There is a legend about the Flying Dutchman. The captain of this ship was Philip van der Decken. In 1689, he sailed from the harbor in Amsterdam to the East Indian port. On its way, the caravel fell into a severe storm near the Cape of Good Hope. The captain did not take the threat seriously. Soon, a dilapidated ship was already sinking, dragging the whole crew. According to legend, God punished Captain Van der Decken for ignoring danger warnings and for being too self-confident.
One of the eyewitnesses to the appearance of this legendary ghost ship is the crew of a British ship. In 1835, sailors claimed that they were in a terrible storm, and in the midst of another ship passed by the side of their ship: an old, dilapidated, exhausted one. By description, he very much resembled The Flying Dutchman. The ship came close, almost touching the gears of the British ship with its gear, but lightning flashed, and the ghost ship disappeared in the sea waves.
Again, corsair Van der Decken and his ship were spotted as early as 1881. He was seen by two crew members of HMS Bacchante. Just a day after the incident, one of the eyewitnesses died under strange circumstances. The ship was again seen in 1939 off the coast of South Africa. The ghostly caravel was seen by a dozen people who rested on the coast. What is amazing is the accuracy with which they described the legendary merchant ship, as if it had just left the distant XVIII century.
The last time a legendary ship was spotted off the coast of Cape Town. Four eyewitnesses claimed that it arose on the horizon, swam for a while, and then melted in the sun.
This legend has a great influence on the culture of the whole world. "Flying Dutchman" was carried away by many writers, poets, artists. So it is not surprising that the anime world also decided to take these cult characters and transfer them to their unique universe.
World Van Peace
Van der Decken is the captain of the Flying Pirates, a member of the Flying Dutchman team. The pirate is a representative of the fishman race. He acts as a secondary antagonist during the arch "Fishman Islands." He is also the eighth descendant of the legendary captain Philip van der Decken.
Pirate Appearance
Van der Decken is distinguished by his high growth and lean physique. This fishman has gray-beige skin. A distinctive feature of it is the presence of four legs. Like most fishmen, he can see membranes in his arms. On his face he wears a short goatee, a large mustache, and his hair is spiky and stand upright.
His clothes are a green jumpsuit and a white shirt. He wears a yellow hat with a stripe of purple and the same yellow cloak on his shoulders. Of the jewelry, only beads can be distinguished, as well as golden bracelets on his legs. He always has in his hands the gloves that he wears in order to preserve his “main goal” - Princess Shirahoshi.
He used to wear a striped T-shirt with red stripes, as well as a brown jumpsuit and light weapons. The whiskers were not yet so long, and the mustache looked like a cat. He also did not have a goatee. He often walks with his arms crossed on his chest, and in his arms he crosses his fingers in a sign of "victory."
Character Features
The pirate is very formal, this can be seen when he introduces himself to Hody Jones. Often uses the phrase "I think so" at the end of his sentences. Van der Decken never obeys anyone. This was one of the reasons why he did not join the Arlong pirates. However, he is always ready to cooperate with those who share his goals and treat him as an equal. Van der Decken loves poetry. This can be judged from the way he read the haiku after the rejection of his Shirahoshi. He also recited a poem when the Straw Hats first met him.
He is very obsessed with the princess, which is why he often acts without thinking about his actions. His first steps go ahead of the situation in which he is. This can be said about sending a wedding invitation before making an offer, or the realization that he does not have friends whom he can invite to the wedding. He also becomes insane when it comes to Shirahoshi, because he is ready to take any measures, even throw Noah on the whole island, just to kill one person that prevents him. Nevertheless, unlike most fishmen, and despite his associations with the New Pirates, he was never neither for nor against the age-old prejudices of fishmen regarding mankind.
He was described as a bandit of the seabed, in connection with which the inhabitants of the Island of fishermen were mortally afraid of him for a long time. Like most pirates, he believes that violence is the answer for everything. For example, he shows his attachment to Shirahoshi by throwing weapons at her. Like the pirates, he seeks to get treasures and never approves of how his giant fish, Ankoro, eats ships before he can take everything of value from there.
He often reacts too violently to certain situations that surprise him. This can be said about his reaction of shock and suppression, when Shirahoshi refused him: he began to sob and read a haiku, and then shaved off his crown from behind because of depression. He had a similar reaction the second time she rejected him, even though at that moment the princess was in mortal danger. Like most of the characters, Van der Decken in Van Pease has a unique laugh style: “ba-ho-ho-ho”.
Relationship with other characters
The pirate has a very faithful team. Watsumi is always obedient and follows the instructions of the capital, and the rest of the team vehemently encourages him. They are well aware of the family ambitions of the captain himself, who wants to get the legendary mermaid, who communicates with the sea kings. Few people know this legend. Unlike most cruel pirates who dominate their subordinates by force, Deken has a relationship with his team. Nevertheless, he can easily turn them away if need be. When Noah collides with the bubble that surrounds Fishman Island, Wadatsumi falls from the ship. But the captain ignores the request for salvation, calling him a victim.
Mermaid Shirohoshi
Deken is trying to attract attention from the princess. He sends letters to the mermaid, parcels and often threatening offers of his hand and heart. He was determined to marry Shirohoshi after learning of her ability to communicate with the sea kings. His family stubbornly searched for this feature for many centuries. He is obsessed with marrying a princess, often showing signs of erotomania. The pirate believes that the princess loves him, despite the fact that she never gave a sign and always refused his courtship. His idea is so obsessive that he devoted his right hand exclusively to one Shirohoshi, putting a mark on her when she was only 6 years old, and for 10 years in a row he did not change it. He sends her love messages in the form of weapons, using his abilities.
After some time, he comes to the palace, calling Neptune his father, despite the fact that Shirohoshi is not at all his wife. He was sure that for 10 years she only thought about him and loved him. In fact, the princess does not feel any feelings for him, except disgust. When he understands this, he forgets about the marriage and is inflamed with the desire to kill her. Nevertheless, any weapon that he threw at her blocked Straw Hat. Deken decides to drop a huge ship on the entire Fishman Island to destroy it with the princess.
Enemies
Deken dislikes the king after all, he believed that Neptune was hiding Shirohoshi from him in order to use his daughter for political interests. Neptune is angry with Deken because of threats to his daughter, who is more valuable to him than any treasures. The king orders his sons to assemble an army to find Deken. In order to defeat King Neptune, the pirate decides to unite with Hody.
Monkey D. Luffy
Luffy became Deken's enemy after interfering with his plans for Shirahoshi. Captain Decken tried several times to kill the princess. However, Luffy blocked every weapon Deken tried to throw at the princess. After that, he tries to throw a gigantic ship at her, however, and this time Mugivara interfered with his plans.
Hody jones
Deken enters into an alliance with Hody Jones, considering that he is equal to himself. He had no interest in the goals that the New Pirates of the Fishman sought, he only uses this alliance to make his marriage. When Shirohoshi rejects him, he tries to destroy the island of Fishman. Hody became the enemy of Deken, since his plans were to become the king of the island, and not destroy him. Hody also used Deken in order to eliminate Shirohoshi, but not reaching the goal, he realizes that Deken is now useless for him.
Captain's powers and abilities
Deken is considered the eighth descendant of a famous pirate. He commands the Flying Pirates. He has absolute power over the crew, and he deftly controls the legendary ship. He also directs at least two beings, like Ankoro and Wadatsumi. Teaming up with Hody Jones, Decken was also able to increase his strength to achieve the goal.
Van der Decken is 10 times stronger than ordinary people, which is typical for all fishmen. He has excellent stamina that cannot be overlooked during the battle against Luffy. He also survives after Hody pierces him with a trident.
Deken is a fruit. Its Devil Fruit is called Mato Mato no Mi, such as Paramecium. The devil's fruit makes it possible to throw various shells at the target, including people, even if it is directed in the opposite direction. It is enough to touch a bare hand to make an object your goal. There can be as many goals as Deken has hands, that is 2. Accidentally touching a new target with an already occupied palm, it will change, regardless of the owner’s desire. That is why Deken always wears gloves to avoid such a confluence of circumstances. If Deken loses consciousness, then his ability ceases to act.
Weapon
Despite the fact that he is the captain of the pirates, you do not notice a large number of weapons with him. However, he always has an arsenal filled with a wide variety of items that he successfully uses in combination with his ability. He has swords and maces, large axes and much more. He also has weapons in sandals, which allows him to fight effectively with his feet.
Flying Dutchman in Corsairs
It would be strange if such a legendary series of games about pirates as Corsairs would bypass such an interesting legend. Here, the ship is considered a legendary ship, is present in almost all additions. The captain is Philippe van der Decken, whose photo is presented below.
How to pass the quest?
You will need to remove the curse from the ship. To do this, collect 666 pearls. How to collect pearls? Go to different cities, visiting governors. During the conversation there will be messages regarding the attacks of the living dead. You need to go to help the defenders of the city.
Having killed the skeleton, be sure to search it, on their bodies you will certainly see pearls. As soon as you have enough, go to the white Boy. It will help to remove the curse, which as a result will make the ship vulnerable to your attacks.
It is extremely difficult to sink a ship before the curse disappears, all the more so to board it. The Flying Dutchman is virtually invulnerable to all attacks, so he will simply drown you. Even if you show all your skills and can sink the ship, it will certainly rise again. If you lose to the Dutchman, you will be taken to a random island without money or any items. You will also lose your ship. Before meeting with the legend of the seas, we recommend leaving the ship in the port, and transferring the money to money lenders.
What is known about the captain?
The biography of Philip van der Decken hides many secrets. Many years ago, he lost to Nathaniel Hawk. Then, together with his team, he was engaged in the construction of a ship under water. The pirate will always be immortal, doomed to disturb the peace of sailors until the end of the world.
Interesting fact
Van der Decken in "To Each His Own" looks different than in other parts. It is of swamp color, which is considered a reference to the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean", where the main characters also confronted the living dead. Unlike the film, here the name of the vessel is “Flying Heart” or “Kaleuche”.
You can see the photo of van der Decken from the game above. Also in Corsairs on the ship you can find rare weapons Shot-Gan.