The world was full of the unexplained.
Ghosts, curses and the supernatural haunted the sea causing whole ships to disappear without a trace.

One of these unexplained things were the mermaids. They were vicious creatures that fed of the flesh of humans. Their songs, although not as powerful as their cousin sirens, would still drive men to dive into the sea. They were powerful creatures of  legend, their beauty unparalleled.

One mermaid, one who liked to play with her food, kept a human. He was kept in a cave with no means of escape. He taught her about the world above the sea. And a few months later, she gave birth to a baby. A boy with webbed feet and gills.
She abandoned her baby on a nearby pirate ship, and ate his father.

There the boy, named Benjamin Bennet, was raised by pirates. He was taught how to fight, how to steal and how to be himself. Mischievous, smart, handsome, Jim grew to be a fine young man. He pillaged, he plundered and became known as the prince of the sea.