Of course, the obscurity of Alvida's namesake is a bit of a departure for Oda. (At least until we hit Sadie the Goat.) Most of his pirates are much more recognizable, such as Marshall D. Teach, who goes by the name of Blackbeard. Most of us have heard of the real Blackbeard, Edward Teach, best known for the epic showdown he lost against Lieutenant Maynard. Real-life Blackbeard got his name from his enormous black beard, described by one historian as “cover[ing] his whole face...suffered to grow to an extravagant length...up to his eyes; he was accustomed to twist it with ribbons...and turn [it] about his ears.” Apparently, he also enjoyed sticking lighted matches under his hat when he went into battle, just to be even more terrifying and inhuman. His fearsome nature became so legendary that after Lieutenant Maynard cut off his head, Blackbeard's decapitated body supposedly swam around the ship three times before sinking.
While Oda's Blackbeard isn't quite up to that level of terror, his beard is definitely starting to look more like his real-life counterpart's post time-skip. He's also just about as ruthless, cutting a swath through his enemies and operating on a “what's yours is mine even if I have to kill you to prove it” basis. He even takes a guy's name – Blackbeard kills Thatch, one of Whitebeard's other sub-commanders, while the real-life Blackbeard was sometimes known as Edward Thatch rather than Teach. So when he kills Thatch, he's really just taking back what's his. Both Oda's Blackbeard and the historical one share an immoral nature, seeing nothing wrong with what they do. Perhaps the closest link between the Blackbeards is a belief in their own superiority and power – real Blackbeard never went into a fight he didn't think he could win, up to and including his fatal battle with the lieutenant in 1719. According to records, he congratulated Maynard on his winning blow with a “Well done, lad,” before dying with five bullets and 20 sword cuts all over his body. We'll see if Oda's Blackbeard is as tough to bring down.
Incidentally, the pirate museum in St. Augustine, Florida, has a re-enactment of Blackbeard's final fight and a chance to talk to his disembodied head as it dangles from Maynard's bowsprit. You know, just in case you want to compare Oda's version to history.
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