Captain Jacob Smith was a merchantman who worked for the royal navy. He was well respected, and commanded his ship better than most others. Because of his prowess, he was often charged with carrying the more valuable cargo on his ship. Despite the cargo he carried, no pirates would face his ship. Not only was Captain Smith a great sailor, he was also a formidable opponent, building a reputation among pirates as "The Golden Pirate-Sinker."

  One day, however, Captain Smith met his untimely end. Though he was a master sailor who feared no water, and despite his prowess in naval combat, there was one thing he feared: hurricanes. While delivering treasure to the mainland, he felt something all sailors dread: raindrops. With no land in sight, he desperately tried to keep his ship afloat, but to no avail. The hurricane claimed his mighty galleon, and his entire crew with it.

  As Captain Smith was being dragged to the depths by the remains of his ship, he saw beneath him a sight that should have driven fear into him, but didn't. Below him, he saw the Drowned, the previous victims of the sea reanimated by a mysterious power. As these creatures drew nearer to him, Smith felt a strange sense of calm, almost chuckling if not for the fact that he didn't have the energy to. The drowned grabbed him and, rather than finish him off there and then, they pulled him free of the debris and began dragging him down, much to his surprise. Due to lack of air, Captain Smith passed out; the drowned, however, continued pulling him deeper, until they reached the bottom of the ocean. The drowned, thinking he was dead, dug up a blue pearl, a legendary and mysterious Heart of the Sea. The drowned used this powerful artifact to convert the near-dead Captain Smith into one of them.

  As the process was going on, the clouds above parted, revealing a blood moon. The power of the artifact, combined with the mystery of the blood moon, resurrected Captain Smith. Despite now being a drowned, the circumstances of his conversion granted him powers. He retained his intelligence, his memories, and his strength, yet was granted regenerative qualities. The drowned, though not very smart, recognized his power, and gave him a trident, as well as name him captain of the Drowned. The conversion filled Captain Smith with an unquenchable thirst for blood. Now filled with hatred, he took up the name of the Immortal Captain Aquatico and vowed to destroy not just pirates, but anyone foolish enough to sail the seas.