Beckett threatens to execute them and former commodore JAmes Norrington (Jack Davenport) for aiding Jack Sparrow's escape. Beckett wants Jack Sparrow and his compass, and Will agrees to search for both in exchange for clemency. Will finds the Black Pearl run aground on Pelegosto, a cannibal-inhabited island where Jack and his crew are captive.
Jack hid there after being visited by "Bootstrap Bill" Turner, who is now enslaved on the Flying Dutchman. Bootstrap delivered the Black Spot, a mark that Jack’s debt to Davy Jones is due. Thirteen years before, Jones raised the sunken Black Pearl and made Jack captain. In exchange, Jack must now serve aboard the Dutchman for 100 years or face the Kraken.
Will, Jack and the crew escape Pelegosto, unexpectedly recruiting PIntel & Ragetti along the way, and head to sea. Jack has obtained a drawing of a key leading to untold riches, but his magical compass fails. Jack agrees to give Will the compass if he helps find the key. Seeking assistance from Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris) , a voodoo priestess, Jack learns the compass will not work because he does not know what he truly wants. The key, Tia tells him, belongs to Davy Jones and unlocks the Dead Man's Chest containing his heart. Whoever possesses the heart controls the oceans. Back at sea, Davy Jones finds Sparrow, who deviously attempts to barter Will in exchange for himself. But Jones demands 100 souls for Jack’s freedom and keeps Will as a "good faith payment."
Jack Sparrow opens the Dead Man's Chest containing the heart of Davy Jones.
On Isla Cruces, Jack, Norrington and Elizabeth find the Dead Man's Chest. Will, who escaped the Dutchman with help from his father, Bootstrap Bill, arrives with the key. Will wants to stab the heart to kill Davy Jones, but a duel erupts between him, Jack, and Norrington, each claiming it for their own reasons. Interrupted by Dutchman sailors, Norrington escapes with the heart and the Letter of Marque. Jones’ crewmen retrieve the chest, unaware it is empty.
The Flying Dutchman pursues the Black Pearl, but with the wind behind them, they outrun her. Instead, Jones summons the Kraken. During the attack, Jack nearly deserts his crew but returns in time to save them. After a fierce battle, he gives the order to abandon ship. Realizing the Kraken wants Sparrow,
The grieving crew seeks refuge with Tia Dalma. Consoling them, she asks if they would sail to World's End to bring Jack and the Black Pearlback. All agree, and she says they will need a captain who knows those waters. Incredibly, the formerly dead Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) descends the stairs, demanding to know what became of his ship.