The sun was setting behind a blood-red horizon when Jack Sparrow's ship finally reached the shores of Tortuga Island. The scent of salt, sweat, alcohol, and chaos was as familiar as it was comforting. Boisterous laughter, drunken yelling, and the clashing of steel made up the soundtrack of that place where order died and the law of the bold was born.
Beside him, Stella Vermillion frowned with clear disgust. She observed the docks, infested with pirates, prostitutes, and criminals, as if they were a plague.
"Is this place really necessary?" she asked coldly.
"Tortuga is a paradise for those who know how to sail its waters," Jack replied, tipping his hat toward a drunk collapsing in front of them. "This is where dreams are made... with gunpowder, rum, and betrayal."
Stella scoffed, crossing her arms.
"I don't understand how someone like you is still alive…"
Jack glanced sideways at her with a crooked grin.
"I ask myself the same thing every day."
As they wandered through the chaotic alleys of the island, Jack explained his plan.
"Listen, love. Barbossa has the cursed gold and a ship crewed by immortal skeletons. We can't beat him in a head-on fight. So, we gather a crew, get a proper ship, tail Barbossa without him knowing… and when we find where he keeps the gold, we strike. We cut off his escape route, steal the treasure, break the curse, and leave him empty-handed. Brilliant, isn't it?"
"Sounds like a suicide mission," Stella replied. "Though I must admit… it's more elaborate than I expected from you."
"Oh, thank you," Jack said, clutching his chest with fake emotion.
It didn't take long for them to find Joshamee Gibbs, passed out over a barrel at the corner of a tavern. With a few slaps and a bucket of water, Jack brought him back to consciousness.
"Jack, damn it! Another crazy plan? Or something worse?"
"Both. I need a ship, a crew… and a bit of luck."
Gibbs laughed.
"Luck's on your side. I heard some strange folks looking to set sail… maybe we can convince them."
That night, Jack returned to the dock with Stella, finding Gibbs standing beside a new ship—larger and stronger than the one they came on. The sails were ready, the wood polished, and the crew's shadows moved across the deck.
"Nice ship, Gibbs," said Jack. "And the crew?"
"Ah… well, that's the interesting part."
As Jack boarded the ship, his eyes widened when he saw who was waiting: the Doctor, accompanied by Endeavor, Will Turner, Shiryu, Komatsu, Mineta, and Kaminari.
"Well, curse my bones…" Jack muttered.
"You must be Jack Sparrow," the Doctor said, walking toward him with steady, cold steps. "This ship is ours now. And so is this adventure."
"Yours?" Jack narrowed his eyes, hand drifting to his sword. "This is a free ship. And I'm the captain. I'm the captain here."
"You were the captain of a floating shell," the Doctor corrected. "This vessel needs leadership. Strategy. Discipline. You are the opposite of all of that."
"I am a man of brilliant strategy!" Jack snapped. "I know every current, every trap, every cursed corner of these seas! And I won't let some… library-faced doctor steal my ship!"
"So, we settle this with steel?" the Doctor said, calmly drawing a thin, well-kept sword. "I have no problem proving my point with a blade."
Jack stared at him for a second.
"Alright. But just so you know—I usually win these dances."
The two launched into combat.
The deck of the ship became a battlefield. Jack moved with cunning and controlled chaos, his sword dancing in unpredictable spirals, while the Doctor fought with surgical precision—each strike measured, each step calculated. It was the clash of instinctive chaos and intellectual order.
Jack pretended to stumble just to dodge blows. He rolled, spun, leapt over barrels, even used a rope to swing over the Doctor.
"You fight pretty well for someone who looks like he belongs in a lab!"
"And you're clumsier than I imagined," the Doctor replied, parrying a slash before countering with a flurry of quick jabs that forced Jack back toward the helm.
Elsewhere on deck, Endeavor cornered Stella with a smug grin.
"Still siding with that clown?"
"As long as he's useful," Stella answered coldly, summoning magical flames that forced the hero to retreat.
Will and Shiryu clashed with Jack's former pirates. Kaminari sent electric blasts at the mast. Mineta immobilized foes with his sticky spheres. Komatsu tried to hide from the chaos.
Eventually, the Doctor pressed Jack against the helm, sword at his throat.
"This ends here, Sparrow. Surrender."
"And if I don't feel like it?" Jack said, breathing hard.
"You don't want to die. And I don't want to kill you. But I won't let you sink us all with your pride."
"Sink you? I'm the one who knows the way! You and your bizarre bunch don't even understand the rules of this sea!"
Stella stepped forward, raising her voice:
"Enough! If you both want to reach Barbossa, you'll need to work together. Argue later."
The Doctor slowly lowered his sword, though his gaze never left Jack.
"Fine. We'll cooperate. But I'll be making the decisions. Your time as captain... is over."
Jack sighed dramatically, feigning resignation.
"Alright. But if we die because of your decisions, I'll let you say 'I told you so' in the afterlife."
"Deal," the Doctor replied.
Thus, despite the tension and suspicious glances, the new crew was formed: a genius doctor, an unpredictable pirate, a group of heroes, a few criminals, and a fire mage.
An impossible crew.
And yet, they sailed toward the Isle of the Cursed Treasure.
Where the skeletons awaited...
And the fate of all would begin to intertwine.