The Increasing Mystery Of Blackbeard

Few characters invoke as much intrigue and fear as the mysterious Marshall D. Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard. One Piece is a series filled to the brim with compelling characters, many of whom are intentionally kept incredibly vague with dubious morals, and Imu, who seems to be the ultimate villain of the series, is a prime example of someone who fits this category. However, Blackbeard is just as elusive and terrifying.

He was introduced in the early stages of the One Piece story, but ever since then, his growing presence in the setting is shown in a unique way, in the sense that he just keeps getting stranger with each showing. Fans thought that they had an idea of his strength but Chapter 1138 disproved the greatest theory concerning him, so let’s break down the ever-increasing mystery of Blackbeard and go over some potential answers to why he’s so peculiar.

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Everything That’s Known About Blackbeard

The Confirmed Facts Of Marshall D. Teach

Fans have always been aware of the fact that Blackbeard is quite an anomaly, even in the strange and fantastical world of One Piece. Ever since his very first appearance, he has been quite an enigma, and, over the years, it has been made clear that he exists as a counter to Luffy but is very similar at the same time. He is quite a charismatic person who has dreams of becoming the King of the World.

The most notable, and strangest, aspect about this man is the fact that he is the only person who can use two Devil Fruit abilities at the same time, and is implied to be able to house even more. The reasoning for this has never been revealed, only that his body is incredibly strange, which is what likely allows him to do this. It was always speculated that this was because he ate the Cerberus Mythical Zoan fruit that essentially leaves him 3 bodies in one, which was also hinted at due to his many connections to the number 3.

However, Chapter 1138 debunked this theory by showing that it was actually St. Figarland Shamrock who likely used this Devil Fruit on his sword to give it the power, making it unavailable for Blackbeard to do so. Because of this, the most popular theory explaining his unique powers has proven to be false. Instead, the most probable thing is that his body just happens to be unique and houses many souls within it, which is hinted at multiple times as well.

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Likely Alternative Blackbeard Theories

Other Theories That Explain The Pirate

The most commonly held belief about Blackbeard’s entire arc has to do with his potential connection to the legendary Rocks D. Xebec. Although the dream of becoming the Pirate King is synonymous with just about every pirate in the entire world, only 2 characters have wanted to become the ‘King of the World’; Rocks D. Xebec and Marshall D. Teach.

Although very little is known about Rocks, there are many connections that he shares to Blackbeard. The most apparent of which is the fact that he essentially acted as the Blackbeard of Roger’s time, offering a very clear parallel and aesthetic difference to the head pirate of his age, similar to how Blackbeard is to Luffy. The connection is strengthened even more when considering the fact that Blackbeard’s flagship is called ‘The Spear of Xebec’, showing that there’s a connection between the two villains.

Aesthetically, Blackbeard and Rocks clearly represent the darkness to Luffy and Roger’s light, standing as pirates with similar goals but wholly different ideals. Many fans believe that Blackbeard is Rock’s son, which would check out judging by the age of the character. Because of this, they state that Blackbeard may have gotten some kind of power that was synonymous with Rocks, allowing him to use multiple Devil Fruits.

However, the most probable theory, now that the Cerberus theory has been disproven, is that in his time, Rocks was the user of the Yami Yami no Mi Devil Fruit, which eventually got passed down to Blackbeard. This is a special kind of Devil Fruit with unique abilities, so fans think that Rocks’ will and soul were transferred into Blackbeard by the Fruit, seeing as how Inherited Will is a massive part of the franchise. Blackbeard had always wanted this fruit for himself, letting nothing stand in his way of getting it.

This does lend credence to the fact that Blackbeard may have been a protégé to Rocks, at least in some vague sense of the word. By having his will passed down to someone of the next generation, Rocks may have ensured that he still ends up as the King of the World in some roundabout way through Blackbeard. Or, it could be revealed that Blackbeard has been Rocks all along, since everything known about the God Valley Incident is mired in secrecy.

Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that Blackbeard and Rocks D. Xebec have some kind of connection, whether it’s familial or just Inherited Will that explains the former’s unusual powers. Their parallels run deep and show that this is likely what classifies Blackbeard’s body as ‘odd’, as was stated by Marco and even in his first appearance, where Luffy and Zoro both referred to the pirate as ‘they’ instead of ‘him’.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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