Blackbeard surveyed his vast hoard of treasure, wealth that would make kings and emperors green with envy, yet it was insufficient for the grand designs of his burgeoning jam empire. The sea had lavished its riches upon him, but his vision soared beyond the mere horizon, yearning for an expansion that his current fortune could not sustain. With the determination of a man who had braved storms and outmaneuvered navies, he decided to venture once again into the unfathomable depths. His ambitions pointed him towards an ally who could match his daring, a fellow sovereign of the sea's shadowed realms—Cheung Po Tsai. Infamous among the eastern waves, Cheung was a pirate king whose greed was as legendary as his cruelty.

Setting his plan into motion, Blackbeard dispatched his swiftest vessel with a proposition "too sweet" to refuse. The ship's eventual return was a harrowing sight, the deck drenched in the blood of its crew, save for one sole survivor. This ragged, barely living crewman, clutching a blood-soaked parchment, stood as a grim testament to Po Tsai's brutality. Blackbeard grabbed the parchment, and from it, quickly deciphered a set of coded nautical coordinates and date. Blackbeard's let loose laughter that boomed across the docks, a macabre joy in his discovery. He recognized the the coordinates immediately, a notorious isle where Po plied his trade, a cursed place where he be known fer cuttin deals...or throats, but never neither. His first mate, horrified by the carnage, queried in confusion, "Is it a declaration of war, Cap'n?". Blackbeard, with a grin spreading across his visage, replied, "No, ye scurvy dog, open yer eyes. He left one alive, don't ye recognize an invitation when you see one?" With that, he walked off the dock and commanded, "Tidy this mess and prepare the Queen Anne's Revenge, ya salty dogs. We set sail at dawn."

Two weeks of sailing later, Blackbeard made landfall on the island. Solely, he rowed to the shore, honoring the island's sacrosanct rule that only Captains may grace its sands. Soon, he encountered a peculiar sight: a man seated behind a bamboo table on the shore, meticulously counting a heap of gold doubloons. Approaching, Blackbeard announced, "I see you brought the gold. I brought rum." simultaneously pulling a bottle from the inside of his jacket. As he reached the table, he then poured the spirits into two grimy glasses from his pouch. Cheung Po Tsai, unswayed, simply continued dexterously weaving a gold coin between his fingers. "Drink," commanded Blackbeard. Po, without diverting his gaze, countered, "Business first," his tone hinting at a challenge rather than a request. "Rum first," Blackbeard insisted, sliding one of the rum-filled glasses closer to Po. For the first time, Po looked up, his face breaking into a grin that blurred the line between curiosity and madness. Rising to meet Blackbeard's stature, he downed his rum in one gulp, never breaking his gaze. Blackbeard then followed in suit. "Sit," Po declared, gesturing to the chair across from him, his mad smile still unwavering, "let us discuss business". Blackbeard took his seat, the intense gaze between them unbroken. Silence enveloped them, heavy with anticipation, until Po finally inquired, "What do ye seek, Blackbeard?" Without a word, Blackbeard, from a bag he previously laid by his feet, produced salted ham from Spain, crackers from Egypt, and finally, a jar of his signature spicy blackberry jam, laying them on the table.

Po's eyes lingered on the array before him, then he lifted the jar of jam, weighing it thoughtfully in his hand. He soon pulled out what appeared to be a small jewelers loupe from his sleeve and began scrutinizing the jar’s contents with a meticulous eye. He then, with a swift motion, opened the jar with the edge of a blade hidden in his sleeve and began spreading the jam atop a slice of ham. "You know, Blackbeard," he mused, poised between diplomacy and threat, "war between pirate lords is inevitable...but it’s a costly game. Not unlike a simple game of chess, you could say, both bleeding coin with every pawn lost on the board”. He then paused, taking a bite of his jam laden ham and continued, “Fortunately, with this meeting, I had planned to spare us both the expense and simply kill you where you stand today. Good business that is, you understand, of course.” He paused once more, the taste of the jam momentarily halting his innate scheming. He then slowly grabbed the empty glass on the table and extended it towards Blackbeard and continued "However, there is something about me few people know…" he revealed, his eyes alight with mischief, "I love jam."

In that instant, over the shared appreciation of a delicious spicy jam, an unexpected camaraderie was born, turning a potentially lethal confrontation into the dawn of an unusual alliance. Their laughter, genuine and hearty, marked the start of a partnership who’s unpredictable ebbs and flows would be recounted in piratical tales and songs for centuries to come.