In One Piece, few characters embody both mystery and menace as perfectly as Marshall D. Teach, better known as Blackbeard. His rise from a shadow within Whitebeard’s crew to one of the most dangerous figures in the New World is the stuff of pirate legend.
But what if every step of his ascent from stealing the Yami Yami no Mi to claiming the Gura Gura no Mi was part of a larger plan rooted not in greed, but in revenge? A growing fan theory suggests that Blackbeard’s motivations may tie directly back to the infamous God Valley Incident and, ultimately, to Imu, the shadowy ruler of the world.
The trauma of God Valley and Blackbeard’s origins in One Piece

The God Valley Incident remains one of One Piece’s most mysterious historical events. It was the battlefield where Rocks D. Xebec and his crew clashed with Roger and Garp, and it changed the course of world history.
Many fans believe that a young Blackbeard might have been present or at least connected to this event through lineage, perhaps even as a child of someone involved.
If this theory holds true, it would mean that Blackbeard’s obsession with power and knowledge isn’t random; it’s born from witnessing or inheriting the trauma of an unimaginable event tied to Imu and the Void Century’s suppressed truths.
Fans argue that this trauma could explain why Teach was such a strange, joyless child, as noted in his backstory, and why he became so driven to understand Devil Fruits and world history.
The Yami Yami and Gura Gura: Tools of revenge

Among countless Devil Fruits in One Piece, the Yami Yami no Mi and Gura Gura no Mi stand apart. The first can nullify other Devil Fruit powers, a terrifying counter to any supernatural ability, while the second can literally destroy the world.
If Imu truly possesses godlike powers, these two fruits together could represent the perfect weapons to challenge them. This isn’t a coincidence. Fans speculate that Teach didn’t stumble upon the Yami Yami no Mi by luck; he hunted it.
He studied its properties, tracked its potential locations, and waited decades aboard Whitebeard’s ship until fate aligned. His patience and planning reflect a deeper goal than simple domination.
Perhaps he knew that one day he would need both darkness and destruction to bring down the one who sits on the Empty Throne. Even the order of his actions makes sense in this context.
The Yami Yami no Mi allows him to cancel powers like Imu’s rumored dominion over life and death, while the Gura Gura no Mi would give him the means to shatter the Red Line itself, symbolically tearing down the foundation of Imu’s world.
Final thoughts
This level of intellect makes him a unique threat. While Imu hides in the shadows ruling the world, Blackbeard operates in the open, destabilizing the existing order from below.
Their clash, should it ever happen, could mark the end of the “Age of Imu” and the true beginning of the “Age of D.” If Imu truly stands as the god of this world, then Blackbeard, armed with the powers of darkness and destruction, might just be the devil sent to bring that god down.