Benn Beckman

Benn Beckman (ベン・ベックマン, Ben Bekkuman) is the first mate in Shanks' pirate crew.

Appearance
Beckman is a tall man, at least a foot taller than Shanks. When he was in Luffy's hometown, he had black hair tied in a ponytail, and is never seen without his rifle nearby or a cigarette in his mouth. In the current storyline, his hair has turned gray and is cut short. He also now has a large X-shaped scar on his left temple.

His outfit changed very little from his first appearance; he now wears a black, V-neck shirt with three quarter sleeves (whereas he used to wear a short sleeved shirt of a similar color and design) along with loose pants (originally of a dark green color, but presently grey) with many pockets on them, tucked inside his buckled boots. Like most of the other Red-Haired Pirates, he also wears a sash around his waist, to which he attaches his rifle in a pistol-like fashion. The only thing added to his attire is his trademark spiral-patterned cape.

Eichiiro Oda once said in the manga Usopp calls him Shofukutei Nezumi (mouse), because he has a mouse-like head.

Personality
He appears to be a lot less fun-loving than the other members of the crew and a lot more relaxed, acting as the level headed member. He is one of Shanks's more trusted crew members, as he is always seen when the Red-Haired Pirates are featured, usually when something crucial happens. He shares this trait with Lucky Roo and Yasopp.

At times he seems amazed at the actions of his captain, such as panicking when Luffy was taken or getting even more drunk when he had already drunk a lot before and when Mihawk brought news of Luffy's new bounty. He is first to speak out amongst the crew whenever they appear. He is also the first to ask questions about the crew's situation, such as whether the World Government would try to stop them from seeing Whitebeard.

Abilities and Powers
According to Eiichiro Oda, Beckman has the highest IQ of all the characters introduced in the East Blue saga. Since he is a first mate to a Yonkou, he presumably possesses a great deal of strength. Kizaru, an Admiral, chose not to fight him, even though he had just fought the first mate of Whitebeard's crew, Marco, and Whitebeard himself. It should be noted that Kizaru did however continue his attack on Luffy despite Beckman aiming his rifle at him (perhaps he felt he could dodge the rifle shot due to his ability to move at the speed of light).

Beckman also single handedly defeated Higuma's crew of mountain bandits, telling Higuma to bring a war ship as back up if he wanted to fight them.

Weapons
Beckman carries a flintlock rifle with him, but he has yet to fire it, instead using it as a club on Higuma's men and as a threat against Kizaru.

Haki
Beckman seems to possess Busoshoku Haki, apparently being able to imbue it into the bullets used in his rifle, as the threat of being shot was enough to stop Kizaru in his tracks despite his ability to become intangible.

Romance Dawn
How Benn Beckman came to be a member of Shanks' crew is unknown.

When he was at Luffy's hometown, Beckman tried to explain his captain's decision on refusing to take Luffy with him to sea. Unfortunately, he found that his captain left him in somewhat of an awkward situation since he seemed to enjoy mocking the fact Luffy couldn't swim, leaving Beckman to explain that Shanks really was that happy all the time. Later on, after the Higuma incident and when the bandit returned, Beckman took on Higuma's men. He shocked Higuma by taking out every last bandit, leaving only Higuma standing.

Arlong Arc
When Mihawk informs the crew about the up-and-coming Luffy, his crew and the Shichibukai throw another party, already being worn out from a hangover the night before.

Post-Enies Lobby Arc
He was seen with Shanks on their ship visiting Whitebeard. He didn't seem shocked when Whitebeard and Shanks clashed.

Prelude to the Whitebeard War
Since Vice Admiral Momonga recently mentioned that the Red-Haired Pirates intercepted Kaido, it can be assumed that Beckman is standing alongside his crew.

Post-War Arc
During the Marineford War, he prevents Kizaru from attacking Luffy and Trafalgar Law, telling Admiral Kizaru to not move a muscle while aiming his gun at him. Apparently, he is enough of a threat to make even an admiral raise his hands as sign of surrender (though in a somewhat sarcastic way); however, Kizaru made one last attempt to kill Luffy by shooting beams at him. Luffy escaped alive in Law's submarine and the pirates left the battlefield peacefully taking Ace and Whitebeard's bodies with them. Beckman is then seen at Ace and Whitebeard's funeral somewhere in the New World.

Major Battles

 * Benn Beckman and Lucky Roo vs. Mountain Bandits
 * Red Hair Pirates vs. Kaido and his crew (unseen)

Merchandise
He has featured in One Piece Gashapon sets.

Translation and Dub Issues

 * In the 4Kids English dub, Beckman's cigarette is edited out.

Trivia

 * When Oda gave his name, Oda joked he was called "Shofukutei Nezumi" because he looked a little like a mouse. However according to Oda, that was Usopp lying.

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Benn Beckman