[Isls De Muerta: Cave - MAIN CAVERN]
Arlo leaned against a damp cave wall, the salt-heavy air clinging to his coat as he watched Will stride toward Elizabeth. The two stood near a shallow pool, moonlight fracturing across the water's surface like broken glass.
Typical romantic setup, he mused, thumbing the edge of his threaded cane. Link sat beside him, ears flicking at the distant drip of seawater.
Will's voice carried faintly, strained but earnest. "Elizabeth, I…" He trailed off, the unspoken words louder than any declaration. She stepped closer, her resolve cracking into something softer.
Arlo smirked. Real subtle, Shakespeare. Just say it before the universe throws a curve ball at you.
A cacophony of clattering gold shattered the moment.
Jack Sparrow emerged from behind a stalagmite, arms laden with a gaudy golden chalice and a jeweled crown perched precariously on his head. "Ah, loot!" he crowed, oblivious, as a smaller statue slipped from his grasp and crashed into the pool.
Elizabeth jerked back, spraying water across her boots.
Arlo scoffed, stepping up beside them with Link at his side."And you just had to ruin it, Jack."
They approached the group, Elizabeth's glare sharp enough to make anyone's spine shiver."We should return to the Dauntless," Will said tersely, brushing droplets from her sleeves. Will's jaw tightened, his gaze dropping to the rippling water."Your fiancé will want to know you're safe," he muttered, the words tasting like defeat. Elizabeth froze. For a heartbeat, her mask slipped—regret, maybe guilt—before she turned away.
Oof. Critical hit near to his heart, Arlo thought, recalling Elizabeth British fiancee.
Will stared at the ground, a man who'd gambled his last healing potion and lost.
Jack sidled up to Will, clapping him on the shoulder with a gold-gloved hand."If you were waiting for the opportune moment…that was it." He grinned, utterly pleased with himself.
Arlo rolled his eyes. "Way to read the room, Jack."
"Room? We're in a cave, mate. Terrible acoustics for romance." Jack hoisted his treasure-filled sack higher, trinkets jingling like a loot drop sound effect.
Arlo, however, wasn't leaving just yet. He turned to Jack and Will. "You two go on ahead. I have something to take care of first. Wait for me at the boats."
Jack studied him for a moment, then gave a casual nod, as if this wasn't the strangest thing he'd heard today. "Suit yourself, mate. Just don't take too long—savin' your skin twice in one day ain't on my to-do list."
Will shot Arlo a curious look but ultimately said nothing, following Jack as they made their way toward the exit.Now alone with Link, Arlo turned his attention to the Aztec chest, still filled with cursed gold. The others might have thought the curse was broken, but Arlo knew better. Just because the immediate threat was gone didn't mean the danger was over. Like leaving a cursed item laying around until another idiot pick it up.
He stepped forward, pulling a small glass bottle from his inventory—one filled with a shimmering, golden-red liquid. The blood of Archangel Gabriel. Uncorking the bottle, Arlo hovered it over the pile of cursed medallions, allowing one drop of the divine blood to drip onto the gold.
Immediately, a violent gust of wind howled through the cavern, the torches flickering as if resisting some unseen force. The air grew heavy, charged with an unnatural energy. Then—a black smoke, thick and writhing, lifted from the gold, screeching as it peeled away from the coins like a living entity.
The cavern trembled. A low, guttural wail echoed from the walls, as if something ancient and malevolent was being ripped apart. Arlo took a step back, watching carefully as the darkness detached itself from the gold and vanished into nothingness.He narrowed his eyes and activated his [Spirit Vision], scanning the chest for any residual traces of the curse. But this time—there was nothing. It was over. The Aztec gold was truly cleansed.
With a satisfied nod, Arlo placed his hand inside the chest, activating his inventory. In a blink, the entire chest of gold disappeared into inventory, safe from any greedy hands that might stumble upon it.
The ceiling cracked, debris raining down.
"Time to go!" Arlo shouted to Link, bolting toward the exit. They sprinted, the cave shaking violently in their wake—platformer escape sequence, no checkpoints. The curse was broken, he thought which means that the quests is complete.
---
[Isla De Muerta - LAGOON]
The rowboat cut through the lagoon's dark waters, the cavern's collapsing echoes still rumbling in the distance. Arlo let out a long breath, feeling the tension slowly fade from his muscles. The curse was broken, for real this time—no trap, no dumb-ass getting cursed.
Arlo met Will's gaze and smirked, stretching out his arms."Let's just say, no one's going to be cursed by that treasure again."
Before Will could press further, Jack suddenly shouted from the bow."Row! Row like your miserable lives depend on it!"
A quick glance behind them confirmed why Jack was panicking—the cavern's collapse hadn't stopped, and large chunks of the island were crumbling into the sea, sending massive waves rippling outward. Without hesitation, Will dug into the oars, rowing with all the strength he could muster. Arlo grabbed an extra oar, joining in. Even Elizabeth, despite her exhaustion, helped guide the boat away from the collapsing rockfall. The moment they cleared the cavern mouth, a final, deafening crash shook the air behind them.
They turned just in time to watch as the entrance to Isla de Muerta collapsed entirely, sending a towering cloud of dust and mist into the night sky. For a moment, no one spoke. Then, Jack let out a relieved sigh, slumping back into his seat. "And that, mates, is why I always leave before the grand finale."
Elizabeth, still catching her breath, scanned the lagoon and froze. "Where's the Pearl?"
Arlo and Will followed her gaze, Jack already standing up to check. Sure enough—the Black Pearl was gone. A heavy silence fell over them. Jack's expression didn't change at first, his eyes scanning the empty horizon, but Arlo could tell—Jack already knew what had happened.
Will lowered the oars, his jaw tightening. "They left us."
Elizabeth turned to Jack, guilt flickering across her face. "I'm sorry, Jack."
Jack, still watching the empty sea, sighed through his nose. "They did what was right by them. Can't expect more than that."
Arlo leaned back, resting his arms on the edge of the boat, and smirked at Jack. "Well, look on the bright side—you're not dead yet."
Jack shot him a sideways glance. "Yet?"
Arlo shrugged. "Just saying, if you need someone to hold onto that treasure for 'safe keeping'…" he said, motioning toward the bag of stolen loot Jack had managed to grab.
Jack clutched the sack closer to his chest, eyes narrowing. "Are you robbing me, mate?"
Arlo grinned. "I'd call it… strategic asset management."
Will, already annoyed by the entire situation, exhaled sharply and focused on rowing. "This mean we just get back to the Dauntless then?"
Jack gave one last glance at the horizon, then settled back into his seat, tossing a gold coin up and catching it lazily. "Aye. Let's get on with it, then."
As the rowboat drifted toward open waters, Arlo couldn't shake the feeling that Jack Sparrow wasn't done scheming just yet.
***
[Fort Charles - MORNING]
The sun hung high over Fort Charles, its golden light illuminating the gallows where Jack Sparrow stood, wrists bound, facing execution. The gathered crowd murmured as the official proclamation was read aloud. "Jack Sparrow… be it known that you have been charged, tried, and convicted—"
Arlo, watching from the rooftop of a nearby building, smirked slightly. He already knew how this would end. Jack always had a way of slipping through trouble, and today would be no different.Rather than intervene, Arlo made his way toward the docks, where a rowboat awaited him. He had already bribed the right officials, ensuring that his departure would go unnoticed. He had no intention of sticking around for the dramatics—he had a boat to row and a pirate to retrieve.
---
[Port Royal: Bay]
Arlo sat in the rowboat, just beyond the fort's walls, his eyes locked onto the cliffside above. He muttered under his breath, "Come on, come on… where are you, Jack?"
As if on cue, a familiar figure tumbled from the very same ledge Elizabeth had fallen from before.
Arlo grinned. "Right on time." He grabbed the oars, rowing hard toward Jack's flailing form. Water splashed as Jack surfaced, coughing, shaking his head, and looking altogether unimpressed with his situation.
"Fancy seeing you here, Jack," Arlo called, smirking. "Told you you wouldn't die just yet."
Jack, paddling toward the boat, grinned. "You have impeccable timing, mate."
Before Jack could pull himself into the boat, Link launched at him, barking happily and licking Jack's face with enthusiasm. Jack, flailing slightly, made an exaggerated groan. "Arlo, kindly control your beast!"
Arlo chuckled, snapping his fingers. "Link, that's enough."
Link backed off but still wagged his tail excitedly, staring at Jack like he was his long-lost best friend. With a sigh of relief, Jack hoisted himself into the rowboat. As he settled in, Arlo reached into his inventory, pulling out a bag of treasure including the 441 aztec gold coin and giving it to Jack.
Jack caught it, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't think you'd actually return it."
Arlo shrugged. "I keep my word including your payment. I'm not a pirate, after all."
Jack smirked, strapping the bag to his shoulder. "Pity. You'd make a fine one."
The Black Pearl sailed into view, its sails fully unfurled, cutting through the waves with the same elegance and menace that made it the most feared ship in the Caribbean. The sun glistened off its black hull, giving it a well-earned cinematic beauty shot.
Jack, sitting at the front of the rowboat, grinned at the sight of his beloved ship. "Ah, there she is, in all her glory."
Arlo, rowing beside him, smirked. "Not bad. I've seen worse."
Jack shot him an offended look, hand over his chest. "Worse? I'll pretend I didn't hear that, mate."
Link barked excitedly as the rowboat approached the Pearl, tail wagging as if he knew this was Jack's moment. The two men climbed aboard, greeted by the watchful stares of the crew. Jack, brushing the sea spray off his coat, turned to face them.
"Thought you lot were supposed to keep to the code?" Gibbs, standing at the helm, gave a knowing grin. "We figured they were more like… guidelines."
The crew chuckled, and Gibbs extended his hand, pulling Jack to his feet. Jack retrieved his hat from Cotton, the parrot eyeing him expectantly.
"Thank you," Jack said with a smirk, adjusting the hat onto his head.Anamaria stepped forward, holding Jack's long coat. She handed it to him without a word, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Captain Sparrow… the Black Pearl is yours."
Jack ran a loving hand across the ship's wheel, exhaling as if everything was right in the world again.
The crew watched him in anticipation, waiting for the order. Jack turned to them, his voice carrying across the deck. "On deck, you scabrous dogs! Hands to braces! Let go and haul to run free!"
The crew snapped into motion, preparing the ship to set sail.Arlo, standing at the edge of the deck, felt his HUD flicker to life. A series of notifications appeared in his vision, confirming what he already knew.
---
[Quest: Break the Curse of the Aztec Gold Coins]
Remark: You have broken the the Curse of the Aztec Gold without destroying the Aztec Gold Coin itself and now all of the gold coins are cleansed to be used without consequences.
Reward: 400 EXP and 800 Credits
Evaluation: S - Rank
---
[Experience Gained: 400 XP]
[Experience : 6755 (12960) XP]
[Credits: 5445]
---
A sigh of satisfaction escaped him. His work here was done. But he pause and thought that he did not complete any hidden quests which is a bit sad and the reward is unsatisfactory to him after you cannot expect to always get what you want(explain more).
Turning to Jack, he said, "It's time for me to go." Jack looked at him, tilting his head. "And where might you be off to, mate?" Arlo smirked. "Just drop me at the nearest port."
Jack thought for a moment, then grinned. "Tortuga seems like a good place to start."
Arlo chuckled. "That'll do."
***
[Tortuga :THE Faithful Bride Bar– NIGHT]
The night was alive with music, drunken brawls, and the rowdy laughter of pirates. Jack had bought drinks for the crew, celebrating his return and, more importantly, his reclaimed ship and treasure.
Arlo watched from the shadows, knowing this wasn't his world. It never had been.
Slipping away from the festivities, he made his way toward the docks, Link padding silently at his side.
Before he could disappear into the night, a voice called out."Leaving without saying goodbye?"
Arlo stopped, sighing before turning around. Jack stood there, hands in his coat pockets, expression unreadable.
"It's for the best, Jack." Arlo replied
Jack studied him for a moment, then smirked. "Will we meet again?"
Arlo smiled, a rare, genuine one. "If fate permits… we will." Jack nodded, tipping his hat in farewell.
Arlo turned and walked away, not looking back. Reaching a quiet, secluded spot, Arlo took a deep breath and activated his BrainLink.
A screen appeared, confirming his request.
---
[Disney Multiverse: Caribbean Universe]
[Warning: Portal Transfer Imminent]
[Accept Transfer? Y/N]
---
A portal swirled open before him, energy crackling in the night air. Without hesitation, Arlo stepped forward, disappearing into the unknown.By the time the first light of dawn touched the shores of Tortuga, there was no sign he had ever been there.