Whitebeard Pirates

Whitebeard Pirates seem to be the one of the strongest (if not the strongest) pirate crews ever as their captain (Whitebeard) was the only one to ever tied with Gol D. Roger in a fight. Whitebeards crew has been divided into divisions as shown below:

Part in the Story
The crew has done very little in the story so far, but seem to play a large part in the world.

The first member seen is Portgas D. Ace, who decides to see how his brother Monkey D. Luffy is doing during the Alabasta Arc. After easily destroying a fleet of Baroque Works ships, Ace hands Luffy what appears to be a blank piece of paper, which is later sewn to the inside of his hat's ribbon, and leaves. Whitebeard himself appears when he rejects a letter from Red-Haired Shanks, stating that if Shanks wishes to speak with him he should do it in person. The World Government fears what would happen if their two crews were to join together, but has currently chosen to just observe their actions.

Pirate Flag
Whitebeard's flag is that of a standard Jolly Roger with a large moustache and a cross behind it. This is also tattooed onto the backs of high-ranking officials in the crew, like Ace.

Originally in the manga, a manji was behind it instead of a cross, while the current version is originally only used in the anime in order to avoid confusion with a swastika, like the ones used for nazi flags. However, in Shonen Jump #50, Oda commented that from Chapter 434 onwards he would have to use the cross version of the flag in the manga as well, being told to do so by the higher-ups at Shueisha.

Crew Information
Captain


 * See Whitebeard for more.

Division Commanders
There are 16 division commanders of Whitebeards crew commanding a grand total of 1,600 men.

Marco seems to be the strongest in the Whitebeard Pirates besides Whitebeard himself, as he knows what would happen to the young members of the crew, if they get to close to Red Haired Shanks, when he and Whitebeard were discussing some matters. Shanks wanted also Marco to join his crew further showing his strength. Luffy's brother is the 2nd division captain in the Whitebeard Pirates. Nothing much is known about him. Was killed by Blackbeard, as he had the Devil Fruit he wanted.
 * 1st division captain:Marco.
 * 2nd division captain: Portgas D. Ace.
 * 3rd division captain:Joss
 * 4th division captain:Sachi
 * 5th division captain:Unknown
 * 6th division captain:Unknown
 * 7th division captain:Unknown
 * 8th division captain:Unknown
 * 9th division captain:Unknown
 * 10th division captain:Unknown
 * 11th division captain:Unknown
 * 12th division captain:Unknown
 * 13th division captain:Unknown
 * 14th division captain:Unknown
 * 15th division captain:Unknown
 * 16th division captain:Unknown

Former Crewmembers

 * Marshall D. Teach

Strength
Whitebeard is one of the Four Emperors of the second half of the Grand Line, along with Shanks and two other unknown pirates. This makes the Whitebeard Pirates one of the four strongest pirate groups in the Grand Line. Since their captain had managed to fight with Gol D. Roger one-on-one, the Whitebeard Pirates are considered the strongest pirates in the world of One Piece. Even the normally overconfident Buggy the Clown refused to attack Ace when he was asleep, fearing Whitebeard's wrath. However, whether they are stronger than the three other Emperors, or at the same strength, is unknown.

Other Information
The Whitebeard Pirates are divided into numerous divisions that are then led by a high ranking Whitebeard subordinate. This pirate crew includes Portgas D. Ace commander of the Whitebeard 2nd Division. Blackbeard was formerly a member of this crew in the 2nd Division but left to form his own crew after killing some of his former crewmates. The front part of the ship where Whitebeard resides resembles a whale.

The Whitebeard pirates is famous for taking the concept of comradery to a very high level. Whitebeard see any crew members as his sons (no matter how dumb they are), and will avenge anyone who attack them without reasons—a reason why most pirates would not attack them. This rule is especially true when the one that attacked them is a fellow crewmate. Lastly, Whitebeard believed that even as a pirate, there must be some kind of morality.