The last lock hit the ground with a dull thud.
The Doctor removed the green light lantern and looked at the freed prisoners with an uncanny calm, as if it were all part of a script only he knew.
"It was part of the plan," he said naturally. "I'll explain later. For now, we must escape."
Komatsu, still panting from the effort, frowned at him.
"Plan? Since when?"
The Doctor didn't answer, simply starting to move forward, guiding Hakua, who followed closely, still clinging to his sleeve.
Kaminari appeared then, sparks escaping from his hair.
"All set, Doctor. I think there's no pirate left standing…"
"I think you overdid it," muttered Mineta, dragging three men stuck to his adhesive material. "These guys will smell like grapes for a month."
The Doctor nodded.
"Good work. Now… the important part."
He approached the cursed chest. The gold shone with a sickly light, reflecting a past of betrayal and blood. From his pocket, he took out a small glass vial filled with dark red liquid: Will Turner's blood.
From a corner, Hakua leaned forward slightly to get a better look.
"What's he going to do?" she asked quietly.
"Break a curse," he replied without taking his eyes off the treasure.
He placed on the chest all the cursed coins he had gathered, including the one that belonged to Barbosa. Once they were arranged, he uncorked the vial and let the blood fall onto them. The gold turned a ghostly white, as if all its corruption was about to be torn away.
The Doctor took the coins in both hands.
"It's time to return you to your rest…" he murmured.
He leaned over the chest and, with a deliberate gesture, let the coins begin to slip from his fingers. The white metal, stained with red, fell in a slow, almost solemn descent toward the inside of the chest.
But just before they touched the bottom, a thunderous noise shattered the silence.
Bang!
A bullet struck the edge of the chest, knocking the coins off course midair. They fell far away, clattering against the damp stone.
The Doctor's head snapped around. From the shadows of the corridor stepped Héctor Barbosa, his pistol still smoking and his gaze a mix of mockery and defiance.
"Not so fast, Doctor," he said in a deep voice. "That gold won't be purified as long as I'm still breathing."
The Doctor clenched his jaw, lowering his hand slowly but without stepping away from the chest. Barbosa took a step forward, tilting his head.
"Hand me those coins, or this will be your last second."
In silence, the Doctor reached for an old sword resting against the rock. He raised it with a firm motion, the metallic gleam reflecting the nearby torches.
"Then we have no other choice," he replied calmly.
Hakua swallowed hard as Kaminari and Mineta tensed. Komatsu took a step back.
Before them all, the Doctor and Barbosa stood face-to-face… with the cursed coins scattered on the ground, and the fate of the curse hanging in the balance of the duel that was about to begin.