Oda Drops drop a hint about Blackbeard's connection to stones D. Xebec

This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.

Important takeaways

• Blackbeard once served under Whitebeard and killed Thatch, beginning his rise to power.
• Oda suggests a connection between Blackbeard and Rocks D. Xebec through their ambitions and ship names.
• Although it is unclear whether Blackbeard is related to the Rocks, there is excitement over the potential deep connection between them.

Blackbeard is one of the driving forces in the Final Saga of One Piece. As one of the four emperors of the sea, Blackbeard is on the hunt One Piece and quite easily one of the Pirates closest to it. Even more than that, fans know that Blackbeard is an overarching antagonist to One Piece that Oda has been building up for a long time.

As such, it's natural for Teach to get attention from Oda when the Final Saga kicks off. Now, One Piece is well and truly in its final saga, with Elbaf having already begun. Blackbeard will have a much bigger role here and going forward, and many secrets surrounding his character will finally be revealed. Curiously, there is one secret that Oda has recently hinted at, and this one links him to the legendary pirate, Rocks D. Xebec.

Blackbeard's Rise to Power in one piece

• Blackbeard Served under Whitebeard once
• Abandoned the crew after Thatch's murder

Blackbeard was once a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. Despite his phenomenal strength, Blackbeard chose to lie low and remain in Whitebeard's shadow. In fact, he kept himself so low that he didn't even have a bounty on his head until recently, despite serving under Whitebeard for many, many years. Eventually, Blackbeard killed Thatch to steal the Yami Yami no Mi and then jumped ship. This is where his grand plan started, and it only got better for him as he defeated Ace, handed him over to the Marines, and then became a warlord.

This ability chose me, Ace! – Blackbeard

In the Summit War Saga, Blackbeard invaded Impel Down, freed some of the most dangerous prisoners to ever reach the prison, and then raided the Marine headquarters, where he killed Whitebeard and stole his Devil Fruit. A year or so later, Blackbeard continued to grow in power and influence, eventually becoming one of the four emperors of the sea after Rocky Port. Right now, Blackbeard has established himself as one of the strongest emperors, with a bounty of 3.996 billion berries on his head. Even now, Blackbeard is far from his full power. This was indicated by him recently traveling to Amazon Lily to steal the Mero Mero no Mi. Blackbeard has ambitions to retain great power still, and he may even turn his sights on the ancient weapons soon enough. His goal is world domination, which means his real goal is something far greater than One Piece itself.

As hinted recently, Blackbeard intends to be the King of the World, a title that Imu currently holds in a way. Curiously, Blackbeard is not the only pirate who ever wanted this position. There was a pirate long before him who wanted to be king of the world, and much to the surprise of fans, this pirate has more than just a connection to Teach. The name of this pirate is Rocks D. Xebec.

Blackbeard's Ship And Rocks Connection

Blackbeard Sails On The Saber Of Xebec

Blackbeard and Rocks certainly share some similarities. First, fans were recently told that Blackbeard wants to be the king of the world, and Sengoku clearly mentioned in One Piece chapter 957 that Rocks also wanted to be the king of the world. Their ambitions are somewhat similar and this suggests that Blackbeard could potentially have idolized Rocks in many ways. There may even be a deeper connection here, when you consider the ship that Blackbeard sails on.

As mentioned long ago in history, Blackbeard's ship is called the Saber of Xebec. Obviously, this is a reference to Rock's D. Xebec, who few people know in the world of One Piece. However, given that Blackbeard has a lot of incredible information, he could have been aware of this legendary figure and named his ship after him. Oda was recently asked about this in the latest Q&A corner, and he certainly threw more fuel on the fire, leading fans to believe that there really might be something there.

Question: Blackbeard's ship is known as the “Saber of Xebec”, but surely it has some connection to Rocks D. Xebec?

A4: Xebec is the name of a type of ship, so while the name may just be a coincidence, it really might not be a coincidence.

As suggested in Oda's answer, this similarity in name may not be a coincidence after all. Oda could have easily squashed the whole idea by saying it has nothing to do with it, but he's clearly left enough for fans to keep wondering if there really is a connection or not. It is very likely that this similarity is not a coincidence and that there is indeed a deep connection between these two individuals.

Blackbeard could have idolized rocks

Whether or not Blackbeard is related to his Rocks is something fans don't know at this point. However, it's not even necessary for Blackbeard to be related to the Rocks for this whole idea to make sense. Blackbeard could simply have been an admirer. Similar to how Shanks was Roger's apprentice and an admirer, Blackbeard could have something similar to do with Rocks. Or, there really could be a blood relation between the two, and Rocks could be related to him in some way, though obviously not being a direct ancestor due to them having different surnames.

Regardless of how Oda goes about it, the connection between Blackbeard and Rocks is truly incredibly intriguing. Right now, the focus is on many important characters in the Final Saga of One Piece, apart from the Straw Hat Pirates. Oda has previously said that Final Saga will focus on multiple characters, and not just keep it fixated on the Straw Hats. This is what makes the Final Saga the most exciting yet, and fans are eagerly waiting to see what Blackbeard will do when Oda sheds some light on him. Hopefully, Blackbeard can live up to fans' expectations and, more importantly, have deep and dark secrets that readers will be impressed with once they are revealed.

For now, fans will have to wait to see Blackbeard in the story again, as Luffy is currently the focus of the action as he explores Elbaf. But Blackbeard will definitely have a big role to play in Elbaf as well, given that he's a major player in the fight for One Piece and is already making massive moves. All fans have to do is sit back patiently and wait for Blackbeard to make waves across the seas with his majestic planning, as he has done before the time jump.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by fans officially and for free in the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1131, is set for November 11, 2024.