Vander Decken

Van der Decken is the captain of the "Flying Dutchman".

Appearance
From what can be seen of him, he is about the same height as the rest of his crew. He is a rotund man, with a pointed jaw and pointed teeth. HE has a small beard on his chin. He also wears a hat similar to Luffy's, but with a wider brim. He has skinny arms and wears gloves on his hands. He also wears a cloak with a collar that comes over his head.

Personality
Van der Decken has been described as a bandit of the sea floor. Fishman Island has feared him for years. He seems to have been attracted to the Mermaid Princess. He has sent her letters, packages, and even theatening marriage proposals. He is the reason why the three princes raised an army.

Cursed by God
According to legend, on a stormy day hundreds of years ago, Van der Decken suddenly became deranged and began killing off his crewmates by throwing them off the ship. He then invoked the wrath of God by defying him. As punishment, he and his ship were forced to wander the seas forever.

As time passed, he eventually found another crew, which included Wadatsumi and Ankoro, hunting down coated ships that tried to descend to Fishman Island for their treasure.

He ultimately died on Fishman Island. However, his decendents have been piloting the Flying Dutchman ever since. The current captain is his grandson, Van der Decken XI.

Fishman Island Arc
After many years passed, he encounters the Straw Hat Pirates when his sea giant, Wadatsumi, stops an angler fish from eating the Thousand Sunny. Van der Decken then orders Wadatsumi to attack the Thousand Sunny so he can take their treasure. Unfortunately for him, the Kraken, having been tamed by Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, intervenes and defeats the Umibozu. Van der Decken then yells at Wadatsumi to get up and retaliate, but is informed by one of his crewmates that the undersea volcano is about to erupt.

With the volcano starting to erupt, he orders Ankoro and Wadatsumi to pull the Flying Dutchman away from the approaching magma, saying that his business with the Straw Hat Pirates isn't finished.

Trivia

 * In maritime folklore, Van der Decken's full name was Hendrik van der Decken. Whether this character shares the same name as his folklore counterpart is currently unknown.