"Captain! Captain Jack Sparkle!" The pirate declared with his drunken voice—a tone that, although it might not seem like it at first, was quite charismatic.
But Puss was surprised by something else.
"Sparkle? Wasn't it Sparrow?" He asked absentmindedly.
"Sparrow?" Jack repeated aloud, his eyes clouding over a bit.
"Captain Jack Sparrow… why does that name sound so good… and so right?" He put a nail to his mouth, his face full of comical confusion.
Puss stared at him, stunned. That man was the spitting image of Jack Sparrow. Everything matched—voice, face, look, personality, and profession… well, if being a pirate counted as a profession.
He even glanced down to confirm he was still a cat in boots.
'I'm still Puss in Boots, and Far Far Away exists, so it seems I didn't land in the wrong world. But still… Pirates of the Caribbean? Could this be an alternate version of the Shrek world, like those Disney princesses that appear? It would make sense, after all, Pirates of the Caribbean is also Disney.'
Many thoughts raced through Puss's mind.
And so the amusing scene of a pirate and a tiny hooded figure staring at each other in bewilderment took place on the docks.
Jack was the first to snap out of his daze.
"Alright! It's decided—my name from now on is Captain Jack Sparrow!" He said, gesturing grandly to himself, looking quite satisfied.
"Uh… whatever you say." Puss came back to himself, slightly surprised at how quickly the man had decided to change his name, but he shrugged—it wasn't his problem.
"So…" Jack began, pausing to take a swig of rum, "you still want a ride, little buddy?"
Puss frowned at the question.
'Even if he's trouble, he seems like my best shot. And didn't I set out to have an adventure? What bigger adventure is there than following this guy?' After pondering, he made his decision and looked at Jack.
"I do. When do we leave?" He asked.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Jack said, raising a finger toward Puss.
"First we talk gold, then we talk departure." He stretched out his hand, signaling for Puss to hand over the coins.
"No, señor pirata, first we talk departure, then price." Puss shook his hooded head in refusal.
Jack scrunched up his nose, tilted his chin at an angle, and looked down at Puss.
He bit his thumb nail again. Truth was, he really needed a few coins… and a crewmate.
"Hmm… fine, we'll do it your way." He agreed and started walking down the dock, not bothering to check if Puss was following.
Puss quickly picked up the pace and followed the pirate.
'Ugh, as if my reputation couldn't get worse, now I'm walking around with pirates,' He thought helplessly.
The dreams he once had of becoming a great hero seemed farther and farther away.
They walked until they reached the end of the dock, where Jack stopped in front of his ship.
But the moment he saw it, Puss felt powerless.
'Haah… why didn't I see this coming?' He sighed inwardly.
"Welcome to my ship! Make yourself at home!" Jack declared as he leapt onto his small, single-masted sailboat — its sails weathered, paint chipped, and old wood creaking beneath his feet.
"You want to take me across the sea… in that?" Puss asked, stunned by the pirate's audacity.
"Oh, come on! I've been crossing seas with Betsy here for ages. No need to worry. I'm not just any pirate—I'm Captain Jack Spark—Ahem! I mean, Captain Jack Sparrow… gotta get used to that." He said confidently, patting the wooden hull of the boat with a grin, though he stumbled slightly on his new name.
Puss hesitated.
'Should I risk it and count on my luck?' He thought, opening his status screen for reassurance.
[Host: Puss in Boots
Age: 15
Lives Remaining: 9
Talents:
- Mutant Cat (Gold): Level 6 (Progress: 92% → 99%)
- Natural Swordsman (Gold): Level 6 (Progress: 92% → 99%)
- Furry Lover (Silver): Level 1 (Progress: 0%)
- Lucky Feline (Gold): Level 2 → 3 (Progress: 76% → 38%)
Equipment: (+)]
'Huh! My status changed and I didn't even notice… I've been too distracted the past month and didn't train at all. That means this progress came from fighting the toad, saving me nearly a whole year of effort. Amazing! I need more powerful enemies… though that's a weird thought.'
'And my Lucky Feline leveled up without me approving it, meaning it was my natural luck that increased, not the system's intervention… probably tied to fulfilling my fate of being exiled from San Ricardo and becoming an outlaw. The progress I made in the old level converted to half the experience in the new one, too—what a relief not to lose that hard-earned effort.'
While Puss was lost in thought, Jack rolled his eyes at the tiny hooded figure in front of him.
"You coming or not?" Jack asked, snapping Puss out of it.
Narrowing his feline eyes, Puss decided to take the gamble.
He believed he wouldn't die thanks to his high level of luck. And even if he did, he didn't think luck would let him die nine times.
But above all, he believed in himself—and in the skills he had trained for years alongside his talent system.
"Alright, mi amigo, I accept. Take me and my horse to Far Far Away, and ten gold coins are yours," Puss said firmly, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"TEN gold coins?! Wait—horse? What hor—" Jack gasped at the generous offer, but gave Puss a confused look at the mention of a horse. Just as he opened his mouth to ask, a loud neigh echoed across the dock.
"Neighhhh!"
Gallop! Gallop! Gallop!
"Speaking of El Diablo…" Puss muttered, glancing to the side where the neigh and galloping sounds had come from.
A black horse came charging down the wooden walkway.
Behind him, a squad of guards.
"Get him! That's the horse of the infamous Puss in Boots!" The guards shouted as they ran forward with swords in hand.
"Puss in Boots?!" The sailors on the dock turned pale at the name.
"That Puss in Boots?" Some asked in disbelief.
"Quick, hide! If it's really him, we're in serious trouble!" Others warned, ducking for cover.
The harbor fell into chaos at the mere mention of his name.
"Ugh, Puss in Boots, buddy, we better go. I hear that guy's trouble. Besides, the guards might not be too happy to see my face either," Jack's voice came from behind, calling out to Puss.
Puss turned and was amused to see Jack crouched low inside the boat, with only his hands and eyes peeking over the rail.
"You don't need to worry about that, señor Sparrow. After all, they're already here for me."
Puss replied with a chuckle. Lifting a paw to the edge of his hood, he pulled it back, revealing his feline face and a carefree grin.
"You!" Jack blinked, stunned as he realized who he had just agreed to ferry.
At that very moment, Tornado skidded to a halt beside them, his hooves thudding on the dock.
Puss leapt up, reached into the saddlebag, and pulled out his signature hat before landing gracefully back on the ground.
"Tornado, get on the boat." He ordered, and began walking toward the approaching guards.
Tornado obeyed, jumping into the boat and settling beside Jack, taking up nearly half the space.
Puss kept walking forward.
He placed the hat on his head, then reached for the hooded cloak covering him and pulled it off, revealing his full outfit and gear.
Rolling his right shoulder and flexing his arm a few times, he tilted his head to either side with a neck crack and smiled.
By then, the guards had surrounded him.
"Well, well. After a month without fighting, I'm feeling a little rusty. So let's warm up with this…" Puss said, grinning as he placed a paw on his sword's hilt.
"Outlaw! Drop your weapon and surrender immediately!" One of the guards barked, pointing his blade at Puss.
"Surrender?" Puss raised an eyebrow. "I think you don't know who I am, so let me introduce myself…"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
His blade flashed before the guards could react, and three precise slashes appeared on the speaker's armor—forming a clear, unmistakable letter P.
"I am Puss in Boots!"
With his sword pointed straight at them, he gave a fierce, untamed smile.
"Fear me, if you dare!"