The silence stretched.
It was the sort of silence that sat awkwardly between people who had all expected the other side to speak first.
Jack Sparrow stood in the middle of it, smiling.
Bege lay half-slumped against the shattered wall, smoke still curling faintly from his ruined coat, blood drying at the corner of his mouth. His breathing was shallow, uneven, every inhale dragging pain through his broken ribs.
Augur remained motionless, rifle angled downward but ready, eyes never leaving Bege's face. Gibbs shifted his weight, glancing between Jack and the fallen crime boss like a man watching two bombs primed and placed too close together. Ragetti scratched his head, frowning at everyone.
"…So?" Jack said at last, cheerful and expectant.
No one answered.
Bege stared at him.
Jack tilted his head. "I'm listening."
Bege's jaw tightened. He could feel the heat of his own anger burning hotter than the scorch across his stomach. This pirate—this infuriating, grinning bastard—had just dismantled his empire in a single afternoon, shot him, slashed him, humiliated him in front of his own men… and now stood there like they were discussing dinner plans.
"What do you want now?" Bege barked suddenly, voice raw. "I promised you Chinjao's treasure!"
The effort sent a wave of pain through him. He doubled over, coughing violently, blood splattering onto the cracked stone floor.
Jack waited patiently, hands clasped behind his back.
When Bege finally stopped coughing, Jack nodded. "Good. I want it now."
Bege's eyes flared.
"Now?" he snarled. "Are you—"
He sucked in a sharp breath as pain lanced through his chest. He clenched his teeth, fury twisting his face, but no words came out. His body simply wouldn't allow it.
Gibbs winced. "Captain… maybe—"
"No, no," Jack said pleasantly. "He said he'd give it to me."
Augur watched Bege carefully, reading every twitch, every micro-expression. The man's rage was palpable, justified even. If the roles were reversed, Augur knew he'd be feeling the same.
Ragetti leaned toward Gibbs and whispered loudly, "Why is everyone angry again?"
Jack finally seemed to notice Bege's condition. His grin softened—just a fraction. "Ah. Right. You do look… hurt."
If glares could burn a person, even Jack's ashes would have burnt.
Jack snapped his fingers. "Medical help first."
Bege blinked, caught off guard.
Jack pointed lazily toward the corner of the room. "And him."
Pintel, who had been lying against the wall trying very hard not to scream, chose that exact moment to groan loudly.
"My leg… my beautiful leg…"
Ragetti looked down at him and shook his head. "It's leaking."
Jack sighed. "See? Priorities."
Bege clenched his jaw, then closed his eyes. "…Fine."
A day later, the atmosphere was very different.
Bege's original office no longer existed in any meaningful sense, so the meeting took place in a hastily repurposed room deeper inside the compound. The furniture was mismatched. The walls were bare. The smell of antiseptic hung thick in the air.
Bege sat behind a temporary desk, torso wrapped in thick bandages, one arm immobilized in a cast. His pride looked far more damaged than his body.
Pintel stood near the wall, leg wrapped and elevated, leaning heavily on a crutch. He looked miserable.
Jack lounged casually on a sofa across from Bege, boots up on the table, rum bottle balanced loosely in one hand. Van Augur stood behind him, rifle resting against his shoulder, posture relaxed but alert. Gibbs remained a half-step behind Jack, eyes scanning Bege's men like he expected them to try something foolish at any second.
Ragetti crouched beside Pintel.
"Does it still hurt?" Ragetti asked, poking the wrapped ankle.
"Yes!" Pintel yelped.
Ragetti poked again, just to be sure.
Pintel slapped him across the head, lost his balance, and nearly fell over before desperately grabbing the wall.
"Of course it hurts!" Pintel snapped. "What kind of question is that?!"
Ragetti rubbed his cheek. "Then why slap me?"
Enoy sat stiffly at the far end of the room, head heavily bandaged. He shot Pintel a venomous glare. That spike to the skull was not something he intended to forgive. Ever.
But no one's attention lingered on that for long.
Because Nico Robin was there.
She sat quietly beside Jack on the sofa, swinging her legs slightly, calmly eating an apple. Enoy stared at her as if looking at an alien.
Bege's eyes flicked to her. "…Is that the one the World—"
"That's her," Ragetti said immediately. "And she's not to be touched."
Bege sighed. "Of course."
His men looked uneasy. The World Government was hunting that child relentlessly, and here she was, unguarded, unconcerned, sitting beside a pirate with a hundred-million-berry bounty like she belonged there.
Jack took a sip of rum. "Right. Now that we're all comfortable."
He leaned forward. "Are you going to tell me how you're getting me Geppo's treasure?"
Bege stared. "…Who?"
"He means the Happo Navy," Gibbs corrected tiredly.
Enoy sighed, rubbing his temples before realizing he was injured and groaning in pain.
Bege looked at Jack like he was trying very hard not to scream, then winced as pain flared again. "It's simple," he said at last. "We attack the Happo Navy directly."
Gibbs stiffened. "Isn't the Happo Navy tied to Kano Country?"
"Yes."
"How do you plan to fight an entire country?"
Jack brightened. "We start a revolution—"
"No," Gibbs said instantly.
Jack deflated. "Oh."
"We plunder." Pintel suggested.
Everyone in the room stared at him. Pintel shrank back, not used to such stares. "Don't mind me. Carry on."
"The people there aren't oppressed," Gibbs continued. "Not enough to justify it."
Jack slumped back onto the sofa. "That's disappointing."
Bege snorted. "They're pirates at the end of the day. Not a nation's army."
Augur spoke calmly from behind. "Kano will retaliate. Their economy relies on the Happo Navy. They'll pull Marines into it."
Bege chuckled—then immediately regretted it, breaking into a harsh coughing fit.
Enoy rushed forward with water. Bege drank, breathing steadier afterward.
"We won't wait for Kano to react," Bege said once he recovered. "We strike fast. Surprise attack. They won't see it coming."
Jack's eyes gleamed. "I like fast."
"But," Bege continued, "our real concern isn't the crew."
Jack leaned forward. "Let me guess- it's Shinzo."
Robin giggled softly. "Chinjao."
Jack smiled. "Chinjao."
Bege nodded grimly. "Don Chinjao. A man whose strength even Monkey D. Garp respected."
The room grew heavier.
"The twelfth leader of the Happo Navy," Bege continued. "Back then, his head was legendary. Harder than steel. Sharp enough to split the Ice Continent itself."
Robin listened intently as Bege spoke of the buried treasure, the ice, the clash with Garp, the collapse of Chinjao's pride and power.
Jack whistled softly. "That's… unfortunate."
Bege looked at him. "You don't fight Chinjao head-on."
Jack nodded. "Good. I wasn't planning to."
Bege's eyebrow twitched. "Originally, I thought you might."
Jack laughed. "I'm reckless, not suicidal."
"So we deceive him," Bege said. "Lure him to the ice. Ambush him."
"What about his head?" Ragetti asked.
Bege's lips curled. "Explosives."
Jack's smile widened.
"And if that doesn't work?" Gibbs asked.
Bege's eyes darkened. "Then we use more explosives. And drown him."
The room fell silent again.
Jack raised his bottle. "Well then."
He took a long drink.
"Sounds like a plan."