Marshall D. Teech is one of the most mysterious pirates in One Piece, about whom Oda has kept most of the information hidden. Introduced during the Jaya arc of One Piece, Blackbeard has the unimpressive appearance of an older man with no potential as a pirate.
But currently, during the final saga of One Piece, this older man could turn the tide against Luffy and his crew as more and more mysteries about him are being revealed.
But what if the origins of this character had always been right in front of our eyes as a whole? Fans have noticed certain details in Blackbeard's pirate crew, and his Jolly Roger seems to reveal some major things about him, which fans have left unnoticed this whole time. So, today's theory will link this pirate's origin to his Jolly Roger.
Disclaimer: This article might contain the personal opinion of the author.
One Piece: Discovering Blackbeard's through his Jolly Roger
Blackbeard's Jolly Roger consists of three skulls attached together, with eight bones sticking out of them. This could mean he would wield three devil fruit powers in the future, but why is Blackbeard's body built so bizarrely?
The physical anatomy of Blackbeard has been of interest from the very start of One Piece. During the Jaya arc, after Bellamy's squad beat up Luffy and Zoro, Blackbeard made his first appearance and encouraged both of them. As they parted ways, Luffy and Zoro described him as 'they.'
Marco of the Whitebeard Pirates also described Blackbeard's body as 'strange,' which relates to how he remains intact despite having two devil fruits inside him. During the Marineford arc, Blackbeard stole the devil fruit from Whitebeard and currently possesses two devil fruits.
This goes back to the time when Blackbeard's family was revealed in a promotional magazine section. This comprised two sisters and a mother. Fans speculated that Blackbeard was raised by his two sisters, as his mother could have died early. But as the theory progresses, it becomes more darker.
Fans speculate that Blackbeard's sister might have been involved in the 'Devil Fruit Transfer' experiment alongside him. The purpose of this experiment was to predict the possibility that a person could wield two devil fruit powers. Unfortunately, the experiment failed (as confirmed by Blueno), and both of Blackbeard's sisters died.
Teech was the only person who survived this experiment and became Frankenstein, a chimera with three souls inside him (two of his sisters and one of his own). This became the reason why Blackbeard could wield three devil fruits, as indicated by his Jolly Roger.
But there were other references to the three skulls in One Piece, like the ancient giants' Oars and Oars Fr. They possessed three skull necklaces, which could be related to Teech.
As revealed during the Thriller Bark arc by Gecko Moria, former warlord Oars Jr. came from the frozen country alongside the residents of that country. It was also revealed that the people of the frozen country don't sleep, as Luffy mentioned once.
So, as Blackbeard also doesn't sleep and has three skulls in common with the ancient giants, he could be a natural resident of the frozen country. This could also imply that he had a relationship with ancient giants in the past.
Fans also speculate Teech has the Lineage factors of these ancient giants, which could be the reason why his crewmates termed him 'different/special.' Lineage factors became a major part of One Piece after discovering Seraphim models.
Final thoughts
This theory feels so mature and believable because the character of Blackbeard, as revealed by Eiichiro Oda when Teech was young, depicts him sitting in the frozen country. Teech can also be seen crying in the character design, which could be interpreted as him being sad after he received his sisters' souls and is now left alone.
But as much as this theory feels correct, it has no confirmation because theories are just speculations. So, take this article with a grain of salt and wait for official confirmation from the original manga series.
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