Brethren Court

The Brethren Court comprises nine pirate lords from the different seas. There have been four meetings over the centuries. The First Court met when they mutually agreed that the goddess, Calypso, should no longer rule the seas and oceans. With help from Davy Jones, her lover, they entrapped her within human form. Many years later, the Fourth Court meets to address Lord Cutler Beckett's assault on piracy. When Captain Barbossa proposes releasing Calypso to help them fight Beckett and the East India Trading Company, the other pirate lords initially refuse, fearing Calypso's vengeful wrath.

Each pirate lord always carries a "piece of eight" insignia. The "pieces" are actually various small trinkets, used as the original court members were so poor that they lacked any money among them, Gibbs sarcastically commenting that "the nine pieces of whatever we happened to have in our pockets at the time" wasn't considered "piratey" enough. Each "piece of eight" must be presented to verify a pirate lord's identity, and it is handed down to that lord's successor when he or she dies.

The Fourth Court includes main characters Jack Sparrow, Hector Barbossa, and Elizabeth Swann (Sao Feng's successor), as well as Chinese Mistress Ching, Indian Sri Sumbhajee Angria, African Gentleman Jocard, Turkish Ammand the Corsair, Spanish Eduardo Villanueva, and French Capitaine Chevalle. Jack Sparrow's father, Captain Teague, is a former pirate lord, although he is now the keeper of the Pirata Codex and the prison dog which supposedly escaped Pelegosto by using sea turtles, mirroring Jack's lie about escaping the deserted island. After every other lord votes for him or herself to be the "pirate king", Jack votes for Elizabeth, giving her the plurality.