"Reverse jinx?" Bob clearly didn't get the term, which wouldn't become popular for years.
"You ever watch war movies?" Luke asked.
"Of course! Seen a ton!"
"In those movies, when someone gets captured and begs, 'Don't kill me,' they're toast. But if they say, 'Go ahead, kill me,' they usually survive."
"No freaking way! That makes so much sense! You're breaking the curse!" Bob exclaimed.
"Alright, don't worry about me. As long as you hold up your end, I'll be fine," Luke said confidently.
"I don't know where you get the confidence for something this dangerous, but good luck, man!"
"Wanna know why I'm so confident? Not telling you!"
"Tch!"
Luke obviously couldn't spill the real reason for his confidence.
He couldn't exactly tell Bob, I've got a system that says this scene has a super high success rate, right?
[Host's Master-Level Gymnastics provides an additional boost in this scene, adjusting the success rate to 90%.]
[Through continuous training, the host has increased proficiency in this action scene, raising the final success rate to 96%.]
96%…
Over the past few months, Luke's relentless training had pushed the success rate to 96%.
That was a pretty solid number. The remaining 4% came from unpredictable environmental factors—nature's chaos at work.
Nothing could guarantee a perfect 100%.
In his mind, Luke mentally rehearsed the B-level danger-rated action scene they were shooting today.
This scene wasn't in the original script—it was a new addition to the plot.
It centered on Captain Barbossa trying to capture Will Turner to use his blood to break his curse.
Meanwhile, Will wanted to capture Barbossa to free Elizabeth, who was being held hostage by the pirates.
Cue an epic showdown.
The duel started on the deck, where Will's razor-sharp swordsmanship quickly overwhelmed Barbossa, leaving him defenseless.
But Barbossa was immortal. No matter what injuries he took, he came out unscathed.
How do you beat an unkillable monster like that?
Will climbed up the mast, using the environment to his advantage to trap Barbossa.
For this scene, three camera positions were set up: one on the deck to capture the fight, another halfway up the foremast to film their climb, and a final one at the top of the foremast for the high-stakes showdown.
It was all practical, shot in real locations with multiple long takes to maximize authenticity and immersion.
No wires could be used for this scene. There was no anchor point higher than the main mast, and wires would restrict their movements.
So, Bob had a safety rope tied around his waist in case he slipped, preventing a deadly fall to the deck.
But Luke…
He didn't even have a safety rope.
It wasn't about being reckless. The scene required him to leap onto a lower canvas crossbeam and circle around Bob with dynamic jumps.
A safety rope would make those moves look awkward and could tangle with Bob's, pulling them both down and ruining the scene.
So, Luke had to perform on a wobbly crossbeam, several stories high, with no safety rope…
No wonder the system rated this a B-level danger.
Even with safety airbags on the deck below, if something went wrong, who knew if he'd hit a lower crossbeam instead? There was no way to cushion those.
And even if he landed on the airbags, there was no guarantee he'd land safely. A broken neck was a real possibility.
"All crew, take your positions! Filming's about to start!" came the call.
Luke and Bob grabbed the ropes and slid down to the deck.
The duel started there, after all.
They'd already rehearsed the scene once on the top crossbeam, so they were ready to roll.
With all preparations complete, Director Verbinski clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Action!"
The clapperboard snapped, and filming officially began.
Captain Barbossa swung his pirate cutlass viciously at Will.
Clang!
Will's longsword easily parried the cutlass, then thrust forward in one smooth motion.
Thud!
The sharp blade pierced right through Barbossa's heart.
Was that it? Did he win?
Nope!
Not a drop of blood flowed from the wound—it was like stabbing a dry bone.
At that moment, the moon peeked out from the clouds, casting silver light on Barbossa.
Will was shocked to see the pirate captain's face reduced to rotting flesh, barely covering a pale skull.
His entire body was the same—just a skeleton.
Will's sword was lodged in his ribcage, which explained the lack of blood.
This was his curse: an immortal monster, forever tormented by hunger and thirst.
Facing this creature, Will didn't panic. He calmly pulled out his sword.
"Your swordplay's impressive, but I'm immortal. You don't stand a chance," Barbossa said with a creepy laugh.
"Really? I don't buy it!" Will shot back, shaking his head.
Now it was Will's turn to attack.
He slashed with deadly precision, his blade glinting under the moonlight with a lethal beauty.
Thwack!
Barbossa's entire head was sliced clean off.
Thud!
The skull hit the deck hard, rolling away with a clatter.
No head? Let's see if you survive that!
But before Will could celebrate, the skull flew back and reattached itself to Barbossa's neck.
Crack!
Barbossa twisted his neck a few times, good as new.
"I told you, I'm immortal. No matter how you attack, it's pointless," Barbossa said.
How do you fight a guy like that?
Will wasn't dumb. He turned and bolted.
He made a beeline for the Black Pearl's main mast and climbed it with lightning speed.
His movements were so fluid and graceful that anyone watching would think, Can climbing a pole look this good? He's nimbler than a monkey!
Barbossa, hot on Will's heels, reached the mast but didn't climb.
Instead, he grabbed a pulley rope secured to the deck, sliced the knot holding it in place with his cutlass, and—
Whoosh!
The pulley yanked him up to the top of the mast, where Will had just arrived, ready to escape along the crossbeam.
Barbossa landed right in front of Will, blocking his path.
"Just give up. I only need a little of your blood—not more than a girl loses every month."