Blackbeard

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Marshall D. Teach
Alias(es)	Blackbeard; Pirate Admiral; Pirate King
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Blackbeard Pirates; formerly the Whitebeard Pirates; formerly one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea
Occupation/Role	Pirate captain; Emperor of the Sea
Status	Alive; revived in a cloned body after Rocks D. Xebec possessed his original body 725
First Appearance	Chapter 95

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Exceptional childhood physique	589	At nine years old, he could defeat a brown bear bare-handed after a year of harsh training at the research institute.
Dark-Dark Fruit user	481	Obtains the Devil Fruit he had sought for decades and recruits prisoners from Impel Down's sixth level.
Devil Fruit nullification	482	Uses Dark Water to suppress Lin Qi's Mythical Zoan ability and drain part of his power on contact.
Dual Devil Fruit user	559	Wields both the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit; his strength rises rapidly over the following year.
Emperor of the Sea	559	Officially becomes an Emperor after seizing most of the Whitebeard Pirates' territory.
Pirate King	611	Reaches Laugh Tale with Lin Qi and is recognized as the second Pirate King because Lin Qi is not a pirate.
Azure Dragon Fruit holder	720	Marco reports that Blackbeard has acquired the Azure Dragon Fruit; this occurs while his original body is under Rocks's influence.
Revived clone body	725	His soul is revived with 20 Life Fruits in a clone equipped with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power.
Reduced combat strength	748	Following the conflict with Rocks, he is stated to retain only first-mate-level strength.

Background

Teach was born to Dr. Yekov and had two younger sisters, Alice and Bolita. After armed pursuers killed his mother and captured the family, Teach tried to protect his sisters despite being only eight years old. He came to resent his father's perceived inability to save their mother, though he continued to shield his sisters from their situation. 587

The family was imprisoned in a research institute connected to human experimentation. Teach's abnormal physical growth drew the scientists' attention, particularly after examinations revealed that he possessed three hearts. Dr. Yekov feared that Teach would become an experiment and worked to produce a more valuable research project to protect him. He instead encouraged Teach to see himself as a “born king” destined for the sea. 589

Dr. Yekov eventually sacrificed himself to help his children escape. During their flight, Teach triggered a landmine; Yekov died, while Alice and Bolita were dismembered in the blast. The loss of his entire family left Teach determined never to be powerless again. He later encountered members of the Roger Pirates and, three years afterward, met Whitebeard. 592

Teach spent decades in the Whitebeard Pirates, presenting himself as a loyal, filial crewmate. He genuinely valued the crew as his home and considered Satch his closest friend, but his ambition outweighed those bonds. When the Dark-Dark Fruit finally appeared, Teach killed Satch to sever his own ties to the crew and force himself onto his chosen path. 95 529

Appearance

Teach is a large, dark, chubby man with small, constantly shifting eyes and an outwardly simple, good-natured smile. 95 186

• Initially wore long, flowing hair. 187
• Lin Qi gave him a conspicuous haircut: both sides shaved bald, leaving a thin strip down the center of his head. 187
• Has several missing teeth. 528
• His appearance and demeanor became noticeably different while Rocks controlled his original body, contributing to others' suspicion. 719 733

Personality

Teach is patient, calculating, and intensely ambitious. Before acquiring the Dark-Dark Fruit, he was willing to spend decades waiting for the exact opportunity that could carry him to the top of the world. He is capable of maintaining a convincing persona for years, concealing his resentment and ambition even from Whitebeard. 95 186

His self-preservation instinct is equally pronounced. He retreats from danger when the odds are poor, postpones revenge when it conflicts with a greater objective, and attempts to survive by aligning himself with whichever force is most useful at the moment. 459 481 528

Despite his ruthlessness, Teach retains powerful attachments to family. His childhood was defined by trying to protect Alice and Bolita, and his later experiences—death, possession, and the loss of loyal followers—cause him to reconsider Whitebeard's belief that family matters more than ambition. 587 646 748

Abilities & Skills

Dark-Dark Fruit

Teach's original Devil Fruit allows him to generate a black substance that suppresses other Devil Fruit powers.

• Dark Water — Grabs a target and prevents them from using their Devil Fruit ability. 482
• Can absorb strength and stamina from affected Devil Fruit users. 482
• Its imminent awakening causes Teach severe fear, as he senses an entity within the fruit may turn its power against him. 676

Tremor-Tremor Fruit

Teach later gains the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and uses its destructive force to overpower large groups.

• Shatters terrain with a single punch during the Pirate Expo conflict. 581
• Forms one half of the dual-fruit power that elevates him to Emperor status. 559
• His revived clone body is created with this power through green-blood technology. 725

Three Hearts and Memory Films

Teach was born with three hearts, an anomaly that gave him unusually high energy and made him a subject of scientific interest. 589

• His physiology was believed to make multiple Devil Fruit consumption possible. 589
• Irene discovers three separate memory films in his mind rather than one. 586
• Each memory film lacks roughly eight hours from each day, explaining why Teach does not need sleep in the conventional sense. 586
• The three sets of memories suggest multiple souls or personalities within his body. 586

Combat Ability

Even before becoming a Devil Fruit user, Teach possessed exceptional physical strength and combat instincts.

• Defeated progressively stronger beasts at the research institute, culminating in a brown bear at age nine. 589
• Scarred Red-Haired Shanks in an earlier encounter. 188
• Uses steel claws in combat. 188
• Chooses to destroy one of his own hearts rather than let Rocks use it to become a three-fruit user. 678

Equipment

• Steel claws — Worn during his challenge against Tom Cat. 188
• Massive ark-like ship — Constructed after learning of the coming floods, with Orochimaru assisting in securing its keel. 615
• Life Paper — Created from his blood to track Rocks after the latter possessed Teach's original body. 725

Relationships

• Dr. Yekov — Father. A researcher who tried to protect Teach from experimentation and died while helping his children escape. 589 592
• Alice — Younger sister whose presence remains connected to Teach's mind; she worries over his declining mental state and admits she deceived him at Lin Qi's direction. 676
• Bolita — Younger sister. Teach tries to fulfill her wish for a new body, and Lin Qi later uses a Life Fruit to revive her within his mind. 646
• Whitebeard — Former captain and father figure. Teach spent decades as his son before betraying the crew; Whitebeard's death later prompts Teach to reflect on family. 95 529 748
• Satch — Former close friend in the Whitebeard Pirates. Teach kills him to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit and sever his own emotional attachment to the crew. 529
• Lin Qi — Enemy, manipulator, later nominal “brother,” and eventual ally against Rocks. Lin Qi humiliates Teach, alters his memories, revives him in a clone body, and helps him pursue the possessor of his original body. 187 594 725
• Rocks D. Xebec — Soul residing in the Dark-Dark Fruit. Rocks initially proposes cooperation, then attempts to possess Teach's body; Teach destroys one of his hearts to stop Rocks from becoming a three-fruit user. 677 678
• Burgess — Subordinate whose loyalty moves Teach when he turns against Rocks on Teach's behalf and is killed for it. 745
• Aokiji — Later joins the Blackbeard Pirates. He suspects that Teach's behavior has changed after Rocks takes over the original body. 559 678 733
• Pirate Empress — Teach initially attempts to capture her, then immediately becomes deferential upon learning she is Lin Qi's wife. 642
• Zephyr — Teach's forces annihilate Zephyr's Pirate Guerilla Squad while Rocks controls his original body, provoking Lin Qi's retaliation. 723 724

Story Role / Major Arcs

Whitebeard Pirate and Betrayal

Teach serves in the Whitebeard Pirates for decades while concealing his true ambition. After finding the Dark-Dark Fruit, he kills Satch, leaves the crew, and offers Ace to the World Government in exchange for a Seven Warlord position. 95 475 529

Impel Down and Summit War

Teach obtains the Dark-Dark Fruit, recruits criminals from Impel Down's sixth level, and confronts Lin Qi. He avoids a direct fight because his priority is reaching Marine Headquarters and obtaining Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit. 481

At Marineford, Teach claims he has arrived to assist the Navy against Whitebeard. Sengoku accepts the temporary alliance because of the war's circumstances, while the Whitebeard Pirates seek revenge for Satch and Ace. 528 529

Rise to Emperor and Pirate King

With both the Dark-Dark Fruit and Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Teach rapidly expands through former Whitebeard territory and becomes an Emperor of the Sea within a year. 559

He later reaches Laugh Tale alongside Lin Qi. Since Lin Qi is not a pirate, Teach receives recognition as the second Pirate King. 611

Impersonation at the Pirate Expo

Lin Qi disguises himself as Teach during the Pirate Expo, using Blackbeard's reputation to intimidate pirates, avoid payment, and seize items. The real Teach later arrives to find pirates demanding payment and the Eternal Pose of Laugh Tale from him; his denials are dismissed because nobody trusts his reputation. 573 574 581

Capture and Altered Memories

After Lin Qi captures Teach and much of his crew, he attempts to brainwash Teach into believing Lin Qi is his long-lost brother. The process exposes Teach's three memory films and leads Lin Qi to investigate his traumatic childhood. 585 586

Possession by Rocks

As the Dark-Dark Fruit nears awakening, Teach learns that Rocks D. Xebec's soul has been dormant within it. Though he temporarily agrees to cooperate, Teach realizes Rocks intends to take his body and attempts to reach West Blue for help. 676 677

Teach destroys one of his hearts to block Rocks's plan, but Rocks kills Teach and Alice in their mental space before seizing Teach's original body. 678

Resurrection and Conflict with Rocks

Lin Qi revives Teach's soul in a clone body carrying the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Together, they use a Life Paper made from Teach's blood to trace Rocks to Mary Geoise. 725

Teach publicly exposes Rocks's identity when the two Blackbeards meet at Fish-Man Island. His testimony, combined with the differences in Rocks's behavior, convinces several observers that the resurrected Teach is genuine. 732 733

After Rocks is killed, Teach reflects on the deaths caused by his ambition and resolves to prioritize his family. 748

Trivia

• Teach's decades-long “honest and loyal son” act was convincing enough that Whitebeard did not see through him. 186
• Lin Qi's haircut of Teach produces more than 55 points of negative emotion at once. 187
• Teach survives being struck by a heat ray intended for a Sea King, though he is thrown into the sea and must be rescued by Tom Cat. 188 189
• He considers his intuition and sixth sense his greatest tools for survival. 676