The Submerged Flying Dutchman
Night had not yet fallen, but the sky was already gradually darkening. The sea breeze whipped up waves that crashed intermittently against the Black Pearl. Dark clouds swirled low in the sky, and silver lightning flashed, accompanied by deafening roars.
The sea, which was calm and peaceful just ten minutes ago, suddenly turned into a raging beast, devouring its prey, much like an unreasonable girlfriend.
The Black Pearl and its three Junk ship rocked and swayed in the waves, seemingly on the verge of being capsized by the flood. The weather was terrible and unsuitable for sailing, but the pirates preferred to brave the storm rather than be caught by David Jones.
"Barbossa, your jinx came true, the world has indeed changed." Jack put down his binoculars. Dark clouds stretched to the horizon, and it was unclear when they would be able to leave this area.
"Shut up, Jack!"
Barbossa gripped the helm intently, the damp sea breeze making his beard stick together. He wiped his face, lit an oil lamp, and examined the nautical chart. The flickering candlelight cast an unpredictable glow on the deep contours of his face.
"Why should I shut up? I don't have your jinxed mouth!"
"..."
Barbossa rolled his eyes and ignored Jack. The so-called change in the world was about the situation at sea. Encountering a storm was just bad luck, and the two were unrelated. He wouldn't take the blame for it.
Jack, seemingly oblivious to being looked down upon, continued, "Barbossa, the Flying Dutchman can navigate underwater. In this awful weather, if David Jones really catches up with us, we won't be able to escape. Have you thought about what to do?"
"Heh, what does that have to do with me? You're the one who should be thinking about what to do!" Barbossa scoffed, shutting him down with a single sentence. "Just think about it, someone who should be being tortured in the Demon Prison has Prison Break. How furious would David Jones be?"
Barbossa remained indifferent, continuing, "Jack, I'm not worried at all about being caught by David Jones. At worst, I'll make a deal with him, using you in exchange for our complete departure."
"That's impossible. The Pirate Council can't happen without me." Jack's face twitched as he emphasized his indispensability.
"You should tell this to other people. They're terrified of the name David Jones; they'd sell themselves for anyone who could survive..."
Barbossa stopped mid-sentence because Jack skipped away, heading straight for the captain's cabin to cuddle with Russell.
Barbossa chuckled to himself, about to say something, when suddenly he saw the sea surface bulge out in front of him. After the stormy waves subsided, a dilapidated wooden sailboat emerged from the sea.
The Flying Dutchman!!
Barbossa's expression changed drastically. He saw a group of monsters on the bow of the ship. The one in the lead with octopus tentacles and a beard was none other than the sea devil David Jones.
In fact, David Jones is not a pure octopus; he also has the body structure of a crab, with a crab claw on his left hand and a crab leg on his right. Over time, he will become more like a live seafood.
A curse, a curse from the souls of the dead at sea!
In his youth, David Jones was a spirited seaman, as handsome as Turner. The reason he turned into this grotesque, half-human, half-fish creature is simply because he fell in love with a woman he shouldn't have.
Others fall in love with a wild horse, but have no grassland at home; he fell in love with the sea and willingly became a fish!
David Jones fell in love with the sea goddess Calypso and volunteered to become the captain of the Flying Dutchman, promising to guide the souls of the dead to the other side of the sea for Calypso, in exchange for being able to go ashore once every ten years.
He gave his soul and freedom for love, but ten years later, when he returned as promised, he was stood up. The goddess fell in love with three to five men every year, and at that time, she happened to be in the throes of a passionate romance and couldn't find the time to keep her appointment.
Betrayed by his lover, David Jones was heartbroken. In despair, he dug out his own heart and buried it, along with a letter of sympathy, on the promised island.
From then on, he stopped guiding the souls of the dead at sea for Calypso. Because of his dereliction of duty, he was cursed into this state, and so were the crew members, who were all turned into seafood.
Three Junk ship sailed alongside the Black Pearl, seemingly poised to surround the Flying Dutchman. Russell and the others came aboard and all looked toward David Jones.
Tia Dromma did not appear. Russell had not seen her since the encounter with the Kraken, and did not know which corner of the ship she was hiding in.
"Hey, Jack Sparrow! I heard you escaped from Hellfire. Did you change your mind and decide to serve on the ship?"
The Flying Dutchman drifted with the waves. It was a ghost ship that could never be sunk. Apart from sailing by wind, there was no scientific principle to be found in any part of it.
If Newton had been on that ship, he certainly wouldn't have developed his three laws of motion. It's highly likely that Newton was still alive during that period in the world of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Jack crouched sideways behind Russell, and when David Jones called his name, he poked half his head out while biting his nails. "No, our debts are settled, they were settled when you threw me into the Demon Prison."
"But you Prison Break!" David Jones sneered. It's only right to pay back debts. Jack owed him a life, and he had to repay it with his life.
"You didn't say I couldn't Prison Break when you locked me up!" Jack said defiantly. He escaped on his own merits, and it had nothing to do with his previous debts.
Actually, Jack is terrified right now, but with Russell by his side, he feels much more confident than before.
"Hmph, 100 souls or your soul..." David Jones's tone shifted, and he glanced mockingly at the group of pirates. "Jack, I get it, these pirates are what you use to pay off your debts, aren't they?"
David Jones's insightful remark immediately had an effect; many people began to look at Jack with hostility, just as Barbossa had predicted, and these people were preparing to sell Jack out to make a living.
"No, actually I came out fishing with the captain. If you have anything to say, talk to my captain." Jack's eyes twitched, and he hunched over and shrank behind Russell.
David Jones snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over Russell. Upon seeing him, his expression suddenly changed drastically. He had a mental contract with the Kraken, just like the contract between Russell and Jason. David Jones' contract with the Kraken was also unequal; he was the beneficiary of the contract and could control the Kraken's will through it.
Previously, David Jones had been paying attention to Jack and hadn't really noticed Russell. But upon closer inspection, he immediately discovered that the power of the contract surrounding Russell was released by the Kraken before its death, indicating that Russell was the one who killed his beloved pet.
David Jones trembled, his eyes bloodshot with rage. He drew his longsword and roared, "Lower the cannons and sink the Black Pearl!!"
When he gave the order to move out, the Black Pearl, along with three Junk ship from three sides, turning hard to port and adjusting the gun barrels.
"Hmph!" David Jones scoffed, reached out and pressed down on the gunwale, the Flying Dutchman plunged headfirst into the sea.
The Flying Dutchman was the most feared ghost ship on the high seas. Besides its unparalleled speed and firepower, its elusive nature was also one of the reasons for its terror.
After all, no matter how powerful the cannons were, with more gun ports than a first-class battleship, the shells couldn't be fired directly into the sea. Facing the Flying Dutchman, every ship was prey, and this wouldn't change regardless of the number of ships.
"Listen up, fire the guns the moment you see that ship. Don't worry about whether the gun hulls are aligned or not. Fire without hesitation, even if it hurts your own men." Barbossa gave the order decisively. He knew Russell was not in charge and Jack was only interested in hiding. Only he could step up at this moment.
Dark clouds pressed down, the sea became even rougher, and raindrops the size of soybeans pattered down. The sudden intervention of the heavens made the situation even more critical.
Russell stood on the ship's railing, scanning the water below, and vaguely saw a dark shadow moving at high speed. It was the Flying Dutchman, targeting one of the three Junk ship, intending to destroy them one by one, and finally deal with the Black Pearl.
The sea was churning, and a huge wave crashed in, tossing the three Junk ship up and down. Suddenly, the Flying Dutchman burst out from the crest of the wave.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—"
The gun ports at the bow opened, and the two modified triple cannons spun their smoothbores, firing six solid shot shells in succession toward the Junk ship in the center, where Xiao Feng was.
Two shots hit their targets, while four shots fell into the water!
The Flying Dutchman was like a flying fish leaping out of the water; after firing once, it plunged back into the sea and submerged, leaving the pirates no chance to retaliate.
The pirates panicked, and the Flying Dutchman became the Submerged Flying Dutchman. At this rate, even multiple lives wouldn't be enough to save them.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—"
Another burst of cannon fire erupted, not from the Flying Dutchman, but from the frightened pirates. The waves ahead surged, and in their terror, they opened fire without a second thought, before even seeing their target.