Blackbeard is one of the strongest characters in One Piece, and was always set up to be one of Luffy’s ultimate enemies.

Although he spent a significant portion of time under Whitebeard’s wing, Blackbeard had sinister plans right from the get-go and he eventually struck when the moment was right, claiming what he believed to be his rightful place among the Emperors. Blackbeard’s elaborate plan has seen him rise from a no-name pirate under Whitebeard to a monstrously powerful force in the New World.

One of the biggest reasons why Blackbeard is feared is because he holds two Devil Fruit powers, which is something that nobody in the entire history of the One Piece world has ever accomplished before. Blackbeard has a unique body that makes this possible, and what’s more, is that two Devil Fruits might not be his limit at all. There could potentially be room for a third Devil Fruit, which was recently hinted at in One Piece.

Blackbeard And The Importance Of Three

The Number 3 is Often Associated With Blackbeard

Teach Could Have 3 Fruits

When it comes to One Piece characters, fans know that Oda loves symbolism often, and this can be through the most intricate of things, at some times, and at others, through some exciting ones, such as numbers. When it comes to Blackbeard, Oda often sets up a pattern with the number 3. For instance, Blackbeard has three skulls on his Jolly Roger. These three skulls certainly mean something and weren’t chosen for absolutely no reason. Jolly Rogers usually holds significance. For instance, Kaido’s Beast Pirates Jolly Roger had an Oni skull, which was a reference directly to the captain of the crew. Luffy has a Straw Hat and once again, it signifies what Luffy is all about. Similarly, Blackbeard has three skulls, which, at this point, doesn’t make much sense.

This ability chose me, Ace! – Blackbeard

All his ships seem to be composed of three giant logs, and if that wasn’t enough, Blackbeard’s own character design has very intriguing details that seem to hint at the number three again. For instance, Blackbeard’s beard is split into three braids. He carries three flintlock guns and often seems to have three teeth missing. Blackbeard’s battle against Shanks saw him give a scar to him with three scratches running down his eye. Clearly, one can see that Blackbeard has the number three attached to him by Oda, and this has to be for a reason.

Oda doesn’t usually do things on a whim, and if Blackbeard is associated with this number, then it certainly holds some significance. Curiously enough, fans know that Blackbeard holds more than one Devil Fruit, each of a particular type. Blackbeard’s first Devil Fruit that was revealed to the fans was actually Logia-type fruit. The second fruit that he consumed was a Paramecia fruit. This leaves behind the third type of fruits in One Piece, Zoan, and that is where the idea of Blackbeard having three Devil Fruits at the peak of his powers instead of just two comes from. Needless to say, it certainly does make a lot of sense.

Blackbeard’s First Two Devil Fruits

Blackbeard Has The Yami Yami no Mi and the Gura Gura no Mi

Blackbeard ate his first Devil Fruit rather recently in One Piece. When Thatch, the 4th division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, got his hands on the Yami Yami no Mi, Blackbeard murdered him in cold blood and stole the Devil Fruit. By doing so, he had essentially made himself an enemy of the Whitebeard Pirates and he jumped ship. From there onwards, he kickstarted his plan to take over Whitebeard’s position and establish himself as one of the strongest pirates on the seas.

Blackbeard then confronted Ace, which is where he showed his Devil Fruit powers to the fans for the first time. This power was incredibly efficient and even a commander as strong as Ace could not withstand it for long. Once again, Blackbeard showed this ability in Impel Down, and later down the line, in the Paramount War as well.

During the Paramount War, Blackbeard’s next plan took shape as he killed Whitebeard and then stole his Devil Fruit. At this point, Blackbeard became the first person in the entire history of the One Piece World to consume more than one Devil Fruit and survive.

Now, I’m the strongest!! – Blackbeard

Blackbeard had essentially gained the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, the strongest paramecia type which allowed him to create quakes at will. At this point, Blackbeard declared himself the strongest, and it is safe to say that he certainly had achieved tremendous power. In the New World, Blackbeard achieved great fame in the coming year, and he was eventually made an Emperor after the Rocky Port incident, when he took control over the Pirate Island, ousting Wang Zhi permanently.

Ever since then, Blackbeard has continuously grown in terms of strength, and fans know that he hasn’t stopped his quest for power there. Blackbeard is known to have been on the hunt for Devil Fruits, which is quite curious. He gives Devil Fruits to his crewmates, but at the same time, fans don’t know if he’s looking to eat Devil Fruits himself as well.

Rather recently in One Piece, Blackbeard headed to Amazon Lily himself. There, he wanted to get his hands on Boa Hancock’s Devil Fruit. Now, fans might mistake this for Blackbeard wanting a Devil Fruit for his Commanders. The truth is that every single member of the Blackbeard Pirates already has a Devil Fruit. This Devil Fruit could not have been for one of his Commanders. Instead, the only person who could have eaten this Devil Fruit was Blackbeard himself, and this would only be possible if the idea of him holding three Devil Fruit powers stands. Unfortunately for him, he was not able to steal Hancock’s Devil Fruit, which essentially means that Blackbeard has turned his eyes elsewhere in the future of the story.

Blackbeard’s Third Potential Devil Fruit In One Piece

Blackbeard Could Eat A Powerful Zoan Type Devil Fruit

As things stand, fans are quite confident that Blackbeard will end up eating a third Devil Fruit at some point in the Final Saga. Right now, Blackbeard has the strongest Logia, which is the Yami Yami no Mi, and the strongest paramecia, the Gura Gura no Mi. Logic dictates that Blackbeard will eat the strongest Zoan-type Devil Fruit, or, at the very least, a very powerful Zoan Devil Fruit. This is likely going to be a Mythical Zoan, and there are certainly very exciting ideas out there.

Two of the most exciting ideas are that of a Kraken/octopus or Cerberus. Both of them fit Blackbeard in the sense of symbolism and, at the same time, the power of holding multiple abilities. In fact, a lot of the fans believe that Blackbeard had this Devil Fruit before he even ate the Yami Yami no Mi, which would then explain why he was able to consume multiple fruits.

There is a quality attributed to these animals of holding either multiple heads or multiple hearts. Regardless, fans will surely get to see Blackbeard’s third Devil Fruit, which is likely to be a Zoan, very soon. Once that happens, Blackbeard will rise above the tier of even the Yonko, and be declared as one of the strongest, if not the strongest, pirates of the current era.