Blackbeard

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Blackbeard (黑胡子)
Alias(es)	Teach; Marshall D. Teach 592 704
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates; formerly a member of the Whitebeard Pirates; transactional collaborator of the World Government 592 598 706
Occupation/Role	Pirate captain and recruiter of criminal pirates 603 707
Status	Active; engaged against the Whitebeard Pirates and Navy forces 735 757
First Appearance	Aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship 172

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Dark-Dark Fruit claimant	593 599	Waited over twenty years for the fruit, killed Thatch to obtain it, and later demonstrated its ability to extract a Devil Fruit power from Wapol.
Dual Devil Fruit user	599 740	Obtained the Gulp-Gulp Fruit's power in addition to the Dark-Dark Fruit, confirming his abnormal ability to wield multiple fruits.
Ope Ope Fruit body-modification method revealed	741	Revealed that bodies can be modified through the Ope Ope Fruit to permit the consumption of multiple Devil Fruits.
Devil Fruit fusion techniques	740 742	Combined Dark-Dark and Gulp-Gulp powers to create the Gulp-Dark Matter Cannon, an attack Ace was forced to evade.

Background / History

Blackbeard joined the Whitebeard Pirates while secretly waiting for the Dark-Dark Fruit. He later admitted that he would have remained Whitebeard's subordinate for life if the fruit had never appeared, but he had waited more than twenty years for the opportunity to claim it. 592 593

When Thatch found the Dark-Dark Fruit, Blackbeard initially attempted to manipulate him into leaving his post. Once Thatch discovered the plot, Blackbeard poisoned and attacked him, stole the fruit, and fled the Whitebeard Pirates. 591 592 593 594

After escaping, Blackbeard encountered Cipher Pol and leveraged his unusual physiology to reach Mary Geoise. He negotiated with the Five Elders on the basis that neither side trusted the other: the World Government needed another force against Byakuya, while Blackbeard needed resources and access to build his own power. He proved his value by extracting the Gulp-Gulp Fruit ability from Wapol, then demanded entry to Impel Down. 596 598 599 600

At Impel Down, Blackbeard used the prisoners as both recruits and expendable manpower. He allowed lethal selection among inmates, discarded criminals he believed he could not control, and released survivors to create a force able to oppose Byakuya. 602 603

Byakuya later exposed Blackbeard as the son of Rocks D. Xebec. Though initially shaken by being publicly called a “low-budget version” of Rocks, Blackbeard chose to exploit the revelation as a recruitment tool, presenting himself as a leader for pirates rejected by Byakuya's new order. 693 704 707

Appearance

Blackbeard is a burly man who wears a scarlet cloak in battle. When activating his Dark-Dark Fruit, dark-purple mist seeps from his hands. 738

• Burly build. 740
• Scarlet cloak. 738
• Darkness visibly spreads over his arm when preparing combined Devil Fruit attacks. 740

Personality

Blackbeard is patient, calculating, and willing to gamble everything for an opportunity. He spent decades awaiting a single Devil Fruit, joined Whitebeard's crew solely to pursue it, and accepted that seizing it could make him an enemy of his former family. 592 593 736

He treats alliances as transactions rather than bonds. Blackbeard openly characterizes his relationship with the World Government as mutual exploitation, recruits pirates through promises of gain, and considers disposable followers acceptable losses if they fail to survive his plans. 598 603 638

His ambition extends beyond becoming powerful. He wants to gather pirates under his banner, replace the world's current “god,” seize the Holy Land, and eventually rule the world. 597 707 711

Abilities & Skills

Abnormal Physique

Blackbeard possesses a constitution that allows him to wield more than one Devil Fruit, something ordinarily considered fatal. 599 741

• Wields both the Dark-Dark Fruit and Gulp-Gulp Fruit. 599 740
• His body is unusual enough that the Five Elders seek his blood for research. 708
• His multiple-fruit capability makes him a target of fear and ambition among other pirates. 741

Dark-Dark Fruit

The Dark-Dark Fruit creates darkness with extreme suction power and can suppress another Devil Fruit user's abilities through contact. 738 739

• Dark Water — Forms a black vortex that pulls in nearby objects, flames, and targets. 738
• Devil Fruit nullification — A Devil Fruit user's power disappears once Blackbeard successfully grabs them with his darkness. 739
• Ability extraction — Used darkness to pull the Gulp-Gulp Fruit ability out of Wapol. 599
• Pain amplification — The fruit causes Blackbeard to suffer double pain from attacks; Ace's fiery spear left him writhing in agony. 740
• His ability is less effective against opponents he cannot physically draw in or seize. 739 740

Gulp-Gulp Fruit

The Gulp-Gulp Fruit allows Blackbeard to absorb material, incorporate it into his body, and reconstruct it into new forms. 740

• Gulp-Gulp · Factory — Consumes nearby ground, rubble, weapons, and other material for reconstruction. 740
• Can reshape his left arm into a massive cannon constructed from swallowed stone and metal. 740
• Helps counter ranged elemental attacks by allowing him to swallow flames and other material before they reach him. 740

Devil Fruit Fusion

Blackbeard can combine the functions of his two fruits into a single offensive technique. 742

• Gulp-Dark Matter Cannon — Fires a distorted projectile of decomposed matter wrapped in Dark-Dark Fruit power. 742
• The projectile produces powerful suction and annihilating force along its path. 742
• Ace escaped only by using the recoil of a fire pillar; the aftershock still threw him away. 742

Haki and Martial Ability

Blackbeard relies heavily on Devil Fruit powers rather than Haki or martial skill. His Haki is regarded as a major weakness compared with the era's strongest fighters. 696 740

• His combat plan against Ace centered on catching him with darkness rather than overpowering him directly. 739 740
• His lack of strong Haki leaves him vulnerable when his Devil Fruit abilities are countered or avoided. 696 740

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Poisoned dagger — Used to incapacitate Thatch after Blackbeard's betrayal was exposed. 593
• Den Den Mushi — Used to contact the Five Elders during his cooperation with the World Government. 638

Relationships

• Rocks D. Xebec — Father. Blackbeard's lineage was exposed by Byakuya; Blackbeard later revealed that he seeks to avenge Rocks against Imu. 693 704 757
• Whitebeard — Former captain and paternal figure. Blackbeard betrayed his crew, forcing Whitebeard to treat him as a traitor subject to the crew's iron rule. 592 594 695
• Thatch — Former crewmate and victim. Blackbeard killed him to seize the Dark-Dark Fruit. 593 594 736
• Ace — Enemy seeking vengeance for Thatch. Blackbeard attempts to capture him with Dark Water before confronting him with fused Devil Fruit attacks. 738 739 742
• Five Elders — Uneasy collaborators. They provided Blackbeard opportunities and resources against Byakuya, while Blackbeard seeks to exploit their desperation for his own expansion. 599 600 707
• Lafitte — Trusted strategist within the Blackbeard Pirates, though he frequently questions the safety of Blackbeard's plans. 705 733 743
• Shiryu of the Rain — Crew member who follows Blackbeard despite doubts about the crew's survival prospects. 737 739
• Doflamingo — Potential collaborator whose identity as a Celestial Dragon interests Blackbeard; both view their association in terms of usefulness and ambition. 709 711 712

Major Arcs

Betrayal of the Whitebeard Pirates

• Waited decades aboard Whitebeard's ship for the Dark-Dark Fruit. 592 593
• Manipulated Thatch, poisoned him after being discovered, and escaped with the fruit. 591 592 593
• Became the target of Whitebeard, Ace, and the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates. 594 695

World Government Cooperation and Impel Down Recruitment

• Reached the Holy Land through Cipher Pol and negotiated directly with the Five Elders. 596 597
• Extracted Wapol's Gulp-Gulp Fruit ability to prove his value. 599
• Secured access to Impel Down, recruited prisoners, and built a pirate force through violent selection. 600 602 603

Public Revelation as Rocks' Son

• Learned that Byakuya's interview with Morgans had exposed his parentage. 704
• Publicly embraced the identity of Rocks' son rather than denying it. 705 706
• Proposed using Rocks' reputation to unite pirates into an organization under his command. 707 708

Battle Against Ace

• Entered battle intending to seize Ace as leverage against Whitebeard and the Navy. 739 740
• Failed to capture Ace with Dark Water after Ace countered with flames. 739
• Revealed his dual-fruit powers, the Ope Ope Fruit body-modification secret, and the Gulp-Dark Matter Cannon. 740 741 742

Notable Quotes

“I originally boarded the ship for this fruit.” 592

“Two fruits? This is just the first step of my plan!” 742