Captain Salazar's Sword
...is not a rapier, as most people think.
It's a ceremonial Iberian montante.
It's an ornamental sword that acted as a war hammer and was a symbol of status, prestige, and very high rank in the Spanish military until the 17th century.
Sounds familiar?
Such swords were not used in combat (there were minor exceptions), but rather treated as a symbol, a gift, a souvenir.
But if someone decided to fight with one, they trained for YEARS.
It's not a toy for the faint of heart if you want to fight with it.
The novelization states that Salazar's montante was about 1.5 meters long.
It could have weighed as much as even 4 kilograms.
The captain apparently received it as a gift in Spain and kept it on the ship as a souvenir.
And he was incredibly lucky (to do so).
In the Triangle, as you know, he suffered a serious hip injury (most probably he tried to defend his crew from a sea monster). This injury prevented him from fencing (fast jumps and spins).
And then our captain remembered the montante.
It turned out to be the PERFECT weapon for him, given his increased mass and severe hip injury. It was both a weapon and a crutch in one.
In the Triangle he trained for years, also using physics to enhance his blows, and developed his unique, devastating fighting style.
Many people online have wondered why Salazar's sword is blunt and stiff.
Because it doesn't need to be sharp.
And it works like a hammer/axe, not like a sword, although it looks like a sword.
Let me explain.
I don't know if you've noticed Salazar's attack methods:
Vertical strike -
the second strongest
his finishing blow - splitting defenses, crushing bones from above.
Horizontal strike
- the weakest, but the fastest
- still deadly, but more likely used to knock the opponent away.
Diagonal strike
- the most deadly against a human
a compromise, very effective, throws the opponent which dies fast.
Spinning strike
- the strongest and most devastating
- the greatest momentum and kinetic energy. The most exhausting and risky for Salazar, but it could crush the chest and throw the opponent several meters.
The captain also uses other, smaller moves, but we'll skip them.
These aren't swordsman moves.
And, what's stunning - he used the montante woth one hand, not two hands.
It shows his unimaginable upper torso, hands and arms strenght.
Besides, all of the strikes require unimaginable back and core strength. He also has it. And he uses it at about 300%.
Note that this is dynamic force generation, not static like Jones (pincers, tentacles). Much greater force values, but in a super short time. (Milliseconds at the moment of impact).
Salazar wants to end the fight with one punch because these attacks are very exhausting (Jack chose a good strategy, trying to tire him out further by jumping on cannons. And he was looking back to make sure the ghost was really chasing him!). And, as you can see, he can do that.
You see, the montante is the lever for his blows. And his own mass, increased by the curse, holds him in place and stabilizes him while he delivers them.
I've calculated their strength. He can generate over 10 tons of force. Impossible to parry.
With such enormous amounts of force, the sword really doesn't need to be sharp, because it doesn't matter.
And the hip injury (and that's with such a mass!) means the captain can't brake, because it's very dangerous and painful for him.
Instead of grieving and being cautious, he took advantage of it.
If his sword attack fails, he rams his opponent.
With around 110 kg of superhumanly powerful muscles.
And he doesn't react like a human. He's not afraid, he doesn't back down.
That's what makes him so terrifying.
See? One relict of his former life and his combat intelligence have defined his new, very unique fighting style.
Salazar is not a swordsman.
He is a RAM swinging a montante.
Standing in his way is a death sentence.
And your sword will NOT help you.
