𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 made their way through the strange spa, glancing around skeptically. they reached the back of the building, where sao feng turned around. barbossa sunk into a low bow, and gestured for bella and elizabeth to do the same.

"captain barbossa," sao feng spoke. "welcome to singapore." he turned to one of the servant girls beside him. "more steam," he looked thoughtfully at his three guests for a moment. "i understand you have a request to make of me."

"more of a proposal to put to you," barbossa answered. "i have a venture underway and happen to find myself in need of a ship and a crew."

"this is an odd coincidence . . ." sao feng responded.

"because you happen to have a ship and a crew you don't need?" elizabeth interjected. bella elbowed her in the side as a reminder to be quiet.

"no," sao feng scratched his bald head. "because, earlier this day, not far from here, a thief broke into my most revered uncle's temple and tried to make off with these," he held up a wooden roll. "the navigational charts. the route to the farthest gate. wouldn't it be amazing if this venture of yours took you to the world beyond this one?"

"it would strain credulity at that," barbossa replied with innocence.

sao feng motioned to his men and they pulled will out of a tub of hot water. he desperately gasped for breath.

"this is the thief," sao feed pointed to him. "is his face familiar to you?"

the three shook their heads.

sao feng drew a blade. "then i guess he has no further need for it—" he made a move to kill will, but elizabeth gasped frightenedly.

bella and barbossa looked at her in slight anger.

"so, you come into my city, and betray my hospitality," sao feng walked back towards them.

bella shook her head guiltlessly. "captain sao feng, i assure you, we had no idea—"

"that he would get caught?!?!" sao feng shouted at her. "you intend to attempt a voyage to davy jones' locker. but i cannot help but wonder, why?"

barbossa solemnly tossed him a piece of eight. "the song has been sung. the time is upon us. we must convene the brethren court."

"the brethren is not what it once was. we have lost pieces of eight, causing the court to be incomplete," sao feng dismissed him. "captain michael stevens, pirate lord of the mediterranean, died years ago, taking his along with him!"

"my father's queen of spades?" bella looked at sao feng, speaking forcibly. "you've been misinformed. he left it to me, and i have taken his place as a member of the brethren court." she reached into her bra and pulled out the beaten-up card which had never left her person for 18 years. "as three of the nine pirate lords, we must honor the call."

sao feng appeared shocked, as did elizabeth and will. barbossa looked somewhat satisfied with her, and she tucked the piece of eight back away to safety.

". . . more steam," sao feng told a servant girl. the steam didn't release, and sao feng let his anger explode. "more steam!!" he commanded loudly. quickly, he regained his composure. "there's a price on all our heads, it is true," sao feng began. "it seems that the only way a pirate can turn a profit anymore is by betraying other pirates." he glanced pointedly at will. "the court has not met in my lifetime," sao feng said, looking at bella.

"nor mine," she replied.

he fidgeted with the piece of cloth in his hand. ". . . and when last it did, my father told me, it ended badly."

"but the time before that, it produced the code, which has served us well," bella countered. her persuasive nature was once again becoming evident. "and it was the very first meeting which gave us no less than rule of the sea herself, didn't it?"

"now, that rule has been challenged by lord cutler beckett," barbossa spat in agreement.

"against the east india trading company, what value is the brethren court? what can any of us do?" sao feng wondered.

"you can fight!" elizabeth exclaimed.

everyone's eyes turned to her. she immediately became uncomfortable, as if she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"you... you are sao feng, the pirate lord of singapore. . ." elizabeth said. bella quickly stepped in as elizabeth trailed off.

"you command in the golden age of piracy, where bold captains sail free waters, where waves are not measured in feet but increments of fear, and those who pass the test become legend," she helped elizabeth out with a powerful description of the time they were lucky enough to be living in.

elizabeth nodded, gaining confidence and stepping forward angrily. a large man tried to hold her back, but she shrugged him off.

"would you have that era come to an end on your watch? the most notorious pirates from around the world are uniting against your enemy. your ships crowd the harbor, rotting on their lines, yet you sit here, cowering in your bath water!" she said fiercely to sao feng.

bella tried to hide her grimace. she hadn't meant for elizabeth to get that passionate.

sao feng regarded her. "elizabeth swann . . ." he responded. "there is more to

you than meets the eye, isn't there? and the eye does not go wanting."

will shifted angrily in his tub.

". . . but i cannot help but notice. you have failed to answer my question. what is it you seek in davy jones' locker?" sao feng asked, turning back to barbossa.

"jack sparrow," bella spoke firmly. a chill snaked down her spine as his name rolled off her tongue.

over the past few months, not a second had gone by when that name hadn't been lingering in her thoughts. . . all their memories. . . their final kiss. . . his last smile. . . days felt like years without him, every ray of sunlight a blackening fog. bella needed him more than ever, but the only person she could blame was herself.

the girls on either side of sao feng giggled at the mention of him. bella glared at them.

"he's one of the nine pirate lords," will cut in.

"the only reason i would want jack sparrow returned from the land of the dead..." sao feng looked truly furious. "is so i could send him back myself!!!!"

"exactly why we preferred his name go unmentioned," barbossa growled to bella. she looked back at him toughly and unapologetically. "jack sparrow holds one of the nine pieces of eight. he failed to pass it on to a successor before he died. so we must go and get him back."

said feng's eyes drifted to the back of a man seated nearby. his face twisted. "so, you admit," he snarled. "you have deceived me. weapons!!"

all of his men drew their swords. bella didn't even flinch at the dozens of blades pointed towards her.

"sao feng, i assure you, our intentions are strictly honorable," barbossa said.

just then, swords popped up through the floorboards. bella, barbossa, and elizabeth caught them.

sao feng hurried over to the man he had been studying earlier. "drop your weapons or i kill the man!!"

"kill him, he's not our man," barbossa shrugged.

"if he's not with you, and he's not with us . . . who's he with?" will asked.

a sense of realization dawned across the room.

suddenly, east india trading company soldiers bursted into the room and fighting erupted.

frantically, bella, elizabeth, and barbossa dodged through the dropping bodies and ran through the city.

they soon arrived near the river, where jack the monkey and cotton's parrot exploded some fireworks to help them escape.

"thank you, jack!" barbossa smiled.

"awk! thank you, jack!" repeated cotton's parrot.

they met will on the docks some minutes later.

"you got the charts?" bella questioned.

"and better yet, a ship and a crew," he nodded, tossing the charts to barbossa.

"where's sao feng?" elizabeth asked.

"he'll cover our escape and meet us at shipwreck cove," will responded.

"this way, be quick," tai huang escorted them to the ship.

bella followed close behind. her hope of rescuing jack was looking better by the second.

a/n

longer chapter today :) comment & vote!! 

i am sooo stressed right now omg

gtg jump off a cliff bye

sarah