," Morin said, "go prepare to welcome our guest."
"I think Miss Elizabeth will arrive soon."
"I'll go right away!"
The moment Elizabeth's name came up, Turner forgot everything else and rushed off.
Morin: "..."
I spent all that time comforting him.
Turns out saying Elizabeth's name was enough.
"Ah... a boy chasing a girl," Jack said, sipping rum and swaying his hands.
He looked at Morin.
"So, Boss. What are you really planning?"
Jack had assumed Morin wanted to use Turner to find the Isle of the Dead.
But Morin clearly knew about the curse.
So what was his goal?
Even Jack couldn't figure it out.
Morin looked chaotic.
But he was sharp.
"I told you," Morin said. "I don't lie."
"Turner manages the tavern. I help him get Elizabeth."
"You help me find special items and creatures."
"I help you solve your problems."
"It's an exchange."
He paused.
"As for the third person..."
"The third?" Jack tilted his head.
"You'll meet him," Morin said. "Tonight, if nothing goes wrong."
When Elizabeth's coin touched seawater, the magic activated.
The ripple allowed the cursed pirates to sense its location.
Barbossa and his crew were already sailing toward the town.
Their goal was the coin.
Elizabeth was taken by mistake.
The curse required blood for blood.
The one who took the coin had to return it with their blood.
Bootstrap Bill Turner was presumed dead.
So they needed his descendant.
And the coin.
Jack had once led them to the Isle of the Dead.
He saw the curse and refused to take the treasure.
The crew didn't believe him.
Barbossa spread rumors.
Mutiny followed.
Jack was marooned with a single bullet.
The island turned out to be a smuggler stash.
Jack survived.
The pistol he carried now was the same one Barbossa left him.
He intended to return that bullet.
Morin's third choice was Barbossa.
A ruthless captain.
A perfect tool.
Turner would manage the tavern.
Jack would gather special items.
Barbossa would spread the tavern's name across the world.
Each used where they belonged.
Rules would come later.
That night.
Fog swallowed the town.
Visibility dropped to almost nothing.
"I thought Elizabeth would understand eventually," Wetherby said, walking the wall with Norrington. "But she hasn't grown up yet."
"Mr. Turner is closer to her in age," Norrington replied. "And he has stable income now..."
He paused, then changed topics.
"Sir, may I ask about the tavern owner?"
"You mean Mr. Morin?" Wetherby said. "His documents are flawless. More complete than anyone I've seen."
"Is something wrong?"
"I wouldn't say wrong," Norrington said carefully. "But... does he have a special background?"
"Nothing unusual," Wetherby said after thinking. "Just a traveler. Licensed to open a tavern."
"...I see."
"You've noticed something," Wetherby said. "Go on."
"He's too perfect," Norrington said. "No flaws. No gaps."
"That's what troubles me," Wetherby said.
"This morning," Norrington continued, "I questioned 'Ethan Hunt.' Mr. Morin stopped me."
"I saw," Wetherby nodded. "That's not his real name."
"But without proof, I won't act."
"At that moment," Norrington said quietly, "he showed me his true nature."
He shuddered.
"A mountain of corpses."
"You're certain?"
"That's the problem," Norrington said. "It's too precise. Controlled."
"No pirate I've faced is even a tenth as terrifying."
"...I'll write to an old friend," Wetherby said grimly.
"Until we understand him, we stay cautious."
"I understand."
"But Elizabeth plans to visit his tavern tomorrow..." Wetherby sighed.
As he spoke, a distant sound echoed.
"What was that?"
"Whoosh-"
Norrington reacted instantly.
"Enemy attack!"
He tackled Wetherby as a cannonball tore through the wall behind them.
Stones exploded outward.
In the fog, black sails emerged.
Cannons lined the hull.
The Black Pearl had arrived.
Captain Barbossa was here.
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