Davy Jones

―Davy Jones[src]
Davy Jones is the supernatural ruler of the sea and captain of the Flying Dutchman. In one particular legend, Davy Jones was a great sailor until he fell in love with the sea goddess Calypso. He would be given the Flying Dutchman as well as the sacred task of ferrying souls who died at sea to the worlds beyond. Because of that love, Davy Jones agreed to set foot on land once every ten years, where Jones would be free to be with Calypso. But when Davy Jones came ashore after his ten year duty, he was forsaken by Calypso, who was nowhere to be found. So, when the First Brethren Court convened, Davy Jones plotted with them to tear the rule of the seas away from Calypso, in which the Brethren imprisoned her into the body of a mortal woman. Jones was the one who told the Brethren how to bind Calypso into human form; he never stopped loving her, but the pain it caused him was too much to live with. Soon Jones' guilt became so great, he carved out his own heart and locked it away in the Dead Man's Chest. Abandoning his duty, Davy Jones then returned to the seven seas, only now sailors everywhere would fear him to the death, for Jones had turned fierce and cruel, with an insatiable taste for all things brutal. Davy Jones preyed on wayward sailors lost at sea with the Flying Dutchman, now a cursed ghost ship. Those who wished to avoid death and final judgment would agree to serve Jones aboard his haunted vessel, eventually becoming a part of the ship itself, forever enslaved to its terrifying captain. Davy Jones also commanded the Kraken, a great squid-like beast of the sea, which brought the captain of the Dutchman ever more souls into joining his crew aboard his cursed ship.

At some point in time, Davy Jones would strike a bargain with Jack Sparrow to resurrect his beloved vessel the Wicked Wench, which he would rename as the Black Pearl, in return for a hundred years of servitude aboard the Dutchman. That debt would be settled thirteen years later, in which Jones sent Bootstrap Bill Turner to give Jack the Black Spot, which drew the Kraken. Several days later, in which Jones dealt with Bootstrap Bill's son Will Turner, the debt was ultimately settled with Jack and the Pearl being dragged to the depths by the Kraken. But it was in vain as Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company came into possession of Davy Jones' still-beating heart, forcing Jones and his crew to do his bidding. With the Flying Dutchman under Beckett's control, Davy Jones would lead the EITC Armada in the fight against the Fourth Brethren Court.

While the Brethren convened, Jones reunited with Calypso, who intended to be free and punish the Brethren, until realizing Jones' betrayal. Upon being freed, the enraged goddess Calypso, in her wrath, created a massive maelstrom, where a battle raged at the center of it. And it was in that very battle that Davy Jones' heart was pierced and he died, finally free for all eternity. With his death, Davy Jones was welcomed back into the dark embrace of the sea that he had been in love with.

―Tia Dalma[src]
Davy Jones was once a mortal pirate, but that part of his life is shrouded in mystery.[13] It is known that he was a great sailor, who fell in love with the goddess Calypso, who was changing, harsh and untamable as the sea. There were different versions of the story, which said that Jones either fell in love with a woman or the sea.[10] Calypso rewarded that love by giving Davy Jones the sacred task of collecting all the poor souls who lost at sea and ferry them to the other side.[14] To carry out this task, Calypso gave him the Flying Dutchman, a ship which could enter the limbo-like dimension that came to be known as Davy Jones' Locker. Because of that love, Jones agreed to set foot on dry land once every ten years.

―Davy Jones and Cutler Beckett about Calypso's imprisonment[src]
For the next ten years, Jones devoted himself faithfully to the duty Calypso charged him with, looking after those who died at sea and ferried the souls of men to the 'other side' in the holds of the Dutchman, while also awaiting the one day when he could be reunited with his love. But when Davy Jones came ashore, he waited in vain; Calypso was nowhere to be found. Feeling that the goddess betrayed him, a heartbroken and enraged Davy Jones believed he had been tricked into his duty, and could not escape his service. Using The Journal of the Ancient Seas and its guardian, the foul and fearsome Kraken, Jones went on his course to vengeance. With the Kraken, Jones intended to hunt down the objects of power that laid scattered across the seas and have the loyalty of the first Pirate Lords of the seas.[15] So, when the First Brethren Court convened, Davy Jones plotted with them to tear the rule of the seas away from Calypso.[14] As part of an agreement, Davy Jones showed the First Court how to bind Calypso in human form, so that they could secure the rule of the seas for themselves. The Brethren captured Calypso and imprisoned the sea goddess into the body of a mortal woman, later known as the voodoo priestess Tia Dalma.

―Will Turner and Davy Jones[src]
Soon Davy Jones' grief and guilt at what he had done became so great, he carved out his own heart right out of his chest, and locked it in the Dead Man's Chest.[10] To keep his fate intact, Jones had the chest hidden on Isla Cruces so it could be safe from potential mutineers aboard the Flying Dutchman and away from his haunted sight. He kept the key hidden within his facial tentacles at all times. Whoever gained control of the chest was able to control Jones by extortion. Jones was immortal so long as his heart remained safe.

―Davy Jones to dying sailors[src]
With Calypso gone, Davy Jones abandoned his duty and returned to the Seven Seas. As a result of this, Jones gradually became monstrous, his physical appearance merging with various aquatic fauna.[5] Sailors everywhere would fear him to the death, for Davy Jones had turned fierce and cruel, with an insatiable taste for all things brutal.[14] Most stories told say that a terrible beast, known as the Kraken, was Davy Jones' obedient leviathan, sent to do his bidding and prey on unwary ships and mariners. The Kraken brought the captain of the Flying Dutchman ever more souls onto his cursed ship, dying sailors forever press-ganged into servitude. Those who joined his crew were bound to serve aboard his ship for one hundred years, but like Jones, their appearance merged with various aquatic fauna. However, unlike Jones, the effect of the deal that they lose their humanity, which worsened over time, until they become part of the ship itself. Jones became a tyrant on his ship, and mercilessly pushed his crew to exhaustion, allowing his sadistic officers to enforce vicious punishments for even minor offenses. Eventually crew members lost their humanity in soul as well as in body. Jones wreaked havoc on the Seven Seas, and created an aura of fear wherever he sailed, only able to make port or step on land every decade.[10]

―Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow[src]
Davy Jones showed interest in the Sword of Cortés, and during Jack Sparrow’s early years forced Captain Torrents to retrieve it for him.[16] Torrents failed, and Jones eventually confronted Jack Sparrow, who had previously given the Sword over to Tia Dalma. With the Sword unavailable, Jones set his sights on a different artifact, and pursued Sparrow in search of the Timekeeper, hoping to go back in time and make sure that Calypso reunited with him.[17] [18]Jones also ruled over the Siren and mermaid kingdom of Isla Sirena, which resided in his Locker.[19]

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"Davy Jones...we, the Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court, call you. By our alliance giving us power over the sea, binding the queen in her bones, we entreat you. Come to us, Davy Jones. We summon you. We summon you. We summon you." ======

―Eduardo Villanueva, Ching, Edward Teague, and Rafael[src]
For some unknown reason, both Jones and Sparrow soon completely forgot their first encounter.[20] A few years after the "timekeeper" incident, Jones was summoned by the Pirate Lords to Shipwreck Cove on board the Troubadour, the ship of Captain Edward Teague, Keeper of the Code. The Brethren Court was endangered by the mysterious rogue pirates, and Jones was summoned to help the Pirate Lords in identifying Boris "Borya" Palachnik, the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, as the leader of the rogues. Jones successfully identified Borya as the rogue captain, and he also revealed to them that there were seven rogue captains in Borya's fleet.[21]

―Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow[src]
Five years after helping the Brethren to identify the traitors among them, Jones was summoned by Jack Sparrow, who sunk with his ship and ended up in Jones' supernatural realm. Sparrow asked Jones to raise his ship, the Wicked Wench, from the ocean depths, after it was burned and scuttled on the orders of Cutler Beckett. Jack offered a proposal: in return for raising the Wicked Wench from the ocean floor, Jack would give Jones his soul after being captain for thirteen years, and would then serve on board the Flying Dutchman for the following century. Jones agreed and raised the ship from the depths of the ocean, and gave it to Jack. Only time would tell if Sparrow would live up to his side of the bargain.[22][23]

―Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow[src]
For only two years did Jack Sparrow remain captain of his ship, which had been re-christened as the Black Pearl, before a mutiny lost him his beloved ship. Having been opposed to the mutiny, William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner, who had been cursed with immortality, was strapped to a cannon and cast into the sea by Hector Barbossa. Davy Jones found him on the seabed, and gave him the chance to spare himself one kind of tortured existence for another. Such was his desperation, Turner agreed, and became one of Jones' newest crewmembers. It was he whom Jones sent to warn Sparrow his debt was to be called in, thirteen years after their deal, and Turner marked the pirate with the Black Spot on Jones' orders. Jones called upon the Kraken and set it after Jack, though he continued about his usual business with the destruction of a ship near a isolated shoal. Jones sent his men to collect the surviving crew members, so that he could force them to join his crew aboard the Dutchman.[10]

―Davy Jones and Will Turner[src]
While Jones was convincing the survivors to join his crew, he noticed a man among them that was neither dead nor dying, thus not a member of the ill-fated crew. A suspicious Jones asked what his business was, and the man told him that he had come to settle Jack Sparrow's debt. Jones realized that Sparrow was attempting to weasel his way out of his debt, and knew that Sparrow had to be nearby. He spotted the Black Pearl and teleported to it. His men seized Sparrow's small crew, while Jones himself confronted Sparrow. Sparrow tried to explain to Jones that he only been captain of the Pearl for two years, but Jones pointed out that despite this, Sparrow had gone on calling himself "Captain" Jack Sparrow, even though he did not truly have the Black Pearl under his command. Thus, he technically claimed it was under his ownership for thirteen years even if he was nowhere near it for most of that time. Sparrow then pointed out that the man he had sent, Will Turner, was his payment, one soul for one ship. Jones became frustrated and told Sparrow that one soul was not equal to another, and when Sparrow asked for the number of souls his own soul was worth, Jones snidely told him he had three days to gather one hundred souls. Jones removed the Black Spot from Sparrow and kept Will as a good-faith payment, and allowed Sparrow to go on his way to collect the remaining ninety-nine souls.[10]

―Davy Jones to Will Turner[src]
While playing his organ one rainy night, Jones heard a loud crash coming from the main deck. When he went to investigate, he discovered Bootstrap Bill trying to save Will Turner from Jimmy Legs' cat o' nine tails. When Jones probed Bootstrap for his motives, he discovered that Will was Bootstrap's son. Making the connection between the names, Jones became highly amused. He then forced Bootstrap to either punish Will himself, or suffer Jimmy Legs to do the same. Knowing that Bootstrap would prefer his hand to the sadistic boatswain's, Jones watched with a sinister enjoyment as Bootstrap Bill begrudgingly whipped Will five times.[10]

Later that night, Will challenged Jones to a game of Liar's dice. He offered to serve aboard the Dutchman for an eternity, in exchange for the key to the Dead Man's Chest. Fearing for the safety of his heart, though refusing to show weakness in front of his crew, Jones agreed. Just as they were about to start, however, Bootstrap Bill joined them, in an attempt to decrease the odds of his son serving onboard the ship forever. Jones accepted this turn of events, and played on. As the game progressed, Jones cornered Will in a lie. Before Jones could call him out, however, Bootstrap took a dive for his son. Jones declared Bootstrap a liar and, having won the game, said he would spend an eternity on the Dutchman. Before leaving the room, Davy Jones told Will Turner that he was free to go ashore, but with the added twist that it'd be the next time they make port.[10]

―Maccus and Davy Jones[src]
The next morning, Davy Jones realized that Will had stolen his key, and had escaped with the aid of his father. Beside himself with rage and fear, Jones set the Flying Dutchman hot on Turner's trail. The ship came up on the Edinburgh Trader, a merchant vessel, but Jones knew Will was onboard. He summoned the Kraken and forced Bootstrap Bill to watch as the Edinburgh Trader was destroyed by the Kraken. Turner was not discovered among the dead, however, as Jones knew that Will had been sent by Sparrow to steal his key. Realizing that Sparrow intended to use his heart as a bargaining chip to escape his debt, Jones ordered his navigator, Koleniko, to set a course for Isla Cruces.[10]

―Davy Jones and Koleniko[src]
Upon reaching Isla Cruces, Jones spotted some of Sparrow's crew on the deserted island through his spyglass. Since he himself was unable to set foot on land for nearly a decade, he ordered his First Mate, Maccus, to lead a team to go ashore and seize the chest. He ordered the ship to dive, and the men swam to the island. After a while the crewmen returned with the chest. It was then that Jones set out to find Jack Sparrow to collect his debt personally. The Flying Dutchman rose out of the water and pulled alongside the Black Pearl. Sparrow confronted Jones and taunted him with a jar of dirt. Annoyed with Sparrow's games, he ordered his cannonneers to open fire. The Black Pearl turned completely around avoiding most of the barrage, and the Flying Dutchman turned in hot pursuit. As the Black Pearl sailed farther away, Jones ordered his chief gunner, Ogilvey, to fire the chase guns, though they were only able to deliver minimal damage as the swift and nimble Black Pearl slipped out of range. Jones broke off the pursuit and summoned the Kraken to destroy Sparrow.[10]

―Davy Jones, upon realizing his heart was missing from the Dead Man's Chest.[src]
Jones watched from afar as the Kraken was repelled several times. At last it came to an end and Jack Sparrow and his ship were dragged down by the Kraken to the Locker. Jones became suspicious of how easy it was to defeat Sparrow, and suspected treachery on his part. With mounting concern, he went to check on his heart and to his amazement and horror, discovered only an empty chest. Enraged, Jones thought of this to be of Jack Sparrow's doing and screamed in anguish instilling fear and pain in his crew.[10]

Despite the fact that Sparrow was supposedly dead, Jones felt a summons from his heart and set sail for the source of the summons, Port Royal. Upon arriving, he found the very man who had inadvertently spawned Sparrow's debt with Jones, Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company. Beckett had Jones' heart, presented to him by a former member of Jack Sparrow's crew —James Norrington. Jones gave took off his hat in respect for his new master.[24]

―Cutler Beckett[src]
Lord Beckett used Davy Jones to attack and destroy pirate ships all across the Caribbean. Beckett was distrustful of Davy Jones, however, and he forced Jones to kill the Kraken, by ordering it to beach itself on an island. Davy Jones did not accept servitude lightly, and adopted a bad mood whenever in the presence of Beckett. During his attacks against pirates, Jones obliterated every single vessel he was faced with, destroying ship after ship with ease. However, he was so brutal, that he left absolutely no survivors, and left no piece of wood unbroken. This destructive streak annoyed Beckett, because of his desire for prisoners to interrogate. Jones did not care about Beckett's quest for information, but in retribution, Beckett had the chest taken aboard the Flying Dutchman. Armed guards protected the chest at all times, and were ordered to kill Jones if he did not follow Beckett's orders more closely to the letter. Beckett also stationed aboard the Flying Dutchman, the very man who stole Jones' heart to begin with, James Norrington, now an admiral. Jones was irritated by the heart's presence on his ship, because it constantly reminded him of his servitude.[5]

Jones was ordered to find and capture the ship of an infamous Chinese pirate, the Empress. Jones easily caught up to the ship, and after several cannon shots, his crew boarded the vessel and apprehended the crew. Jones found Elizabeth Swann, who claimed to be the captain of the Empress. Jones was in disbelief that she was the captain of the infamous vessel, but Admiral Norrington recognized her, and he had the crew of the Empress locked in the Flying Dutchman's brig. The Empress was tied to the Flying Dutchman, and towed slowly behind, as Jones set out to rejoin Beckett's armada.[5]

―Davy Jones to James Norrington[src]
During the night, the crew of the Empress were set free by Admiral Norrington, who was in turn stabbed by Bootstrap Bill, who had been locked in the brig since helping his son escape the Flying Dutchman. Davy Jones tried to recruit the dying Norrington into his crew, but the moribund admiral simply stabbed Jones' shoulder, before succumbing to his wounds. Jones admired the sword he had been stabbed with, and kept it for himself.[5]

Jones believed he was finally free from Beckett's control. He ordered his crew to kill the East India Trading Company soldiers stationed on the ship only to find that Beckett's second in command, Mercer, still possessed the key to the chest, and was still guarding the chest with a few other soldiers. Jones begrudgingly accepted Mercer's control of the ship.[5]

―Cutler Beckett, Davy Jones, and Will Turner[src]
The Flying Dutchman finally caught up with Beckett's ship, the HMS Endeavour. Fresh troops from the Endeavour refreshed the ones killed by Jones' crew. Jones was once again summoned aboard, much to his mounting annoyance. When he walked into Beckett's quarters, he was shocked to see Will Turner having tea with the mighty enemy of pirates. Will told Jones that he and the surviving crew of the Black Pearl had gone to the Locker, and freed the soul of Jack Sparrow. Jones shock was soon overcome by anger, since it was apparent that Beckett was well aware of the plot. However, Beckett asked Jones of his old love, Calypso. Jones told Beckett that the world was rid of Calypso, but he was rebuked by Turner, who informed him that the Brethren Court intended to release Calypso from her human form. Jones told Beckett that the Brethren couldn't release Calypso due to a bargain he had with them. Beckett became suspicious of this comment, and inquired as to Jones' involvement with the Brethren Court. Jones confessed that he was the one who revealed to the Court how to bind Calypso, but said that she was untrustworthy and it had been the proper thing to do. Will realized that Jones had loved her and that asked him if she had betrayed him for betraying her, or vice versa. Jones became annoyed with Turner, and the two came close to exchanging blows before Beckett asked Turner how he intended to lead them to the Brethren. He told them that he wanted Jones to set his father free in exchange for the location of Shipwreck Cove, the meeting place of the Brethren. Turner offered Beckett Jack's compass, a mystical item that could lead its user to the thing that they wanted most. Jones told Turner that he would only accept if Calypso was murdered, and so Will told Jones that she was imprisoned on the Black Pearl. With that, Jones set off on the Flying Dutchman to meet Calypso one last time.[5]

―Tia Dalma and Davy Jones[src]
Jones reached Shipwreck Cove and confronted Tia Dalma in the Black Pearl's brig. He expressed his hatred of her for her betrayal. Dalma said that she still loved him, but that her untameable nature prevented her from waiting for him. Jones' mood slowly mellowed, and he asked what fate she had planned for the Brethren Court, to which she said that they would suffer a cruel fate at her hands. Jones offered his heart and his love to her once again, and agreed to join her later on after she was free.[5]

Jones, Beckett, and Will met with the Brethren Court's emissaries––Hector Barbossa, Elizabeth Swann, and Jack Sparrow–on a sandbar in between Beckett's fleet and the fleet of the Brethren Court. Barbossa and Elizabeth offered Jack in exchange for Will. Beckett agreed and Jack was given over to Jones, who later sent Jack to the Dutchman's brig. The pirates would not surrender, however, and battle was inevitable.

―Davy Jones and Mercer[src]
The fleets of the two sides lined up, and Beckett ordered Jones to attack the Black Pearl and give no quarter. At that moment, a tremendous storm formed spontaneously, and Jones took it as a sign that Calypso had been released. The Pearl advanced into a massive maelstrom that had formed in between the two fleets. Despite the protests of Mercer, Jones steered the Flying Dutchman straight into the swirling vortex as the Pearl came in on the opposite side. Jones ordered the cannonneers to fire, and for several minutes, the two ships exchanged broadsides. A stray cannonball hit the quarterdeck, and all of the EITC soldiers near the helm were either killed or wounded. Jones had shielded Mercer from the blast, but took advantage of Mercer's moment of weakness, and suffocated him with his tentacles. He then took the key from Mercer's body and began to head to his organ room, where he would reclaim the chest, and his freedom.[5]

―Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow[src]
While descending the stairs, however, Jones spotted Jack Sparrow, out of the brig, with the chest in hand. As his crew appeared, Jones taunted Jack on his ironic situation. Jones then tried to seize the chest, but not before Sparrow grabbed a rope and escaped by ascending to one of the Dutchman's masts. Jones was able to teleport to Sparrow's location, where a sword fight between them followed in the ensuing battle. Although Jack managed to beat Jones in the sword fight, by slicing off Jones' tentacle that held the key and disarming him, Jones was successful in breaking Jack's sword, taking the chest and knocking Sparrow off the mast. However, Sparrow still held onto the chest, and struggled to get back up. Jones then sent Sparrow flying, where he'd grab onto a rope. Swinging on the rope, Jack shot the chest from Jones' grip, sending it falling to the deck below.

The chest was taken by Will Turner, who boarded the Dutchman to help Jack, and ran to the other side of the ship until he was confronted by his father, Bootstrap Bill Turner. Jones came down, retrieved his sword and made his way through the battle on the Dutchman to get to the chest. He took down everything in his path, including EITC soldiers. As soon as he made towards the chest, Jack appeared, thereby continuing their duel. After Jones knocked Sparrow to the ground, he fought Elizabeth and dispatched her by knocking her out by Jones' massive crab arm.

―Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow[src]
As Davy Jones closed in for the kill, he was again interrupted, this time by Will Turner, who Jones also flung aside by kicking him with his crab leg. As the two lay on the deck desperately gazing at one another, Jones realized that they were in love, and decided to kill Turner to cause Swann pain and anguish. However, Sparrow intervened once again, and revealed to Jones that he had taken Jones' heart from the chest, and threatened to stab it with his broken sword. Jones perceived this as a bluff, and stabbed Turner in the heart anyway. Seeing that Jack couldn't stab his heart, Jones laughed at this seeming victory and watched as Elizabeth came next to Will.

―Davy Jones to Bootstrap Bill Turner[src]
But a grief-stricken Bootstrap Bill, after regaining his sanity, viciously attacked Jones like a crazed animal. Just as he finally gained the upper hand in his struggle with Bootstrap Bill, he yet again went for the kill. Jones then felt a horrible and foreboding pain in his chest, and turned to see his heart, pierced by a dying Will Turner with the help of Jack Sparrow. Davy Jones became dizzy and gazed up into the sky, calling out to Calypso, and finally falling into the darkness of the maelstrom, and his death.[5]

―Davy Jones' last words before falling into the maelstrom.[src]
What happened to Jones afterwards is unknown. It is implied that Davy Jones finally merged with Calypso, the sea that he had been in love with, and that he had found peace.[25] With his death, Davy Jones was welcomed back into the dark embrace of the seas; for Calypso in her own way still loved him. While his ship, the Flying Dutchman, received a new captain: Will Turner.[14]

Personality and traits

―Tia Dalma to Davy Jones[src]
Davy Jones was known for his sadistic ways, showing no more care for his own crew than his foes. Proud, cruel, and hateful, Jones was a creature of malice. Perhaps a nihilist as a result of Calypso's perceived betrayal, the only thing he seemed to enjoy was to ensure the lives of those around him were as miserable and joyless as his own one. He regularly mistreated his own crew as well, believing that all humans should suffer through the afterlife with much pain; this is backed up by his proclamation of "Life is cruel. Why should the afterlife be any different?"[10][5]

Jones was not credulous and therefore when somebody had a debt to him or performed a mission for him, he used to mark them with a magical sign[16] or kept a good-faith payment,[10] which allowed Jones to ensure that this person will do what he requested from him. Nevertheless he had some trust in at least some of his crewmen as evidenced by the fact that on certain occasions he allowed them to go ashore when this was necessary[10] and he even had four most trusted mates aboard the Dutchman: Maccus, Ratlin, Penrod and Angler.[12] Although Jones demanded good faith from others, he was treacherous and unreliable and felt no obligation to return in kind.[10]

However, when it came to matters of love, Jones was somewhat sympathetic, revealing a softer side, hidden under years of guilt, anger, and bitterness. Even after she betrayed him, Jones still loved Calypso, and her name was the last word he ever uttered before his death. Although he was enraged about her betrayal he also said that his heart would always belong to her. Despite having stated that love was a "dreadful bond" Jones appeared to have shed a tear when Jack Sparrow told him that Will Turner was in love and due to be married. However, upon discovering this love, Jones didn't hesitate to stab Will in the heart in the presence of Elizabeth Swann, who had just married Will, despite understanding their feelings for each other since he had felt those feelings himself.

Jones' physical mannerisms were distinctive. He had a strong Scottish accent which was accented by various vocal and facial tics, and had an unctuous and mocking laugh. He would commonly extend vowel sounds and was known to release water through his mouth when in despair or rage.[10][5]

―Ragetti and Tia Dalma on Davy Jones[src]
Like the rest of his crew, Davy Jones had, over the course of time spent aboard the Flying Dutchman, taken on the appearance of various aquatic flora and fauna, to the point where he seemed to have lost all humanity. Prior to the loss his humanity, his appearance was not unlike that of many other sailors, although his manner of dress was very formal, or so it was before the curse set in. He wore black boots (ironically no peg leg), a red pirate coat with golden trimmings and an orange waistcoat.[5] His face was rough and he had a beard which was beaded into several strands.[10]

In his new form, Jones' head was replaced with something resembling an Octopus (a cephalopod), with a "beard" of forty-six tentacles[26] hanging from his mottled, green-skinned face. He would often use these tentacles in place of his upper limbs, such as to hold the key to the Dead Man's Chest or play his pipe organ.[10] During his duel with Jack Sparrow, he lost one of his two larger tentacles.[5] A prominent sac also bulged from the back of Jones' head, which was nestled underneath a hat covered with barnacles. This sac is in actual fact the back portion of a standard Octopus. A siphon was located on the left side of his face, making up for his lack of a human nose. This lack of a human nose also gave his voice a slightly nasal sound. He had a crustacean-style claw for his left arm and a long tentacle-like index finger on his right hand. His right leg resembled that of a crab, which in turn resembled a peg leg, which gave Jones an awkward gait.[10] so he occasionally used a barnacle-encrusted wooden stick as a crutch. His blood was black rather than red[5] and his skin had a light green shade. No barnacles grew, on his skin, unlike the claw or the crab leg. Next to "Bootstrap Bill", Jones looked the most human of all the Flying Dutchman's crew.

His suit consisted of a coat which was originally light blue with thin golden brims on the cuffs and around the buttonholes, but later faded, a light grey one-breasted waistcoat and dark grey breeches. Since his clothes were nearly always wet, they appeared much darker then they actually were and seemed to have a dark-greyish or dark green shade. Like the crab leg and the claw hand, the clothes were covered with barnacles. On his left leg, which remained human-like, he wore a leather boot. A dark red sash and a leather belt with a patinated buckle completed this suit. However, the most notable piece of cloth which he wore was his hat, which was a tricorn which had the same light blue color as his coat and a similar thin golden brim along the edge. Its front corn was bigger then the other two and divided, so that its silhouette resembled the devil's horns, likely as a reference to his nickname "Devil of the Seas".[10][5]