The teleportation magic Ethan used this time wasn't the kind taught at Kamar-Taj.
It was more similar to the teleportation magic used by arcane mages from Azeroth. By locking onto coordinates through the amulet, a surge of magical energy erupted from Ethan's hand, enveloping Ethan, Elizabeth, and Will. Then, with a sudden burst, the three of them vanished.
The scene was quite startling. Weatherby Swann stood there for a long time, unable to react. When he finally realized what had happened, he made the sign of the cross on his chest with reverence, then carefully tucked the amulet Ethan had given him close to his body before going about his own affairs.
Another group of people were also startled and kept crossing themselves repeatedly. When Ethan suddenly appeared on the Black Pearl, many pirates cleaning the deck were so frightened they backed away hastily.
The Black Pearl's deck wasn't exactly large, and with people packed together, one unlucky pirate was even pushed straight into the sea.
As the energy from the teleportation dissipated and Ethan and the others appeared before the stunned crew, the pirates remained huddled, watching Ethan warily.
Their reaction made Will Turner tense up. He immediately reached for his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Though he was a blacksmith, Will had practiced swordsmanship since childhood. His skills were solid, and while he lacked actual combat experience, he was confident he could handle a few pirate thugs.
"Where's Jack?"
Ethan's gaze swept the deck but didn't find Jack Sparrow, nor did he see Gibbs, Jack's trusted right-hand man.
"Could Jack have been thrown overboard by these guys? It can't be that coincidental, can it?"
That seemed impossible. The amulet he gave Jack was clearly on the ship. Jack couldn't possibly misunderstand what the item meant, so there was no reason for him to casually leave it lying around.
Sure enough, someone had already gone to report to Jack Sparrow in the captain's cabin. As soon as he heard who had arrived, Jack didn't even bother to show himself before his highly distinctive voice rang out from within.
"Oh, oh, isn't this dear Ethan? And the lovely Miss Elizabeth Swann. I didn't expect you two to still remember your old friend."
Appearing alongside Jack was his close companion and first mate, Mr. Gibbs.
Ethan smiled and nodded at Jack, ignoring the open arms he held out. He knew full well that Jack wasn't trying to give him a warm hug.
As expected, Jack Sparrow bypassed Ethan and headed straight for Elizabeth behind him, only to be stopped by a longsword pressed to his throat. The blade gleamed coldly, preventing him from making contact.
"And who might this knight be? What should I call this gentleman?"
"He's my fiancé, Will Turner."
"Turner?" Jack's expression twitched slightly, and he gave Will a second look. In the end, he didn't say much and resumed his usual playful demeanor. "So, what brings you to me all of a sudden? Something interesting, I hope?"
Ethan looked at the carefree Jack Sparrow, but he knew Jack had not been living comfortably lately.
The time he agreed upon with Davy Jones was fast approaching. If he couldn't solve that issue, he'd be forced to join the crew of the Flying Dutchman as promised.
That was hardly an appealing fate. Though joining Davy Jones allowed one to transcend life and death, roam between the worlds of the living and the dead, and made the sea no longer a threat, serving aboard that mystical underwater vessel came at a cost. The ship's magic would transform every crew member into something resembling seafood.
That's right. Once aboard the Flying Dutchman, crew members would begin to develop marine features, gaining the ability to survive underwater. Unfortunately, the appearance was grotesque and even horrifying.
Moreover, serving too long aboard the Flying Dutchman would cause the ship's magic to completely assimilate its crew, eventually fusing them into the vessel itself.
That outcome was worse than death. Jack Sparrow had no desire to board that ship and become one of its mutated crew.
So, Jack had been living in fear, often waking up in the middle of the night.
He wasn't the kind to sit and wait for death. During this time, he had been studying how to defeat Davy Jones or at least force him to abandon the deal.
He had only just begun to piece together a potential solution, but the details were still unclear. While he was agonizing over it, Ethan—who had once promised to help solve the Davy Jones problem—reappeared. It felt like divine intervention.
"God, did you really hear my prayers?"
Such thoughts flashed through his mind, showing just how much pressure Davy Jones had placed on him.
"Whether God heard you or not, I don't know. But does my appearance put you at ease?"
Ethan couldn't read minds, nor was he proficient with psychic abilities like Professor Charles. But Jack's expression was enough to tell him the man was clearly more relaxed.
"Yes, I'm very glad you still remember your promise."
"I don't have many virtues, but keeping promises happens to be one of them."
That was one trait Ethan had always taken pride in.
The two stood by the ship's rail and casually chatted, completely ignoring the nearby pirates.
Gibbs quickly understood what was going on. After hearing a few sentences, he realized they were about to discuss serious matters. He immediately drove away the curious pirates and ordered everyone back to work.
Those scrubbing the deck returned to scrubbing, those repairing ropes went back to repairing, and those cleaning the cannons resumed their tasks. As for the one who had fallen into the sea, someone was sent to throw down a rope to help the unlucky fellow catch up to the ship.
When Gibbs returned, only Ethan, Jack, Elizabeth, Will, and himself remained by the railing.
Aside from Will Turner, everyone here was already familiar with one another, so they could speak openly.
"Jack, you haven't seemed well lately. Could it be..."
Jack hadn't planned to tell Gibbs about it. There was no point—Gibbs couldn't help him.
But now things were different. Ethan could help him. Besides, Ethan had already promised to deal with the issue.
"The old arrangement?"
"The old arrangement," Ethan confirmed with a nod. "I'll help you deal with Davy Jones, and you help me find Blackbeard."
It was a fair trade. Both sides gave and received. Jack felt it was very reasonable. More importantly, Ethan's terms left him with no reason to refuse.
Only now did Jack explain the deal he had made with Davy Jones to Gibbs. Only then did Elizabeth learn who Davy Jones was and why Jack had been so afraid.
To be honest, if Ethan weren't standing beside her, and she found herself the target of someone like Davy Jones, she would likely be just as anxious as Jack—if not more so. Not everyone could bear that kind of pressure.
"So, what do we do now?"
"Now?"
Ethan hadn't given it much thought. His only plan was to help Jack deal with the Davy Jones problem, then have Jack use his compass to help locate Blackbeard. With Jack's compass, finding Blackbeard wouldn't be easy, but it wouldn't be impossible either.
Now that he thought about it more carefully, Ethan realized he didn't need to consider Davy Jones at all.
"Can you still use that compass?"
Ethan needed to confirm. The compass Jack possessed pointed toward what the holder truly desired. The issue was, it was heavily influenced by Jack's state of mind. The direction it pointed could be unreliable and constantly shifting.
"What are you looking for?"
"Blackbeard, of course."
Jack looked like he'd just heard a joke. "Now? Immediately?" After asking, he suddenly realized what Ethan was planning.
"You want to go straight after Blackbeard and ignore Davy Jones?"
"Of course. Why should I care about that octopus?"
As previously mentioned, the Flying Dutchman turned its crew into seafood. Even the captain was no exception. Davy Jones currently looked like a monster with an octopus face.
"He's looking for you, not the other way around. We just do what we need to do, and that guy will come to us."
Jack bared his teeth slightly. He felt Ethan was underestimating Davy Jones a little too much.
But thinking of Ethan's abilities, he figured that kind of confidence made sense. If he had that kind of power, he'd probably feel the same way.
"All right, I'll give it a try, but I can't make any promises."
Jack didn't hide anything. Maybe he figured Ethan wasn't interested in stealing his little treasure. After fiddling with it for a while, he finally said, not entirely confident, "Maybe... probably... I can find him."
He had tried using the compass more than once recently. Because his thoughts had been fixated on the Davy Jones problem, his mind had been chaotic. No matter what he tried to search for, the compass seemed broken. He hadn't expected that trying it now would actually yield a clear direction.
"That's great."
Ethan patted Jack on the shoulder. But the greasy feeling made him recoil and pull his hand back, casually wiping it off with a tissue.
"However, before we officially set off, I think we should give this ship a proper cleaning."
(To be continued.)