Maelstrom Spider Pirates

The Maelstrom Spider Pirates is the pirate crew captained by Squardo.

Twenty-Four Years Ago
Twenty-four years before the start of the storyline, the Maelstrom Spider Pirates were massacred by Gol D. Roger. Their captain, Squardo, was the only survivor, which led him to develop a hatred against the pirate king. He was plunged into a deep depression until meeting Roger's rival, Edward Newgate, also known as "Whitebeard", who adopted him as a son, saving him from the loneliness. From this, Squardo was able to regain enough confidence and rebuild his crew, forming a new Maelstrom Spider Pirates, which was allied to the Whitebeard Pirates.

Battle of Marineford
The Maelstrom Spider Pirates were amongst the forty-three New World pirate crews to join the Whitebeard Pirates in attacking the Marines to save Portgas D. Ace from execution. Squardo was manipulated by Admiral Akainu to attack Whitebeard, with Ace being Roger's son as the catalyst. Despite this, Squardo was forgiven and he and his crew continued to fight against the Marines on Whitebeard's sakes. They tried to destroy Marineford after Ace was rescued, as Squardo's way of repentance, but Whitebeard ordered them all to retreat. After Whitebeard died at the hands of the Blackbeard Pirates and truce was declared, the Maelstrom Spider Pirates left tearfully, in order to hold a funeral for Ace and Whitebeard.