Blackback

Blackback, better known by his initials BB, is a gorilla mink and a Guardian of the Whale Forest.

Appearance
Blackback is a large, gray-skinned mink with gorilla-like features. He is very thickset and has an afro. He also appears to wear a suit.

Personality
Blackback is a loyal Guardian and will attack any intruder. He does not like it when someone jumps into someone else's fight, as shown when he punched away Jean Bart after the latter tried to break up Luffy and Roddy's fight. Like a stereotypical monkey, he loves bananas.

Abilities and Powers
As a mink, Blackback is a natural born fighter and can use Electro (エレクトロ), the skill to produce electric shocks. He has significant physical strength, as he easily blew Jean Bart away with one punch while being injured (although Jean Bart was heavily injured as well), a feat which shocked the other members of the Heart Pirates.

When Jack claimed victory over the minks, he tortured the strongest warriors. Blackback was among them, which is indicative of his strength.

Past
When the Beasts Pirates, led by Jack, invaded Zou in search of Raizo, Blackback and the other mink warriors took a stand against them. The battle lasted for five days. Even though the minks had the upper hand, they were unable to defeat Jack. On the fifth day of the battle, Jack lost patience and used Caesar's poison gas weapon, which rendered the minks helpless. The following day, Jack left Zou after hearing about Doflamingo's defeat and capture. The Mink Tribe were later saved when Sanji and his group arrived at Zou.

Zou Arc
When Luffy entered the Whale Forest, Roddy and Blackback attacked him despite Bepo's assurance that he was a friend. As Luffy clashed with Roddy, Blackback wondered why Roddy's Electro did not work on Luffy, and when Jean Bart attempted to break up the fight, Blackback punched him away. Wanda and Carrot came and pacified Blackback with bananas, and Pedro told him to retreat.

When the Straw Hats arrived at the Whale Forest to see Nekomamushi after visiting Inuarashi, Blackback and Roddy apologized to Luffy for attacking him. Later, he heard Law expressing his concern over Zou's safety if the pirates remained on the island and was touched by his words. He then took part in a party which lasted throughout the night.

On the next morning when Bariete rang the bell and spoke of the arrival of samurais, Blackback and all the minks rushed to Kurau City. When Nekomamushi and Inuarashi met face-to-face and started quarreling, the minks tried to stop them from fighting to no avail. However, when Kin'emon and Kanjuro revealed themselves, the minks welcomed them. With the announcement of Raizo's safety, Blackback and the minks stood proudly at having kept the secret.

After Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, the samurais, and the pirates returned from the Whale Tree with Raizo, Zou started shaking with Zunisha crying, throwing everyone into a state of panic.

Zou's shaking was due to Jack's assault on Zunisha upon his return. However, Zunisha retaliated and sank Jack's fleet. After the threat of Jack ended, everyone became calm again.

Later on, he requests to go rescue Sanji but is told to stay behind on Zou.

Major Battles

 * Mink Tribe and Heart Pirates vs. Beasts Pirates
 * Blackback vs. Jean Bart

Trivia

 * A blackback is a young male gorilla, between 8 and 12 years old. In a troop of gorillas, the blackbacks are subordinate to the adult silverback.
 * His name, afro, and suit are reminiscent of blues singer B.B. King.

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