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cut through the darkness, an unmistakable outline against the rest of the shadows.
    Being Spanish, he and Carolina knew all too well what that shape meant.
    “It’s the Centurion ,” he breathed. “The Pirate Lord Villanueva is coming.”

C HAPTER S IX
    “C aptain Sparrow!” Diego shouted, leaping down to the deck. “Captain Sparrow! Sir!”
    “I like it, I like it,” Jack said, popping up from behind a barrel he was rolling down the Spanish ship toward the Pearl . “See, Barbossa, that’s how everyone should address me. You could learn a thing or two.”
    “Sir, it’s the Centurion !” Diego called. “Villanueva is heading straight for us!”
    All the pirates turned pale. Several of them grabbed as much gold as they could hold and hurled themselves over the railings back onto the Black Pearl .
    “Villanueva! First he steals my crew and now he wants to steal my gold,” Jack grumbled. “Bloody pirate.”
    “Let us stand and fight, gents!” Barbossa said in ringing tones. “Let us defend our prize! Let us show that we are true pirates, brave and bold and—”
    “ Or ,” Jack interrupted, “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s run away.”
    “What?” Barbossa bellowed.
    “Why fight when we can outrun them easily?” Jack said. He didn’t mention it, but his strange pain, which had faded during the battle, had suddenly returned. He no longer felt energetic and light on his feet. The mossy anchors were back in his chest, weighing him down. The last thing he wanted was another battle, especially with one of the more fearsome Pirate Lords. Besides, they had the loot and the girl—there was nothing to gain, and quite a bit to lose, once Villanueva discovered what lovely piles of gold they had liberated from the galleon.
    “All right, men!” Jack cried, waving his sword. “Back to the Pearl ! And away! Set sail for New Orleans!” The crew began to cast off from the Spanish ship, leaving nothing but tied-up soldiers and an empty hold. Fuming, Barbossa followed Jack onto the ship.
    He wasn’t the only one who was mad. “New Orleans!” Billy protested. “Why New Orleans? What happened to North Carolina?”
    “Yes, yes,” Jack said reassuringly. “Not to worry. Just one quick stop on the way! Give the fellows a chance to spend some of this gold while I run a brief errand. Maybe pick up a little more rum while we’re there, since we always seem to be out of it for some reason.”
    “I hope you’re planning to dump these two troublemakers there,” Barbossa growled, pointing to Diego and Carolina. “We can’t even understand half of what they’re saying. They could be Spanish spies…they could be working for Villanueva himself !”
    “We most certainly are not!” Carolina said indignantly.
    “That man is a villain and a scoundrel,” Diego insisted. “He has no honor—not even the honor among pirates.”
    “Oh, really? That’s rather a dramatic accusation,” Jack observed.
    “We could tell you something—something that would interest you very much,” Carolina said, putting her hands on her hips. “But only if you agree to let us stay with you.”
    “On the Pearl ?” Jack said, furrowing his brow. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
    Diego raised his hands. “Nowhere. We are fugitives. Where better for us than a pirate ship, where you are always staying one step ahead of the law?”
    “True,” Jack said, tilting his head. “I am very good at that myself.”
    “You can’t be thinking of agreeing to this,” Barbossa spat. “They’ll just get underfoot and be in our way.”
    A few of the other pirates muttered in agreement, exchanging dark glances. They had left the Spanish galleon behind them and were skimming quickly over the waves, keeping the ship dark, and putting as much distance between them and Villanueva as they could.
    “We won’t be in the way,” Carolina said, tossing her head proudly. “We learn quickly. We’ll be useful.”
    “We can help