"It's a life sentence, not death! Life!" Mr Gibbs calls out desperately as he is dragged by two guards, his legs hanging limply as he is carried across the execution dock. They pass corpses of long-dead pirates, still tied to their posts, bound up by ropes. As they approach the gallows, two figures are stood to attention, wigged and standing guard awaiting their orders.
The guards suddenly stop and grab the prisoner, turning him to face the double wooden doors which open at the exact time, the silhouette of the wooden legged captain coming into view.
"Barbossa!" Mr Gibbs utters, shocked by the man approaching him.
"Thank you gentlemen," Barbossa says nodding to the guards who immediately step away from the prisoner and back away. "I trust you can tie a noose," he adds, throwing the bundled rope into Mr Gibb's hands.
"It's a hard thing. Forcing a man to twist his own hangin rope," Mr Gibbs spits out before chucking the rope back to Barbossa, clearly stating his intentions.
"You must lie in the bed the way you made it." Barbossa passes the rope to one of the guards beside him, turning back to Mr Gibbs.
"What's happened to you? What did you do with the Pearl?" Mr Gibbs questioned, his eyes squinting as he looks upon the man before him.
"Where be Jack Sparrow?" Barbossa says, getting directly to the point and avoiding all other questions.
"He escaped?" Mr Gibbs says curiously, the news pleasing him so much he has to push down a smirk.
"I'm on a tight schedule Gibbs. The HMS Providence sets sail at first light. If you didn't care to watch it hanging here dead, with a mouth full of flies... Speak now."
Mr Gibbs pauses, his eyes widening slightly as he watches the guard string up the rope, fashioning it into a rough noose.
"Take me with you. Any point of the compass, a more loyal crewman ya won't find."
"Take you where, Gibbs?" Barbossa pounces, leaning into Mr Gibbs threateningly, who stands glaring at the older man, his jaw locked tight. "The Fountain ? Aye ? Is that where Jack be headed? Have ya anything you can offer me, Gibbs? Anything at all?"
When Mr Gibbs gives up nothing, Barbossa sighs and begins to march away, towards the creaking rope.
"Upon my naked word, you'll not see the dawn."
Mr Gibbs sighs, reaching into his pocket to pull out the old, ragged map he had pocketed from Jack. Barbossa takes immediate notice, his eyes flaring momentarily as he looked at Gibbs, urging him to hand it over, recognising the chart instantly.
In a move not one person expected, Mr Gibbs sudden drops the map on the floor and reaches for the oil lamp beside him, dropping it onto the map which is set ablaze instantly. The map erupts in flames and shrivels up into ash almost instantly, the golden hues of the map becoming as black as the ink.
"You fool!" Barbossa booms, looking on in horror at the priceless map.
"I had just enough time to study those infernal circles, every route. Every destination. All safe. In here," He threatens, his finger pushing against his temple. Barbossa takes a moment to process this, his eyes wide and hateful until they suddenly turn into something much more sinister,
"Welcome back to his majesties Navy, Master Gibbs."
—
The sun had long since set as Jack and his father sat in the Captain's Daughter, shrouded in candle light, each holding a tumbler of rum as they talked, the duo tucked away into the back corner away from the ruffians and painted ladies.
"I heard you're puttin together a crew," Captain Teague says gruffly, taking a swing of his drink.
"If enough people keep sayin it, it must be true," Jack replies absently, his face fixed into somewhat of a frown as he considered the imposter, staring down at the table.
"I heard where you're headed. The fountain."
"Have you been there?" Jack asks his father, finally turning to look at the experienced captain, leaning in slightly to pay close attention to his reply.
YOU ARE READING
Fathoms Below: Captain Jack Sparrow
Fanfiction"Jack was like a Chinese finger trap most of the time, you had to carry on playing, delve a little further and accept your fate before you were able to pry yourself away." Jack/ OC reader pairing, following the course of the movies with mini-inserts...
