Jonathan Jones has no affiliations other than his own band of pirates, but he is said to be very loyal and honourable if you can make friends with him, and the citizens of Seaside Town have never had trouble with the pirates. Jones is a formidable foe, and he loves a good fight. Those looking to get something from Jones must first prove their strength to him.
"The notorious Jonathan Jones doesn't make friends easily. The fact is, you have to kick his tail before he will respect you. But once you show him how tough you can be, he'll be a friend for life. You can count on Jonathan to lend a hand if you find yourself in a desperate fight anywhere near the seashore." -SMRPG Player's Guide
"Jonthan Jones is the leader of the sharks who live in the Sunken Ship. He collected a Star PIece when it plummeted into the sea and now he challenges Mario and his friends to duel. At first, Jones wears a blue bandana and fights all three of your heroes. You'll begin by facing blue Jonathan and a number of his henchsharks with their sharp tridents. After defeating the sharks, Jonathan changes color and challenges Mario to a one-on-one fight. Your supply of Mid Mushrooms and Maple Syrup will keep Mario in the fight as he uses Super Flame. It will take 820 HP altogether to defeat blue and red Jonathan. Red Jonathan appears with about 400 HP left. If you win, you'll recieve the fifth Star Piece, not to mention the friendship of Jonathan Jones." - SMRPG Player's Guide
Attack Pattern: johnny uses a wide variety of attacks, ranging from his regular attack and the more powerful Skewer attack to the dangerous Diamond Saw and Get Tough (which increases his attack and possibly defense power). He fights with the help of four Bandana Blues, and halfway through the battle he may challenge Mario to a one-on-one fight. During the one-on-one fight, Mario usually gets two turns for every turn Jonathan gets.
Basic Fighting Strategies: Thunderbolt attack works really well on johnny and his crew of pirates. Most other magic attacks are average at best, although Mario's Fire and Jump attacks might be worthwhile. You should mostly concentrate on regular attacks. If you beat the Bandana Blues early on, johnny will challenge Mario to a one-on-one fight after he uses the Get Tough spell.
During the one-on-one fight, Mario should use Mushrooms to keep his energy up (try to keep it above 50 HP at all times) and he can use his most powerful Jump attacks to fight, since nobody else will need the FP.
Advanced Strategies: Which team members you take into this battle depends on your strategy. One strategy is to beat all of the Bandana Blues right away using Mallow's Thunderbolt attack. In this case, you should also have Geno in your party so he can use Boost to increase Mario's Attack and Defense power before the one-on-one battle. Have Mallow heal the party as needed.
The second strategy is to leave the Bandana Blues alone so that Mario doesn't have to fight one-on-one. In this case, you should have either the Princess or Mallow in the party to do the healing, and either Bowser or Geno in the party to help Mario do the fighting. Mallow may be a better choice than Peach/Toadstool, because you probably won't need to heal too much during this battle, and he's a stronger fighter.
The second strategy is probably easier than the first one. The Bandana Blues are able to attack throughout the battle in the second strategy, but they hardly cause any damage anyway and fighting johnny alone is tough (but kind of fun!) johnny's regular attack and Skewer attack can be blocked: he walks up to his intended victim, spins his trident about three times, and it extends towards the character. Press A as it extends to block.
