Sanctuary: Member
Not much is known of Gibbs’ early life, but it is known that he started sailing with the British Royal Navy in his younger days. At some point in Jack Sparrow’s teenage years, Jack and his father Edward Teague were captured by the Royal Navy. Gibbs, being friends with Teague, secretly helped them to escape their cells, being able to do this only because he was a sailor in the Royal Navy. However, he was very lenient to pirates as he wanted to keep the rum supply he was getting from them going.
Serving as a sailor of the Royal Navy, Gibbs was stationed aboard the HMS Dauntless some time later during its voyage from England to the Caribbean, carrying Weatherby Swann and his twelve year old daughter, Elizabeth, to Port Royal. Along the way, they encountered a wrecked vessel, and Gibbs voiced the opinion that it was the result of a pirate attack. Elizabeth became acquainted enough with Gibbs to recognize him on sight many years later. Ironically, while serving on the Dauntless, Gibbs was superstitious of pirates, even going as far to tell Elizabeth to stop singing a pirate song because it will supposedly invoke pirates upon them.
Gibbs remained with the Royal Navy for a while, though at some point over the next eight years, Gibbs turned to piracy once more. How he left the Navy is unknown, though it could have been either Gibbs deserted his post or that it was Jack Sparrow who persuaded Gibbs to turn pirate.
By this point, Gibbs had known Jack well enough to be able to relate much of the man’s life story and misadventures prior to his going after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta aboard the Black Pearl. He also became aware of the curse that afflicted those who removed the Aztec gold, and was aware of Sparrow’s attempts to retake the Pearl following a mutiny led by Hector Barbossa.
When Jack and Joshamee next met, Gibbs was down on his luck, and started sleeping with pigs outside the Faithful Bride in Tortuga. Accompanied by Will Turner, Jack joined Gibbs for a drink, where he agreed to help round up a crew after learning of Jack’s plan to recapture the Black Pearl from Barbossa. The crew, with Gibbs as first mate, manned the commandeered navy vessel HMS Interceptor, and set out for Isla de Muerta. Upon arriving to the island, Will Turner asked how Jack Sparrow got his compass in the first place. Gibbs replied that no one knew much about Jack Sparrow before he searched for the dreaded Isla de Muerta, having said that was before he met Jack, back when he was captain of the Black Pearl. Gibbs then told Will of how he was mutinied by Barbossa and of Jack having escaped a desert island by roping a couple of sea turtles. Before Jack and Will left to the caves of Isla de Muerta, Gibbs asked Jack what if the worst should happen, to which Jack gave Gibbs the instruction: “Keep to the Code.”
While at Isla de Muerta, Jack fell behind in his attempt to aid Will Turner in rescuing Elizabeth Swann, and Gibbs was forced to keep to the Code and depart without his captain. However, Barbossa caught up with and destroyed the Interceptor, holding Gibbs and the crew captive aboard the Pearl. While docked at Isla de Muerta during Barbossa’s second attempt to lift his curse, Elizabeth freed the crew, who took control of the Pearl and immediately departed—Jack having previously promised them a ship of their own.
Despite Gibbs’ apparent treachery, he and the rest of the crewmen had not given up on his former captain. Jack survived the battle at Isla de Muerta, but was sentenced to hang at Port Royal. Will Turner staged a rescue at the gallows, and the Black Pearl revealed itself, on the other side of the island, as Jack and Will fell from the battlements of Fort Charles. They swam to rejoin his crew. The Pearl set sail, under the command of Jack Sparrow once again, with Gibbs serving as first mate.
He stayed by their side, knowing how to take care of the Captain and his Mate. After everything with Barbossa, he made sure to stay true and loyal to Jack. And when Jack was betrayed to the Kraken, he took his last words to heart to protect Will.
Gibbs had to stay strong for young Will, watching as the separation tore at him on a daily basis. He had to stop him from smacking Miss Swann on occasion too.
His loyalty surpassed death when he was mortally wounded in the final battle, agreeing for Nico to Turn him.