DOTM: Chapter 333/334

Chapter 333: Return to the Caribbean

Life on the island was relaxing yet boring.

This floating island had a more complex terrain compared to the ones Ethan had found before, with mountains, a lake, and even a swamp.

Ethan and the others found many miscellaneous items on the island, but nothing truly useful. It was possible that valuable things were buried deeper, but Ethan wasn't in the mood to dig up the whole place just to check.

The only things worth collecting were some fruit and replenishing fresh water. Although the island had decent wood that could be harvested, it no longer held much significance for Ethan.

He no longer needed to collect large amounts of wood to build or buy a ship, and the spare timber on the Goddess of Dawn was enough to last until the ship's retirement.

Collecting wood was especially laborious and took up too much space, so Ethan and the others spared the trees and didn't cut down the small forest.

After gathering enough supplies and enjoying some leisurely days, Ethan didn't wait until the island was on the verge of collapse to leave. Instead, as soon as the island experienced its first tremor, he led everyone away from the area.

"What a pity. I thought we'd get to see the spectacular sight of the island collapsing and sinking into the sea."

Jonathan's lament resonated with several others. Quite a few, like Annette, Ada, and Evelyn—those who had joined the crew later—were hoping to witness such a scene.

Even Imhotep,who usually maintained a calm and aloof demeanor, held some curiosity about it deep down.

"As long as we continue to live in this sea region, there'll be plenty of opportunities to see a scene like that again."

What Ethan said was true. Watching a floating island sink wasn't hard. As long as he continued to live in this ocean world, he would inevitably need to search for various islands.

Even though he no longer depended on islands to survive, no one wanted to drift at sea endlessly. Even if just for a place to rest temporarily, searching for floating islands was unavoidable.

Besides, he couldn't be sure how long he would stay in the Sea of Miracles. Was he really worried about not encountering floating islands?

The Goddess of Dawn moved away from the storm-affected area. With her tonnage, sailing on calm seas meant the rocking motion could be kept to a minimum. For Ethan, an experienced sailor, it felt little different from being on land.

However, some of the new passengers still hadn't adjusted. For people like Evelyn, even slight swaying was noticeable, and they felt uncomfortable when the waves got stronger.

This was also why Ethan tried to sail the Goddess of Dawn in relatively calm waters—to give everyone time to adapt.

But the sea along this route changed quickly. He thought things would improve after leaving the turbulent storm zone, but unexpectedly, after only a short period of calm, they encountered a sudden storm.

Worse still, the storm lasted for three days and three nights. During this time, the Goddess of Dawn was constantly being tossed between waves, rising and falling again and again.

The constant up-and-down motion was anything but pleasant. Evelyn and the others, who had once thought this ocean world was fun and fascinating, were thoroughly worn down.

As a result, Evelyn, who had been eager to follow Ethan on his next trip to another world, decisively chose to stay behind when she learned the next destination also involved sailing.

Ethan didn't bother explaining that the sea conditions in the Caribbean were relatively calmer. The ocean was inherently unpredictable—even the Caribbean could have storms, and no one could guarantee what weather they'd encounter.

"So, is anyone else coming this time?"

Logan shook his head. This trip was to a world Ethan had already visited, one without any particularly dangerous beings and still in the era of sailing ships. He really couldn't find the motivation to go.

Evelyn and the others, who had initially shown interest, had been thoroughly shaken by the recent storm. Now that things had finally calmed down, they didn't want to arrive in a new world only to run into another tempest.

"Looks like it's just you, then."

Imhotep and Anck-su-namun were currently focused on improving their strength. At present, they were just two ordinary people who couldn't even protect themselves, so bringing them along would be meaningless. Since the other ordinary members weren't going, there was no need to bring Imhotep either.

His top priority now was to grow stronger. With so many resources available on the Goddess of Dawn, he needed to carefully consider what path to take.

Annette had no interest in anything outside of research. So in the end, only Ada was left.

"I'm not planning to go with you this time either."

"Huh?"

Ada had agreed to join his team not only because the reward he offered was attractive enough, but also because she wanted to see various worlds.

"There's not much worth seeing in that time period."

As a seasoned spy, she was highly knowledgeable, including in history.

The Caribbean of that era... there really wasn't much.

All you could observe were the customs and conditions of that time, but what was the point? Besides, Ethan had already said that this time, he was going to seek out someone.

The infamous Blackbeard, Edward Teach.

It was said that Blackbeard knew dark magic, and Ethan wanted to find him to learn a particular spell.

At first, Ada thought it was a relatively magical world, but she soon realized she had overestimated it. Once she learned that Blackbeard's so-called dark magic was just a little strange and not even comparable to what Ethan or Imhotep could do, she completely lost interest.

"All right then."

Ethan spread his hands. Since that was the case, there was no need to waste time preparing. He didn't even go back to his captain's cabin to avoid being seen. Instead, he activated the space-time circle directly in front of everyone, stepped inside, waved goodbye, and headed to the Caribbean world.

He always kept his most frequently used items in his storage space. As his mastery over spatial energy grew, his storage space had expanded, allowing him to carry much more. The only downside was that time couldn't be frozen inside it, so food and water would still spoil if stored for too long.

So he didn't keep those items in storage long-term, only grabbing them shortly before departure.

When his vision returned, Ethan first looked around and felt a strange sense of familiarity. With his current memory, he wouldn't forget something so easily. In just a moment, he knew where he was.

"I didn't expect to land here again."

Thinking back to his first time in the Caribbean, he had also appeared in this location and had to walk for a bit before reaching Port Royal.

"Looks like the landing spot hasn't changed at all."

He already knew that each world he traveled to was influenced by his subjective consciousness, but he hadn't studied how the specific landing point was determined. He wasn't sure if it was based on a previously recorded location or something buried in his subconscious.

Heading in a familiar direction, Ethan stood once more atop that hill and looked toward Port Royal in the distance.

He didn't know how much time had passed in this world since his last visit.

Although his mastery of the space-time orb had improved and he could easily lock onto previously visited worlds, unless it was a world like the Marvel Universe where he had left an anchor point, he couldn't precisely select the time.

In a completely "free-range" world like the Caribbean, he had no way to determine when he'd arrive. For all he knew, he might have landed in an era where Jack Sparrow had already died of old age.

Standing on the hill, he carefully observed the layout of Port Royal and found it wasn't much different from the last time he was here. It seemed not much time had passed.

That brought Ethan some relief. He wasn't concerned about whether Jack was dead, but if Blackbeard had already died, where would he find someone to teach him the ship-in-a-bottle dark magic?

He was fairly certain that this type of magic wasn't unique to Blackbeard. However, the movie never mentioned anyone else who knew it, nor did it explain where Blackbeard learned it.

So Ethan had no choice but to go seek him out. And to find Blackbeard, the easiest route was to track down Jack Sparrow.

"What a pity I didn't land directly on Jack Sparrow's ship… Speaking of him, I wonder if he's already been tossed onto a deserted island by his crew."

Jack Sparrow's methods were completely different from most pirates in this world. In Ethan's opinion, Jack was only suited to gather a few like-minded companions to travel the seas, exploring magical treasures and living out a life of adventure.

If he surrounded himself with pirates whose only goal was to plunder and grow rich, conflict was bound to arise. In the end, Jack would inevitably be thrown off the Black Pearl by a mutinous crew.

"I hope poor Jack isn't that unlucky."

If Jack had already lost the Black Pearl, Ethan would have to help him find it again. After all, if he wanted to track Blackbeard across the vast sea, he'd need a ship fast enough to get the job done.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 334: Elizabeth Is Arrested

Ethan was not in a hurry to find Jack's whereabouts, even though he could easily locate him using the amulet Jack had left behind.

Since he had landed near Port Royal, he decided to visit Elizabeth first, curious about how the noble lady who had longed for the sea was doing now.

In the original story, when Jack Sparrow was finally captured and about to be executed, the young blacksmith Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann had teamed up to rescue Jack, letting him escape and preventing the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow from dying prematurely on the gallows in Port Royal.

However, this also gave Lord Beckett a reasonable excuse to act. He used it to gain authorization from the King, stripping Governor Weatherby Swann of his position and replacing him, becoming the most powerful figure in Port Royal.

At the same time, he also arrested Will Turner and his fiancée Elizabeth, threatening Will with Elizabeth's life to force him to capture Jack Sparrow.

If he failed to bring Jack back, both Elizabeth and Will would be hanged for colluding with pirates.

Of course, his real goal wasn't to eliminate pirates. He had even prepared a letter of marque ahead of time so that Jack Sparrow could become a legally recognized privateer captain if he wished.

That was quite a good bargaining chip. Lord Beckett's true target was the compass in Jack's hand.

Recalling the original plot, Ethan had already stepped into the city of Port Royal.

It was much the same as when he last visited. The port city was still dirty, chaotic, and reeked terribly. Ethan hadn't experienced such an environment in a while. Even in the seemingly less developed world of Azeroth, public sanitation hadn't been this bad.

He waved his hand, wanting to dispel the stench, but this action did little beyond providing some psychological comfort.

After walking through the city for a while, leaving the commoner district and entering the area where the upper class lived, the environment improved slightly.

But only slightly. It was roughly equivalent to going from inside a public restroom to being just outside one.

Perhaps the marginally "fresher" air helped Ethan regain his composure, reminding him that he was no longer the novice who couldn't cast complex magic. Spells like filtering harmful gases while allowing him to breathe normally were no longer difficult for him.

Waving his hand, he cast such a spell on himself, and instantly felt revived, his mind clearing.

"Logically, I've already completely disrupted the plot of the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, so the events that follow should have changed."

However, considering that Lord Beckett had been stirring up trouble and his goal was the compass in Jack Sparrow's hand, Ethan figured that even if Will and Elizabeth hadn't rescued Jack, Beckett would have still found an excuse to bring down Governor Swann.

He was right. When Ethan arrived at Governor Swann's mansion, he found the Governor, who had once been quite cordial with him, sitting there sighing in frustration.

He didn't just see Governor Swann. The young blacksmith Will Turner was also there.

"You are… Ethan?"

Ethan's appearance had changed quite a bit since his last visit, though his features were still recognizable. The main difference was his physique. Fortunately, he had only grown taller, which was still within the bounds of normal.

Governor Swann didn't seem too surprised. More importantly, he wasn't in the mood to wonder why Ethan had grown taller or become more handsome.

"It's been a long time, Governor."

After a brief greeting, Ethan got straight to the point and asked about Elizabeth.

At his question, the two men sighed again. Fortunately, Governor Swann didn't keep him guessing and explained the situation, allowing Ethan to understand why the two of them looked so distressed.

"Elizabeth was arrested?"

Just like in the original story, Lord Beckett had arrived in Port Royal, armed with royal authority to revoke Governor Swann's position and seize control of Port Royal.

At the same time, he arrested Elizabeth for colluding with the pirate Jack Sparrow. As for Will Turner, he wasn't arrested since he had never met Jack in this altered timeline.

Ethan glanced at the handsome young blacksmith. In this version of the Caribbean world, whose storyline had been drastically altered after Ethan's interference, Elizabeth still hadn't ended up with Commodore Norrington upon returning to Port Royal. Instead, her feelings for Will Turner had blossomed—their emotions had always been mutual, just unspoken.

Now, although they still hadn't confessed outright, their relationship had clearly grown more intimate. Had things gone normally, they would have become a couple soon.

But it was at that moment that Lord Cutler Beckett appeared.

As a proper villain, Beckett drew all the negative attention to himself. His schemes also pushed the young couple's emotions to the surface, forcing them to face their feelings.

In a way, Will and Elizabeth were now a real couple, but Elizabeth was sitting in prison, potentially awaiting the gallows.

And this was the moment Ethan returned to Port Royal.

Governor Swann hoped Ethan could help, as Ethan was also involved in this matter.

"My involvement?"

Back then, Governor Swann had truly believed that Ethan was a noble from the homeland. He wasn't sure whether Ethan was from the military or some other agency, but it was precisely because of this assumption that he had supported him, even helping Commodore Norrington send warships to aid Ethan in capturing the Black Pearl.

This time, when Lord Beckett arrived and laid out the charges against Governor Swann, one of them was "collusion with an unidentified individual closely associated with pirates."

That "unidentified individual," of course, referred to Ethan.

Because of Ethan, Governor Swann had deployed Port Royal's naval forces. Although the operation had succeeded in capturing a group of pirates, many details raised questions.

You say he's a noble? Where's the proof? Who can confirm it?

Bringing someone of unknown background aboard a warship, allowing him to lead an entire naval operation—no matter how you looked at it, it was a serious breach of protocol.

It even raised suspicions that Ethan might be a spy from an enemy country. And as the Governor of a British colony, if you couldn't identify a spy under your own command, then you had seriously failed in your duties.

Because of this, Governor Swann's situation was even worse than in the original plot. Not only was he stripped of his position, he was also placed under house arrest and was awaiting trial back home. If he couldn't clear his name...

"You mean you're under house arrest?"

"Yes."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. He hadn't paid close attention when he arrived. There were many soldiers stationed around the mansion, but Port Royal was a military port, so he hadn't thought much of it. He assumed they were stationed there for protection. Now it seemed they were probably there to keep an eye on Weatherby Swann.

That wasn't surprising, but what was interesting was that no one had stopped him when he came to visit the Governor.

Could it be that Lord Cutler Beckett had anticipated his return?

"No, I don't think so."

Ethan quickly came to a conclusion. Beckett's target was the compass in Jack Sparrow's hand. His arrest of Elizabeth wasn't out of a genuine desire to punish her for aiding a pirate; she was just a bargaining chip.

Will Turner was the real pawn. Beckett wanted to be the chess master, and everything he did was to force Will to act on his behalf.

He couldn't apply too much pressure. Governor Swann already had a list of charges against him, but killing him would push Will into rebellion, which wouldn't benefit Beckett's plan.

The current situation was ideal—just enough pressure, but still leaving a sliver of hope. That way, Beckett could manipulate the players on the board however he wished.

The soldiers guarding Governor Swann wouldn't act too aggressively. At most, they'd report any visitors to Beckett.

"I wonder what kind of reaction Beckett will have after hearing that I, this 'unidentified person,' have reappeared?"

Originally, Ethan had intended to go find Beckett to discuss Elizabeth's arrest.

Now it seemed he wouldn't need to go looking. Beckett would come to him.

"He won't care about my identity. He just wants to assert his authority in front of Weatherby Swann, to apply more pressure and force Will Turner to agree to go out to sea and capture Jack."

Thinking this, Ethan offered some words of comfort to the anxious and distraught Governor Swann, then turned to Will Turner, who had barely spoken, and asked, "Do you have any plans?"

At this point, Beckett had not yet presented his terms. The young and inexperienced Will was at a complete loss, unsure how to save the woman he loved.

He even felt a bit resentful toward Ethan, as it was Ethan who had indirectly involved Elizabeth and caused her strongest supporter, Governor Swann, to lose his position. When Beckett arrested Elizabeth, no one remained who could stop him, and Will truly didn't know what to do.

Looking at the bewildered young blacksmith, Ethan knew he was still too green. If things were left to him, by the time Will figured out a plan, Elizabeth would probably be reduced to a dried corpse—and Imhotep would have a new companion...

(To be continued.)