BLACKBEARD THE DARK PHOENIX
Blackbeard the Yonko of Destruction and Rebirth. In this theory I will talk about what Blackbeard might represent. Symbol of Power and why he wants to steal Marco’s devil fruit in Wano.
We all know that Oda takes inspiration from different mythologies and tales to create some original characters. Here I will show some things that I found out. Most of them are from Asian folklore. Bare with me coz this will be a long read. Your Mind might be blown!!
First of all why I think Blackbeard can have more than one devil fruit is because he’s victim of chimerism and has 3 lineage factor(or DNA). One of the reasons is because it can happen that you absorb your dead twin in the womb. In his case, I think he absorbed his triplets.
I think that Blackbeard takes a bit from Lord Shiva and represents the Yonko of Destruction, Birth and Rebirth.
Wikipedia: “…The iconographical attributes of Shiva are the serpent around his neck, the adorning crescent moon, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the third eye on his forehead, the trishula as his weapon and the damaru.”
I think for Blackbeard his trident is his jolly roger or his 3 blades claws, and the guns are the devil fruits.
In Samkhya philosophy, a guna is one of the “tendencies, qualities, modes of existence, states”: sattva, rajas and tamas. Shiva is “The Pure One”, and “the One who is not affected by 3 gunas of nature. Similarly for BB it means he doesn’t explode even though he will have 3 DFs.
From wikipedia: “Sattva is the quality of balance, harmony, goodness, purity, universalizing, holistic, constructive, creative, building, positive attitude, luminous, serenity, being-ness, peaceful, virtuous.
Rajas is the quality of passion, activity, neither good nor bad and sometimes either, self-centeredness, egoistic, individualizing, driven, moving, dynamic.
Tamas is the quality of imbalance, disorder, chaos, anxiety, impure, destructive, delusion, negative, dull or inactive, apathy, inertia or lethargy, violent, vicious, ignorant.”
- Sattva – The Gura Gura no Mi – Whitebeard’s will. He was a cheerful person and carefree. He wanted to build a family and cherished it. His death was symbolic, the beginning(creation) of a new era for the worst generation. Before he died he confirmed that the one piece exists.
- Rajas – Marco’s Mythical Zoan – The Phoenix associates with the sun, fire and renewal. Fire also represents enthusiasm, perseverance and passion. The phoenix is like an eternal flame.
- Tamas – Yami Yami no Mi – Tamas literally means darkness.
The Master/Lord of Ghost
Extract from – https://www.templepurohit.com/lord-shivas-ganas-bhutas/
“Lord Shiva is called the Bhuta-Nath, being assisted by various types of powerful ghosts and denizens of the inferno–Bhutas, Pretas, Pramathas, Guhyakas, Dakinis, Pisacas, Kushmanda, Vetalas, Vinayakas and Brahma-rakshasas. (Of all kinds of ghosts, the Brahma-rakshasas are very powerful. Brahmanas transferred to the role of ghosts become Brahma-rakshasas.)”
In summary Shiva is the master of spirits, ghosts, demons and supernatural entities of hell. How Blackbeard corelate to this is that many of his subordinates, the worst of notorious pirates, are from impel down which was comparative to hell.
There’s this ongoing theory that I support which claims that the Yonko and Pirate King is based on the dragon emperors of the four seas and I think Whitebeard was the previous fire dragon of the south, and now it will be Blackbeard. I think the Yonko are also associated the Four Symbols (Holy Beasts). And maybe from the Four Evangelists also.
From Wiki: ”John the Evangelist, the author of the 4th gospel account, is symbolized by an eagle – a figure of the sky, and believed by Christian scholars to be able to look straight into the sun….”
Why Whitebeard was the previous South Dragon
- Malaysia is directly at the South of China, on its flag there is a crescent moon and a Star. Similarly when Whitebeard’s Jolly Roger was shown for the first time,in chapter 234, his ‘HIGE’ was like a crescent moon with a clockwise swastika. In Hinduism, a clockwise swastika signifies Surya(the sun, our star).
- Whitebeard had 16 division commanders which may represent the 13 States of Malaysia & its 3 federal territories.
- His 2 top commanders were fire themed: Fire Fist Ace & Marco the Phoenix.
More in depth detail about Whitebeard may be subject for another theory
FIRE ELEMENT, NUMEROLOGY
Source – https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/china-five-elements-philosophy.htm
Associations of the Five Elements
Each element has its own characteristics and associations with different aspect of nature, such as direction, season, color, shape, and so on. See the tables above.
Chinese/Japanese numerology
The number 3 means/sounds like life or birth, and is considered to be a good number.
The number 4 is unlucky because it is sometimes pronounced shi, , which is the word for death. In Chinese, because it is nearly homophonous to the word “death” (死 pinyin sǐ).
How it relates to Teach is that he was born on the 3rd August. The number 43 can literally mean ”stillbirth” in Japanese, which could relate to BB’s dead triplets that he absorbed and became a human chimaera.
The Sun Bird
The Phoenix
Etymology – From Old French fenix, via Latin from Greek phoinix ‘Phoenician, reddish purple, or phoenix’. The relationship between the Greek senses is obscure: it could not be ‘the Phoenician bird’ because the legend centres on the temple at Heliopolis in Egypt, where the phoenix is said to have burnt itself on the altar. Perhaps the basic sense is ‘purple’, symbolic of fire and possibly the primary sense of Phoenicia as the purple land
In Greek Mythology, a phoenix is a long-lived bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Sometimes it’s compared to an Eagle or peacock. It can symbolize renewal in general as well as the reincarnation, resurrection, sun, time, eternal life, the Roman Empire and some Christian aspects.
The phoenix was sometime depicted endowed with a halo which emphasizes the bird’s connection with the Sun.
Fenghuang
The fenghuang are mythological birds of East Asia that reign over all other birds. The fenghuang is also called the “August Rooster” since it sometimes takes the place of the rooster in Chinese zodiac. In the West, it is commonly called the Chinese phoenix.
According to the Erya‘s(An old Chinese Encyclopedia) chapter 17 Shiniao, fenghuang is made up of the beak of a rooster, the face of a swallow, the forehead of a fowl, the neck of a snake, the breast of a goose, the back of a tortoise, the hindquarters of a stag and the tail of a fish. Nowadays, it is often described as a composite of many birds including the head of a golden pheasant, the body of a mandarin duck, the tail of a peacock, the legs of a crane, the beak of a parrot and the wings of a swallow.
The fenghuang’s body symbolizes the celestial bodies: the head is the sky, the eyes are the sun, the back is the moon, the wings are the wind, the feet are the earth, and the tail is the planets.The fenghuang is said to have originated in the sun. Its body contains the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, yellow, and green.
White is Shirohige’s devil fruit.
The fenghuang also symbolizes the union of yin and yang(good/bad, dark/bright, negative/positive). Whitebeard powers x Blackbeard powers.
The Color of Marco’s Fire
Oda used the color turquoise for Marco’s flames because it represent wisdom,refreshing, regeneration, healing, protection, undamaged and unity. Blue flames also burns more ardently, are hotter than red flames.
The eagle is the chief over all the winged creatures. Eagle conveys the powers and messages of the spirit; it is man’s connection to the divine because it flies higher than any other bird. The eagle brings the message of renewed life because it is associated with the east winds – the direction of spring, dawn and rebirth.
If an individual has been going through a hard time, eagle not only signals a new beginning, but provides that person with the stamina and resilience to endure the difficulties. If eagle has appeared, it bestows freedom and courage to look ahead. The eagle is symbolic of the importance of honesty and truthful principles. Summon the eagle when you are about to embark on a challenge, a massive life change or a creative endeavor.
Eagle people are seen as visionaries, those who are seekers and who are willing to push the limits of self-discovery and personal freedom. The eagle person is a born leader and may become impatient with those who cannot fly as high or as fast.
Despite the fact that eagle with hold aloof or retreat to the skies, people will naturally gravitate to them.
The Native Indians saw the Eagle as a symbol for great strength, leadership and vision. As if to seemingly mirror this, the eagle has been used as a ‘banner’ by many of the great empires throughout history, from Babylon to Egypt, through to Rome and even the United States. In early Christianity the eagle was seen as a symbol of hope and strength, representing salvation. The eagle appears twice in the book of Revelation; both times in a context that suggests it is on the side of God. In Islam, the eagle represents warlike ferocity, nobility and dominion.
In ancient Aztec tradition, the chief god told people to settle at a place where they find an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake. This place is now Mexico City. Zeus changed into the form of the sacred eagle to help himself control thunder and lightning. The eagle was a strong emblem in the Roman Empire. The Hittites drew upon a double-headed eagle so that they would never be surprised. The Pueblo Indians associated the eagle with the energies of the sun – physical and spiritual – as well as symbols of greater sight and perception.
When Blackbeard was shown for the first time, he was portrayed being cheerful who believed in dreams and fate.
Throughout the story of One Piece he was shown to have a vision: to become the strongest and become the Pirate King. He is Chaotic Neutral who believes that there is no inherent “good” nor “evil” in the world, jeeringly mocking anyone who expresses such belief. He has no remorse of using any means necessary to achieve his dream, being very egoistical. He is shown to be very cunning and patient( trait of eagle spirit guide). He has extreme lust for power and only fight when he’s sure to win. He’s the only ”D” to afraid of Death.
I think Blackbeard will get Marco’s Devil Fruit coz it fits pretty conveniently with the theme of the Cycle of life and death. Teach is also afraid of death. Eagles and Phoenix representing Power and Divinity could associate with Blackbeard’s Lust for Power and becoming the Pirate King. Blackbeard’s date of birth(3rd August) relates to life and fenghuan,”the august rooster”. Even his color scheme is similar to the fenghuan. Like Shiva he represent destruction and rebirth, he is the master of demons(pirates) from hell(impel down). He represent the Fire Emperor of the South. Relating to Malaysia his crew will be composed of 13 nakama like I believe for the Straw Hats.
That is why I think Blackbeard will appear at Wano to acquire Marco’s Devil Fruit to complete his representation of Destruction and Rebirth.
*Theory by Jeffrey zorofan
