Bonus Chapter [2] - 120 Power Stones
Rigel observed the dead man's body for a moment, sensing that the combined genes of the Blacks and Gaunts were truly strong, even seeing the dead man, he didn't feel much. Walburga would have been proud.
He glanced at the frightened crew, one man's parrot was already flying, refusing to come down.
"So?" Rigel asked. "Does anyone else have a problem with me as captain?"
The group of pirates quickly shook their heads, nobody had any problems now.
"Well, let me hear your voices, then I'll repeat, is there a problem with me as captain?" he asked again, his voice still calm and low.
"No, Captain!" the group shouted quickly.
Rigel felt the power of the hat enveloping them, not that they had realized it, their fear clouding their senses, and perhaps even then they didn't notice, not everyone is addicted to betraying others like Jack.
Sure, most pirates could betray you at any time, but the point is they think about 'if' while Jack thinks about 'when'.
"Great." Rigel nodded as Jack bit his nail, pretending not to see anything, Gibbs was sweating profusely, and Will swallowed hard.
Even Rigel's junior subordinates, John, Billy, Thomas, Jonas, and George, were stuck in their positions.
//-//
The men began carrying the cargo to the ship, and Rigel financed this undertaking with some jewels he had brought with him.
The provisions, gunpowder, cannonballs, the ship was full, greatly increasing its weight, but with his hat they would still be able to go fast enough.
Meanwhile, Anamaria, a woman whose ship Jack had stolen and sunk, also appeared, slapping Jack twice to 'remind' him of the good memories.
"What does this card mean?" At one point, while Rigel was standing by the helm, Will approached, looking at the tarot card "The Lovers".
Rigel turned, looked at him and smiled, repeating what he had said to Jack.
Will blinked, his lips pursed. He wanted to argue that he wasn't in love, but Rigel had already shown a cruel side, so he was hesitant to speak.
Rigel chuckled softly as he spoke. "Will, people are different. You see Elizabeth as a noble lady, as if your low birth were incompatible with her, but that's your problem, and perhaps what truly separates you two. You see her as she should be, not as she truly is."
Will froze, staring at Rigel with wide eyes.
Rigel approached and pointed to the card in Will's hand, now slightly crumpled. "In this world, few people know her as well as you do, so think to yourself for a moment, Will, who is Elizabeth Swann? She's a swan surrounded by chickens, she never learned to fly, but a bird hates its cage, regardless of whether it's made of twigs or gold, one day she'll discover the purpose of her wings."
Rigel walked past Will, leaving one last sentence. "She's in love, Will, just like you, but passion, like all things, dies. The choice is yours."
Will stood there for a long moment, lost in thought, until another voice pulled him from his reverie. "He's right, you know?"
Will turned around and saw Jack tying a rope, without his hat, coat, or vest.
"And what do you know about love, pirate?" Will shouted defensively, angrily.
Jack chuckled lightly. "I've had my moments, kid, but what I know is that a guy who risks his life at sea to save a woman only has two endings, one happy and the other... well, it's better to stick with the happy one."
//-//
"Jack, how far is it?" Rigel asked through the biting rain.
The sky darkened in an instant, a storm followed, violently sweeping them away through the fierce waves.
"Close!" Jack had taken the helm, holding the compass in one hand and the helm in the other, maintaining the rhythm regardless of the time.
Rigel didn't stand still, he pointed at the masts and sails from time to time with his wand and continued casting the repair spell, which he needed to repeat constantly.
The crew, on the other hand, focused on the water flooding the deck, continuously throwing water out with buckets.
The positive side of this storm was evident, the wind practically carried them flying toward Barbossa.
Hours later, when the storm had subsided and the first rays of sunlight of the day weakly pierced the dark clouds, Rigel spotted what he wanted in the distance.
"Isla de Muerta. " He murmured.