As the final saga of One Piece is in full swing, Eiichiro Oda is focused on defining the stances of each major character, including Blackbeard. Teach is a menace amongst pirates, to say the least, and his recent actions have reinstated his position as one of the final villains.
As more and more chapters of the manga are released, fans have noticed a clear connection between Blackbeard and the legendary captain of the Rocks Pirates, Rocks D. Xebec.
Eiichiro Oda Hints at Rocks’ Relationship with Blackbeard in One Piece
In a question and answer session of Weekly Shonen Jump’s issue 49 of 2024, Eiichiro Oda was asked if Blackbeard has some sort of connection with Rocks D. Xebec since the name of Blackbeard’s ship is Saber of Xebec. Rather than spoiling the plot, Oda gave an answer that has raised suspicion amongst fans.
Xebec is the name of a type of ship, so while the name could just be a coincidence, maybe it really isn’t a coincidence.
-Eiichiro Oda
A xebec, also spelled as zebec, is a type of Mediterranean sailing ship, which was mostly used for trading. Saber of Xebec is the main ship of the Blackbeard Pirates. It is a warship that is even capable of crossing the Calm Belt. Even the design of the ship is similar to a xebec, which might have led Oda to the name.
However, if the name was solely based on a type of ship, why would Oda give such a vague answer? The ambiguousness of Eiichiro Oda’s reply has led fans to believe that there might indeed be a connection between Blackbeard and Rocks D. Xebec which will be played out in the latter part of the final saga.
The Various Connections Between Rocks D. Xebec and Marshall D. Teach
Right from their names, you can identity that both Rocks D. Xebec and Marshall D. Teach are members of the Will of D clan. However, not everyone from the cult is related to each other, and Rocks might as well be Blackbeard’s idol. The timeline difference between Rocks and Blackbeard means that Teach would have been too little to be a prodigy in Rocks Pirates crew.
However, the timeline does add up if Blackbeard is imagined to be the son of Xebec. Both of them also have similar ideologies, that is to be the ‘King of the World.’ He could also be a relative or have some other unseen connection to the once mighty pirate and now wants to achieve Rocks’ unfulfilled dream. Thus Saber of Xebec was named in memory of the man Blackbeard wants to be.
Blackbeard’s crew is currently occupying Hachinosu, or the Pirate Island, which is often called a pirate paradise. This is also the same island where the legendary Rocks Pirates were first formed. Given that both characters want to achieve the same dream and cause mayhem in the world, it is completely possible that Eiichiro Oda is planning a grand reveal later in One Piece.
One Piece manga is available to read on Viz Media, and the anime is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
