Davy D. Jones

Davy D. Jones
Statistics
Japanese Name:	デービー・D（ディー）・ジョーンズ
Romanized Name:	Dēbī Dī Jōnzu
Official English Name:	Davy D. Jones
Debut:	Chapter 306; Episode 208 (mentioned)
Affiliations:	Clan of D. (Davy Family)
Occupations:	Pirate
Epithet:	"Pirate of the Deep Sea" (深海の海賊, Shinkai no Kaizoku?)
Status:	Deceased

"Davy" redirects here. For other uses, see Davy (Disambiguation).

Davy D. Jones, more commonly known as Davy Jones, was a legendary pirate from long ago who was said to have been cursed by a demon to live on the sea floor. Believed to have had obsessive greed, the piracy plunder game known as the Davy Back Fight was dedicated to him.

The central figure of the Davy Family, he is the distant ancestor of Rocks D. Xebec, a self-proclaimed worshipper of his, as well as Xebec's son and only child, Marshall D. Teach. Xebec believed that Davy Jones was the King of the World (世界の王, Sekai no Ō^?) at some point prior to being supplanted by Imu and the World Government.

History

Biography

Davy D. Jones lived sometime over 800 years ago, with his descendants having been targeted by the World Government for the past eight centuries. His descendant, Rocks D. Xebec, declared that Davy was "King of the World", however Imu has furiously denied this and rejected the notion of Davy being the king. It is unknown what became of Jones, but legend holds that he became cursed by the devil to live on the sea floor.

Legacy

Jones became a legendary figure among pirates, but the "D." in his name was lost to history. Because of the legend around his fate, the sea floor is commonly known as Davy Jones' Locker (デービー・ジョーンズのロッカー, Dēbī Jōnzu no Rokkā^?), and Davy Jones is considered to "own" everything that sinks into the sea as it lands in his domain. Taking things from other pirates is known as "Davy Back". The Davy Back Fight is named after Davy Jones, and the spirit of the event lies in the participants' devotion to the figure as tributes of coins are made to him as a promise that the rules of the event are to be adhered to, lest anyone who breaks them be sent to the Locker. Rocks D. Xebec, as a Davy Jones worshipper, made frequent use of the Davy Back Fight to build up what became his crew.

Because of their enmity with the World Government, the Davy Family went into hiding and kept their true family name a secret as they adopted other surnames for public use. They remained hidden for eight centuries, and several of Jones' descendants came to settle on God Valley in the West Blue. However, the World Government learned of the family's presence there 38 years before the present day, and made a point to target its members as part of the World Nobles' Native Hunting Competition. One of Jones' descendants, Rocks D. Xebec, idolized his ancestor and so touted himself as a worshipper of Davy Jones.

Inspirations and Influences

Eiichiro Oda's "doodle" of Davy Jones, from SBS Volume 38.

Much of the in-story legend around Davy Jones is taken directly from real-life nautical folklore, which has used "Davy Jones' Locker" as a euphemism for sailors (and other goods) lost at sea since at least the eighteenth century; the Davy Jones in question is said to have been a captain so greedy in life that the Devil personally condemned him to spending eternity on the sea floor, collecting riches he could never use.

Trivia

• Jones' supposed fate of being cursed by the devil to live on the sea floor resembles prominent cultural beliefs about Devil Fruits, which cause their consumers to sink in water supposedly due to the curse of the "sea devil".
• The history of Vander Decken and his descendants, who reside on the sea floor and are said to have a "curse", resembles the legend of Davy Jones in several aspects. This lineage has captained the Flying Dutchman, which is also based on a real-life myth and was notably captained by Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.
• Certain English translations used "Davy Jones" as a dialogue flourish much earlier than its first canonical mention:
  • The 4Kids dub of the anime referenced "Davy Jones" in the first episode.
  • VIZ Media's English translation of the manga referenced "Davy Jones" as early as the Syrup Village Arc.
• It is alluded that Joy Boy and Davy Jones were somehow connected, given that Rocks questioned Imu directly which one they feared more, only for Imu to angrily rebuke this claim by saying neither would ever return once Xebec and the rest of the Davy Family were exterminated.