Blackbeard Pirates

The Blackbeard pirates (黒ひげ海賊団, Kurohige Kaizokudan) are fictional pirates from the anime and manga One Piece, led by Blackbeard.

Their captain, Blackbeard was originally a member of Whitebeard's band of pirates (and Ace's subordinate) until he quit and killed several of his crewmates, heading out on his own and forming his own crew. Blackbeard is currently trying to be one of the Shichibukai (Seven Warlords of the Sea), and is searching for high bounty heads to defeat in order to make a name for himself.

Part in the Story
The first time the crew is mentioned, they are said to have ransacked the kingdom of Drum. Upon seeing their immense power, the cruel and cowardly king, Wapol, fled without even fighting back. In Alabasta, when the Straw Hats meet up with Portgas D. Ace, it is revealed that Ace is hunting him down for what he did to his crewmates.

Laffite marks the first visual appearance of the crew by appearing at Mariejoa to recommend Blackbeard to replace Sir Crocodile as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. The other crewmembers are first seen in Mock Town of the island Jaya, playing several "games" to see how fate works out. When Luffy meets Blackbeard himself in a bar, they at first seem to have the exact opposite opinions. While Luffy hates the bar's pie, Blackbeard loves it, and while Luffy loves one of the bar's drinks, Blackbeard hates it, which leads to them challenging each other to a fight, but they decide not to go through with it when Nami points out that they are fighting for no reason. Later on, after the Bellamy Pirates taunt them for believing in Sky Island, Blackbeard assures the Straw Hats that it does exist and in response to the notion of the "New Age", states that people will never stop dreaming. Because of this, it is not yet known whether Blackbeard is truly evil or whether he is just misguided. When Blackbeard finds out about Luffy's high bounty, he and his crew try to capture him, but the Straw Hats are launched into the sky by Knock-Up Stream before they can make an attempt.

Recently the entire Blackbeard crew, including Laffite, have finally encountered Ace. According to Van Auger, they are also not too far from Enies Lobby. It is still unknown at this time if they will still continue to pursue Luffy, though it's quite possible considering Blackbeard's hidden agenda that Shanks and Whitebeard discussed. Blackbeard is attempting to become, or is, more powerful than even Whitebeard.

Pirate Flag
Blackbeard's flag is that of three skulls--one looking left, one looking forward, and one looking right.

Blackbeard
Captain


 * See Blackbeard for more.

Jesus Burgess
Helmsman

Burgess (ジーザス･バージェス, Jīzasu Bājesu), nicknamed "The Champion", claims himself a champion because he stands on top of buildings and challenges random people to fights. He appears to be based off of Mexican wrestlers, as both his name and face mask are Spanish in origin. His name is perhaps based on that of real life pirate, Samuel Burgess.

In the English version of One Piece: Pirates' Carnival, he has been named G. Zass Burgess. Like many other elements in anime dubbed by 4Kids, his name would have to be changed to avoid complaints concerning perceived religious matters.

Van Auger
Sniper

Auger (ヴァン･オーガー, Van Ōgā), nicknamed "The Supersonic", is first seen in the Jaya arc shooting down seagulls from a distance so far that the Straw Hat Pirates, who were watching, couldn't even see the island he was on. It seems he can hit a living, moving target without it even realising it was hit until they fall down dead after a set amount of time. Possibly inspired by Adolphus, the sharpshooter from the story of Baron Munchausen in both appearance and skill. Auger comes from Auge, the German word for eye. His right eye has a scope on it. His name is probably also derived from real life pirate, John Auger.

In the English version of One Piece: Pirates' Carnival, Van Auger has been named Van Ogre.

Doc Q
Doctor

Doc Q (ドクQ Doku Kyū) is the crew's doctor, though ironically, he has a sick body and needs his horse, Stronger (who is just as sick) to get around. His nickname is 'Shinigami' which literally means God of Death but most fans refer to him as the 'Grim Reaper'. He meets Luffy, Zoro, and Nami during the Jaya arc, while in Mock Town. After the Straw Hats help him get back on his horse, he offers Luffy an apple from the basket he is carrying. Unbeknownst to Luffy, Doc Q had been offering explosive apples to other pirates in Mock Town, who would then explode once they ate it. Luckily for Luffy, he picks a dud, and Doc Q tells him he is very lucky before riding off. Strangely, he is seen rowing on Blackbeard's ship, even though his body is supposedly sick and weak.

Lafitte
Lafitte (ラフィット, Rafitto) first appeared when he joined, unannounced and uninvited, at the meeting of the Seven Warlords of the Sea (Shichibukai) to determine the replacement for Sir Crocodile in order to recommend his captain. He used to be a policeman in West Blue, but he became a pirate after being exiled from the police force for being excessively violent and cruel. He is incredibly pale and sickly looking, yet is very stealthy and tap-dances while he walks. He is banned from West Blue. His name may have been inspired by Jean Lafitte, a famous real-life pirate.

Laffite bears a striking resemblance to the shock metal artist Marilyn Manson, and almost looks similar to Alan Gabriel, a psychotic android assassin from The Big O. As well, with the hat, suspenders and cane, he looks quite similar and perhaps even a reference to Alex DeLarge from Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.

In the English version of the PS2 and Gamecube game, One Piece Pirates' Carnival, Lafitte is named Raffit.

Crew Strength
Blackbeard pirates are much stronger than normal pirates depicted so far in the story. Van Auger shot a flock of seagulls from a distance so far the Straw Hats couldn't even see the island he was on. Jesus Burgess is a wrestling champion and won every fight he was in in Mock Town. Laffite was able to sneak into the World Government headquarters of Mariejoa during a meeting between several high-ranking Navy officials and three Shichibukai members completely undetected until he spoke up, a feat made even greater by his wearing tap shoes. The crew captain, Blackbeard himself inflicted a permanent scar on the face of Red-Haired Shanks - one of the Four Emperors and one the strongest pirates in the world and effortlessly defeated Sarquiss. Lastly, their attack on Drum Island was overwhelming to the point that it forced its king Wapol to flee the country entirely.

Other Information
They believe heavily in fate and luck, using often cruel measures to see how destiny plays out. One example is Van Auger, who shot a group of seagulls just to see the ones destined to die slow and painful deaths. Another example is demonstrated by Jesus Burgess, who challenges random people to a fight to see who wins. Doc Q also handed out apples in Mock Town to see who was unlucky enough to get ones that exploded after one bite and who did not. Even when they chase after Luffy to the Knock-Up Stream, his escape was put down to fate.

While it has never been stated by Oda where the influence of their flag comes from, the image of the or 3 heads appears as a classic depiction of Cerberus. The three heads of Cerberus are suppose to see the past, the present and the future and Cerberus was also the guardian of the gates of Hades. This happens to tie in with the crews views of fate and destiny as well as their often deadly methods for seeing how fate plays out and may be the reason behind the three skulls. It may also be a depiction of the Moirae, the three goddesses of Fate.

All members of the crew appear to be massive humans, not unlike Aokiji or Whitebeard. Teach, Burgess, and Doc Q are big characters, while Van Auger and Laffite are quite tall as well.