Well Played, Oda: One Piece is Deliberately Hiding Blackbeard’s True Strength Before He Even Got His Devil Fruits and Shanks is the Proof

SUMMARY

• Blackbeard is one of the most significant villains in the history of One Piece.
• He has recently rose to power and has fast tracked his way to becoming an Emperor.
• But his true strength has been hidden by Eiichiro Oda in the series for a long time.

Marshall D. Teach, also known as Blackbeard, has been a menace against almost every pirate crew in the One Piece world. He has been battling and destroying everyone who comes in his path for a goal that no one knows about. He has reached the level of Emperor of the Sea and now holds a lot of influence in the pirate community.

Blackbeard | Credit: Toei Animation

However, the factor that defines Blackbeard’s strength is the two Devil Fruits that he possesses, that grant him unlimited power and make him a credible threat. He is the only One Piece character who holds the power of more than one Devil Fruit, and that makes him truly terrifying. But, contrary to popular belief, Blackbeard’s true strength is not reflected in his Devil Fruits.

Blackbeard has been in the game for a long time, and although his name has only started popping up recently in the One Piece timeline, he has been a powerful character even before eating two Devil Fruits. The proof of that is the scar on Shanks’ face that was given to him before he reached the level of Emperor in One Piece.

Blackbeard’s history has been quite interesting

Blackbeard has had an interesting life even before he became a known name in the pirate world in One Piece. He was born 40 years ago in Shade Port and is part of a mysterious bloodline that made him special. He joined the Whitebeard Pirates when he was twelve years old and then went on to become one of their most significant crew members.

In fact, he was offered the position of the 2nd division commander before Ace, but he himself rejected it by pointing out that the position was not his ambition. Since the beginning, Teach’s goal has been to found the Yami Yami no Mi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit that can control darkness, and it is the only reason why he joined the Whitebeard Pirates.

Blackbeard after killing Thatch | Credit: Toei Animation

When Whitebeard’s 4th division commander, Thatch, finally got a hold of the Yami Yami no Mi, Blackbeard got desperate and sneakingly killed him for it. This was marked as the biggest betrayal in One Piece, and thus began the journey of Blackbeard as an independent pirate, and from there on he started forming his crew, which later on became the Blackbeard Pirates.

Blackbeard’s true strength before he got his Devil Fruits

In the current One Piece timeline, Blackbeard’s strength is defined by his dangerously powerful crew and the two Devil Fruits he possesses. One is the Devil Fruit of darkness (Yami Yami no Mi), and the other is the Devil Fruit that holds the power to destroy the One Piece world (Gura Gura no Mi). However, Blackbeard has been a powerful character long before that.

Blackbeard acquires a second Devil Fruit in One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation

The biggest example of this is the scar on Shanks’ face that was given to him by Blackbeard. According to the old One Piece timeline, when Blackbeard was a member of the Whitebeard Pirates twelve years ago, he got into a battle with Shanks and gave him the three scars on his eye.

This was an incredible feat considering the fact that Shanks has been a powerful pirate since the beginning.

At the time he was the rival of Dracule Mihawk and was also working his way to the top of the pirate world. Thus, Blackbeard fighting toe-to-toe with him at that point in time means that Blackbeard’s true strength has been hidden by Eiichiro Oda and will most likely be brought out during the final war of One Piece.

One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll.

Written by Tarun Kohli

Articles Published: 2050

Konichiwa! With a Master's Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a 2-year experience in Digital media writing, I am on my way to becoming one of the biggest anime content writers in my country. My passion for writing and Anime has helped me connect with Fandomwire, and share my love and experience with the world.