Some One Piece fans may be unaware that many characters are actually based on real-life pirates or other nautical figures. Casual One Piece fans especially may not be aware of the real-life inspirations. Fans who have gone in-depth on the series and looked into details carefully, however, probably have an idea. Creator Eiichiro Oda has based several characters on real-life figures and many of them are pirates. In order to find out who’s based on who, a lot of research needs to be done. Oda has used his skills brilliantly to bring the legends of these characters into One Piece. Many historical pirates and explorers have served as inspirations for Oda’s wide cast of pirate characters.
Updated November 2nd, 2021, by Brittanie Maldonado: One Piece‘s enduring popularity has kept it in the public’s eye for the last 20+ years. Part of Eiichiro Oda’s brilliance behind this series lies in the fact that he drew real-life inspiration for many of his pirate characters. It’s been nearly two years since this article was first published, so it’s worth going looking for any other famous One Piece pirates that may have been inspired by historical real-life sailors, explorers, or famous pirates.
15 Gol D. Roger Is Inspired By Olivier Levasseur
Gol D. Roger is the entire reason that One Piece even has a story to tell. After all, he’s the legendary Pirate King who dared future pirates to locate his sizeable One Piece treasure and claim it for themselves. Roger is likely based on the real-life pirate Olivier Levasseur, who likewise challenged others to find his own legendary treasure. To this day, it still hasn’t been found. Another inspiration is Henry Every, a 1600s pirate whose deeds earned him the title “King of Pirates” and inspired figures such as Blackbeard.
14 Alvida Is Inspired By The Legendary Awilda
Alvida is both the first female pirate encountered in the series and also the first known female Devil Fruit user. Her Devil Fruit, the Sube Sube no Mi, gave Alvida a dramatic physical transformation that made her skin very smooth and slippery. Alvida is likely based on the legendary figure Awilda, who is believed to have been a pirate who became the Queen of Denmark. Many historians question the veracity of Awilda’s story, however, and she’s widely considered a legend rather than a historical person.
13 Cavendish Is Inspired By Thomas Cavendish
Although he was initially antagonistic to the Straw Hat Pirates, Cavendish eventually changed sides and became a supporter of Luffy’s goals. He’s a beautiful man with a split personality named Hakuba. Cavendish can come off as overly prideful and arrogant. His inspiration is likely Sir Thomas Cavendish, a famous English explorer and privateer that became known as “The Navigator.” Thomas Cavendish is known as one of the early navigators who successfully circumnavigated the globe in the late 1500s, an expedition that made him rich from captured goods.
12 Yorki Is Inspired By Calico Jack
Yorki is a famous pirate from before the events of One Piece. Fans know him through Brook, who was once part of Yorki’s crew. Yorki was the captain of the Rumbar Pirates and went by the nickname “Calico” Yorki. The “Calico” part of his nickname likely refers to Calico Jack.
Born as John Rackham, Calico Jack was an English pirate captain who was active during the early 18th century. He mostly operated in the Bahamas and around Cuba, where he amassed his pirate fortune. Notably, he also met the pirate Anne Bonny.
11 Zeff Is Inspired By “Red Legs” Greaves
He may have given up his pirate days to become the head chef of Baratie, but he was nevertheless known as “Red-Leg” while he was the captain of the Cook Pirates. Zeff is Sanji’s mentor who taught him everything he knows about cooking. Zeff’s inspiration likely comes from “Red Legs” Greaves, a Scottish buccaneer who was active in the Caribbean and West Indies during the 1670s. Greaves was considered a successful pirate during his time, but a lack of historical records suggests he may have been fictional.
10 Blackbeard Is Inspired By Edward Teach
Marshall D. Teach, also known as Blackbeard, is the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates in One Piece. He is the newest member of the Yonko. He became a Yonko after he defeated the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates. Marshall D. Teach was inspired by the most famous real-life pirate, who was in fact named Blackbeard. However, the name of the real-life Blackbeard was Edward Teach. So, Oda used the last name of the real-life pirate for Blackbeard in One Piece. This gave rise to Marshall D. Teach instead of Edward Teach.
9 Roronoa Zoro Is Inspired By François l’Olonnais
One of the members of the Worst Generation, Roronoa Zoro is also one of the most popular characters in the series. Zoro was the first person to join Luffy on his adventure of becoming the Pirate King. Zoro has the dream of achieving the title of World’s Strongest Swordsman.
Surprisingly, Zoro is also based on a real-life pirate named François l’Ollonais. Zoro’s surname is based on the Japanese pronunciation of the pirate captain. François l’Ollonais was a famous pirate who was active during the 1660s.
8 Charlotte “Big Mom” Linlin Is Based On Charlotte Badger & Charlotte de Berry
Charlotte “Big Mom” Linlin is the captain of the Big Mom Pirates. Big Mom used to be a member of the Rocks Pirates, which is one of the strongest crews in One Piece history. Linlin possesses the Soru Soru no Mi, which allows her to take the souls of other people. She currently boasts of a bounty of 4,388,000,000 beris. Her name has been taken from two real-life pirates, Charlotte Badger and Charlotte de Berry.
7 Jewelry Bonney Is Inspired By Anne Bonny
Jewelry Bonney is one of the more mysterious characters in One Piece. She is a member of the Worst Generation and the leader of Bonney Pirates. Her Devil Fruit allows her to alter the age of a person she touches. Neither the name nor the true power of this Devil Fruit has been revealed yet. Bonney is based on the real-life pirate Anne Bonny. Anne Bonny was a famous female pirate who was active during the 18th century. Although she was born a noblewoman, she ended her life as a pirate.
6 Edward Newgate Is Also Inspired By Edward Teach
A former Yonko, Edward Newgate was known throughout the world as Whitebeard, the Strongest Man in the World and the King of the Seas. There’s no doubt that Whitebeard was among the strongest characters until the very end. He had the Gura Gura no Mi Devil Fruit, which allowed him to create quakes. Whitebeard’s first name was been taken from Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard). His last name is from the famous Newgate Prison, which was a notorious prison in London known for imprisoning many infamous pirates during the historical Golden Age of Piracy.
5 Lafitte Is Inspired By Jean Lafitte
Lafitte is one of Blackbeard’s most trusted crewmates. He was originally a sheriff in a town in West Blue, but he was imprisoned for being too violent. After that, Lafitte joined the Blackbeard Pirates. Currently, he’s the captain of the fifth ship of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Lafitte is based on Jean Lafitte, who used to be a protector of law at one point in his life. However, he couldn’t contain his hunger for action and money, so he decided to become a pirate. Jean Lafitte was active during the 1800s.
4 Eustass Kid Is Inspired By William “Captain” Kidd
Eustass Kid is among the most notorious pirates in the series. Like Bonney, he too was a part of the Worst Generation. Eustass Kid is the captain of the Kid Pirates, and he is among the strongest Supernovas. Kid was even able to injure a Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates. Eustass Kid’s surname has been taken from Eustace the Monk, who was a French pirate that was known as a mercenary. The name Kid was inspired by a Scottish pirate known as William “Captain” Kidd, who was executed for his piracy.
3 Basil Hawkins Is Inspired By Basil Ringrose & John Hawkins
Basil Hawkins was the captain of Hawkins Pirates who eventually joined Kaido and became a headliner of the Beasts Pirates. Hawkins possesses the Wara Wara no Mi, which gives him the unique ability to control straw. He’s very skilled with his Devil Fruit powers and can even create voodoo dolls to absorb damage.
“Basil” likely comes from Basil Ringrose, an English buccaneer and author. “Hawkins” can be linked to John Hawkins, a 17th-century British naval commander. It’s also related to the protagonist of the famous fictional pirate tale Treasure Island.
2 Silvers Rayleigh Is Based On Sir Walter Raleigh
Silvers Rayleigh used to be a part of one of the strongest crews to ever sail the Grand Line. Despite having no Devil Fruit power, Rayleigh is considered to be among the strongest characters in the series. Rayleigh’s abilities have deteriorated with age, but he is still capable of going up against a Navy Admiral. Rayleigh is very likely based on the Englishman Sir Walter Rayleigh, who is known for his efforts to bring tobacco usage into the mainstream in English society. He’s also reminiscent of John Silver from Treasure Island.
1 X Drake Is Based On Sir Francis Drake
X Drake is a member of the Beasts Pirates and one of the Tobi Roppo, who are the six strongest Beasts Pirates crewmates. X Drake possesses an ancient mythical zoan type Devil Fruit known as Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Allosaurus. He has good control over his Devil Fruit considering he was able to break into the top six strongest crewmates. Drake is also capable of using Armament Haki. He is very likely based on Sir Francis Drake, who was an English pirate and a well-known explorer of the Elizabethan era.
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