I Am Puss In Boots

Standing on the Pearl's railing was Puss, calmly gazing ahead with his large green eyes.

Beside him stood Tornado, his large horse head at his side, also looking ahead with curiosity.

It was daytime, and the sunlight clearly illuminated everything ahead, shining upon the great black ship cutting swiftly through the waters.

But what Puss was staring at so intently was the land in sight.

The most striking thing was the enormous white letters on the mountains, reminiscent of HOLLYWOOD—but what was written there awakened childhood memories:

[ FAR FAR AWAY ]

Puss clenched his fists slightly as he felt butterflies flutter in his stomach.

It was the same feeling he always had when heading to an unknown place, full of uncertainties.

It wasn't a lack of courage or anything like that—just a mild nervousness at the thought of not knowing what awaited him.

Jack arrived at his side at that moment.

"Looks like we're parting ways again," he said, leaning his arms and body against the railing on Puss's other side.

"Sí… there are still many adventures waiting for me. I'm not much of a sea cat—I'm more of a land cat," Puss joked, still staring at the approaching land with a slightly complicated expression.

"I thought you had taken quite a liking to the sea," Jack teased, also calmly gazing at the nearing shore.

"I'll leave the sea to you. If I stayed out here, I'd probably end up putting an end to piracy myself," Puss joked back with a shrug.

"Well, that's true. Wouldn't be too good for me," Jack mused, realizing there really was quite a chance of that happening.

It reminded him of the time they came across a pirate ship along the way, and Puss took care of it—rescuing some kidnapped people and letting them use the captured ship to return home.

Puss just smiled and shook his head in amusement, but then seemed to remember something and reached into his boot.

"That reminds me of something," he said, pulling out a small pouch and tossing it to Jack.

Jack quickly caught the pouch and looked at Puss's boots in astonishment.

"How much stuff do you carry in there?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Plenty." Puss grinned.

Shaking his head, Jack opened the coin pouch and saw exactly eight coins inside.

"Ohh… my payment, looks like you didn't forget," Jack smiled slightly at the sight—not out of greed, but because he found it amusing that Puss still cared about such small things after everything they'd been through and all the gold they had received.

"Puss in Boots always pays his debts," Puss teased, looking at him playfully—but then his expression turned serious. "Jack, with this voyage ending, the two months of protection from Norrington I managed to secure are over. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts hunting you again after this. Be careful," he warned with a solemn look.

But Jack just smiled, completely unconcerned.

"Don't worry. The Pearl here isn't a ship just anyone can chase down. Especially not with Captain Jack Sparrow at the helm." Jack grinned, patting the ship's railing affectionately.

"... That's true." Puss nodded.

The Pearl wasn't just any ship. It was extremely fast and strong, and even Norrington wouldn't be a match in a pure chase.

After chatting a bit more, Jack went to command the ship—to slow down, maneuver, and dock at the port.

Meanwhile, Puss stayed right there at the railing, stroking Tornado's neck with a complicated look on his face.

The journey with Jack had been fun, and he had grown close to Gibbs, Marty (the dwarf), and Cotton with his parrot—so he felt a bit sad about saying goodbye.

There was also Will, but ever since they'd left Port Royal, after Elizabeth and Puss's relationship had been exposed, Will hadn't spoken a single word to the orange cat.

Puss didn't push it. Will wasn't a bad person—but he was too much in love with a woman who had fallen for another man, so it was normal for him to be so withdrawn.

'I hope he finds a woman to love on his journey.' Puss shook his head at the thought and jumped down from the railing.

The Pearl had already anchored at the port. Its pirate flag was hidden to avoid causing trouble. However, its crew—being a very stereotypical pirate bunch—still screamed "pirate," but it seemed the port guards weren't too interested in catching pirates.

It made sense, really. There was literally a villain bar not far from the city that was publicly known, and the guards did nothing about it—possibly the most useless guards imaginable.

The only time the guards had shown any use in the movies was when they were against Shrek, the hero. They even sided with Charming when he took over the city with the villains in the third film.

Of course, there could be things happening behind the scenes—but either way, Puss didn't think much of those guards.

He then disembarked from the ship, with Tornado already equipped with the saddle carrying their few belongings.

The pirate crew had already gone off to do their business, and Jack was already down there, talking to Gibbs.

Stepping off the ramp, Puss approached them.

It was time to say goodbye.

"Jack," he spoke simply, but the meaning of farewell was obvious.

"Puss, Tornado. I hope we meet again." Jack waved to them with a serious but slightly reserved look.

He seemed reluctant to part ways with friends he truly valued.

And if he was reluctant, Tornado was even more so.

He stepped forward and bumped his horse head against Jack's chest.

"Oof!" With the impact, Jack lost a bit of air. But after taking a deep breath, he recomposed himself and patted the neck of the horse who seemed so unwilling to say goodbye.

"Gibbs." Puss, taking his gaze off them, turned to the man with long sideburns and nodded.

"Mr. Boots." Gibbs smiled at him and also said his farewell.

At that moment, Tornado moved away from Jack, his eyes wet.

"Snort!" He snorted, communicating.

"A present, for me?" Jack raised an eyebrow at what the black horse said, curious.

"Whinny!!" Tornado turned his head toward the ship and neighed, leaving Jack, Gibbs, and even Puss baffled about what he was trying to do.

But then, from the ship, the sound of hooves came.

Then, under everyone's wide-eyed gaze, a donkey jumped out of the ship, straight onto the pier.

Still in midair, in slow motion, they all saw it was Neddy, the donkey, with a pirate eyepatch and a black cape on his back, fluttering in the wind.

THUD! CLACK!

He landed on the ground with his hooves, making a dull thud against the wooden dock.

Then, finishing his trot, he approached them.

"Hee-haw!" The donkey brayed proudly, lifting his head.

"Tornado, your gift is Will's donkey?" Jack looked strangely at the two equines.

"Snort!" Tornado snorted and stomped his hoof on the ground, making his point.

"Uh… now he's mine? Well, I am a pirate, so I'll accept your stolen gift." Jack, though feeling a bit awkward, accepted the gift without much thought, since it was from a friend.

Puss watched with amusement and then turned his gaze to Neddy, the donkey.

Ever since they had gone to sea, the animal had become more lively and brave, and it seemed he truly loved the sea.

'They'll actually make a good pair. And if I think about it, I'll have two friends in the future who have donkeys. It would be fun if there were a meeting between them,' Puss thought in amusement, and without dragging things out any longer, he jumped onto Tornado's saddle.

"It's time to go." He patted the black horse's neck, who, though reluctant, started to walk away.

But every two steps, he would stop and look back.

Puss felt helpless, but he let his emotional horse take his time.

After they finally moved a bit farther away, Puss instinctively looked back and saw Jack, with Neddy and Gibbs at his side, still standing there, watching them leave.

Something stirred in his chest, and he quickly wiped his nose with his arm, not wanting them to see the tears that nearly formed in his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself together, removed his hat, and waved to them.

Jack, from a distance, simply smiled, touched two fingers to his forehead, and gave a casual farewell gesture.

Puss smiled back, then turned to face forward — the goodbyes were over.

Now before him stood the city's entrance gate, and beyond it, long streets lined with palm trees, bustling with people dressed in bright, cheerful colors.

"Far Far Away, get ready…"

"Puss in Boots has arrived."