Oda previously admitted he took a lot of inspirations from real life Blackbeard's story and used it on One Piece:
If we think about why Edward Teach (or Thatch) chose Black"beard" name; we can think about another famous pirate who used "beard" name; Hayreddin Barbarossa who is called Red"beard".
Long before Edward Thatch terrorized the Caribbean in the early 1700s, the Mediterranean corsair brothers Oruç and Hızır Reis had already laid down the blueprint for naval branding in the 16th century.
European sailors, terrified of their power, gave them the Italian moniker "Barbarossa," which translates to "Redbeard".
The Barbarossa brothers were so successful that they became the "kings of pirates" of their era, eventually rising to become Grand Admirals of the Ottoman Navy.
Because of their lasting fame, "Beard" nicknames became synonymous with ultimate naval supremacy.
And how this ties to One Piece?
Edward Newgate, who is also known as "Whitebeard", greatest pirate of his era, is also called "father" by his crewmate.
Who is the pirate called "father" from real history? "Redbeard" Barbarossa, it's obviously used on purpose by Oda.
Before the Europeans called him Redbeard, his crew mates, the local people, and the thousands of refugees he rescued called him "Baba Oruç" (Father Oruç).
Redbeard earned this title because he used his fleet to rescue thousands of Muslim and Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Spain, safely transporting them to North Africa.
Just like the real "Baba (Father) Oruç" Redbeard, Whitebeard built an empire not out of greed, but out of a protective, fatherly duty to shield his "children".
Another interesting connection: Mihawk (Vlad III) and Whitebeard (Redbeard). They were enemies in Marineford battle, and later S-Hawk and Blackbeard were enemies as well.
Dracule Mihawk is absolutely steeped in visual and thematic inspiration from Vlad III (Vlad the Impaler), the historical prince of Wallachia who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Vlad III spent his entire life fighting a bloody guerrilla war against the Ottoman Empire. Eventually, in 1476, Vlad III was ambushed, killed, and decapitated by Ottoman forces, who sent his head to Istanbul as a trophy to prove the "Impaler" was dead.
The early 1500s: the very same Ottoman Empire officially partnered with the corsair brothers Oruç and Hızır Reis, the Barbarossa brothers (Redbeard).
But, the inspiration isn't all this, Mediterrenean Sea piracy continued even after the defeat of Blackbeard in 1718.
The Barbary Pirates outlast the Caribbean's Golden Age, continuing to terrorize global superpowers, including the newly formed United States into the early 1800s.
The Barbary Pirates were so influential that they basically forced U.S. to build stronger warships.
After the Revolutionary War, the U.S. completely disbanded its Continental Navy due to massive debt.
Anti-military politicians, led by Thomas Jefferson at the time, argued that a navy was too expensive and would drag America into European wars.
Had the Barbary pirates not started capturing American merchant ships and enslaving their crews, U.S. Congress would not have passed the Naval Act of 1794. The United States would have remained a nation with zero warships.
U.S. started to build "super-frigates", built larger, carrying more firepower, and using dense southern live oak to make them virtually impervious to pirate cannonballs. The Barbary Pirates (Barbary States) were so formidable and politically organized that they forced a superpower (the U.S.) to completely revolutionize its military navy.
If we look at why the Barbary Pirates were so efficient to defeat the American ships before, we can think 2 reasons;
1- The Strait of Gibraltar
To enter the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean, every single merchant ship had to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar. This is a narrow bottleneck water passage that is only about 9 miles (14 km) wide. The Barbary pirates didn't have to search the open ocean; they just had to sit at the gateway.
2- Barbary Pirates Were Built for the Mediterranean
The Barbary corsairs used specialized ships that were deadly in an enclosed sea but terrible in the rough Atlantic Ocean.
Barbary pirates primarily used rowed galleys and highly maneuverable, shallow-draft ships called "Xebecs". These ships used lateen (triangular) sails and oars. Unlike heavy European and American frigates that could get becalmed, xebecs could be rowed with oars during windless days.
"Xebec" name and the fact that Blackbeard named his own ship as Xebec isn't a coincidence.
Oda continued to extend the name connections and inspirations through the series, first with Whitebeard/Redbeard/Blackbeard name connection, then with "Xebec" name.
If we think about why Edward Teach (or Thatch) chose Black"beard" name; we can think about another famous pirate who used "beard" name; Hayreddin Barbarossa who is called Red"beard".
Long before Edward Thatch terrorized the Caribbean in the early 1700s, the Mediterranean corsair brothers Oruç and Hızır Reis had already laid down the blueprint for naval branding in the 16th century.
European sailors, terrified of their power, gave them the Italian moniker "Barbarossa," which translates to "Redbeard".
The Barbarossa brothers were so successful that they became the "kings of pirates" of their era, eventually rising to become Grand Admirals of the Ottoman Navy.
Because of their lasting fame, "Beard" nicknames became synonymous with ultimate naval supremacy.
- The Barbarossa Brothers: active years; 1500s, region: Mediterranean Sea, legacy name: Redbeard (italian Barbarossa)
- Edward Thatch: active years; 1700s, region: Caribbean / Atlantic, legacy name: Blackbeard
And how this ties to One Piece?
Edward Newgate, who is also known as "Whitebeard", greatest pirate of his era, is also called "father" by his crewmate.
Who is the pirate called "father" from real history? "Redbeard" Barbarossa, it's obviously used on purpose by Oda.
Before the Europeans called him Redbeard, his crew mates, the local people, and the thousands of refugees he rescued called him "Baba Oruç" (Father Oruç).
Redbeard earned this title because he used his fleet to rescue thousands of Muslim and Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Spain, safely transporting them to North Africa.
Just like the real "Baba (Father) Oruç" Redbeard, Whitebeard built an empire not out of greed, but out of a protective, fatherly duty to shield his "children".
Another interesting connection: Mihawk (Vlad III) and Whitebeard (Redbeard). They were enemies in Marineford battle, and later S-Hawk and Blackbeard were enemies as well.
Dracule Mihawk is absolutely steeped in visual and thematic inspiration from Vlad III (Vlad the Impaler), the historical prince of Wallachia who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
- The Cross & Sword: Vlad III belonged to the Order of the Dragon, a Christian military order created to fight the encroaching Ottoman Empire.
- Mihawk famously wears a massive crucifix necklace (which hides a dagger) and carries the black blade Yoru, which is shaped like a giant cross.
- Vlad III's homeland (Transylvania/Wallachia) is historically remembered through gothic, war-torn imagery.
- Mihawk lives alone in a massive, gloomy gothic castle on Kuraigana Island, a dark, fog-covered land devastated by a brutal war before he arrived.
Vlad III spent his entire life fighting a bloody guerrilla war against the Ottoman Empire. Eventually, in 1476, Vlad III was ambushed, killed, and decapitated by Ottoman forces, who sent his head to Istanbul as a trophy to prove the "Impaler" was dead.
The early 1500s: the very same Ottoman Empire officially partnered with the corsair brothers Oruç and Hızır Reis, the Barbarossa brothers (Redbeard).
But, the inspiration isn't all this, Mediterrenean Sea piracy continued even after the defeat of Blackbeard in 1718.
The Barbary Pirates outlast the Caribbean's Golden Age, continuing to terrorize global superpowers, including the newly formed United States into the early 1800s.
The Barbary Pirates were so influential that they basically forced U.S. to build stronger warships.
After the Revolutionary War, the U.S. completely disbanded its Continental Navy due to massive debt.
Anti-military politicians, led by Thomas Jefferson at the time, argued that a navy was too expensive and would drag America into European wars.
Had the Barbary pirates not started capturing American merchant ships and enslaving their crews, U.S. Congress would not have passed the Naval Act of 1794. The United States would have remained a nation with zero warships.
U.S. started to build "super-frigates", built larger, carrying more firepower, and using dense southern live oak to make them virtually impervious to pirate cannonballs. The Barbary Pirates (Barbary States) were so formidable and politically organized that they forced a superpower (the U.S.) to completely revolutionize its military navy.
If we look at why the Barbary Pirates were so efficient to defeat the American ships before, we can think 2 reasons;
1- The Strait of Gibraltar
To enter the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean, every single merchant ship had to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar. This is a narrow bottleneck water passage that is only about 9 miles (14 km) wide. The Barbary pirates didn't have to search the open ocean; they just had to sit at the gateway.
2- Barbary Pirates Were Built for the Mediterranean
The Barbary corsairs used specialized ships that were deadly in an enclosed sea but terrible in the rough Atlantic Ocean.
Barbary pirates primarily used rowed galleys and highly maneuverable, shallow-draft ships called "Xebecs". These ships used lateen (triangular) sails and oars. Unlike heavy European and American frigates that could get becalmed, xebecs could be rowed with oars during windless days.
"Xebec" name and the fact that Blackbeard named his own ship as Xebec isn't a coincidence.
Oda continued to extend the name connections and inspirations through the series, first with Whitebeard/Redbeard/Blackbeard name connection, then with "Xebec" name.
