What is this all about? Well, I've been fascinated with pirates since I was I kid, and that's what drew me to One Piece in the beginning. My thoughts were "A pirate manga? Awesome!"
Anyway, we all know that many of Oda's characters get their names from real pirates. Being the pirate history buff I am, I decided to do some research. Here I have posted some history on those sea dogs and compared them to the characters they inspired. Sometimes there doesn't seem to be a connection between the ficional character and the real-life namesake. Other times…Well, you be the judge!
Roronoa Zoro: Named after the pirate François l'Olonnais, known as one of the most ruthless and cruel "Pirates of the Caribbean". His pirating career started around the pirating town of Tortuga during the mid-1600's, where he sailed to Hispaniola and sided with the buccaneers there. He got his reputation from the way he treated his prisoners, cruel and unusual methods used. However, late in his career, he was deserted by his crew after supposedly ripping out a man's heart and gnawing on it. He was caught and killed by Indians after running aground on a sand bar off the Las Petras Islands.
Bellamy: Named after Samuel Bellamy, or Black Bellamy, who in 1715 set out from Cape Cod in search of sunken Spanish treasures. He promised a local beauty, Maria Hallet, that he would return sailing the fastest, tallest ship in the world. When the treasure hunt failed, and he refused to return to Cape Cod empty-handed, he turned to piracy. After a long and fairly successful run, Bellamy captured a three-masted galley called the Wydah, packed with loot. Bellamy made this his flagship, but was killed when the Wydah capsized during a squall on it's way back to Cape Cod.
Captain "Axe-Arm" Morgan: Named after captain Henry Morgan. Morgan persuaded the buccaneers of Jamaica and Hispaniola to aid him in an attack against Portabello, a well defended Spanish town. With a clever plan, he succeeded, and soon had gathered 36 ships and nearly 2,000 men. He then attacked Panama City, where he made off with most of the booty himself, deserting his men. Morgan was eventually captured by the British and sent to London to be tried. Instead, King Charles II ended up knighting Morgan and makng him govener of Jamaica for his raids against the Spanish. Taking into his new job, Morgan began to hang pirates, even a few he had previously sailed with. He died wealthy and respected.
More to come soon!