Linebeck

"WHAT?! You're looking for the Ghost Ship?! So you're trying to get your mitts on the treasure!"

- Linebeck

Linebeck is a middle-aged treasure hunter and important character in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. While presenting himself as a fearless adventurer, in reality he is cowardly and selfish. Over the course of the game, he gradually develops, becoming more brave and humble. He initially only joins Link's adventure to get his hands on the Ghost Ship's alleged treasure, but ends up helping them regardless.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Prior to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Linebeck was a sailor who got swept up into adventuring when he accidentally rammed his ship, the SS Linebeck, into a monster he was trying to escape. This caused him to fall in with Jolene, a woman who dresses and acts like a pirate, and they went on several adventures. Linebeck, however, did not find the hectic life of piracy suitable for him, instead preferring to sneak off with treasure. Eventually, he did that with some of Jolene's treasure, and she has angrily pursued him ever since.

Immediately before the game begins, he is searching for the Ghost Ship due to it supposedly having a vast lode of treasure. At some point, he docks at Mercay Island to look for clues. He goes to see Oshus and asks about it, eventually trying to navigate the Temple of the Ocean King. Link and Ciela find him trapped there, and he directs them as to how they can get him out, saying that he could if he had not hurt his ankle. Once the spikes blocking his exit are gone, Link tells him he is looking for the Ghost Ship as well. Linebeck assumes he is after the treasure as well and begins angrily shaking him, but Ciela intervenes, telling him Link wants to rescue his friend and they plan to work together with Link. Linebeck tells them there is a sea chart within and runs out despite his supposed injury. When Ciela calls him out on it, he denies it, saying it still hurts and he's only "letting" Link do it because he wants to rescue his friend. Regardless, they end up working together, using his ship to travel to the Isle of Ember and elsewhere. Most of the time when on land, Linebeck stays near the ship.

After the Temple of Courage is completed, Linebeck sees Oshus restore Ciela's memories, causing him to start to become suspicious about him. However, once they are on the sea, Jolene appears and boards. Linebeck hides in a crate as Link fends her off. Afterward, they go to find the Ghost Ship. Link finds Tetra's petrified body in the hold, her life force having been drained. Linebeck, however, is more horrified at the lack of treasure. Oshus appears and reveals he is an ancient being called the Ocean King and the Ghost Ship is a manifestation by an evil parasite named Bellum. During this scene, Linebeck accidentally knocks Tetra over, only to sheepishly stand her back up and then pretend nothing was wrong. At the end of Oshus's speech, Linebeck declares he is no longer going to be a part of this adventure. Oshus, however, tells him that if he helps Link get the Ocean King's powers back, he will grant him one wish, causing Linebeck to become more eager than ever. After this, the Ghost Ship vanishes and he takes the credit for it when telling the Mercay Islanders, but they end up suspecting the truth regardless.

Following this, Linebeck's development can begin to be seen. He first sends Link a letter both thanking him and acknowledging the strangeness of sending a letter to someone whom he already spends a lot of time with; the letter also contains a ship part. Later, when Linebeck assumes again Link really just wants treasure too and Ciela again tells him he cares more about saving Tetra than that, Linebeck acknowledges Link as "sort of a good guy" before realizing that is an unusual sort of thing for him to say.

Later, Link receives a threatening letter from Jolene, demanding a rematch. Linebeck tries to dissuade him, but ends up deciding to go along with it when Link insists. After Link has defeated her a final time, she calls Linebeck a coward, seeing in Link's eyes a similar look to how his did a long time before. Before she leaves, she reveals she knows where Linebeck's hiding place is after all, but does not pursue them anymore. Following this, Linebeck tells the two his history with her.

As Link makes his way to the Temple of the Ocean King for his final visit, he meets Linebeck staring out to sea along the way. He tells Link that he knows he is the only one who can successfully defeat Bellum, and tells him not to "get done in." Ciela gets annoyed and suggests he just go mop his ship's deck, and Linebeck calmly agrees, telling Ciela to take care of Link. Ciela is surprised, as that is the first time he has actually used her name instead of an insult.

Once Link defeats Bellum in the temple, Linebeck notices the petrified Tetra returning to normal, only to get squashed by Link, whom Oshus had just teleported in. After the restored Tetra thanks Link and Ciela, Linebeck clears his throat repeatedly until she thanks him too. However, she is then taken by Bellum to the Ghost Ship. Linebeck completely abandons his cowardly nature and steers the boat, offering words of praiset to Link while he fires the cannon at the evading ship. Once the Ghost Ship is destroyed, Link and Linebeck rush onto the wreckage, only for Bellum to destroy the SS Linebeck with the Ghost Ship's mast. Bellum grabs Link and Tetra while Link drops the Phantom Sword needed to slay Bellum, and Linebeck picks it up and, despite trembling with terror, stabs it through one of Bellum's tentacle eyes, causing him to drop the two and fall to the deck.

Linebeck keeps Bellum at bay for long enough for Link to wake up. The now desperate Bellum wraps himself around Linebeck as he passes the sword to Link. Bellum takes control of Linebeck, becoming Bellumbeck, the final boss. Once Bellum is driven out and destroyed, Linebeck wakes up and apologizes. Ciela tells him it does not matter, as him standing up to Bellum in the first place was what allowed them to win. The Ocean King, fully restored, appears, and tells Linebeck he is going to make good on his promise for a wish. Ciela guesses he wants treasure, but Linebeck says he has had enough of treasure and just wants his ship back. Ciela bothers him about it some more, and Linebeck starts pulling on her wings in anger. When the Ocean King says they now must return to their own worlds, Linebeck and Ciela exchange a rude farewell before a sincere one, and mist slowly settles over the shipwreck.

When Link and Tetra awaken, they notice Linebeck is gone. Tetra's pirate crew finds them and think they were simply dreaming, but Link looks over the side of the pirate ship and sees the SS Linebeck sailing away in the distance.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
In The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Linebeck has already died, though his grave is visited, containing a Regal Ring. Additionally, his identical grandson Linebeck III appears.