In Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Edward Kenway initially impersonates the Assassin Duncan Walpole.
Edward is a Welsh privateer and pirate who encounters Walpole early in the story. After the encounter, Edward takes Walpole's clothing and identity to gain access to a meeting in Havana. This decision draws him into the conflict between the Assassins and Templars, even though his original motivation is personal profit.
Duncan Walpole is not the same person as Edward Kenway. Edward's deception creates the game's early plot and helps explain why an ambitious pirate becomes entangled with the Assassin Brotherhood. Famous pirates such as Blackbeard appear later, but none is the identity Edward impersonates at the opening.
Black Flag was released in 2013 and is set largely in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. Its naval exploration, ship combat, and open-world sailing became defining features of the game.