Edward Newgate

Edward Newgate, better known as Whitebeard, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, is known as the "Man closest to One Piece" or "The Strongest Man in the World" (世界最強の男 Sekai saikyo no otoko) and is one of the Yonkou that rule over the New World.

Appearance
Whitebeard is an abnormally large human, roughly five times the size of a normal human. He is always seen with a bandanna around his head, scars on his chest and a white captain's coat, worn over his bare upper body, which has his Jolly Roger symbol on the back of it, while in the past he used a pirate hat instead of a bandanna. Twenty years ago, however, he wore a pirate tricone in place of the bandanna, seemed to have less scars on his chest and he had long hair.

His most-prominent feature is the large mustache, shaped like a crescent moon, it is directly responsible for the epithet; Whitebeard.

While not in battle, Whitebeard has many tubes attached to other medic machines due to some health issues. For unknown reasons in manga, the scar on his chest wasn't present in Ace's flashback when they first met three years ago, which he already got many years before meeting Ace, from Ace's father.

Personality
I am only one man with one heart...Call me a demon, call me a monster...but I can't be the strongest forever...!!! - Whitebeard's response to his status as the "Strongest Man in the World". His reign on the sea, reputation and foreboding power have made him appear to be overconfident and fearless (to the point of making it seem that he considers Admirals, Shichibukai and other Yonkou to be annoyances more than legitimate threats). One way to appease him seems to be mainly involve bringing and sharing with him a drink (preferably of high quality and very expensive) with him while striking up a conversation, as seen with his encounters with Shanks and Shiki. Still, this does not guarantee complete cooperation from the Pirate, judging from the nature of these said conversations. In initial appearances he seems unable to see any cause for alarm on any decision he makes and refuses all advice given to him (from his nurse telling him not to drink heavily to Shanks warning him of Blackbeard). However, later revelations show that he is much more thoughtful than he appears. Actions that initially seem to be the result of thoughtless, headstrong bravado actually have strong reasons behind them (his loud declaration that Fishman Island belonged to him freed the island from all pirates and slavery, and his insistence that Blackbeard be punished was merely a cover for Ace, who had set out after him against Whitebeard's wishes). Although from what other people see of him he may seem to have an overgrown ego, deep down he knows that he is nothing but a single man. He knows that the youth are key to the future, and that their lives are more important than his own.

He also seems to enjoy talking about the past. The first things he talks about when Shanks visits are old memories from the past 22 years, and when he saw Buggy during the war, he recalled some memories from the past. People that were children at that time are still children in his eyes, even men as powerful as his fellow Yonkou Shanks and Admiral Aokiji. Among his philosophies in life is that it is fine when a man decides what to make of his life, as long as he doesn't live to regret it. He has also been shown to be forgiving even after being stabbed in the abdomen by his ally Squad when he realized that Akainu had deceived Squad.

A distinguishing feature of Whitebeard's personality is his high moral standards. As stated by Buggy the Clown, Whitebeard never forgives the death of a crewmate. His stance, that a man cannot live without some form of moral code, stands in direct contrast to that of his immoral former subordinate, Blackbeard. The ultimate proof of his unwavering sense of right and wrong comes when he declares war with the World Government solely to save Ace's life. However, he is willing to go against his moral code under certain circumstances, such as when he instructed Ace to let Blackbeard go because he had an uneasy feeling about him. Whitebeard also believes that a child should not be responsible for their parents' sins, and he told Squad that Ace should not be held responsible for Roger killing his (Squad's) original crew.

Crew
It'd be a shame if you died here, kid. If you still want to wreck havoc on this sea, bear my name on your back and go wild as much as you like...!!! Become my son!! - Whitebeard telling Ace to join his crew Any nakama from Whitebeard's crew who kills another nakama must be punished by another member of his crew, they are to be hunted down by the commander of that former crew member's division. Whitebeard's strong stand against crewmate killing is based on his fatherly stance over every member of his crew. As a result of this treatment the whole crew affectionately refer to him as "Pops". However, Whitebeard does not force commanders to hunt down wayward crew members if he has an uneasy feeling about the situation. In the case of Blackbeard, for example, Whitebeard tries to make an exception and stop Ace from hunting down Blackbeard. In spite of Whitebeard's advice Ace insists on hunting Blackbeard for the sake of Pops' honor. This is not blind loyalty as Whitebeard is willing to go to war with the World Government to save Ace. In addition, Whitebeard takes full responsibility for the actions of his crew and keeps a stern iron fist outward appearance for non-crew members, falsely claiming to outsiders that he ordered Ace to hunt down Blackbeard. Whitebeard also treats all of his "sons" equally, and claimed to Squad that Ace is no different than any other, despite being Gol D. Roger's son. In battle, while this unshakeable bond between him and his crew stands, Whitebeard's subordinates know better than to get in the way of their captain.

Allies
Whitebeard has a great number of allies from the New World, strong and infamous pirates, among which are "Bohemian Knight" Doma, "Thunder Lord" Makugai, the Decalvan Brothers, "Great Whirlpool Spider" Squad, Oars Jr., and "Ice Witch" Whitey Bay. He treats them as though they were his sons, just like his crew.

Because of his role as a protector of Fishman Island, Whitebeard is considered a hero by many fishmen, in particular Jinbei of the Shichibukai.

Whitebeard seems to have some form of respect for Luffy after hearing about him from both Ace and Shanks. Whereas Ace had shown excitement that Luffy was on the Grand Line, Shanks had stated that he had given up his arm on a "bet on the New Age". After showing his fierce tenacity, Luffy has managed to gain Whitebeard's respect, something that he does not give to many other "brats". Whitebeard has gone as far as assigning his top commander Marco to act as Luffy's bodyguard during the war and "won't forgive" him if Luffy dies. As the war goes on, his respect for Luffy increases after witnessing Luffy's true potential to the point that Whitebeard decides to assign all his forces to fully support Strawhat Luffy with all their might, a decision which even surprised his own men.

Enemies
Despite having been rivals to Gol D. Roger he seemed to have a lot of respect for him to the point that he'd adopt and protect Roger's son from the hands of the World Government.

Since none of the Yonkou are united together, any other Yonkou is a threat to him and his crew. When he first appears, he receives a letter from Red-Haired Shanks delivered by 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 sake when Shanks comes to visit. Most of all, he refuses to accept Shanks as anything more than the snot-nosed kid he was 22 years ago, believing he is 100 years too young to tell him what to do.

He has also made many enemies over the years besides the other Yonkou and World Government. There are many prisoners in the lower levels of Impel Down who wish to kill him because of personal grudges, the only one known by name so far however is Crocodile. Another enemy of his is Blackbeard, for killing Thatch and for Ace's capture and impending execution.

Abilities and Powers
He is the captain of the "Whitebeard Pirates". He is the only man in the world who could match the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, in a fight (the only one to come close, is Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, said to have cornered Gol D. Roger numerous times), Whitebeard has been given the title of the "strongest man in the world". Whitebeard controls an enormous pirate fleet (much like Don Krieg's, though considerably more powerful and less numerous) which is divided into numerous corps under the command of a Whitebeard subordinate. 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 during the days of Gol D. Roger (though the data book states that he hasn't lost any power from his prime). Whitebeard appears to have some health problems, possibly stemming from his advanced age and severe drinking. He is always surrounded by nurses, when not in battle he uses oxygen tubes, and is hooked up to intravenous tubes and life support systems. Despite this, he still literally drinks sake by the barrel. However, Marco has noted that Whitebeard's health has gotten worse, and he no longer possess the reflexes to avoid Squad's surprise attack, which was, in the past, something impossible to achieve.

Whitebeard is one of the Yonkou, four of the most formidable pirates that rule the second half of the Grand Line, along with Shanks, Kaidou, and an unnamed fourth. They are considered the biggest pirate threats to the World Government.

Whitebeard's powers are so great, that few would dare challenge him or any of his crew, making Ace, Crocodile, and Blackbeard a few very brave and powerful people. In fact, Whitebeard's reputation is so great, his simple declaration that Fishman Island is his territory is enough to drive slave traders and pirates from attacking the place further, making him far more effective than a treaty signed with the World Government 200 years ago.

Another testament to this power is the fact that the Shichibukai and World Government are using virtually all their power to prepare to fight him. Also, aboard his ship, the Moby Dick, 23 Marine ships were destroyed in an instant. Whether he destroyed them with his own skill or Devil Fruit ability has yet to be seen.

An example of his power is his "fight" with Shanks as when their weapons clash the "the heavens" split in two. Another is that he was able to defeat two Vice-Admiral Giants with one attack to each. His incredible physical strength is also noted in his fight against John Giant; despite his deteriorating health and injury, he was able to block a two-handed downward swing from the giant Vice Admiral with only one hand on his bisento. Whitebeard was also capable of injuring Ace in self-defense every time the latter tried to sneak-attack him, despite Ace having a Logia Devil Fruit. Whitebeard's retaliation was so effortless, that he was able to do so even when sleeping.

Besides his extremely formidable physique and Devil fruit (along with his bisento), Whitebeard is a brilliant military strategist, comparable to Sengoku the Buddha himself. His tactical brilliance was demonstrated when he scattered the pirates so that they wouldn't be routed by Pacifista, or when he bypassed the siege wall using Oars as a propeller for his fourth boat, which was utilized as a strategic edge in battle, hidden in the water till the demise of the Moby Dick.

Whitebeard possess an incredible amount of stamina and endurance as shown by the fact that despite all the damage he has suffered he is still the greatest force on the pirate's side of the war (damage include getting a hole burned into his chest by Akainu, being shot, stabbed and slashed by Squad and the Vice Admirals).

Devil Fruit
Whitebeard ate the Gura Gura no Mi, a Devil Fruit that makes him a "Quake Man". With the power of this fruit, Whitebeard is able to create shock waves by shattering the air like a mirror. These shock waves then would be redirected into the ground, resulting in earthquakes and, if under the seafloor, tsunamis. He has shown to create such quakes even in the air, rendering airborne attacks ineffective. He can also use these shock waves to attack enemies. According to Sengoku, Whitebeard has the power to destroy the world.

Weapons
Whitebeard fights with a heavy halberd called a bisento, and is immensely skilled with it. When it clashed with Shanks' saber, the heavens had actually split. The bisento can also withstand an enormous amount of heat, at least enough to block one of Admiral Akainu's molten lava attacks. The bisento can also be used in conjunction with his Devil Fruit power to maximize the devastation done by his attacks.

Haki
Whitebeard apparently possesses the ability to use Haki, an aura-based trait that can suppress Devil Fruit powers to an extent, as one of his allies noted during his stabbing of Aokiji. His level of control with it is unknown, but he is skilled enough to be able to harm Ace and defeat Crocodile, both of whom are Logia-class Devil Fruit users (although it is unknown if Crocodile had his Devil Fruit powers when he fought Whitebeard). He is also one of the few people to posses Haōshoku Haki. Even without using his Devil Fruit powers Whitebeard could still deliver a deadly blow to an a opponent by using Haki imbued attacks against them. It also should be noted that because of his health problems he cannot control it properly, this also means Whitebeard could have been a master at controlling his Haki, when at full strength.

Early History
Some time ago Whitebeard went to Fishman Island and freed it from pirate attacks and government attacks. He made this island one of his own and restored peace on the island. This stills stands today, but even Shichibukai Jinbei does not know what would happen if Whitebeard dies, or something happens to him.

Clashing of the Crews
It is unknown how events happened that led to the rivalry between Whitebeard's crew and Roger's. They competed often, leading to much bloodshed. Whitebeard came to know certain members of Roger's crew and came to know certain familiarities amongst the crew such as seeing Shanks with Buggy. Somewhere along the Grand Line, Roger pulled away from Whitebeard and made it to Raftel.

Shiki's Visit
Post the execution of Gol D. Roger the Pirate King, his closest pirate rivals are seen on the Moby Dick. Shiki attempts to create an alliance between him and Whitebeard, knowing that their combined power would be incredible, Whitebeard's response is to threaten to have Shiki thrown overboard. Shiki proceeds to comment on Whitebeard not changing and calling it "Whitebeard's time". Lastly he informs Whitebeard about his plan, Whitebeard comments "Plotting something again are you...?"

The End of an Era
Soon afterwards, Roger surrendered himself to be executed. Whitebeard became the undisputed power of the sea for being the only one able to battle on equal terms with the Pirate King. Whitebeard was always fully-aware of events in the Grand Line playing out around him, such as the fighting going on between Mihawk and Shanks. In time, the World Government came to dub him, and three other pirates, as the four-strongest pirates in the New World, the Yonkou.

More than ten years ago prior to the present, Blackbeard joined his crew. In an incident involving Shanks, Blackbeard was able to scar the Red-Haired Pirate across his left eye.

Expectations and Murder
At some point in the three years prior to the present time, Whitebeard drafted Portgas D. Ace into his crew, allowing him to become commander of his Second Division, despite his young age and even though Ace had tried numerous times to kill him. Blackbeard, a member of Ace's division decides to kill Thatch (the Fourth Division commander) to gain a Devil Fruit he had found. After the death of Thatch, Ace decides to finish off Blackbeard by himself, even though Whitebeard did not want him to go.

Shanks Calls
Some time later, Rockstar arrives, carrying a letter to Whitebeard from his own Captain, Shanks. Unimpressed that Shanks sent him a letter, instead of coming to see him in person, Whitebeard tears it up in front of Rockstar, telling him that Shanks should see him in person and bring some sake.

Shanks finally arrived to talk with Whitebeard, over Ace and Blackbeard, after barging his way through a Marine blockade that had been set up to prevent them from meeting. After talking about the years gone by, Shanks demands that Whitebeard pull Ace back, believing him to be not ready for Blackbeard. Whitebeard ignores the request and the talks between the two break down into a fight which leaves the crew of both Captains uneasy, and splits the clouds above them. Jozu (commander of Whitebeard's Third division) mentioned that some kind of deal must have been broken, as he indicates that the sky... no, the very Heavens had split.

Ace's Execution


Whitebeard and his pirate crew are going to prevent Ace's execution. Doflamingo states that the Shichibukai are getting ready to battle Whitebeard and his crew. While Ace's execution is in a week's time, the Marines are expecting something much sooner and are rallying the Shichibukai for his assault. It has been revealed that Whitebeard's mother ship, the Moby Dick, has started to move, and that he has taken out all 23 ships keeping an eye on him in an instant, leaving the Marines completely clueless as to exactly where and when he will attack. Recently, one of Momonga's subordinates mentioned that Kaidou had tried to attack Whitebeard but that Shanks had interfered. It was revealed that Whitebeard and his crew had the power to make Marine HQ arrange 100,000 elite soldiers and 3 Marine Admirals, and call all the Shichibukai to battle his crew.

Whitebeard's allies have entered the execution grounds, ready to do battle with the Marines, Admirals, and the Shichibukai. Whitebeard himself and his commanders have all entered directly into the bay in the front of the execution stand, using a coating to travel underwater. As Whitebeard walks onto the galleon figure of the Moby Dick, he tells Ace to hold on a little longer.

When Ace asked him why they came to save him, even if they all told him to not go after Blackbeard in the first place, Whitebeard denies this, saying he himself sent Ace after Blackbeard. He then uses his Gura Gura no Mi powers to cause a massive sea-quake to raise two gigantic tidal waves against Marine Headquarters.

However, the two tsunami are stopped by Aokiji who then attacks him with ice spears which, along with the ice Admiral, are shattered by an air-quake from Whitebeard. This forced him to freeze the sea creating a solid platform for the oncoming battle. Mihawk, wishing to see how much stronger Whitebeard was, launched a powerful sword slash in his direction. However, Third Division Commander Jozu blocked the attack with his diamond-based Devil Fruit power.

Kizaru then tries to attack Whitebeard with an array of light beams, but this is stopped by First Division Commander Marco who states that they can't make a play for "the king" on their first turn causing Kizaru to state that the Whitebeard pirates are "scary". Whitebeard was later seen patronizing Akainu after he stopped Jozu by telling him to go light some birthday candles.

When Oars Jr. began his reckless attack through the plaza, Whitebeard called him a fool for being suicidal. However, he sent his men to back up the giant. When Oars falls to the ground, the marine giant Vice-Admiral Ronse attacks him but he easily defeats him while the rest of the marines are shocked at his tremendous power. Then he calls forth another ally to break the ice surrounding the bay.



After Luffy arrives at Marineford and prevents Crocodile from attacking Whitebeard, he comments about Luffy's straw hat. Luffy then declares that he will become Pirate King, something that amuses Whitebeard and renders everyone else speechless. Luffy is now currently, and at least temporarily, allied with Whitebeard with the same goal in mind; to rescue Ace from the impeding execution. While Luffy is attempting to get to Ace, Whitebeard says that he will not forgive Marco if he lets Luffy die.

He then manipulates Buggy into temporarily allying with him until the the Marines are defeated. Next, he orders the New World pirate captains into breaking off to the left and right in a new formation, apparently because he has caught on to Sengoku's plan. When Crocodile began his assault back to Whitebeard after his first failed assassination attempt, Whitebeard comments on him being an annoyance. As the Pacifista arrive from behind, in the hopes of trapping the pirates into the bay, Whitebeard yells for the pirates to attack the platform in order to save Ace. During this time, Squad, one of the allies of the Whitebeard pirates arrives from behind and informs Whitebeard that many of the pirates are struggling at the back, moving between Whitebeard and the battlefield as he does so. Whitebeard declares that he too will now join the attack to which Squad responds with his gratitude towards the Whitebeard pirates. Marco, who is in the battlefield, looks up to notice Squad with Whitebeard. As he does so Squad thrusts a large katana into Whitebeard's abdomen, which follows through out to the other side. Whitebeard looks down upon Squad in shock. Squad accused Whitebeard that he made a deal with Sengoku to spare Ace and the rest of the Whitebeard pirates' lives in exchange for the lives of the 43 New World captains. Crocodile commented that he did not lose to this weakling(Whitebeard). Marco commented how his health is getting worse as time passes and if that was the real Whitebeard in his prime, he should have dodged Squad's attack with ease. Whitebeard is then seen in a flashback, ripping medical devices off his chest telling his crew that he does not want the enemy to pity him. He embraces Squad and tells him that he is a fool but even if he is, Whitebeard loves him like a son. He then asks Squad who pulled his loyal and honest heart into the darkness. Whitebeard learns from Squad that it was Akainu's doing, on which he commented how Sengoku hasn't changed a bit.

Whitebeard tells Squad that holding children accountable for the sins of their fathers is foolish, that they are all his family and Ace is no different from his other sons. Whitebeard asks if the pirates are saying that he sold off the heads of his sons. Then, Whitebeard creates a quake, destroying the walls of ice which prevented the pirates from escaping and tells the pirates to believe what they want. Whitebeard then reflects on Crocodiles' comment that he was a weakling. He said that he is still just a man with only one heart. Others may call him a demon and a monster, but he can't stay the most powerful man forever. Whitebeard also states if he saves the future of one young life, he should be allowed to retire from this life. Finally, Whitebeard comes down from the ship and heads toward the enemies saying if anyone wishes to come along with him, they have to be ready to lose their lives. Sengoku calls out to the Marines to brace themselves as the strongest man in the world is about to attack.

Luffy then commented how "that guy" thinking of Whitebeard, is really something. John Giant tried to stop him but Whitebeard created a earthquake on the ground. This earthquake was so strong that the Marines commented that the whole island even the sea is tilting to one side and by making the earthquake he destabilized John Giant. The pirates commented that it is better now to keep their distance from the old guy. On the other side, the Marines said that this is beyond just an earthquake. Doflamingo said that Whitebeard is one crazy old man. From this earthquake, the city started crumbling. Whitebeard then fired off another earthquake into John Giant's chest that appears to have caused internal damage. The pirates said that Whitebeard did almost make it to the platform and that he need to take them all out. Luffy asked if Whitebeard does care about hurting people on his own side or not. Jinbei replied that his crew knew what to expect and stayed well out of the way. After the Marines raised the encircling wall Whitebeard said that "we may be victorious yet". However, when Akainu used his meteor magma attack to destroy the layer of ice that served as the battlefield, Whitebeard looked up solemnly. As the ice is destroyed, melting back into water, the Marines take the opportunity to start picking off the now-swimming Whitebeard pirates, while Whitebeard himself watches his ship, the Moby Dick, burn and then apologizes. Later, he fired off a shockwave at one of the wall sections, only for it to cause a large dent in that wall section and prompting a pirate to comment on how that it was no ordinary iron. When Luffy, with Jinbei's help, is hurled over the wall in a waterspout and with a broken piece of a ships' mast, Whitebeard comments on how Luffy's recklessness is just like Ace's. He then shouts out to Oars to stay where he is for they would need his help before yelling over to Jozu to ready the Trump Card and then ordering his men to charge the plaza.

Having raised another ship of his from bottom of sea, Whitebeard comments that he never said all his ships were present and accounted for at the surface. He and all the remaining pirates allied to him reaches the plaza as Oars grabs the ship, lifts it and places it in the plaza. Whitebeard asks Ace whether his head is still attached and then asks all of his sons to stand back as he creates a huge shockwave with his Bisento, taking out a lot of Marines. He then gives the order to destroy the marines and rescue Ace.

As Whitebeard prepares to launch yet another shockwave, Aokiji appears and freezes him encasing him in a block of ice - only to see Whitebeard breaking it with a simple quake mere seconds later, followed by impaling with his Bisento. As Aokiji is about to return the favour with an Ice partisan, Jozu interrupts the battle, shattering the admiral into pieces with a tackle and asks his "father" to handle the battle to which Whitebeard complies. He then catches an unconscious Luffy in midair who was blown by Kizaru's kick. Whitebeard is taunted by Kizaru who says that he shouldn't let his emotions get the best of him and not let such garbage lead the charge. As an answer, he remains silent - and hands Luffy over to his men so they can tend to his wounds, telling Luffy he has done enough as he retains consciousness. Whitebeard comments on how he always held a soft spot for people like Luffy, despite the fact that they can merely "talk the talk". Charging towards the marines, Whitebeard is intercepted by Akainu who engages him in battle. Akainu says that at the rate the current events are proceeding, Whitebeard is going to wipe Marineford off the face of the planet. Whitebeard laughs and tells Akainu that all he needs to do is to stop him. He is later seen noticing that Garp has joined in the battle. As Akainu and Whitebeard continues their fight, Whitebeard suddenly collapses, succumbing to the effects of old age. Akainu uses this opportunity to deal a devastating blow to him. Doing the same, multiple Vice Admirals act upon this chance to barrage him with attacks of their own. However, they are quickly swept away by a fierce swing of the Bisento. Although he is severely wounded, Whitebeard claims that he cannot die before he secures the future of his children and stands his ground while his crew's commanders, including Jinbei, take position behind him with swords raised, ready to guard their Captain from behind. Sengoku's reply over Whitebeard's statement was that he would show the future of his children here and now by proceeding to give the order for Ace' execution. Whitebeard tries to stop it but his condition prevents him from doing. Just when all hope is lost, Luffy, who went straight back to battle after receiving another dose of Ivankov's Vigour Hormones (per Luffy's request), lets loose a surge of Haōshoku Haki yelling at the executioners to stop, knocking them out along with several weak-willed Pirates and Marines in the process which seems to shock Whitebeard.

As he seems to be impressed after witnessing Luffy's Haōshoku Haki, he knocks out the charging marine troops in front of him and immediately orders his men to back up Luffy with all their might. Whitebeard's men react surprised at his sudden order but follow it nonetheless. Whitebeard's reason for this order is because he wants to witness if Luffy might live up to his expectations as he states that Luffy, who is the carrier of The Will of D might be able to show him what lies at the end of the current era.

He's later seen intercepting Kizaru who tries to stop Luffy from reaching the platform.

Major Battles

 * Edward Newgate vs. Gol D. Roger (has yet to actually be shown)
 * Edward Newgate vs. Crocodile (has yet to actually be shown)
 * Edward Newgate vs. Spade Pirates
 * Edward Newgate vs. Portgas D. Ace (at least 100 times)
 * Edward Newgate vs. Shanks (it was not a real battle)
 * Edward Newgate vs. Admiral Aokiji
 * Edward Newgate vs. Vice Admiral Ronse
 * Edward Newgate vs. Vice Admiral John Giant
 * Edward Newgate vs. Admiral Aokiji (in the plaza)
 * Edward Newgate vs. Admiral Akainu
 * Edward Newgate vs. multiple Vice Admirals
 * Edward Newgate vs. Admiral Kizaru (on the execution platform)

Translation and Dub Issues
The name Whitebeard is not a literal translation. In Japanese, his nickname is Shiro Hige. The word "Shiro" meaning white, and "Hige" meaning "facial hair" (the Japanese do not have words for the individual styles of facial hair).

Anime and Manga Influences
Whitebeard's character design is based on the owner of the pub Oda liked going to. The owner often sat down in the store with medical equipment hooked up to his nose and drank calling sake "medicine" while telling war stories. Whitebeard's own line in his first appearance, "I'm not talking to any snot-nosed airheads." was in fact an exact phrase the owner often said to customers. Unfortunately the pub owner passed away by the time Oda revealed this fact.

Anime and Manga Differences
In the manga and other related merchandise, the color of Whitebeard's coat underneath is green. In the anime and other related merchandise, it is red. In the manga also, Whitebeard has no hair showing. In the anime, he initially had some brown hair. This was later retconned to follow the manga.

Trivia

 * Like other characters in One Piece, he has a distinct laughter which is "Gu ra ra ra ra". Like Perona, his laugh is similar to the name of his Devil Fruit, the Gura Gura no Mi.
 * In a recent Japanese Fan Poll, Whitebeard is currently ranked the 69th most popular character in One Piece.
 * On one of Whitebeard's medical support equipment is an upside down "Smilie", like those used instead of the traditional Jolly Roger.
 * A pirate with a similar appearance to Whitebeard, Crescent Moon Galley, can be seen in one of Oda's early "Romance Dawn" one shots. His most notable feature is his crescent-shaped mustache, similar to Whitebeard's.
 * He is the only Yonkou with known Devil Fruit abilities.
 * Despite being noted as the "most powerful man in the world" since Gol D. Roger died, Whitebeard still holds many competition in his standings:
 * Monkey D. Dragon is the most wanted criminal in the world.
 * The law of offending the World Nobles would result being pursuited by an Admiral is equal to offending one of Whitebeard's "sons" being pursued by Whitebeard himself.
 * While Whitebeard wields a Devil Fruit that can destroy the entire world, Blackbeard wields a Devil Fruit that can render other fruit users powerless.
 * Whitebeard overall resembles the Greek God Poseidon, the Emperor of the Sea who could cause earthquake and tsunamis, protect sailors at seas and wields a trident. Whitebeard's status as one of the Four Emperors, his quake-inducing Gura Gura no Mi, protecting Fishman Island and his bisento makes him look similar in those areas. Garp even commented that because Ace had been captured by the Marines, it made the "God of the Sea" (Whitebeard) angry.
 * Before Whitebeard was revealed to have eaten the Gura Gura no Mi, it was generally believed that he possessed no Devil Fruit.
 * He is the only person so far that directly has patronized the three Marine Admirals as well as the only one who has directly fought each one individually.
 * Whitebeard, unlike other Devil Fruit users, doesn't name his attacks. This makes him similar to Juracule Mihawk and Gin, other characters who don't name their attacks.
 * Whitebeard has been shown with quite a number of mistakes between chapters and panels: the three most obvious being his scar (which seems to disappear and reappear at random), his mustache (which changes from being big to being even larger between two panels), and his coat (which despite having been penetrated by Squad, does not only lack a hole but also isn't covered in any blood at all).

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Edward Newgate