Takes place after Dead Men Tell No Tales (ending of movie included, but changed slightly)

Prologue: Reunion

As the sea closed its gap, there was a calm on the water. Jack Sparrow, Carina Smyth, and Henry Turner had escaped Salazar and made it onto the Black Pearl, but in doing so, Hector Barbossa, Jack's former nemesis, sacrificed himself to ensure their safety, upon discovering that Carina was in fact, his daughter. As the sea went quiet, Jack watched the depths of the ocean, taking off his hat and placing it over his heart.

"Pirates life, Hector" Jack said, mourning the loss of his former enemy turned friend. The crew of the Black Pearl soon followed suit, mourning their fallen ally. Seeing Carina, Henry tries to comfort her over her father's death.

"Are you alright?" Henry asks.

"For a moment, I had everything," she says quietly, remembering her father's last words to her. What am I to you? Carina asks, after seeing a tattoo of the Trident's constellation on Barbossa's forearm. Barbossa simply smiled and replied, Treasure, before grabbing Jack's sword and killing Salazar, falling to his death in the process. "Only to have it all lost again."

Henry comforts her by handing her back her diary and holding her close. "Not everything, Miss Smyth" he says.

Through tears, Carina smiles. "Barbossa," she replied, while hugging Henry. "My name is Barbossa."

As Jack was about to let them be, Henry called out, "Jack, thank you for your help. I would like you to be with me when my father returns. I think he'd be happy to see you."

"I'd like you to stay too," Carina interjected, "I want to know more about my father."

After thinking it over, Jack finally made up his mind. "Alright, I'll stay to see your eunuch father, and tell you of Hector's history with us. But as a warning, it's not all pretty, savvy?"

The next day, Jack, Henry and Carina are patiently awaiting for his father's return. Having broken his curse, Will Turner was no longer bound to the Flying Dutchman. All this time, Carina had heard stories of the ship, and how the captain was to ferry the souls of the dead into the afterlife. As Will finally arrived on land, Henry went to greet him, finally reuniting with his family. Just as Carina was joining the two, Will noticed someone coming out of the house. It was his wife, Elizabeth, former daughter of Weatherby Swann. Reunited, Jack, Will, Elizabeth, Henry, and Carina made their way inside, ready to tell their tale of how they broke the Dutchman's curse.

Chapter 1: Breaking the Curse

"So the Trident of Poseidon was real after all?" Will asked, visibly surprised.

"Come one, Will. With us facing fish-men, and you manning the Flying Dutchman, did ye really think the Trident was simply a myth?" Jack sincerely asked.

"No, I suppose not. I just didn't know anyone who actually found it." Will replied.

"Aye, but that was what everyone said about Isla de Muerta" Jack countered.

"Isla de Muerta?" Carina asked, who had never heard of the island.

"That will play a part in your father's story, Carina," Elizabeth quickly said.

"Right then, first I'd like to hear just how you got the Trident, because Barbossa's full history is a long story," Will said.

"Alright father," Henry began "For me, all this started when I was part of the British royal navy, and we were chasing a pirate ship into the Devil's Triangle. I tried to stop my commanding officer, but he tossed me in the brig, declaring my defiance as treason. Soon after entering, a ghost crew led by Captain Salazar murdered all the british on the ship, leaving me to send a message to Jack that he's coming for him. He must've escaped the triangle soon after."

"And how come he was after you in the first place, Jack?" Will asked, eyeing the pirate.

"I… might have caused his death in the triangle when I was just a lad" Jack slowly said.

"How did Salazar escape?" Elizabeth asked skeptically.

"I accidentally traded me compass for a bottle o' rum, and forgot that if I betrayed the compass like that, me worst fear would be unleashed" Jack said, looking down to avoid everyone's glares. Carina thought back to when she said, Are all pirates this stupid? Now, she thinks, Maybe more than I thought.

"That reminds me," Jack says perking up, "Got any rum?" With a scowl, Will gets up, grabs a bottle from the cellar, and hands it to Jack. "Thanks mate. Always liked you for taking after Bootstrap."

"Anyways, when I first found Jack, I didn't believe he was the man my parents talked about, because you made him sound like a legend. In the cell, he was just an old drunk with no pants," Henry said, causing Will and Elizabeth to chuckle.

"Funny, just prior to our executions, Jack was trying to rob the new bank" Carina added, remembering her first encounter with Sparrow.

"Alright, after escaping our scheduled deaths, we set sail to find the Trident," Jack said, changing the subject. "Unfortunately, Salazar had caught up to us, and we abandoned ship to a near island, where we learned that the Spanish were unable to step on land. Except I knew that one already," gaining an eyeroll from both Will and Elizabeth.

"That's weird, I was unable to go on land for ten years as captain of the Dutchman," Will interjected, remembering his one day with Elizabeth.

"After arriving on land, I finally realized that the crew chasing us were actually ghosts," Carina said. "Up until then, I knew nothing of the supernatural, I thought that ghosts, Krakens, and mermaids were all myths. I was a woman of science, and believed that there was an explanation for everything."

"Well, I've already told you, those exist, and that Krakens don't speak," Henry reminded her.

"We vouch for that," Jack, Will and Elizabeth all said simultaneously, gaining a stare from both Henry and Carina.

"The former squid-face sent his pet Kraken after me, because I owed him my soul for captaining the Pearl for a few years," Jack explained. "And then later, dear mommy chained me up and served me up to the beastie on a silver platter" earning a glare from Elizabeth.

"Will you ever forgive me for that, Jack? We rescued you from the Locker!" sighed Elizabeth.

"Oh, and mermaids exist as well. In fact, I encountered a few around the same time Blackbeard stuck the Pearl in a bottle" Jack quickly said, changing the subject.

"After the realization, I ran through the jungle on the island, eventually getting caught in a trap. Jack and Henry followed me, and were soon trapped as well," Carina continued. "The men who trapped us apparently also wanted Jack to pay a debt, and tried to force Jack to marry one of their sisters. That's when my father showed up and rescued us."

"Aye, and apparently, he almost made a deal with Salazar to serve us up to him" Jack said. "Luckily, Hector had a change of heart, and using his sword of Triton, he freed the Pearl from it's bottle prison, free to sail once more."

"It was then that we started searching for the island no map can find," Henry interrupted. "Barbossa had tied up Jack at the back of the ship, but let Carina and I go, because he needed her to locate the island."

"Yes, that was when he confronted me about my diary, claiming that my father was a thief. If only I knew then that he was my father…" Carina said, looking at the floor.

"Hey, don't think like that," Jack told her. "Hector didn't even know until you told him your name."

"Then why didn't he say anything?" Carina asked, becoming angry. "Why didn't either of you?"

"Because A, your daddy threatened to cut me tongue out if I ran my mouth," Jack said dramatically, "And secondly, he thought you wouldn't believe either of us, since you believed your father was a man of science."

"But then why did he leave me at the orphanage?" Carina pressed.

"Because he knew that wasn't the life for you, Carina," Jack said. "After your mother, Margaret died, she was a nice woman by the way, your father was not able to give you a decent life, like she could." Carina then felt a new wave of loss, knowing that her father truly loved her.

"Right after my discussion with Hector, Salazar caught up to us, and your boy, Henry, was nice enough to cut me loose" Jack continued, smiling at Henry. "As Hector, Henry, and the crew fought Salazar's men, we instructed Carina to keep sailing toward the island no matter what, or we'd all be dead."

"Soon after, we reached the island, and Salazar had to retreat, or he'd be forced on land," Carina added, "But not before taking Henry while leaving. Meanwhile, Jack, my father and I found five red rubies in the center, and by placing the missing piece from my diary, we were able to divide the sea in two to find Poseidon's tomb."

"Right when they started searching for the Trident, Salazar and his crew discussed what to do with me. Realizing that Jack was getting closer to the Trident, he decided to possess my body, in order to step on land," Henry said, earning a look of shock from his parents.

"Aye, and when he caught up to us and attacked me, I didn't know at first it was Salazar, and almost killed him. That was, until I found out that it was Salazar, and if I hurt him, I also hurt Henry," Jack told everyone.

"While Jack and Henry fought, I tried to take the Trident, and then Salazar took it from me, being able to walk on land," Carina said. "After releasing Henry, Salazar controlled the Trident, and started to throw Jack around like a rag doll. That's when we realized that destroying the Trident will break all the curses."

"Which is how my curse has been broken" Will said.

"Aye, it has," Jack replied. "For Salazar, he and his men felt their curse break immediately, becoming human once more. Suddenly, the sea started to become whole again, so Barbossa let down the Pearl's anchor so we could climb up. Unfortunately, Salazar was able to grab hold as well."

"Just as Salazar was behind me, I slipped, and my father stopped me from falling," Carina told Will and Elizabeth. As he pulled me up, I saw the tattoo of the Trident on his arm. After asking who I was to him, he simply replied, 'Treasure', before sacrificing himself to ensure our safety on the Pearl."

Feeling saddened, Will and Elizabeth looked at each other, remembering the times before Barbossa helped them rescue Jack from the Locker, when he was cursed by Aztec gold. They had no idea he could be this caring, let alone have a daughter.

"Carina," Will started, "We're going to tell you our history with Barbossa, from beginning to end. And no matter what you hear, whether it's good or bad, just remember: he died a hero, saving you."

"Oh, I might be able to extend the history a bit, William" Jack interrupted. "Hector and I ran into each other while searching for the Fountain of Youth…"

Chapter 2: Barbossa's first death and resurrection

"Our story starts with Will and I being children, and how we first met," Elizabeth began. "I was sailing with my father, the former governor Swann, to Port Royal. Suddenly, I saw a shipwreck with a boy floating amongst the wreckage. Will."

"That's right. We didn't know it at first, but my ship was attacked by the Black Pearl, because I had with me a piece of cursed Aztec gold," Will said. "Elizabeth found it, and fearing that the British navy would arrest me for being a pirate, took the medallion and hid it. That must've been when she saw the Pearl for the first time."

"Wait. If the gold was cursed and both of you two took it, how come you weren't cursed?" Carina asked.

"Because the curse worked it the gold was lifted directly from its chest. Only my father did that, but gave the medallion to me," Will explained.

"We didn't see anything out of the ordinary for the next eight years, but then Jack Sparrow arrived in Port Royal," Elizabeth continued.

"Aye, and my first introduction to Elizabeth was seeing her fall off a cliff, and I had to save her. Shortly after, I had a rough introduction to your father here, and was locked up as the Black Pearl attacked Port Royal," Jack said. "It was only after that Will broke me out of the cell, saying that Barbossa had taken Elizabeth."

"Yes, and this was when I first met Barbossa," Elizabeth interrupted. "He seemed like a kind man at first, but he quickly became a cruel person while cursed."

"So, my father was not always a kind person?" Carina asked, confused.

"I'm sorry, but no," Elizabeth started. "I'd like to say he became a better person after he was resurrected. But, back to the curse. Your father first told me the legend of the Aztec gold. At first, like you, I didn't believe in ghost stories, until I ran outside of his cabin one night and discovered that the entire crew was skeletons in the moonlight! They couldn't die!"

"By the time we caught up with Barbossa and Elizabeth, they had already performed the ritual to end the curse, but it didn't work," Will continued. "This was because they needed my blood, not Elizabeth's. While Barbossa and his crew argued about killing her, I knocked Jack out and took Elizabeth to safety."

"And then, when I woke up, Barbossa nearly killed me, but I struck a deal with him to grab the medallion," Jack interrupted. "Unfortunately, Barbossa double crossed me, and sent me to a remote island called Rumrunner's isle… again."

"I'm sorry, but what do you mean by 'again'?" Carina asked.

Jack looked nervously, then decided to say, "Carina, your father and I have a long history. He used to be my first mate on the Black Pearl, but when we were planning on sailing to Isla de Muerta, Barbossa led a mutiny, sending me to Rumrunners. He left me with one pistol, and one shot. Luckily, after three days, I had escaped."

"How exactly did you escape?" Henry asked, intrigued.

Jack grinned, and replied, "sea turtles, mate."

Elizabeth then replied, "That is not true! While on the island, you told me you spent three days drinking rum before being picked up by a trade ship!"

"Alright, fine then," Jack grumbled. "Anyway, all that happened ten years before I set foot on Port Royal. When Elizabeth and I were on the island, she was able to send up a signal to alert the British navy to where they were, where they were convinced to sail to Isla de Muerta and rescue Will."

"Jack arrived just in time, as Barbossa was about to slit my throat," Will continued. "But Jack had a plan, stealing an Aztec coin, becoming cursed himself, and freeing me. Soon after, Elizabeth joined us in fighting Barbossa and his crew who stayed behind, while the rest of the crew fought the navy."

"Just as Barbossa was about the shoot me, we all heard a gunshot ring out. We all turned to see that it was Jack's pistol that fired. At first, Barbossa thought that the shot was wasted, until he noticed that Will had broken the curse, which caused Barbossa to finally die."

Seeing Carina beginning to look toward the floor again, Jack tells her, "Carina, your father did do some awful things, but he also did good. Don't remember him by all the bad deeds he did, rather remember him for the great man he became."

"So, he really did die once," Carina said. "If you weren't in the Devil's Triangle, how did he come back?"

"We never actually saw this, but the mystic Tia Dalma resurrected him in order to rescue Jack," Will explained. "At the time, the Kraken had killed Jack for Davy Jones, and we all planned on bringing him back, so Tia brought in Barbossa, because he knew how to get to Davy Jones' Locker."

"Oh," Carina said, deep in thought. "Is there any way to bring him back?"

"Well, you could sail to the World's End, and make it so your ship becomes up is down," Jack started. "But I wouldn't recommend it. We lost too much when I was brought back."

"Before we brought Jack back, Barbossa instructed us all to travel with him to Singapore…" Elizabeth said…

Chapter 3: Rescuing Jack

"...Where we tried to barter with the pirate lord Sao Feng for charts to the World's End. After a brief battle with the East India Trading Company, Feng gave us the maps, and we sailed to the World's End, eventually finding Jack."

"As usual, Barbossa wanted to captain the Pearl, and after arguing, we both decided to be co-captains, and sailed for Shipwreck Cove, where the Brethren Court would gather to deal with the East India Trading Company and Davy Jones," Jack continued. "There, we took a vote, and Elizabeth became the Pirate King, and she decided we'd go to war against the EITC."

"After declaring war, Jack found himself on the Dutchman, and it was revealed that the reason Tia Dalma resurrected Barbossa in the first place was so he could free her from her human bonds, and return as Calypso," Will said. "Soon afterwards, Calypso caused a maelstrom, where the Pearl and the Dutchman battled each other. During that time, Elizabeth and I got married."

"What? You two got married during a war?" Henry asked, shocked.

"Yes, and Carina's father was the one who married us." Elizabeth informed.

"It took a little bit of time, to fight off the EITC, Jones' crew, and recite our vows, but we eventually kissed and became husband and wife." Will said. "Right after we married, Elizabeth and I went aboard the Dutchman to assist Jack, but Jones killed me. Wasting no time, Jack used my arm to stab Jones' heart, and that's how I became captain of the Flying Dutchman."

"With Jones defeated, and the EITC destroyed, the Pearl and I stopped by Tortuga, where I discovered Barbossa left me without my ship- again." Jack groaned, while getting an eyeroll from Will and Elizabeth. "However, I had figured out that Hector was after the Fountain of Youth, so I had cut out the map from Sao Feng's charts, so Barbossa couldn't get to them. Then I started my journey to the Fountain."

"This is where our tale ends, but I did come on land for one day, ten years later," Will told them. "The rest of the story is how Jack saw it."

"Right then," Jack said, taking another swig of rum. "Fourteen years after Jones was defeated, I was able to really start searching for the Fountain…"

Chapter 4: Race for the Fountain

"Fourteen years after the war on piracy, I had started to crack down on searching for the Fountain. While trying to rescue my first mate Gibbs, I was captured and brought to the king in London, where I discovered that Hector had become a privateer for the royal navy." Jack stated. "It was then that he revealed to me that he lost the Black Pearl, and in the process, he lost his right leg."

"So that's how he got the peg." Carina whispered.

"Aye. I quickly escaped, but learned later that Barbossa had forced Gibbs to help him find the Fountain, or else he would hang." Jack continued. "The next time I met with Barbossa, it was after I had been captured by Blackbeard and ordered to find the silver chalices of Ponce De Leon, where he was waiting on the Santiago ship.

"We began to fight, but soon discovered that the Spanish had stolen the chalices, so we had to team up to get them back. Along the way, I discovered that he had practiced in dipping his sword in toad's poisons, to give him a deadly advantage. While trying to steal the cups, the Spanish captured us, and we had a nice conversation while drinking rum out of Hector's peg leg. I quickly deduced that Hector was waiting for Blackbeard, and wanted revenge. So Barbossa revealed that Blackbeard was the reason why he lost his leg, as well as putting the Black Pearl in a bottle.

"Seeing that we had a common enemy, I decided to have us escape our predicament, and we grabbed the chalices and left. I returned to Blackbeard, and we continued our journey to the Fountain of Youth. Once there, Barbossa followed us, and the British and Blackbeard's men battled each other, while I fought Blackbeard's daughter, Angelica, and Scrum, for the chalices. Eventually, the Spanish caught up with us, and destroyed the Fountain. As Blackbeard was distracted, Barbossa stabbed him through the heart with his poisoned blade, but Angelica also accidentally got cut. Seeing his revenge was complete, Barbossa took Blackbeard's sword of Triton, his crew, and his ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, and started to make his own fleet of ships. With both Blackbeard and Angelica dying, I gathered the last waters of the Fountain, and tricked Blackbeard into saving his daughter's life, before returning to Gibbs, who had stolen the Black Pearl from the Revenge."

"So what was my father doing all that time? What were you doing?" Carina asked, confused.

"It's like I said, he had amassed a fleet, while I was stuck in that town you were in. My last attempt there was robbing the bank, where I met you." Jack replied.

"Ah yes, I remember. You ended up pulling the entire building out." Carina said, laughing.

"I have to ask though, what ever happened to Angelica?" Henry asked.

"I dropped her off at the same Rumrunner's isle that Elizabeth and I were stuck on," Jack said slyly. "I'm honestly not sure what happened to her after that. She either took my advice and boarded a passing ship. Or she eventually died of starvation."

"Which brings us to where we were; my father found us at that island when the ghosts could not step on land," Carina said. "He saved us from Salazar."

"Aye, Carina," Jack started again,"he died protecting his daughter. He was a hero."

"Is there a way to bring my father back?" Carina asked Will.

Will looked nervously at Elizabeth, then at Jack. "I'm sorry, Carina," he said, "But with the curses broken, we can't be sure if Davy Jones' Locker even exists anymore. He might be permanently stuck in the afterlife."

"But what about that mystic, Tia Dalma?" Carina pressed. "Can't she come back to resurrect him?"

"I don't she would if she does come back" Jack said. "She was Calypso in human form, and she only needed Barbossa to be released from her human bonds."

"Oh" Carina said, suddenly accepting that Barbossa was gone for good.

"Now, this is where the tale finally ends," Jack concluded. "Come on, we'll show you something Hector would probably want you to have."

Chapter 5: Epilogue

Jack, Carina, and the Turners left the house, and started walking toward the Pearl.

"Jack, you sure took your time." Gibbs greeted them "Miss Barbossa, Turners, nice to see you all."

"Nice to see you too, mate," Jack replied. "Did ye fetch what I had asked before I left?"

"Aye, I had Scrum sail for it," Gibbs said, then looking at Carina, told her, "Take a look over the side; your ship awaits."

Confused, Carina went to the other side of the ship and stared at the ocean. There, just a few feet away, was the Queen Anne's Revenge.

"I believe Hector would have wanted you to take his place as captain" Jack said, before adding, "I think these are your effects as well."

Carina stared at him, before noticing that he was handing her the sword of Triton, as well as Barbossa's old hat with the feathers. Taking them carefully, Carina was given a belt to sheath the sword, and put the hat on, before going into a longboat to the Revenge.

"Father, I'm happy to see you again, but I would like to go with Carina" Henry told Will.

"It's okay, son. We will see each other again, perhaps on the seas." Will told him. Smiling, Carina and Henry made it to the Revenge, where Scrum, Murtogg, and Mullroy were waiting.

"The fleet is waiting your orders. What's our heading, captain?" Scrum asked her once they made it.

"All hands on deck, ye blooming cockroaches!" Carina yelled at the top her lungs as Jack the monkey climbed onto her shoulder, earning praise from the crew. "Make way toward Tortuga! It's time to expand our crew!" And with that, the Queen Anne's Revenge set sail, with a new captain, and a new crew manning the ship.

"There goes a fine young lad," Jack muttered, watching from his spyglass. "I'll keep an eye on them. In the meantime, goodbye Will. Goodbye Elizabeth. I will see you someday."

"Farewell, Jack" Will and Elizabeth said, before returning to the island.

"What be our heading, captain?" Gibbs asked once they left.

"Follow the stars, mate. For once, there is a destination beyond the horizon." Jack replied, setting sail once more, and singing an old sea shanty. "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me…"

The End