The chaotic evil of the Grand Line, Blackbeard is one of One Piece’s most treacherous and unpredictable villains. He’s a complete wildcard, with no rhyme or reason to most of his actions. So, what drives the enigmatic Blackbeard, and what is he working toward in One Piece’s final saga?
This article contains spoilers for One Piece through the current chapter 1089 in the manga. For those not current, the manga is available to read on Mangaplus, Viz, and Shonen Jump. Now, proceed with caution!
What Is the Plan of Blackbeard in One Piece?
Marshall D Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard, is a pirate who starts out as a second-division sailor in Whitebeard’s Pirates. He’s usually just an affable person, not necessarily the brightest but always good for a laugh. Teach is mostly personable, considering everyone the Whitebeard Pirates hold, but he was also notably callous and cruel in battle though. Many times Teach would become carried away with bloodlust, putting others in potential danger alongside his own goals.
For quite some time before he flees the Whitebeard Pirates, Blackbeard develops an obsession with his Division Commander Thatch’s Devil Fruit. He wants the Dark-Dark Fruit, and believes that it’s his to take.
Why Did Blackbeard Leave the Whitebeard Pirates?
Teach’s need for the Dark-Dark Fruit eventually led to his murder of Thatch. Blackbeard steal his first Devil Fruit power, and flees the Whitebeard Pirates before he can face justice. Whitebeard considers all of his crew as his children, and they’re all devastated by Thatch’s death. Whitebeard tells them not to seek vengeance. but Ace ignores his father and goes after Teach anyway. While they eventually catch up with each other, Teach has gathered an entire crew by this point. Still, he goes at it with Ace alone, and defeats the Division Commander with his new Dark-Dark Fruit.
Who Makes Up the Blackbeard Pirates?
The Blackbeard Pirates are constantly expanding, it seems. Originally there were only a few underlings with the most notable being Jesus Burgess. Eventually, he gains other members like Shiryu of the Rain, Impel Downs former Vice-Warden. Other, even worse pirates join in during the Impel Down breakout as well, which Blackbeard determines through a trial by combat between them all. Though a lot of his forces were recently dealt damage at Fullalead by SWORD, it’s unknown if he has even more unseen members elsewhere.
Does Teach Have Powers?
Oh, Teach has powers alright. Blackbeard has the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit when he first appears in the story, which gives him control of darkness. He can create abysses from nowhere that absorb everything around, and it’s incredibly destructive. Even deadlier, he has no qualms with suffocating whoever he needs to with this darkness, and frequently uses it to kill or terrorize.
After the battle at Marineford, he steals the Tremor-Tremor Fruit from Whitebeard. This allows him to create earthquakes, shaking the heavens above him if he chooses. He’s immensely dangerous with the combination of Fruits, and is quickly building an army of pirates like him by stealing Devil Fruit abilities.
The Will of D
More shocking is that Blackbeard carries the Will of D. Marshall D Teach is just the latest successor in the line of chaos and evil previously held by Rocks D Xebec. He brings freedom, but it’s at the cost of peace, with destruction abundant and homes turned to rubble in his wake. The Will of D will always bring liberation and freedom to the people, but the freedom Teach brings has a price paid in blood. He’s a natural foil for Luffy, who brings liberation through joy and inspires the people instead of fear. This intentionally mirrors the clash between Garp, Roger, and the Rocks Pirates at God Valley, too.
Why Does Blackbeard Steal Devil Fruits?
In short, Blackbeard considers Devil Fruits as the ultimate weapons he can use. He wants to raise an army of Devil Fruit wielders, though is going about it in a much different way than Kaido did with SMILE Fruits. His method of stealing powers only involves hunting down the current user and getting them in a position to kill. Hell, he doesn’t even need the person alive necessarily, as he stepped in after Whitebeard was confirmed dead to steal his power.
There are two theories as to how he steals the Devil Fruit powers and is able to wield two. The first is that cannibalizes part of the original user, which is a concept backed up by Big Mom. She devours the original user of her Soul-Soul Fruit as a young girl, which transfers the powers. The second idea is through a transplant of some kind. If he’s able to change out a part of his body with Whitebeard’s, perhaps a hand or something, he can wield that power. It’s a stretch, but wouldn’t be the strangest idea One Piece has pulled off.
Does Blackbeard Want the One Piece?
Nobody quite knows that he wants the One Piece itself. Right now Blackbeard is cultivating his own pirate nation on Fullalead Island. It’s lawless, and full of the worst people to ever exist, but Teach wants the World Government to recognize it as a country. For some strange reason, he wants to attend the Reverie, and this is his best shot to do it. As far as his goals when he manages to get there…
There’s almost no question that Teach would immediately plunge Marijoa into chaos as soon as he steps foot. Once atop the Red Line, his Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers could crumble the city down, with all the slaves that run it buried underneath. He would free them from their masters, but also from their mortal bodies.
His motives are likely to become clear in the coming chapters of One Piece. The Egghead Island arc is wrapping up, and the Straw Hats are taking the offensive against the World Government. Blackbeard will have quite the surprise when he returns to Fullalead Island though, seeing as he was absent during the SWORD attack to rescue Koby. Surely he’ll be pleased to find out his crew apprehended a hero of the Navy while he was away! So, Blackbeard has a whole new card up his sleeve, and the world of One Piece is bound to feel his tremors.
