Why One Piece fans are wrong about Blackbeard's strength: Explained

Whenever One Piece fans discuss the final antagonists of the series, the discussion is either about the Five Elders or Imu (or Imu-sama). This is a fair analysis because they have disrupted the flow of the world since One Piece started.

But there is one character who operates from the dark and is kept in the dark most of the time—Marshall D. Teech or Blackbeard. He was introduced during the Jaya Arc and had such unimpressive looks that fans didn't even consider him a potential weapon.

Later on, his overconfident way of fighting also lowered the expectations of fans, but there is something that he does differently that fans are not paying close attention to. And for this reason, he could become a crucial part of One Piece.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the One Piece manga series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

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One Piece: Why Blackbeard's strength should not be underestimated

Marshall D. Teech is the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates. He was first introduced during the Jaya Arc before the Straw Hat Pirates parted toward Skypiea. From the beginning of the series, Teech has been portrayed as a cowardly character whose fighting style is interesting, to say the least.

It all started in Whitebeard Pirates when Teech showed his real colors and killed his fellow teammate and Ace's mentor, Thatch, to steal the Yami-Yami Devil Fruit. This led to him abandoning the Whitebeard Pirates and creating his crew.

Ace losing against Blackbeard (Image via Toei Animation)

Ace decided to take it upon himself and went after Blackbeard to teach him a lesson. The fight between Ace and Blackbeard was more talk than fight as Blackbeard continuously persuaded Ace that fighting is useless, implying that he should join his side. But in the end, Ace lost, and Blackbeard handed him over to the Navy.

The second time fans saw Blackbeard in combat was during the Impel Down Arc when he fought against Magellan, the vice warden of Impel Down. The fight went down for only a few moments as Magellan destroyed his whole crew with the help of his Devil Fruit.

The thing fans noticed from this fight was Blackbeard's amazement from witnessing Megellan's powers. It was as if he hadn't expected such a strong attack from Magellan.

Blackbeard (left) and Luffy (right) about to engage in combat (Image via Toei Animation)

During the same arc, Blackbeard was seen going against Luffy. He opened the talks by saying that Luffy's Haki had gotten stronger. Fans infer that during the first meeting between Blackbeard and Luffy, the former estimated Luffy's Haki and avoided a fight against him. This is why he was surprised to see such a growth in Luffy.

The fight went for only a few punches, but as Ace's execution was running near, Luffy's subordinates urged him to hurry and leave Blackbeard behind. From this fight too, fans noticed Blackbeard's surprise upon witnessing Luffy's power.

During the fight against Blackbeard and Whitebeard in the Paramount Arc, fans noticed the same amazement in Blackbeard's eyes as Whitebeard kept beating him up despite being in a near-death state. But ultimately, he won against him and stole the Shock-Shock Devil Fruit.

During his battle with Law during the Egghead Arc of One Piece, he did manage to beat the Heart Pirates, but Bepo's Sulong form interrupted and saved Law. Again, Teech was surprised to see Bepo's Sulong form.

This "amazement" of Blackbeard is something fans don't pay attention to, which makes him an enemy that could endanger the future of Straw Hats. As a fighter, Blackbeard is not someone that comes to mind, but he could be considered one of the best masterminds of One Piece.

Blackbeard as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

From the start, every move that Blackbeard made could be considered "planned." As he battles with these plans, his first preference is to ensure that his strategy for the fight works out. And if it doesn't work out, he takes the hard way out by just using his fists.

He entered a battle with Ace to make him join his crew, but as this didn't work out, he decided to beat him with his Devil Fruit powers. His amazement after witnessing Magellan's power, Luffy's improved Haki, Whitebeard's resilience after being gravely injured, and Bepo's Sulong form is something that could be considered a "flaw in his plans" as he underestimated his opponents.

So, fearing him as a fighter might not be intimidating, but as a mastermind, he could change the tides of the story of One Piece in the future. His possible appearance on Egghead Island, where things are heating up, could be his first declaration as an antagonist the Straw Hats should never have underestimated.