Warning: This fanfiction contains spoilers from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man's Chest, so if you haven't viewed the movie yet, I suggest you don't read this.

Summary: Of the many who've died at sea, there are also those who gave into the temptation instead of immortality, and by giving up the only immortal part of themselves. Their soul.

Disclaimer: The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and all its characters belong to Disney.

"Throughout the ages, many a man has lost himself to the allure of the mighty and open sea, spanning on forever into the distance, and holding the potential for adventure. To those who would become part of a crew so young, it was like a sort of coming of age to grow up on the tossing waters, where each day could be a fight for survival. The sea, much like the broken land it wraps in a suffocating embrace, holds upon itself its share of the good and evil amongst men. From successful merchants, to fair maidens, to the most brutal and unforgiving pirates, all must equally face the danger and beauty of the waters they venture upon. For some time, there was always only the prominent dangers of the two different forces of men meeting with one another upon the ocean and clashing with one another, always resulting with more and more death and blood trailing deep into the waters below.

But like with anything else that men have come to love, the sea became the obsession with the pirates who depended upon its gentleness to guide them along on their pursuit of wealth. There was no one so much in love with the sea than a pirate by the name of Davy Jones, a ruthless and equally famous pirate whose name could strike fear into the hearts of many men. With time, his fortune grew to immeasurable amounts, so much so that dedicated sailors and merchants would abandon their original lives just to be a part of success in pillaging other ships and villages that ended up in his path. Yet as time passed and the jewels and gold continued to fill his secret caverns and other hiding places, his love for material wealth began to wither. He felt as though he needed something else to feel complete, and he found this fulfillment in his love for the beautiful Maria Horsley.

She had been found adrift by Jones's crew, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, pulled aboard their ship with tangled red hair and terrified blue eyes that pleaded for mercy. Battered and bloodied from the same storm that had engulfed her family and their ship, Jones had felt the first twinge of mercy that had ever come into his hardened heart, and she had been allowed to stay on the ship working as a cleaning maid and cook. The crew slowly became fond of her, but Jones swiftly found himself smitten with the shy and gentle woman he'd taken aboard his ship. He'd find any excuse to be down in the bowels of the ship as she scrubbed the floors or stirred the crew's meaty stew she had made. Maria had been quiet when she'd first become part of the crew herself, but she'd always talk whenever Jones would give her some company, and he soon discovered she returned the feelings he felt towards her. She even showed to him the one precious item she had kept through the tragedy that had claimed her family; a small, heart-shaped music box that played a soft and forlorn tune. He would listen intently when she wound wind it and allow it to play, and the haunting melody would fill the stagnate air of the ship. And for a short time, Jones couldn't have felt any more alive or content than he did when he had, above all else, Maria's love for him.

But, like most things in life, it was a short-lived happiness. The sea, as if jealous of Jones sudden love for Maria over itself, turned her deadly fury against Jones's ship, and a massive storm struck unlike any the crew had seen before. The ship tossed and threatened to capsize as countless waves plowed against the weakening sides of the ship, sending several men overboard within moments of its arrival. Jones tied himself to the wheel up on the helm, watching the remainder of his crew scramble for cover or hoisting up the sails to try and keep the boat afloat. He sent word to his first mate to go to Maria and tell her to stay below deck no matter what, so she stayed safe. But he arrived too late; Maria had already managed to climb up from the lower levels of the ship to the top, determined to stay by Jones through the storm and fearful for him. She ran out onto the deck and ran trough the ankle deep water towards him, shouting his name, when suddenly a large wave rose up as though it had been awaiting her. Before she could even scream, Jones watched in horrified silence as the wave swept across the ship relentlessly and passed over, and Maria was gone. All that remained, clanging against the side of the ship, was the small music box. It began to play the moment she vanished into the sea, and continued to until the storm finally ended and the gears came to a stop.

Nothing. Nothing ever filled the void after that, even slightly. No amount of treasure or wealth could heal the pain in his heart. His sadness and anguish slowly became hatred and bitterness, and slowly his humanity lessened. It was on the anniversary in fact, one year after her tragic death, that he lost it entirely. Standing upon the very edge of his ship, he cried out unto the sea, demanding to be the waters itself for all eternity. It was out of both love and greed that he wished this, both his love for Maria that had all but died into the hatred, and the love for the sea he'd had since his youth.

"Somewhere in this sea is my Maria, even if it is only her bones that remain. I will become these waters, I will become the same fury that brought her to me and then took her! I will become the fates of those who lost everything to these treacherous depths, even their very lives and souls! I will be with her again, even if it's just as a force that gave life and death to my love for her! And I will rid myself of this awful pain, of the emptiness I cannot fill, and I will make all others suffer the way I have…"

He shouted this just before he plunged the dagger into his heart, and suddenly the ship vanished into the sea itself, swallowed into its dark heart and transformed. When the ship resurfaces, it showed the signs of rot and decay, and so did its crew, slowly with time becoming more and more like the sea they had surrendered their very souls to. Davy Jones had surrendered his soul to the sea for his eternal life, the spirit that had made him human, and had cut out the heart that had once beat with love for Maria. He locked away his heart into a chest and buried it far away, knowing having it too near would weaken him and bring back the agony he had felt. Yet, the pain was never truly gone for him, and sadness would sometimes penetrate the brutal maliciousness that had now consumed him. He had control over all the seas and its creatures, including the mighty Kraken that lurked in the darkness of the sea, and gave the same choice to every man who managed to survive the monstrous creature's fury. To either die, or surrender their soul and become like Davy Jones and all his crew had become, destined to forever evade judgment while handing it down to others in a cruel manner.

When I gave up my soul, I gave up everything I had had. I could never go home again, or even leave the decaying Flying Dutchman any longer. It was then that the horrible realization came to me that I would never see my son again, though now I suppose I should be thankful for that. I would never want Will to be plagued with the image of me today, slowly becoming a gruesome and beastly part of the sea itself. I saw my mistake too late, just how much I had sacrificed in order to avoid judgment and death.

This is a word of warning to those who will heed it; to have immortality and extended life, you must give up to one part of yourself that was immortal from the moment you were conceived. The very soul that pulsates within you, that makes you human, much like the soul locked away in the heart that Captain Davy Jones carved out of himself. It still beats even after all this time, in its lonely prison."