Edward Newgate

Whitebeard (Real name Edward Newgate) (エドワード・二ューゲート, Edowādo Nyūgēto) is a fictional character in the anime and manga, One Piece. He is known as the "closest pirate to One Piece."

Some believe his name is derived from the Newgate prison in England and the Edward is from Edward Teach, the supposed name of the real Black Beard. His former subordinate, Blackbeard, has the last name of Teach, furthering the connection between the two characters.

About Whitebeard
He is the captain of the "Whitebeard Pirates". As the only man in the world who was able to match the late Pirate King, Gold Roger, in a fight, Whitebeard has been given the title of the "strongest man in the world". Whitebeard allegedly controls an enormous pirate fleet (much like Don Krieg's) which is divided into numerous corps under the command of a Whitebeard subordinate, and we have seen that what Whitebeard hates most of all is when one of his men dies. Monkey D. Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace, is the commander of Whitebeard's second corps.

Whitebeard appears to have some health problems, possibly stemming from his advanced age. He is always surrounded by nurses and is hooked up to intravenous tubes. But despite this, he still drinks rum by the barrel. Even with his health issues, he is still considered the world's most dangerous and powerful pirate, which raises the question of how powerful he must have been in his prime. Whitebeard has never been seen in a fight.

Whitebeard appears to be a normal human afflicted with "giantism" (he is not to be confused with actual giants, some of whom inhabit an island called Elbaf) although this is not confirmed. Whitebeard may also be half-giant.

Whitebeard is one of the Yonkou, four of the most formidable pirates that rule the second half of the Grand Line, along with Shanks and two other unknown pirates. They are considered the strongest pirates in the Grand Line.

In a recent Japanese Fan Poll, Whitebeard is currently ranked the 43rd most popular character in One Piece.

His name in the English dub is now "Ward Newgate"

Personality and Relationships
He, Shanks, and Buggy appear to know each other, although the nature of their relationship is unknown. Shanks seems to be currently pursuing discussion with Whitebeard about Blackbeard's matters (which the World Government fear might lead them to group together), while Buggy appears to fear the huge pirate.

When he first appears, he receives a letter from Red-Haired Shanks on behalf of Shanks' newest crewmate Rockstar. However, before even reading the letter, Whitebeard throws it away, claiming that if Shanks wants to talk, then he should visit in person. He even asks Rockstar to tell Shanks to prepare an expensive bottle of wine when Shanks comes to visit.

Translation Problem
The name Whitebeard is actually a mistranslation. In Japanese, his nickname is Shiro Hige. The word 'Shiro' meaning white, and 'Hige' meaning beard or mustache. As seen on his face and his flag symbol, the man doesn't have any beard, but he does have white mustache. A more proper nickname for him should be White Mustache. However, this name doesn't have a 'ring' to it as a pirate's name. This might be the reason why some people translated it as 'Whitebeard' instead.