The sun was already high in the sky.
Fang Yuan struggled free of the Mermaids' clinging arms and followed his undead minions into the depths of Whitecap Bay.
More than thirty Mermaids were terrifying; Fang Yuan felt as if he'd returned to his past life when he couldn't manage his time properly.
They walked into a cave where gravity clearly differed from the outside—water droplets actually floated upward.
A minion brought over two silver chalices; these were the Holy Grails.
The pair had been found in the wreck of an exploration ship nearby.
The Santiago, vessel of the famed explorer Ponce de León. He'd discovered the two Grails and come seeking the secret of immortality, only to die at the hands of his own crew in a mutiny.
The Santiago was loaded with gold, silver, and jewels; the undead minions were looting it nonstop. Since Fang Yuan had found it, it was all his.
Although Fang Yuan wasn't short on money, he loved picking it up.
"Water… of Life!"
Fang Yuan read the inscription on the two Grails, and a great stream of water gushed from cracks in the ground, flowing up the cave walls to the ceiling.
He took a spear from a minion and thrust it into the water mass—immediately he was sucked upward.
It was actually a Portal that transported Fang Yuan to an unknown sinkhole.
Outside the sinkhole was lush greenery; inside was a large platform. In the center stood an arched megalith, and from its hollow center a thin line of water flowed downward.
This was the famous Fountain of Youth.
Fang Yuan had his men drag over a bum—such wretches waiting to die could be found in every port.
The minions filled the two Grails with water; Fang Yuan then dripped some Mermaid tears into one and slashed the singer's arm.
Blood gushed out, covering the singer's arm.
Fang Yuan ordered the singer and the bum to drink. Unsurprisingly, the singer drank the cup containing Mermaid tears.
The next instant, water in the sinkhole converged on the bum and washed him into a skeleton.
The wound on the singer's arm miraculously healed.
The Fountain of Youth worked exactly as claimed.
It had indeed transferred the bum's life force to the singer.
"With this, I'm invincible!" Fang Yuan chuckled.
If he told George II that he controlled the Fountain, Fang Yuan couldn't imagine how Beckett could fight him.
Of course he wouldn't reveal it now—Beckett was still making a fuss at sea.
"Lord, all of Sao Feng's remaining men have been captured!"
Singapore. Norrington reported to Beckett.
"Well done!" Beckett praised.
"My duty," Norrington answered righteously, then frowned. "The Nine Pirate Lords no longer dare show themselves; who knows where they're hiding."
"Where else? Shipwreck Island," Davy Jones cut in. "The pirates' last fortress."
In the end he'd chosen to help the navy crush the pirates, even if that might force them in desperation to free his beloved.
Davy Jones still hadn't decided whether he truly wanted Calypso unsealed.
But he wouldn't miss a chance to strike at Fang Yuan—The Jackdaw hadn't been seen for a long while.
"You know where Shipwreck Island is?" Beckett asked.
"Of course," Davy Jones nodded. "But taking it will be extremely difficult."
"Let me remind you, we now have over forty warships!" Beckett declared, chest out.
He didn't believe any pirate could withstand that fleet.
"True, your armada is vast," Davy Jones poured cold water, "but Shipwreck Island's position means only one or two ships can attack at a time. Do you want a war of attrition?"
Lord Beckett frowned slightly and looked toward his trusted Commodore Norrington.
Norrington shook his head. "Our losses would be enormous."
Hearing the expert, Beckett reluctantly abandoned the idea.
"But we can blockade the island," Norrington suggested to his good superior. "With so many pirates gathered, even if the Pirate Kings brought supplies, after months of siege they'll fall into chaos themselves."
Beckett brightened and clapped. "Commodore Norrington, pillar of the navy—excellent plan."
Davy Jones rolled his octopus eyes. "Shipwreck Island was chosen as the pirates' last stronghold for good reason: it has fresh water and the sea keeps them fed."
Beckett found Jones annoying, always dousing his excitement.
Norrington countered, "At least a blockade keeps them from raiding."
"You'll still consume plenty of supplies," Davy Jones said non-committally.
Beckett thought carefully and decided: "Blockade the island!"
"Spending some supplies to keep sea lanes around the World clear—this bargain is worth it!"
While his command in battle is nothing special, Beckett has a keen sense of the big picture. With most pirate raids cleared from the shipping lanes, the extra trade—and the taxes it brings—more than pays for the navy's every last expense.
"And I don't believe the pirates can stay cooped up on Shipwreck Island forever!" he declared with absolute certainty.
Beckett knew pirates: they chased freedom; some would crack if confined too long.
"But don't forget—one great pirate is still out there," Davy Jones reminded them.
Beckett's face darkened.
"Fang Yuan!" he snarled through clenched teeth.
Last time he'd thought the Black Emperor Pirates finished—until The Jackdaw took to the sky!
"Deal with the ones in front of us first," Beckett muttered, pushing the greater threat aside for now.
Davy Jones said nothing more; whether the navy blockaded the island was none of his concern. He only wanted their reach to track the Black Emperor Pirates.
An ordinary pirate he could hunt across the seas by his own power, but Fang Yuan was beyond him.
Jones had tried those close to Fang Yuan—Jack, Barbossa, Sakazuki—but none panned out.
Jack was reportedly caught and forced to hunt treasure; Barbossa and Sakazuki had slipped into Shipwreck Island, none of them with Fang Yuan.
Davy Jones would wait, and ponder what lay ahead between himself and Calypso.
What neither Beckett nor Jones could imagine: while they fretted over The Jackdaw's whereabouts, the ship was gliding beneath their very feet.
Refitted by Fang Yuan, the sky-and-sea Jackdaw sailed underwater as easily as on the waves.
He had coaxed and cajoled until the Mermaids stayed in Whitecap Bay; the battlefield was too perilous for them.
On Shipwreck Island the mood was equally grim.
"The navy's sealed the island!" a scout burst in to report.
Inside the Pirate Hall every Pirate Lord scowled at the news.
Trapped on Shipwreck Island, they were safe for the moment—yet time bred uncertainty.
They were hardly of one mind.
"What do we do?"
Atlantic Pirate Lord Joe Card, who looked like Blade, asked.
"Fight!" Mediterranean Lord Chevalle snapped. "Break out together—no waiting here to die!"
"Forget how we got penned in?" Adriatic Lord Villanueva shot back. "How many could outrun the navy?"
Adriatic and Mediterranean waters touched; Villanueva and Chevalle often clashed over turf, and Chevalle had once seized Villanueva's ship, so no courtesy was shown now.
Not that Villanueva's stance was pure spite.
A breakout would cost the pirates dearly, as he'd said.
Villanueva's bounty sat at a mere 2,000 gold—one-third of Chevalle's—so his small crew would face the greatest peril.
He wasn't alone in caution; although Mistress Ching, Ammand, and others voiced no refusal, they offered no support, unwilling to risk a reckless fight.
Then Barbossa had an idea.
"I've got it!"
Every head turned.
Lord of the Caspian, longtime Captain of the Black Pearl in the Caribbean, now a Black Emperor Pirate—Barbossa carried weight among the brethren.
"Have you forgotten our secret weapon?" he whispered. "The sea goddess—Calypso!"
"At the first Pirate King Council we sealed Calypso for calmer seas, and the navy prospered."
"Offer to free her in return for her aid, and even Beckett and The Flying Dutchman could fall."
Barbossa laid out his scheme with relish.
South China Sea Lord Sao Feng pressed, "Is this the Black King's idea?"
The other Lords fell silent, eyes swiveling.
Though not one of the Nine Pirate Lords, the Black King was the strongest pirate afloat.
Lately The Jackdaw had held off the navy and The Flying Dutchman alone, buying the Black Emperor Pirates time to escape—and slipped away unscathed, proof of her power.
Barbossa shook his head. "My plan, not his."
"Agh."
"Tch."
The Pirate Lords waved it off; if Fang Yuan had ordered it they'd have followed, but Barbossa?
Not quite enough.
"Barbossa, you've turned idea-man overnight?"
A voice rang from beyond the hall.
Sakazuki, White, and others brightened. "Captain!"
Every Pirate Lord spun toward the door.
They knew Sakazuki sailed with the Black Emperor Pirates—so the Captain he meant could only be—
Fang Yuan!
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