I followed Prompt #1 and it took me ages to find out a solution that would be fitting. Anyway, this is what I got:

I don't even know how I manipulate the fire and the pirate (who is faceless, anyway. I wanted to keep his/her identity a secret) with the ship, perhaps they're a little off. The parrot is on the pirate's shoulder. I relied on lighting and shadows in order not to make elements out of place.

To GuildOfGraphics: unless I need to change something, this is my final entry.