Bursts of light fill the air, blinding those who watch. The heavy rains beat down on all things, stinging the skin of all living organisms. The waves grow taller each time they crash into the shore. The winds howl in the night, stirring up the rain and forming typhoons in the ocean. It was the year 1719 and the town of Gunpoint hadn’t seen a storm as fierce as this one in a generation. Men started boarding up their houses and windows doing their best to fortify their house for the night while the women try to comfort the young who are crying and white with fear. Whole families stay awake during the night because, the cracks of thunder and the booms of lightning make it impossible to fall asleep; except for one. He is isolated from the rest of the town and his house is seen especially on this night from the flashes of light.

The small house is meant for one, but it stands out from most. The design of his house isn’t an Irish design-it follows a German design. The walls are built thick and out of stone, held together with a type of concrete. There is only one window on the house and it faces the ocean. The door is opposite of the window and it opens up to a rugged dirt path headed towards the town. This house is isolated on an elevated peninsula surrounded by the fierce water. The waves pounded the cliff and sent sprays of salty water into the air. The townspeople are able to see his strange house tonight through the flashes of light. The house has no light being emitted from it and it seems inhabited, but what they don’t know is where the isolated man is at on such a brutal night.

The man who lived by himself was named Sword Jugglin’ Barbosa. Barbosa had a talent where he could juggle up to seven swords at one time, but nobody called him by that name though; if they did, a sword would be juggled into their throat. Barbosa is a towering pirate, at six feet and six inches, he stands before all other pirates. His whole body bulged with muscle, and it was said that Barbosa lifted boulders to get a workout. His hazy blue eyes show no emotion and have no soul to them. Barbosa was given the nickname Haze because his eyes struck fear into people’s souls. On Barbosa’s left eye was a vertical scar that had been given to him by his father, but Barbosa hadn’t gone blind in his left eye from the wound. If anyone asked about his scar, Barbosa would gouge out a similar scar on their face. His once brown hair had been bleached to a blinding blond color along with his beard. Barbosa had a six inch beard that was braided with a ring on the end of it; the ring came from his first plunder that he successfully led by himself. There were many rumors that if Barbosa’s beard were to be cut off in a fight, it would grow back over night. Barbosa was feared by many, not only for what he had accomplished, but for being allies with Blackbeard, a dangerous pirate who should not be toiled with.
Barbosa was also known for killing The Prince of Pirates, Black Sam, who had the most wealth out of all for capturing over fifty royal ships and claiming them for his own. Barbosa had very few close friends, but the ones he had called him by Barbosa; all others called him by his nickname, Haze, or else they were beheaded by Barbosa.

The townspeople didn’t know that Barbosa had slipped out of his house early that night. He had gone out to celebrate his friend, Bills, birthday. He followed the path to the village and took the familiar path to the Powder Keg bar.

The Powder Keg bar was the only bar in this small town. It was big enough to hold around fifty people within its walls, but there were hardly more than fifteen people inside it at once. The symbol of the war was a green dragon that held a beer mug in its right paw. The Bartender, Maurice, made his own beer and wine; the beer was a dark ale and the wine was a strong cherry wine. Maurice got mad when people used his chairs in bar fights so; he used empty barrels as the seats for the bar. Maurice was in a good mood because, he was making a lot of money that night, and he knew that it would only get better once Barbosa showed up. Maurice met Barbosa when he first came to the town; Barbosa was drenched and cold so Maurice gave him a bed to stay the night in and a set of dry clothes so he could warm up. When Barbosa woke up the next morning, he gave Maurice a bar of gold and Maurice told Barbosa that he could have all the beer he wanted for the payment he gave him.

A wave of happiness overwhelmed the crowd; they were happy to see that Barbosa made it. Bill came running up to Barbosa and welcomed him to his party. Pirates greeted him left and right “Haze! So nice to see ya!” Said one. Another said “I bet I could beat you in a drinking game Haze!” Barbosa stopped in his footsteps and stared at the man before him. The room went silent and Barbosa just smirked. “Maurice, my good man! Bring us two mugs of your darkest ale bartender!” Barbosa bellowed. Everyone was filled with joy again and the drinking games began.
Maurice came out with the one liter large beer mugs and set them down on the table for the two men. They said “Cheers!” to one another and started to drink. Barbosa and his challenger slammed back their beers without a problem. Maurice brought a second round of mugs of beer over to the two of them and they started drinking again. Halfway through this beer however, the challenger started to choke on his beer and could go on no further. Even though he forfeited to Barbosa, Barbosa wanted to prove that he was the best drinker; he finished up his mug of beer and shook the man’s hand. The crowd cheered their approval to the undefeated drinker and the party continued on.

Barbosa loved talking to people while he was drunk so everyone in the bar had the chance to talk to him. After about three hours at the bar, Barbosa was on his ninth mug of beer and was starting to feel very drunk. He threw back the rest of his beer and gave his mug to Maurice. Maurice asked Barbosa, “Are you feeling alright?” and Barbosa just nodded his head and grinned back at him. Barbosa turned away from Maurice and fell to the floor like a tree that had been chopped down. Bill came right beside Barbosa and sat next to him on the floor.

Bill woke up Barbosa and told him, “Barbosa… Yer a drunken mess. Go home.” Barbosa did not argue, Bill helped him get off the ground and then he left the party after saying goodbye to everyone. Barbosa walked out of the bar and found the familiar path that lead to his house.
After an hour of walking, he had reached his house. Barbosa walked up to the door and started to search through his pockets for his keys. He sighed in disbelief because, he had left his house keys at the bar. Barbosa picked up his right foot while holding the wall to his house, and smashed the door down as if it were nothing. Dragging his feet across the dirt floor, he found his way to his bed made for two and fell face first; instantly falling into a deep sleep.
Dreams filled Barbosa’s head and soon his nightmares. His body twitched at random times and a thin layer of sweat dripped from his face, moistening his clothes from the previous night. His uneven breathing signified that he was afraid. The dream he was having was not ordinary; it was a series of events that happened in his pastime as a young child.

“Mum, I don’t want to go to school.” Said Barbosa, “The other children pick on me.”

“Try to make the best of it my boy and I’ll talk to the teacher for ya.” said his mother, Helga.

Barbosa hung his head and without saying a word turned for the door to go to school. It was 1693 and Barbosa had just turned eight years old. Barbosa lived in a small town in Germany called Dornum and the town was small enough that everyone knew each other. Barbosa made it to the school and took his seat in the back corner, hoping that nobody would sit next to him. The class bully, Günter, strolled in just as Barbosa took his seat. Günter was a small kid, but had a cruel vocabulary and no heart. His thick red curly hair made him knowable to all and he bullied kids whenever he got the chance. Günter looked around the room for a seat and noticed Barbosa by himself so; he walked right up to Barbosa saying, “Well, well, it looks like you still ain’t got any friends mate. Such a pity, maybe if you weren’t a momma’s boy you could have ‘em.” Günter smirked a smile and took his seat away from Barbosa. Not knowing what to do, Barbosa just put his head on his desk and waited for the day to end.

After a long and punishing day of learning math, the class was dismissed from the school house. Barbosa was the first one out of the classroom and walked briskly back to his home, but he wasn’t quick enough. Günter called out to him eagerly, “Hey Barbosa, come back over here.” Barbosa stopped in his track and just looked at the red curly hair that was making its way towards him. “I want to fight you” Günter said, “Right now, so get ready.”

“I don’t fight; it’s not the right to thing to do.” Barbosa said, “Besides I never did anything to you.”

“You think I care what you have to say, runt? I’m fighting you whether you’re right or not.”

Barbosa had never been in a fight throughout his whole life. Shaking, he put up his fists and hoped that this quarrel would end quickly. The other classmates saw what was going on and formed a circle around them in a timely manner. Nobody said a word, they all just watched.

Günter made the first move, quickly he approached Barbosa with his right fist held back and hit him hard across the jaw. Barbosa fell to the ground, trying to hold back tears and before he could get back up, Günter kicked him in the side, making Barbosa scream in pain. Günter picked up Barbosa off the ground by the collar of his shirt and got ready to punch him again when all the sudden he heard someone calling out to him, “Hey Günter, you demon haired kid, put ‘em down you bloat.”

“Who called me a bloat?” Günter said, looking around.

“Twas I mate.” Günter turned to see the taller kid before him. His name was Petey and Günter knew that Petey wasn’t afraid of him. Petey was a grade above Günter and Barbosa, and a lot of people called him One Favor Petey because, he gave everyone only one favor when they needed it most. “Put him down or you’ll be sorry Günter.”

Günter always respected the older kids, he did as he was told and walked away from the fight. Petey picked up Barbosa and dusted him off. “Thanks Petey.”

“Don’t mention it,” Petey said, “That’s my one favor for you, don’t expect more.” As Petey finished his sentence, he walked away, leaving Barbosa by himself. Barbosa had nowhere to go, except home.

Barbosa arrived home and his mother pulled out the first aid kit to treat his wounds. She told him to go to bed because, his father would be home at any minute and he was very drunk tonight. Barbosa did as he was told and went to the small room which was his. He tucked himself tight into his bed and heard the loud laughter from down the path. Dad was home. He heard him come through the door and his parents started talking to each other; Barbosa didn’t know what they were saying until his Dad screamed “YOU W****-”

“Wake up Barbosa! It’s noon!” Barbosa groggily opened his eyes and sat up in his bed holding his head in pain, trying to make out the person that sat before him. He blinked multiple times and rubbed his eyes and then he realized that it was Bill.

“Lazy Eye Bill! Great party, mate; did a number on me head though.” Barbosa said.

“Drink this water, it’ll help cap’n.” Bill said. Lazy eye Bill got his nickname due to his lazy eye. His right eye pointed out instead of looking straight and was never able to make full eye contact with anyone. Barbosa met Bill when he was putting his first crew together. Barbosa needed a good navigator and in order for Bill to join him, he had to knock out the biggest guy in the bar that they were in. Barbosa agreed and walked up to the biggest guy in the bar, tapped his shoulder, and smashed a beer mug against his temple. The man fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes and everyone in the bar went quiet. “Satisfied?” Barbosa said and Bill signed up to join his crew. The men in the bar didn’t wanted to be knocked out by Barbosa so, they too signed up to be a part of his crew.

“Thanks…” Barbosa murmured as he started to drink the water. “Today, we’re heading to Spain; we need to recruit a new crew after the battle in the Bay of Biscay the previous year… The gold plundered was worth it, but the men who died were good men, such a shame.”
“Aye cap’n, I’ll get Eliza and we can set sail in an hour.”

Barbosa trotted down his secret pathway that led to his boat. His boat had been stored away for the winter and he had the perfect hiding spot. It was hidden deep into the crack in the cliff that was on the East side of his peninsula. It could not be seen from the ocean and only three people knew about it. The cave like hiding spot protected his boat from the weather, other pirates, and ocean waves.

Barbosa’s ship was called the Black Stallion. The oak wood had been stained black and cut through the water like a sword. Its three masts were tall and sturdy, and it held its charcoal black sails. The damage to the boat was still visible to the eye; its repairs held it together but every hole blasted into it could be seen and gave the ship character. The ship had a total of fifty cannons; twelve cannons were on the main deck on one side and twelve on the other. Beneath the main deck there were twelve cannons on each side in the hold. The other two cannons where on the bow of the ship. Barbosa thought of putting two cannons on the bow of his ship when he was chasing a royal frigate.

Bill strolled up after an hour with Eliza. Eliza was a five foot six inch tall woman. Her blond straight hair was always tied back in a ponytail and on some days she hid it in a bandana. She had one hoop earring ring in her left hear that was made of solid gold and she wore a bracelet made of gold that had a sapphire inlay in its center. She was young and beautiful; her hazel eyes wooed men that looked at her, and it was said that she could make men do what she wanted if they stared deeply into her lovely eyes.

Her father was a carpenter and so was she; her skilled hands made sure that Barbosa’s ship never fell apart. In order for Eliza to join Barbosa’s crew, he had to prove his strength and stamina. Barbosa agreed to the challenge that Eliza’s and he picked up Eliza and ran away from the house without looking back. “Ahoy Miss Eliza!” Barbosa exclaimed.

“Ahoy!” Eliza shouted back. She ran down the path to Barbosa and gave him a kiss on the cheek, “It’s nice to see that you held together after our night together, six months ago, Barbosa. Are we ready to set sail?”

“I was going to tell ye the same thing darlin’. And aye, we are ready to set sail. Come on ye landlubbers!”

The crew loaded up the ship with minimal equipment and minimal food because; they were going to restock once they reached Cariño, Spain. Cariño was a small pirate city and Barbosa wanted to recruit crew members in Spain because, he remembered a battle he had with a Spaniard ship. They fought hard and never gave up, until Barbosa killed its crew members and sank their ship.
The trip was treacherous for the three of them; it rained the whole time that they were sailing and the waves almost sank the Black Stallion. Barbosa’s ship was meant to be manned by at least six people, but nobody from Gunpoint wished to sail with the fearsome pirate. The three pirates had to stay awake for three days straight and where happy once they saw the coastline of Cariño, Spain. The ship was anchored in a boat house so, it was not visible to everyone.
The three pirates got off their ship and paid the man who owned the boat house. He had no idea who they where, but he promised not to tell anyone about his ship. The three of them were tired from their journey so they decided to get some sleep. They found an inn that was near the boat house and they asked if he had three rooms available. “I’m sorry, we only have two rooms available and one of them is a couple’s suite; it costs extra to rent.” The innkeeper said.

“We’ll take the two rooms you have available.” Barbosa said, “Bill, you can take the single room and Eliza and I will share the couple’s suite.”

Bill and Miss Eliza agreed, and they made their way to their rooms. Bill found his room and told Barbosa and Miss Eliza to sleep well. Barbosa and Eliza found their way to the couple’s suite and Barbosa was starting to sweet talk Eliza. Eliza took off her clothes and the first thing that Barbosa said was “Oy! Did ye gain weight?”

Eliza stared him down and said, “I thought ye might be sweet talking me, but you done messed up Barbosa. You can sleep on the floor and I’ll take the bed. Sleep well.”

With that, Eliza fell asleep. Barbosa hadn’t meant to tell her that she looked more fat then last time, but she had gotten kind of a beer belly. Barbosa shrugged his shoulders and he too fell asleep on the flat, hard floor. His nightmares from his childhood came back to him as well.
“COME HERE BOY!” Günter screamed, “HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT ME!”
“Dad no, please! I didn’t mean to!” Barbosa whimpered through his tears.
Barbosa told his dad that he was a drunken mess and he needed to go to sleep. Günter didn’t take to kindly to this accusation. Once Günter had gotten a hold of Barbosa, he slammed him down onto the kitchen table and drew his cutlass from his belt. “I’M GOING TO TEACH YE TO NOT DISREPECT ME!” Günter bellowed. Günter made a vertical superficial cut on Barbosa’s eye and Barbosa screeched in agony. Günter stopped his torture when Helga came home and she screamed in horror.
“WHAT IN GOD’S NAME ARE YE DOING!?” Helga screeched at Günter. “THAT’S ME SON!”
“HE’S MY SON TOO!” Günter barked. “I’LL DO WHAT I WANT TO HIM!”

Helga pushed her husband away from Barbosa and told him in a comforting voice “Everything is going to be ok Barbosa; I’ll help you stitch up yer wound once I calm down yer father.” She gently pushed Barbosa into his room and closed the door. Barbosa could now hear his parents fighting with one another and then it eventually calmed down and they both went to sleep. Barbosa waited for his mom to come help him with his wound, but he realized that she was tired from fighting with his father. Barbosa had no medical equipment so, he pulled out his fishing rod. He broke the twine and undid the fishing hook from its knot. Barbosa threaded the hook with the fishing line twine and started to cry. Barbosa brought the hook close to his wound and started to sew-

“Wake up Barbosa; you like to sleep too much.” Eliza said into Barbosa’s ear as she shook his shoulder.

Barbosa struggled to open his eyes; it felt like they had been glued shut. He began to rub his eyes until he could see clearly out of them and saw Eliza sitting on the bed waiting for him to get up. Barbosa sat up and stretched out his body before he stood up. He started walking to the door and said to Eliza, “Come on then, we haven’t got all day.” Eliza got up and gave Barbosa a punch in the arm. They walked down the hallway and found out that Bill wasn’t in his room. They walked down the stairs into the lobby and saw Bill sitting at a table alone, eating a red apple.

“Morning Barbosa and Eliza.” Bill said, “I found a lead on where we can go look for a crew.”
“Let’s get to it then.” Eliza said.

“After I eat something.” Barbosa chimed, “I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.”

The three of them ordered a jug of water, a loaf of bread, and a piece of cooked pig for breakfast. They put together sandwiches for each other and then devoured them. They ate every last crumb on the wooden pallet and paid the innkeeper for their stay. They walked out into the bright sun and felt the warmth upon their skin. Bill told the other two, “We need to look for a bar called the Black Sun. The innkeeper told me that some of the fiercest pirates go there to hang out and it’s just down this path.”

The three of them took the cobble stone path until they found a sign that had a black sun on it. They stopped and then walked into the doorway of the bar. They didn't want to be recognized by many so, they took a seat in a corner of the bar. They started to look around for people that they might ask to join them and it was looking up. Bill knew a little Spanish, and he was able to depict what some a group of pirates was saying. He pieced together the story and translated that the crew on the other side of the bar had their ship fall apart due to worms; the worms had weakened out the keel and when they hit a shallow coral reef, it gouged out the keel and sank their ship. All of its members survived because they were close to the coastline. Barbosa got up and told Eliza and Bill, “I’ll go talk to them.”

Barbosa started to stroll over to the men who were sitting at a table across the room before he heard someone call out, “Barbosa?” Barbosa was not familiar with the voice so, he had his hand on his cutlass, waiting for the man to come near to him so he could behead him. “Before ye try to wallop me head off, turn around and see who I am.” The stranger said. Barbosa met his gaze with the man and realized that he was no stranger.

“One Favor Petey… I didn’t recognize you mate!” Barbosa came right up to Petey and put his hands on his shoulders. Petey had changed since Barbosa last saw him; he was now six feet tall and broad shouldered. His arms where filled with muscle and looked like cannonballs when he flexed. Petey had gone bald and had a huge scar on his chest that went from his right shoulder to his left hip. “What have you been up to mate?”

“I was sailing the seas until me ship was infested with worms.” Petey said, “I’ve been stuck in this town trying to find a new ship.

Barbosa grinned slightly and then said, “Let us talk Petey, we might be able to help each other out.”

Barbosa explained to Petey that he had just sailed to Cariño in search of a crew; he told them that he liked how the Spaniards fought and their strong will to never give up. Barbosa told Petey that he had a Bill as his navigator and Eliza as his carpenter. Barbosa explained that Petey could be his quartermaster and his crew of eight would work on the decks.
“I have a doctor, boatswain, and a master gunner in me crew. All together, we make a full crew.” Petey said, “What about the bounty we get on the seas?”
“We will split the money in half; one half for me members and the other half for yer members.” Barbosa said.
Petey rubbed his clean shaven face and looked at Barbosa. After a while, Petey said, “We have a deal Barbosa.” Barbosa shook Petey’s hand and then took him to the boathouse to show him his ship.
“I give you, the Black Stallion.” Barbosa said.
Petey eyed the ship and opened his mouth; he had never seen such a strong ship before. He climbed aboard it and looked at the black stain that was painted on. He stopped and looked directly into Barbosa’s eyes. Petey stuck out his arm and Barbosa took it. Petey then said, “Let us reign on the seven seas and bring death to anyone who tries to stop us.”
Barbosa celebrated with his new crewmates for the remainder of the night and made sure to out drink everyone in the bar. He would be the ruler of the seas and bring death to anyone who dared cross his path. Barbosa was feeling ill from all of the drinking that he had done so he decided to head home. Bill and Eliza guided him back down the road to the inn and kept him from face planting onto the stone walkway. “Oy Barbosa,” Bill said, “Ya need to hold off on yer drinking, it’s so difficult to carry you to places.”

The three of them had reached the inn in a matter of minutes and booked the same two rooms from the night before. Barbosa, however, got the single room so he could sleep soundly. Eliza and Bill slowly made their way over to the stairs because Barbosa was now dragging his feet across the wooden floor. Bill knew that he had to get to his room to sleep so; he hoisted him onto his shoulder and climbed the stairs one at the time to reach the rooms. Eliza stood behind the two of them to make sure that they didn’t tumble backwards down the stairs.

When Bill had reached the top of the stairs, he put Barbosa on his feet and wrapped his arm around his waist. Bill shuffled his way down the hall to where his old room was. Eliza squeezed by with the keys and opened up the room for Bill and Barbosa. Bill entered the room and Barbosa stumbled slightly. Once they were close enough to the bed, Bill threw Barbosa onto it and started to walk out of the room. “Bill,” Barbosa said through hiccups, “Yer… a gerd…matey.”
“Thank ye captain,” Bill said, “Now rest up, we have a big day ahead of us.” When Bill finished his sentence, he walked out of the room and closed the door. When Barbosa heard the door to his room click shut, he closed his eyes and passed out in a matter of seconds.

Barbosa’s head swelled with nightmares from his childhood, and he cringed without knowing it.
Barbosa was now ten years old and he heard his father burst through the door, drunk and angry as usual. Barbosa looked through the crack of his door and saw that Günter had a tree branch in his hands; mother was going to be beaten. He went into Helga’s room and dragged her out by her hair. She tried to squirm free from his grasp, but she was unsuccessful.

Helga screamed fear, “Günter please stop!” Günter raised the tree branch high above his head and started to merciless beat his wife. Barbosa was able to hear the thuds each time the tree branch came down on her body. Barbosa wanted to look away, but he couldn’t; his eyes had locked on the beating.

Günter took a break from beating his wife; she was on the floor and was able to get herself up on her feet. Her scalp was bleeding and it dripped down her face onto her dress. She held her arm close to her chest because, it appeared to be broken and her dress was torn all over. Tears streamed down her face and she was unable to make any sounds.

Günter suddenly snapped, “I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU,” he yelled, “YOU CAN SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN DAVEY JONES’ LOCKER!” Günter drew his cutlass and plunged it deep into Helga’s abdominal cavity. She let a small cry out and then smiled. She had been released from Günter’s grasp and would now rest in peace. The life drained from her eyes as she fell forward, dead.
Barbosa watched from his room and was filled with rage; he had had enough of his father. First he scarred his eye and now he killed his mother; he needed to pay for what he had done.

Barbosa charged from his room yelling, Günter turned to see his son running as fast as a cheetah towards him. Günter tried to grab him, but Barbosa tackled him to the floor. Barbosa raised his fists and punched his father’s face until it bled. He then took the tree branch that had been released from Günter’s grasp and hit him across his chest. Each blow that Barbosa inflicted upon his father made blood spurt from his mouth. He could hear each of his ribs being broken and it gave him more strength. Barbosa stood up from the mangled mess of his father and drew his cutlass that was back in his holster. He stepped on Günter’s chest and said, “Burn in hell father.” Barbosa raised the cutlass high over his head and brought it down upon his neck. The cut made his head roll away from his body and blood started to ooze more rapidly onto the floor.
Barbosa took his foot off of the lifeless body and took the holster from his father’s belt. He sheathed the sword and took what little money he had been saving. Barbosa looked at the mess of his house one last time and then ran. He needed to leave his old life behind and start a new one as a pirate. The best place for him to start his search was found in Norden.
Barbosa ran for five straight hours; his body was dripping sweat and he could feel blisters forming on his feat. He panted like a dog and was thirsty for water. The shipping harbor of Norden was in his sights and a smile grew on his face. All of his energy had been drained from his body and he was feeling nausea from his dehydration.
Barbosa reached the town and found a well with freshwater in it. He scooped up a bucket and drank more than half of it. He took the rest of the water in the bucket and threw it on his body to cool him down. He leaned against the wall of the wall until he heard someone yell, “Hey! That water’s not free!’

Barbosa saw the women approaching him with a pitchfork and he took off, sprinting in the other direction. “Stop thief,” the women said, “Com back and pay ye scumbag!” The woman was screamed more, but Barbosa could not hear it because, he was so far away. He stopped his running and hid behind a barrel that was going to be loaded onto a ship. “Ye best be moving away from me captain’s supplies mate,” a deep voice said behind him, “Unless you don’t value yer life.”

Barbosa turned to see a towering pirate hovering over him. His shirt was striped with blue and white, and he had blue breeches on. His black boots shined in the sun, and in his belt was a long sword. Hooked on the other side of his belt was a unique looking lantern. His eyes were a dark brown; so dark that it was difficult to make out his pupils. The man had long black mangled hair and long black messy beard. His skin had been tanned to a rugged brown, and it wrinkled when he moved around. He moved his hand onto his sword and asked, “Are ye deaf boy, run along!”
Barbosa got up and asked the man, “Are ye a pirate?”
“What’s it to you, lad?”
Barbosa looked into his eyes and said, “I wish to join ye, if ye are. My mother is dead and I killed my father. I have no more family and no more business in Germany.”
The towering man looked at the boy’s clothes and saw the dried up blood everywhere. The man took a step back, shock, and rubbed his beard with his hand. “Ye may be useful to the crew,” the man said, “Meet me here tonight when the moon be at its highest.” The towering man then turned around and walked away.
Barbosa stayed close to the spot where the man told him to meet at until it was nightfall. He didn’t want to forget the spot and he had nowhere else to go in this unfamiliar town.
It took a long time, but the moon was finally at its highest point. Barbosa got up from where he had been sitting and stood next to the barrel where the man told him to meet. Barbosa saw that the towering man wasn’t there and Barbosa worried that he forgot about him. He started to count the minutes and he watched the moon slowly go past its highest point. Barbosa was about to walk away when he heard the familiar deep voice, “I talked to me captain; we have use of ye lad. Do you wish to serve our captain Calico Jack and become a real pirate?”
“Yes, I want to be a pirate. I will serve Calico Jack to me fullest.”
“Good. They call me Tiny Boned Walt and I am Captain Calico’s quartermaster. I have to summon the boat, stand back…what’s ye name?”
“Barbosa.”
“Stand back Barbosa.” Walt said, he removed the lantern from his belt and fumbled to light it. Once it was lit, he held it high above his head. “Ready?”
Barbosa’s heart was racing; his life was going to completely change. His life dream was coming true and he was going to become the fiercest pirate known to man. He took one last look at the land and the nature round him. Satisfied with his final glance, he breathed deeply and directed his vision towards Walt.
“Aye, summon the boat.”
He swung the lantern three times and slowly the schooner appeared. The long ship emerged through the thick fog that lingered over the ocean. The whole ship was stained a dark black which made it invisible at night. It’s sails where black as well and on its center mast hung the Jolly Roger Flag. Barbosa could not tell exactly how many cannons where on the ship, but he guessed that the ship had about forty cannons on it.
The ship moved rather quickly and made it to the docks. The dock stretched far out into the ocean so, large boats would not be damaged by the coral that grew on the ocean floor. Men hoped off the sides of the ship to tie it down. A rope ladder was thrown off the side and a pirate wearing bright red clothing started to climb down.
The man was short, standing at about five feet, six inches, and had short brown hair. His eyes were a dark green and his nose had a bump on the top of it. The man’s skin was rather pale and it was littered with freckles. The man in red walked up to Barbosa and circled him once. He then stood in front of Barbosa and said, “You will fit perfectly into our crew. I am Captain Calico, what’s yer name lad?”
“Barbosa.”
“What a strong name. Barbosa, do you swear to serve me, your captain, ‘til death?”
“Aye.”
A chorus of “Arghs!” broke out from the crew who had just received a new crewmate. “Wonderful, hold out your forearm; you must now bear our insignia.”

Barbosa was nervous as one of the crewmates showed his insignia to him; it was a circle with an x in the middle of it. It looked like it had been cut onto his skin, maybe even burned. He held out his forearm to Captain Calico and nervously waited to be marked.
A crew mate jumped down from the ship holding a lantern and a metal rod. On the end of the rod was the same insignia that was on all of the crew members arms. The crewmate holding the metal bar stuck the end of it into the lantern and it soon started to glow a bright orange. When it was a blinding yellow, he pulled out the metal rod and walked over to Barbosa.
Barbosa started to pull away his arm but Walt held it out and steadied it. Barbosa wanted to be a pirate, but he didn’t know that he had to be branded to a crew. He gathered his nerves and looked away. He could feel the heat coming off from the metal as it was held close to his skin.
“Do it,” Captain Calico said.
The crewmate obeyed. Before he branded Barbosa though, he said, “This will only hurt for a seco-”
“Wake up ye bag of bones,” Bill loudly said, “Eliza’s been hurt!”
Barbosa instantly woke up. He shot up from the bed and ran to the door, but because he was hung-over, he ran into a wall before making it to the hallway. He sprinted down the hallway and charged down the stairs. He slipped on one of the steps, but Bill managed to catch Barbosa before he hit the ground.
Barbosa looked around the lobby of the inn to see Eliza on the floor with a pool of blood secreting from her body. There was a slash across her chest that went from her left shoulder to right breast. Barbosa tore off his shirt and put it against her wound to try and stop the bleeding. “Yer going to be alright Eliza,” Barbosa said, “Just hold on. Is there a doctor in here!?”
“Aye,” a man said. “Move out of the way captain.”
Barbosa recognized the man; it was one of his new crewmates. This man’s specialty was in the medical field. He dropped the bag he was carrying with him and started to clean the wound with some water. He then examined the severity of it wound; it was treatable. The cut hadn’t split any of the major organs, but it cut through one of her ribs. The doctor repositioned the rib and used needle and thread to sew her up. Eliza grimaced in pain and eventually passed out from all of the excitement. “She will be fine,” the doctor said, “But, she should not be sailing with us. If seawater were to get in her wound, it’ll become infected and lead her to death.”
Barbosa hung his head; he had been looking forward to sailing with Eliza. Barbosa had thoughts about staying inland and comforting her, but he couldn’t. He had a full crew and needed to let out his anger on some ships in the open waters of the sea.
“Load the ship,” Barbosa commanded, his whole crew was now in the inn and could hear him clearly, “We set sail in one hour.”
The crew rushed out of the inn and started gathering all of the supplies that they were going to need while on the seas. Every one of them bumped into each other, but all of the supplies were loaded onto the ship in half an hour.
Barbosa grabbed a bar a gold in his stash on the ship and walked back to the inn. He went up to the innkeeper and said, “Will you take care of her? I will give ye this for compensation.” He took out the bar of gold and placed on the table between the two of them.
The innkeeper had never seen so much gold in his life, his eyes widened and he smiled. “I will take care of this girl,” the innkeeper said, “She will live to see another day with my care.”
“Thank ye innkeeper.” Barbosa got up and walked back to his ship.
His crew had already started to untie ropes from the docks; they were anxious to get back onto the open waters of the sea. “Captain,” Petey shouted, “We are ready to set sail, but I need to tell ye some news before we leave.”
Barbosa acknowledged with a head nod and proceeded to walk towards the ship. He climbed up the gangplank and went to the steering wheel of his ship where Petey was awaiting. “What be the news Petey? Good or bad?”
“Bad, Captain; your alliance with Blackbeard is no longer in accordance.”
“And why might that be?”
“He was killed by the royal officer, Robert Maynard.”
Barbosa’s body trembled with anger; he wanted revenge on the man who had ruined his alliance. He raised his hand into the air and then gave the command, “Lower the Sails! Man your stations! We are going to find Robert Maynard and send him straight to Davey Jones’ locker!”
The crew screamed in agreement and did as they were told. Barbosa was out for blood and Maynard would soon realize about the force he was going to deal with.
-
O N E M O N T H L A T E R -
Barbosa and his crew had successfully sunk eight royal frigates and six royal schooners, but none of them had Maynard aboard. He was growing impatient and decided to capture one of the crewmates of a royal ship. Barbosa was convinced that he could tell him where Maynard was. The man didn’t speak at first, but when Barbosa started to skin him alive, he talked. Through weeps of pain and tears running down his face, the captured man said, “He is currently stationed outside of Portugal. He sails in a schooner that has been stained blue and has yellow highlights on it.”
“Thank ye matey,” Barbosa said, “Now, I give ye two options: one, you can be a part of me crew and help us kill Maynard or two, you can try to swim back to land with a cannonball strapped to yer foot.”
“I… I choose to join yer crew…”
“I thought you might be saying that. You can swab the poop-decks for now; I will tell you when I need your assistance in finding Maynard.”
The captured man did as he was told and swabbed the poop-decks until nightfall. He did that every night until Barbosa and his crew were in Portugal’s waters. The crew did some research on Robert Maynard, but couldn’t find out too much about him on their own. After three days, they were in the Bay of Biscay; one step closer to finding Maynard.
Barbosa threatened to kill the captured man if he didn’t tell him where Maynard was exactly located, but the man did not know where he was. He had only been told that he was in Portugal’s waters. Barbosa believed the man, but he was no longer of use to him.
“Ye are no use to me anymore, how would ye like to die?”
“I’d rather if I didn’t die.”
“Good choice,” Barbosa said, “I will cut off ye arm and then throw both pieces of ye into the ocean. The sharks can feast on ye.”
“Please, no!”
Barbosa drew his cutlass and made a clean sweep through the man’s shoulder. Blood started to pour out of his body and the man scream in pain. The man was still standing when his arm had been sliced off so, Barbosa lifted his foot up and kicked him off his ship into the ocean. Barbosa then took his severed arm and threw it into the water. “Somebody get this blood off me ship,” Barbosa screamed.
After another day of traveling through Portugal’s waters, Barbosa found the ship that he was looking for. It was exactly how the man he captured portrayed it; it had been stained blue and it had yellow highlights throughout the features of it. “Chase that ship down,” Barbosa bellowed, “We must sink it!”
The crew went into full throttle; they lowered the sails and started to chase the ship. It took them only a minute to be within firing range of Maynard’s ship. “Load the bow cannons,” Barbosa said, “FIRE!”
Two shots were fired from the cannons on the front of his boat. They both struck the enemy boat and wood splinters flew into the air. Maynard’s crew realized that they were under attack and turned their boat around. They were portside with one another and both ships fired their cannons into each other’s hulls.
Some of the cannons on Maynard’s ship were not firing, however, their gunpowder had gotten wet from the two shot Barbosa had fired earlier. Barbosa was tearing apart his ship until he said, “Seize firing!”
Barbosa waited for the smoke to clear and looked at the damage that he had inflicted upon his enemy. Bodies littered the deck of the ship, blood was soaking into the wood of the ship and staining it a deep red. Very few men stood up from the attack and they tried to surrender by waving their white flag into the air, but Barbosa wanted to find Maynard first.
“Maynard,” Barbosa screamed, “I know this is yer ship, come out and face me like a man!”
A man stepped out of the few who survived and said, “I am Robert Maynard, Lieutenant of the Royal Navy. Who are you, pirate?”
“I be Captain Sword Jugglin’ Barbosa, I’m here to claim yer life; just like you took my ally, Blackbeard’s life.”
“Blackbeard was a menace to society, just as much as you are. His death was justified and deserved no pity.”
“I feel that way about ye life. Load the cannons again!”
“Don’t kill us, take us as prisoner; you can trade us back to the Royal Navy for money.”
“Money is not what I desire. I desire ye head. FIRE!”
Barbosa’s crew fired the twenty-four cannons that sat on the one side of his ship and he watched each shot break apart Maynard’s ship. The ship tilted and then started to sink to the bottom of the ocean. Barbosa was certain that he had killed Maynard so he started to celebrate with his crew.
“Gentlemen, we have done a good deed today. We have killed the man that killed Blackbeard, and that is a great honor!”
Everyone on Barbosa’s ship yelled with joy and they started to bring up barrels of rum to drink. Just as Barbosa was taking his first couple of sips, he heard a gun go off and felt a searing pain in chest. He had been shot through the heart and was going to die. Barbosa turned around to see Maynard holding a rifle on top of a floating barrel. He had survived his attack.
Barbosa saw his whole crew raise their rifles and lay waste to Maynard before Barbosa fell to the deck, dead. Both captains had been killed. Everyone on the ship circled around Barbosa’s body and bowed their heads in respect. The crew then assumed their positions.
“Lads,” Petey said, “We need to take our captain’s body back to Spain, where Eliza stays now. Barbosa would’ve liked that.” The crew nodded in agreement and started to make their way back to Spain.
It took only one day to get back to Cariño and the crew docked their ship in the same spot from when they first left. Bill climbed down the ship before Barbosa’s body was brought down, and he went to find Eliza.
Eliza was still in the same inn from when they left and she started to sob when Bill had told her what had happened to Barbosa.
“I want the biggest funeral service for him,” Eliza said quietly through tears, “He shall be remembered by all pirates and have the biggest tombstone.”
“I agree,” Bill said, “I have already found the perfect tombstone for him, we just need to set a date for the funeral.”
“Tomorrow.”
“It shall be tomorrow then.”
Bill told the crew to get the word out that the mighty Captain Barbosa had been killed and his funeral was going to be in Spain, tomorrow. His crew dispersed in all directions and they went far to get the word spread.
Bill and Eliza found the perfect spot to bury Barbosa’s body. It was going to be buried on a cliff that looked out onto the ocean. The two of them dug through the dirt and mined through rock to make a grave deep enough for Barbosa’s casket.
The two of them were satisfied with how the grave looked so; they walked back to the inn to spend the night. They went to separate rooms and slept all night without a sound.
The next morning, Bill and Eliza awoke to see hundreds of pirates in the lobby and out on the streets of the town. They had all come to pay their respects to Barbosa. “Thank ye all for showing up,” Bill said as they walked down the stairs, “If you follow me and Eliza, we will take you all to the gravesite.”
All of the pirates cleared a pathway for Bill and Eliza and they were on their way to the cliff. It took them about a half an hour to reach the gravesite, but it was worth it to walk the distance; the sun shined over the cliff and the sky was bright blue, without any clouds. The ocean could be seen for miles on end and the waves could be heard crashing against the cliff.
Barbosa’s casket was lowered into the ground and every pirate bowed their head in silence to remember the once powerful man. Then the casket was opened up for viewing and each pirate came up to look upon the great pirate. Each pirate said their own prayer for Barbosa as they waited in line to see him.
Bill and Eliza stood on either side of the casket and shook hands with each pirate as they walked by. When the line of pirates came to an end, Bill and Eliza were sure that they had shaken hands with thousands of pirates. The two of them then paid their respects for their great friend. Bill went first and then Eliza.
Bill reflected on all of the good times that he had had with Barbosa and then started to cry slightly. “I never thought you would die this young captain,” Bill said through his tears, “I always thought that I would die before you. I hope that you will remember me while you sail yer magnificent ship through the waters in heaven.”
Bill picked tilted the huge gravestone so that it stood upright. It was made out of marble and the crystals within it glistened against the sun’s light. The gravestone could be seen from a far and it would be a reminder to all, of the great pirate that had died a fateful death while fighting the Royal Navy.
Bill stepped away from the grave and gave Eliza a hug. He then took out his handkerchief to blow his nose and wipe his eyes. Bill then started to walk down the cliff to the pub where the memorial was going to be held for Barbosa’s death.
Eliza then knelt on the ground and got really close to Barbosa. She stroked his hair and then said, “Although you have died, your legacy will live on. I am bearing your child and soon, Barbosa the second will be born into this world to follow in your footsteps.”