BLACKBEARD PIRATES CREW

Blackbeard Pirates

The Blackbeard Pirates[8] are an extremely infamous and powerful pirate fleet led by Emperor Marshall D. Teach, better known as "Blackbeard", and one of the main antagonist groups of the series.[1]

Blackbeard was originally a member of the Whitebeard Pirates (and Portgas D. Ace's subordinate), until he murdered one of his crewmates[9] over a Devil Fruit and defected,[10] heading out on his own and forming his own crew. Blackbeard was Crocodile's replacement among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, having captured the wanted pirate Ace to obtain this position, but resigned after forfeiting the privilege by raiding Impel Down[11] and recruiting notorious prisoners for his crew from Level 6.

During the timeskip, after clashing with the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates led by Marco the Phoenix and emerging victorious,[12] Blackbeard usurped the status of the deceased Whitebeard as one of the Four Emperors.

Jolly Roger

The Blackbeard Pirates' flag is that of three scowling skulls: one looking left, one looking forward, and one looking right. Behind them there are cross intersected sets of bones, in addition to the classic two.

Territories

Following Whitebeard's death and the events of the Payback War, Teach went on to conquer most of Whitebeard's former territories, with the known exception of Fish-Man Island, which originally became part of the Big Mom Pirates' territory after Whitebeard's death. Foodvalten was also briefly under the Brownbeard Pirates' control,[14] but after being overthrown by the Hawkins Pirates,[15] it is unknown if Foodvalten became part of Blackbeard's territory. Sphinx is currently the only known remnant of Whitebeard's territory that is confirmed to be not under Blackbeard's rule.[16]

Hachinosu is under their protection as they favor the festivities there.

Crew Strength

As their captain is one of the Four Emperors, the Blackbeard Pirates are one of the four most powerful pirate crews in the world.

Even before their Teach became an emperor, the Blackbeard Pirates were a mighty force to be reckoned with. Their first appearance, an attack on Drum Island, was so overwhelming, the island's selfish king, Wapol, fled without even attempting to fight back.[17] Also, the fact their captain was a former member of the Whitebeard Pirates and also single-handedly fought Emperor Shanks and even scarred him across an eye is a testament of their power. They were also able to break into Impel Down's Level 4 without much difficulty (though Impel Down was, at the time, admittedly strained due to multiple riots). Every member has also taken a direct hit from Sengoku's shock wave attack except Sanjuan Wolf and got up easily and with only very small amount of trouble. Great endurance and strength aside, each member possesses a special crew position (discounting the new recruits - it is unknown what positions they hold), though how well they perform such jobs is unknown.

The Blackbeard Pirates, Sanjuan Wolf excluded, dealt the final killing blows to the legendary pirate Whitebeard, taking advantage of Whitebeard's grievous injuries with a nine-against-one attack. Additionally, they captured Jewelry Bonney, one of the Worst Generation, who was then deemed too weak to join their crew and was instead given the option to become Blackbeard's "woman".

The crew also managed to overwhelmingly defeat Marco and the remaining members of the Whitebeard Pirates (who had come at them with their full forces) in a ferocious battle a year after the Summit War of Marineford.[12] Most recently, Blackbeard and his crew attacked the Revolutionary Army's island base of Baltigo, resulting in it being completely devastated and the revolutionaries abandoning the island, followed by doing battle with the Cipher Pol and the Marines before retreating.

Members

Van Augur, the sniper, has tremendous skills in marksmanship, being able to shoot a flock of seagulls from a distance so far the Straw Hats could not even see the island he was on. He is able to predict where a bullet is going to hit, and can run at an amazing speed to avoid it. Augur has now (post-time skip) become captain of Blackbeard's third ship.

Jesus Burgess, the helmsman, is a wrestling champion who possess incredible strength and won every fight while he was in Mock Town. He is also able to throw buildings with much ease and at impressive distances. Furthermore, Burgess has now (post-time skip) become the captain of Blackbeard's first ship and he is now so infamous that everyone in the Colosseum recognized him immediately and was shocked by his presence. Burgess is now strong enough that he was able to take down all the contestants in Block A without getting a single scratch and be cheered on. He was able to blow away a full grown Fighting Fish with just a blow from his elbow while showing off his new ability to utilize Busoshoku Haki which he used when fighting "Lucy".

Laffitte, the navigator and a former policeman, is a master of stealth and infiltration, and was able to sneak undetected into the World Government headquarters of Mary Geoise during a meeting between several high-ranking Marine officials and three Warlords of the Sea despite having tap-dance shoes on. He also seems to possess a Devil Fruit ability that allows him to sprout wings on his back that make him capable of flight, as well as possessing the power of hypnosis. Laffitte has now (post-time skip) become the captain of the fifth ship of Blackbeard's fleet and has earned the infamous name "Demon Sheriff".

Doc Q, the doctor, and his horse Strongerdespite being stricken with chronic sickness are a highly powerful duo. Being exceptionally skilled in cavalry combat, Doc Q and Stronger relied on perfect teamwork and coordination with Stronger galloping towards enemies at high speed while carrying Doc Q who struck enemies down with his double-bladed scythe. Doc Q has now (post-time skip) become captain of Blackbeard's ninth ship.

Shiryu of the Rain, the former Head Jailer of Impel Down, is a fearsome master swordsman, said to be equal to the extremely powerful Warden Magellan, a Devil Fruit user who was strong enough to take care of Monkey D. Luffy, hundreds of prisoners, and the Blackbeard Pirates alone (though Shiryu noted that the crew had been careless against Magellan's poisonous powers).[18] Shiryu has now (post-time skip) become captain of Blackbeard's second ship. He has also acquired the Suke Suke no Mi.[19]

After their break-in of Impel Down, excluding Shiryu, the crew recruited four other pirates, their crimes so terrible that their existence was actually erased from history, who had been locked in the Level 6: Eternal Hell of the prison. The ones seen are Sanjuan Wolf, the "Colossal Battleship"; Vasco Shot, the "Heavy Drinker"; the worst female criminal in history, Catarina Devon, the "Crescent Moon Hunter"; and Avalo Pizarro, the "Corrupt King". Though they have yet to show their full powers, they are some of the most feared legendary criminals in the world. The Marines even said that even just one of the prisoners walking free again is unthinkable. In fact, during the riot at Impel Down, Blackbeard selected them in a "survival fight" among the Level 6 prisoners, stating thus that they are the most powerful prisoners of the entire Impel Down at that time.[20] All of them has since become captains of the Blackbeard's seventh, eighth, sixth and fourth ships, respectively.

However, the true strength of the Blackbeard Pirates lies in their fearsome Admiral, Marshall D. Teach, better known as "Blackbeard". Initially a relatively unknown name, Blackbeard has performed the incredible feat of landing a permanent scar on Red Haired Shanks, who is famed as one of the Four Emperors in the world, prior to eating a Devil Fruit, as well as defeating two of the Division Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, Portgas D. Ace and Thatch. When asked why he had not become one of the commanders of his old crew, Teach claimed that he did not have that "ambition". Teach ate one of the most powerful known Devil Fruits, the Yami Yami no Mi, and held the position of a Warlord of the Sea, until he forfeited the title after he used it to reach Impel Down and recruit the prisoners mentioned above. With the assistance of his crew, Blackbeard ganged up on Whitebeard with a barrage of gunshots and stabs and killed him in a rather cowardly fashion.

He somehow acquired the power of the Gura Gura no Mi from Whitebeard's corpse, the most powerful of the Paramecia Devil Fruits, allowing him to be the only person to wield two Devil Fruit powers at the same time. Along with his extensive knowledge of Whitebeard's sphere of influence, the Five Elders have deemed him the closest pirate to fill in Whitebeard's place as the Emperor; a prediction which came true[13] following Blackbeard's devastating victory over Marco and the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.[12]

Burgess Attacks Luffy.png

The crew hunting down Devil Fruit users.

After the timeskip, it appears they have grown much stronger and more powerful. According to Jinbe, they have been hunting and stealing Devil Fruit Powers to increase their strength,[13] making them known as Ability User Hunters (能力者狩り, Nōryoku-sha Gari?).[21] Indeed, Jesus Burgess has shown knowledge on this mysterious method of obtaining powers after death and attempted to do so against Luffy to extract his Gomu Gomu no Mi powers.[22]

The crew has also grown in such numbers that it has been organized into divisions. According to Gatz, Blackbeard is supported by Ten Titanic Captains (10人の巨漢船長, Jū-nin no Kyokan Senchō?),[23] with Jesus Burgess,[24] Shiryu,[25] Van Auger,[26] Avalo Pizarro,[27] Laffitte,[28]