Edward Newgate

Edward Newgate (エドワード・二ューゲート, Edowādo Nyūgēto), also known as "Whitebeard" (白ひげ, Shirohige), is both a fictional character and tritagonist of the One Piece series. He was the leader/captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and was known as "The Strongest Man in the World" (世界最強の男, Sekai Saikyō no Otoko), is considered to be one of the strongest men capable of rivaling King of the Pirates Gol D. Roger himself. After Roger's death, he was made known as "The Man closest to One Piece" (ワンピースに最も近い男, Wan Pīsu ni mottomo chikai otoko), became one of the Four Emperors that ruled over the New World, and placed many islands like Fish-Man Island under his protection. He considers all of his crewmen as his sons and protects them with all his might. After one of his subordinates, Ace, was captured and sentenced to death, Whitebeard came to save him in the following Battle of Marineford. Eventually, after being badly wounded while fighting to save Ace from execution, he is killed by the Blackbeard Pirates.

"You punks really think that's all it takes to defeat me. Just a few toy swords and guns. I can tear you all apart singlehandedly, But you know that don't you. Because you quake when you hear the name WHITEBEARD!"
 * —Edward Newgate.

Appearance & Biography

 * Voice Actor: R. Bruce Elliott (English), Kinryū Arimoto (Japanese), Not Known (Arabic), Not Known (Brazilian), Not Known (Chinese), Not Known (Dutch), Not Known (Finnish), Not Known (French), Not Known (German), Not Known (Italian), Not Known (Hebrew), Not Known (Hungarian), Not Known (Korean), Not Known (Norwegian), Not Known (Polish), Not Known (Romanian), Not Known (Russian), Not Known (Poland), Not Known (Portuguese), Not Known (Serbian), Not Known (Spanish), Not Known (Swedish), Not Known (Thai), Not Known (Brazilian Portuguese), Not Known (European Spanish), Not Known (European Portuguese), Not Known (Latin American Spanish), Not Known (Latin Spanish)

Biography
His name is Edward Newgate, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates aka "Whitebeard". One of the Four Emperors ruling over the New World and the "Strongest Man in the World".. After Roger, the King of the Pirates' execution, he has been at the top of the Great Age of Piracy.

With the power of the Paramythia Devil Fruit, "Tremor-Tremor Fruit", he can manipulates the vibration, allowing him to call earthquakes, tsunami and shock waves. His ability is said to be so powerful that it can "destroy the world".

He calls his crew members "sons" and takes great care as a family. The crews also affectionately call him "Pops" and trust him. Ace, Luffy's adopted older brother, is also one of his "sons". Protective of his sons like Ace and Squard, he died at hands of the Blackbeard Pirates, and proclaimed that the One Piece actually exists.

The Young Past Days
As a child, he wore a light colored sleeveless shirt with the word "Power" (力, Chikara) written on it. He also wore shorts and a white bandanna. He had bandaged scrapes and cuts from his fights.

In his younger days, he wore an open dark gray vest and a black bandanna, and his trademark mustache was nonexistent. Later in his life, he grew the prominent crescent-shaped mustache, which would spawn his epithet, "Whitebeard". When he was 52, he wore a white and yellow pirate hat with his jolly roger on it over a black bandana with black and red, both worn over long, blond flowing hair he had back then.

To The Days He Died
Whitebeard was an abnormally large human, roughly three times the size of a normal human. Unlike other large-sized humans, however, he was well-proportioned. He had a long face, ploughed because of the advanced age with many wrinkles around his eyes, and many scars running along his chest, and was very muscular. The muscles on his biceps seemed to grow bigger whenever he used his quake-based powers. Like all of his men, he had his own Jolly Roger tattooed on his back. In the manga, his eyes are brown, but in the anime, his eye color is seen to be yellow.

He wore a black bandanna around his head and adorned himself with a white captain's coat, which hung loosely from his broad shoulders and bore his Jolly Roger symbol. He was always seen bare-chested, and wore light, loose pants tucked inside his large black boots, and a dark pirate sash around his waist. While not in battle, Whitebeard was typically on oxygen and attached to several medical sensor machines, due to health issues concerning his age.

In the manga, after Akainu melted off a portion of his head, Whitebeard lost his left eye and the left side of his mustache (this was changed to just losing the left side of his mustache in the anime) as well as a massive hole in his torso (a second, bigger hole in the stomach was also dealt by Akainu in the anime). However, for the entire 72 years that he lived, he had never once received a wound on his back because he never ran away from his battles.


 * Hair Color: Not Known (formerly Blond)
 * Skin Color: Not Known
 * Eye Color: Yellow (Anime), Brown (Manga)
 * Age: 72 (Deceased)
 * Birthday: April 6th
 * Height: Not Known
 * Weight: Not Known

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".

Edward Newgate was a cheerful and carefree person during his younger years, prior to commanding his own ship and becoming known as Whitebeard. Due to being an orphan who grew up in poverty, Newgate has a strong desire for a family. In adulthood, unlike his comrades who loved treasure and riches, he only desired a family and saw that as the greatest treasure.

His reign on the sea, reputation and foreboding power made him seemingly overconfident and fearless. In initial appearances, he seemed unable to see any cause for alarm on any decision he made and refused all advice given to him, such as his nurse telling him not to drink heavily or Shanks warning him of Blackbeard. However, he was much more thoughtful than he initially appeared to be. Actions that initially seem to be the result of thoughtless, headstrong bravado actually had strong reasons behind them; his loud declaration that Fish-Man 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. Though he may have seemed to have an overgrown ego, deep down he knew that he was nothing but a single man and was fully aware of his own mortality. He knew that the youth are the keys to the future, and that their lives are far more important than his own.

He also seemed to enjoy talking about the past; the first things he talked about when Shanks visited were old memories from the past twenty-two years, and when he saw Buggy during the Paramount War, he recalled some memories from the past. People that were children at that time were still children in his eyes, even men as powerful as his fellow Emperor Shanks and Admiral Aokiji.

One way to appease him involved bringing and sharing with him a drink (preferably of high quality and very expensive) while striking up a conversation, as seen with his encounters with Shanks, Roger, and Shiki; however, this did not guarantee complete cooperation from him, judging from the nature of these conversations.

Whitebeard believed that it is fine when a man decides what to make of his life if he does not live to regret it. After being stabbed by Squard, Whitebeard remained forgiving and understanding toward his subordinate.

Whitebeard is an extremely compassionate man, having adopted countless people of different background into his crew as his foster children, such as Squard whom he took in after the latter was devastated in loneliness after Roger killed his crew. Marco stated that the main reason the Whitebeard Pirates held such strong loyalty to their captain was due to Newgate's compassion, deeply caring for them like a father. Contrary to the tyrannical Kaido and Big Mom, Whitebeard used his power and influence as a Emperor to help people such as liberating and protecting Fishman Island from slavery, an act which touched the hearts of the citizens of Ryugu Kingdom whom were normally distrustful of humans. The ultimate proof of his compassion came when he declared war with Marine Headquarters solely to save Ace's life.

A distinguishing feature of Whitebeard's nature was his high moral standards: he never forgave the death of a crewmate, and believed that a man cannot live without some form of moral code. Another example is taking on Blackbeard in order to avenge Thatch, despite being close to death at the time. However, he was 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.

Like Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard believed that a child should not be responsible for their parents' sins, and he told Squard that Ace should not be held responsible for Roger killing his (Squard's) original crew.

Like other characters in One Piece, he has a unique laugh, which is "Gu ra ra ra ra". Like Perona, his laugh is similar to the name of his Devil Fruit, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. However in the anime (before the Marineford Arc) and Gigant Battle, his laugh was changed to a regular "Ha ha ha ha ha". In the American Shonen Jump, his laugh is changed to "Gu ha ha ha ha".

Friends/Allies

 * Whitebeard Pirates
 * Marco
 * Portgas D. Ace
 * Jozu
 * Thatch
 * Vista
 * Rakuyo
 * Subordinate crews
 * New World Pirates
 * Doma
 * McGuy
 * Decalvan Brothers
 * Squard
 * Little Oars Jr.
 * Whitey Bay
 * Straw Hat Pirates
 * Monkey D. Luffy
 * Jimbei
 * Impel Down Escapees
 * King Neptune

Family

 * Edward Weevil (Son?)
 * Bakkin (Lover?)

Neutral

 * Gol D. Roger
 * Red-Haired Pirates
 * Shanks
 * Impel Down Convicts
 * Crocodile
 * Sengoku
 * Monkey D. Garp

Enemies

 * Blackbeard Pirates
 * Marshall D. Teach
 * Jesus Burgess
 * World Government
 * Marines
 * Akainu
 * Brownbeard
 * Big Mom

Overview
"Even in death, his body did not fall. His figure, taking down enemies while losing half of his head, was truly monstrous. The total number of sword wounds he received in this battle was 267. He was shot by 152 bullets and was hit by 46 cannonballs. And despite all this, his proud back, over the course of his entire life as a pirate, never received a single scar from running away!"
 * —Edward Newgate's death.

In his prime, Whitebeard was one of the most powerful pirates of his generation and was one of the only men in the world who could match the late King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, in a fight (the only other known to match him was Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, said to have cornered Gol D. Roger numerous times).

He was one of the Four Emperors, four of the most formidable pirates that rule the second half of the Grand Line, along with Shanks, Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin. They are considered the biggest pirate threats to the World Government. Whitebeard's reputation alone made his simple declaration of Fish-Man Island being his territory enough to keep slave traders and pirates from attacking the island further, making Whitebeard himself far more effective than the treaty signed with the World Government 200 years before his death.

Whitebeard was the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, directly controlling an enormous pirate fleet of 1,600 pirates divided into 16 divisions, each one being led by an incredibly powerful division commander. A testament to his power is the fact that the Seven Warlords of the Sea and World Government used virtually all their power to prepare to fight him.

Whitebeard's powers were so vast that few would dare challenge him or any of his crew, making Ace, Crocodile, Aokiji, Kizaru, Akainu, Blackbeard, Kaido, and Luffy a few very brave and powerful people. In the past, Ace tried to attack Whitebeard over a hundred times, with each attempt resulting in subsequent failure and injury; Whitebeard's retaliation was so effortless that he was able to counterattack even while sleeping. After Akainu killed Ace, Whitebeard brutally injured him, with the Admiral being practically helpless in response to Whitebeard's power, temporarily defeating him in a relatively short battle with a mere two attacks.

Another example of his power is his "fight" with Shanks; when their weapons clashed, the heavens split in two.

Physical Abilities
Whitebeard was given the title of the "strongest man in the world" for his physical power, which is far superior to even a giant. During the Marineford War, Whitebeard completely overpowered vast numbers of strong Marine officers and giants with tremendous physical might, such as Vice Admiral Lonz, with only one hand and supplemented by his Devil Fruit powers. Whitebeard blocked a two-handed downward swing from the giant Vice Admiral John Giant with only one hand on his bisento, extinguished the flames of one of Akainu's molten rocks with just a single breath, and prevented a massive paddle ship from advancing using only one hand. He could jump to great heights to attack large opponents, such as John Giant.

He could move at considerable speeds, having snuck up on Akainu, with the latter only realizing it once his soldiers yelled at him to watch out. The very fact that he launched a surprise attack on the admiral, one with very acute hearing, also demonstrates that Whitebeard could be impressively stealthy, despite his gigantic size.

Whitebeard appeared to have debilitating health problems, possibly stemming from his advanced age and excessive drinking. When not in battle, he was always surrounded by nurses, used oxygen tubes, and was hooked up to intravenous tubes and life support systems; despite this, he used to literally drink sake by the barrel. However, Marco noted that Whitebeard's health had gotten worse, and he no longer possessed the reflexes to avoid Squard's surprise attack, which was, in the past, something easy for him to achieve. Even with his health issues, Whitebeard was still considered the world's most dangerous and powerful pirate, being able to be on equal level with his fellow Emperors including the immensely powerful Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, which raises the question of how powerful he must have been in his prime.

His physical resistance and pain tolerance were tremendous: he was able to keep fighting despite the number of life-threatening injuries he sustained, which included part of his head being burned off. This also proves that Whitebeard possessed enormous amounts of stamina and endurance; no matter how much damage he took throughout the battle, Whitebeard continued to press forward and fight, only stopping once almost all of the Blackbeard Pirates collectively shot and brutally stabbed him to death at point-blank range. It was shown that even in his old age, in a heavily wounded state and without access to his Devil Fruit and Haki powers, he could near-effortlessly take down a Warlord-level opponent, as demonstrated in his fight against Blackbeard.

He sustained 267 sword wounds, 152 gunshot wounds, and 46 wounds from cannonballs, and got half of his head blasted off, resulting in 465 injuries in total. In addition, Whitebeard was on the receiving end of one of Kizaru's laser beams and two of Akainu's magma blasts. Whitebeard also received a brutal assault from the Blackbeard Pirates. However, even after taking so much damage in his already weakened state, he died standing, an impressive feat when compared to other characters. Even Teach was shocked by Whitebeard's tenacity.

Tactical Skills
Besides his formidable power, Whitebeard was an incredibly skilled military strategist and a match for Sengoku the Buddha. His tactical prowess was demonstrated when he scattered the pirates at Marineford so that they would not be routed by the Pacifista and when he bypassed the siege wall by having Oars who was in a near-death state to help carry the paddle ship into the Marineford plaza.

Even when on the brink of death, he quickly thought of a countermeasure against Teach's Devil Fruit power's nullification abilities by using his Bisento to cut Teach down, taking him off guard for him to use his quake powers to injure him.

Devil Fruit

 * Main article: Tremor-Tremor Fruit

The Tremor-Tremor Fruit (グラグラの実, Gura Gura no Mi, literally meaning "Fruit of the Tremor-Tremor"), a Paramythia-type Devil Fruit, that was eaten by Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate, which allows him to create vibrations (or "quakes"), which thus making him a "Tremor Human" (震動人間, Shindō Ningen) and which was considered the strongest Devil Fruit within the Paramythia class. According to Sengoku, Whitebeard had the power to destroy the world.

With the power of this Devil Fruit, Whitebeard could create powerful shockwaves by shattering the air like glass. These shock waves then would be redirected into the ground, resulting in earthquakes and, if under the seafloor, tsunamis. He could create these shockwaves in the air, rendering airborne attacks ineffective. He could also use these shockwaves to attack enemies, with either widespread or specific targets. Whitebeard's powers also allowed him to create a quake bubble around his hand or bisento to increase the power of his physical attacks, as well as manipulate the air with his hands to tilt the environment around him. He also used his bisento to slash the air, which caused a massive explosion and the collapse of a tower in Marineford.

Whitebeard could also use these shockwaves to block physical attacks as well as non-physical attacks, making his Devil Fruit powers excellent for both offensive and defensive capabilities.

Soon after Whitebeard's death, the power of the fruit was extracted by Blackbeard through unknown means.

Techniques
The named techniques that are used by Whitebeard that involve the Devil Fruit are as follows:
 * Seaquake (海震, Kaishin; literally meaning "Seaquake"): Whitebeard literally "cracks" the air with a punch and sends devastating shock waves through the air in the direction it is facing. These shock waves can pass through and damage almost any substance, tearing it apart.


 * Severe Earthquake (激震, Gekishin; literally meaning "Severe Earthquake"): A very close range strike of "Seaquake", causing severe damage, as John Giant and Akainu both suffered. The siege walls in Marineford are made of a special material that is able to resist damage and diffuse the power of this attack. The three Navy Admirals were also capable of blocking this attack from reaching the execution platform. Whitebeard was also able to passively summon vibrations around himself, which protected him from being frozen by Aokiji as vibrations cannot be frozen. In the anime it was also used to deflect cannon balls back to their source.


 * Oscillating Throw (兜割, Kabutowari; literally meaning "Helmet Break"): Whitebeard focuses all of his great power to a single point, otherwise known as a hypocenter (given the appearance of a bubble of sorts), to make a concentrated, explosion-like attack. So far, he has been shown capable of using this attack through both his fist and the blade of his bisento. He first used this technique to defeat the giant Vice-Admiral Lonz with a single blow. In the anime, he also demonstrated the ability to stretch out a quake bubble to form a protective barrier capable of blocking bazooka fire. Also in the anime, Whitebeard has shown he can create such bubble on his foot, making a devastating stomp.


 * Halberd Rakshasa (刀羅刹, Naginata Rasetsu; literally meaning "Halberd Rakshasa"): Whitebeard surrounds his bisento with the same bubble to greatly increase its striking power and range.


 * The Man who Shakes the World (島揺らし, Shima Yurashi; literally meaning "Island Shaking"): Whitebeard "grabs" an entire area, by grabbing and pulling on the air around him as if it were tangible, and rapidly shifting it. Using this, he was capable of tilting the entire island of Marineford and the sea around it. This technique was capable of destroying buildings and throwing a giant off of his feet in the process.


 * One Man Army (一騎当千, Ikkitōsen; literally meaning "Matchless Warrior" or "Mighty Hero"): Whitebeard swing his bisento, sending waves of vibrations at his opponents. This was first used in One Piece: Pirate Warriors. It is one of Whitebeard's special moves and requires one special gauge to perform.


 * Heaven and Earth (天地鳴動, Tenchi Meidō; literally meaning "Heaven and Earth Rumbling"): Whitebeard grabs the air and pulls it downwards. Then once it gets low enough, all of the opponents get tossed into the sky and fall back down. It is one of Whitebeard's special moves and requires two special gauges to perform. It is similar in execution to The Man who Shakes the World, but doesn't tilt the earth itself. It is also used by Double-Ability Teech, who needs only one special gauge to perform the attack.


 * Strongest Rampage: Following a jump Whitebeard slams down on the ground sending vibrations into it causing a small earthquake where he lands. This technique appears as Whitebeard's special movement in One Piece: Burning Blood.


 * Silent Rage: Whitebeard charges his power into his hand then punches the opponent smashing them into the ground unleashing vibrations, then attacks the opponent with his bisento several times before fling the opponent into the air, then changes a Seaquake which he hits the opponent point blank in mid-air as they are falling back to the ground. This technique is Whitebeard's Ultimate attack in One Piece: Burning Blood.

Haki

 * Main article: Haki

Whitebeard was one of the few people to have mastered all three kinds of Haki.

Observation Haki

 * Main article: Observation Haki

With his Observation Haki, Whitebeard foresaw all of Ace's attempts to kill him, even while asleep, retaliating to each assault and launching the young pirate away great distances, often causing damage to the ship while doing so. In the bay of Marineford, he predicted Crocodile's sudden attack but did not move, knowing that Monkey D. Luffy would block it. However, due to his age and worsening health, he failed to predict Squard's attempted betrayal, something which, according to Marco, was totally unexpected from the even the Four Emperors.

Armament Haki

 * Main article: Armament Haki

His control over Armament Haki was such that he could, in most cases, negate the intangibility of Logia-based Devil Fruits. In the past, he was able to defeat Crocodile (though it is unknown if the former Warlord had already eaten his Devil Fruit) and to beat Ace more than one hundred times. The split in the heavens provoked by his clash with Shanks during the meeting of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red-Haired Pirates was the result of the amazing Armament Haki imbued in their weapons. During the Paramount War, Whitebeard successfully landed blows on Akainu where Marco and Vista failed to do so with their own Armament Haki.

Conqueror's Haki

 * Main article: Conqueror's Haki

He possessed Conqueror's Haki, though he was never seen using it. During the Paramount War, he was on the verge of using it against some of the World Government's executioners to protect Ace, but failed because of a sudden illness attack. He is capable of using this form of Haki in the video games One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 and One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, as well as One Piece: Burning Blood.

Strength level

 * Was known as the "Strongest Man in the World".
 * Stops a giant galleon ship moving at full force speed with one hand.
 * Easily sends several elite navy soldiers flying with a single casual wave.
 * Casually breaks a giant's axe and easily tosses a giant like a ragdoll.
 * Clashed with Shank's sword with his bisento which split the sky.
 * With his bisento, easily catches one of Akainu's magma attacks.
 * Able to match Akainu's powerful magma attacks, which is hotter than Ace's fire abilities.
 * Easily kills a giant with a single quake punch.
 * With a swipe of his finger, tilts an entire island and the surrounding ocean.
 * Casually destroys glaciers larger than the surrounding mountain with his Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers.
 * With his Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers, punched Akainu with enough force to split an entire island.
 * Almost sank an entire island even when half dead.
 * Can create tsunamis that dwarfs the surrounding mountains with sea quakes.
 * With his quake powers, punches out a giant causing shockwaves to destroy a town even with the admirals redirecting the attack.
 * Easily destroy ice attacks from Kuzan and his body with a casual air punch.
 * Stated to have the power to destroy the entire world with his Devil Fruit ability.

Speed

 * Even when sleeping, effortlessly dodges Ace's attacks.
 * Easily kept up with Luffy who was sent flying by Kizaru.
 * Managed to get a drop on Akainu, who handled Luffy's speed and has precognition.
 * Intercepted Kizaru, who was travelling in his light form.

Durability

 * Suffered from 267 stabbings, 152 bullets shot and 46 cannon shots yet was still standing.
 * Casually breaks out being frozen by Kuzan with ease.
 * Tanked a laser beam from Kizaru, which can easily destroy one Maingroves massive trees.
 * Shrugged off having half of his face melted off by Akainu and still able to fight.
 * Withstood getting shot and stabbed by Blackbeard's pirates before succumbing his injuries.
 * Withstood a stab from Squard.
 * Endured having his insides burned by Akainu's magma, which evaporates steel swords, all while having a heart attack.

Skill

 * Was one of the four emperors for many years.
 * Is a old, longtime rival to Gol D. Rodger, who is the king of pirates.
 * His Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers caused several catastrophes across the world.
 * Easily defeated Portgas D. Ace and his crew, and made them join his crew.
 * Created the most strongest crew in the world.
 * Inflicted more damage to the marines than his entire crew and allies did combined.
 * Even when he was about to die, almost killed Blackbeard.
 * With his dying breath, confirmed that One Piece exists and caused a new age of piracy.

Weaknesses

 * Typical Devil Fruit Weakness: Even though he wields the most powerful Paramythia Devil Fruit ever, he still possesses the weakness of every devil fruit user. He can't swim and will sink like an anchor, and if he was submerged into water waist deep he'll be paralyze and his abilities will be nullified same goes to Sea-Prism Stone.


 * Illness: Despite being extremely strong, he still suffers from heart attacks in inopportune times. He is also old so he wasn't rally in his prime.


 * Doesn't really dodge attacks, and is more of a tanker.

Weapons
Whitebeard fought with a very heavy polearm called a bisento (a more massive version of the japanese naginata), and was immensely skilled with it. The weapon's size is massive, fitting that of its owner, with a striped pole (with the stripes being all plain brown in the anime, but red and yellow in the manga) ending in a spherical edge, and a large, curved blade attached to the pole with a golden part, decorated by what looks like a sea snake, with a thin part of it protruding onto the blade itself. He can channel his Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers for extra power.

With Whitebeard's immense power and skill, the bisento was strong enough to clash with Shanks' saber, which caused the clouds (and even the heavens) to split. Whitebeard usually employed the bisento with both hands, but could also use it proficiently with just one hand. Most of the time he kept it in his right hand, though he occasionally planted its blade in the ground in order to use both of his hands for his Devil Fruit. The bisento could be used in conjunction with his Devil Fruit and Armament Haki to increase the already great damage it could inflict, as well as to neutralize any potential Devil Fruit defense his opponents may possess.

The bisento is extremely durable, having stopped Akainu's magma attack without melting or receiving any visible damage, though this may have resulted from Whitebeard coating it with Armament Haki. It sustained a two-handed downward swing from giant Vice-Admiral John Giant as well.

After Whitebeard's death, it became a marking for his burial site, with his coat, a bouquet of flowers, and the crew's flag hanging from it. Two years after Whitebeard's death, the weapon still showed completely no signs of decay in spite of two years of weathering the elements, further demonstrating its durability.

Younger Days
"You're a pirate and you're not interested in treasure? What exactly are you looking for... eh, Newgate!?"
 * —A crewmate asking Whitebeard what he wants.

After his home country became too poor to be a member nation of the World Government, Newgate became an orphan. He became a pirate at an early age and supported his village with the money and resources he gained. Before forming the Whitebeard Pirates, he was just another crewmember in another crew going by his real name "Newgate" and that he was not interested in treasure, but instead wanted a family.

Clashing of the Crews
Whitebeard, Gol D. Roger, and Shiki ruled the seas in the days before the Great Age of Pirates. Whitebeard and Roger competed often, leading to much bloodshed. Whitebeard came to know certain members of Roger's crew, such as Shanks and Buggy. Somewhere along the Grand Line, Roger pulled away from Whitebeard and made it to Raftel. At some point, the two grew to respect each other, and Whitebeard was one of those Roger met shortly before his death to say goodbye. During the meeting, Roger explained the Will of D.

After Roger's execution, Shiki broke out of Impel Down and had a meeting with Whitebeard aboard the Moby Dick. When Shiki attempted to form an alliance between the two of them, knowing that their combined power would be incredible, Whitebeard responded by threatening to have Shiki thrown overboard, which prompted Shiki to note how Whitebeard had not changed. After claiming it was "Whitebeard's time", Shiki informed him of his plan, leading Whitebeard to note Shiki was plotting something again.

The End of an Era
With Roger's execution, 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 frequent dueling between Dracule Mihawk and Shanks. In time, the World Government came to dub him, Big Mom, Kaido, and Shanks as the four strongest pirates in the New World, the Four Emperors.

Some time after the beginning of the Great Age of Pirates, Whitebeard went to Fish-Man Island and freed it from pirate attacks, stating that the attacking pirates had nerve attacking his old friend's kingdom. He claimed the island as his territory, and in doing so restored peace to the island. He defended Fish-Man Island because he was a good friend of King Neptune, with the two having drank together in the past. Ever since Whitebeard declared Fish-Man Island as his territory, no pirate dared to harm any of the fishmen and merfolk.

Expectations and Murder
At some point in the three years prior to Monkey D. Luffy setting out on his adventure, Whitebeard read about Portgas D. Ace's increasing fame as the captain of the Spade Pirates and how Ace refused the offer of a Warlord position. Right after the five-day fight between Ace and Jimbei, Whitebeard approached the Spade Pirates aboard the Moby Dick and told his own crew that he would deal with Ace alone.

Whitebeard defeated both Ace and his crew without a single scratch on him. After the confrontation, Whitebeard, aware of Ace's talent, drafted him into his crew, eventually allowing him to become commander of his Second Division despite Ace's young age and multiple attempts to assassinate him.

Around this time, Ace told Whitebeard about his father being Gol D. Roger, but Whitebeard claimed it did not matter because everyone was a son of the sea. When Blackbeard, who was back then a member of Ace's division, murdered the Fourth Division commander Thatch in order to acquire a Devil Fruit he had found, Ace decided to hunt down Blackbeard by himself. Even though Whitebeard did not want him to go because he felt uneasy about the situation, Ace left anyway.

Jaya Arc
Some time later, Rockstar arrived, 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 tore it up in front of Rockstar, whom he told that Shanks should see him in person and bring some sake.

Post-Enies Lobby Arc
After barging his way through a Marine blockade that had been set up to prevent them from meeting and knocking out dozens of the Whitebeard Pirates with Conqueror's Haki, Shanks arrived to talk with Whitebeard about Ace and Blackbeard. Whitebeard talked about Gol D. Roger and Shanks' past as an apprentice pirate on Roger's ship alongside Buggy. Whitebeard noted how the duels between Shanks and Mihawk still ringed in his ear. When the subject of his missing left arm was brought up, Shanks replied that he bet it on the new age.

When Shanks asked him to stop Ace because he did not feel he was ready to face Blackbeard, Whitebeard laughed off Shanks' request, saying that he was 100 years too young to tell him what to do before telling him that Blackbeard must be taught a lesson about morality. Claiming he had nothing to fear, Whitebeard clashed with Shanks, causing the heavens above to split.

Summit War Saga
"We have already angered....the ruler of the seas."
 * —Garp on the upcoming war.

Marineford Arc
Whitebeard and his pirate crew went to prevent Ace's execution. Don Quixote Doflamingo stated that the Warlords were getting ready to engage the Whitebeard Pirates.

Whitebeard's flag ship, the Moby Dick, had started to move, and Whitebeard had 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 would attack. Kaido tried to attack Whitebeard, but Shanks intercepted him.

Soon, Whitebeard's New World subordinate crews began arriving at Marineford, though the Marines could not find Whitebeard or his commanders among them. Not long after, Whitebeard's flagship, the Moby Dick, rose to the surface of the bay from the bottom alongside three other ships, all having had coating applied in order to travel underwater. Walking onto the prow of his ship, Whitebeard told Ace to stay where he was.

After planting his bisento in the prow of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard used his Devil Fruit powers to create a shockwave on either side of him, which moved into the ocean, shocking the Marines present. When Ace demanded to know why they had come to save him even though he ignored orders and pursued Blackbeard on his own, Whitebeard claimed that he had ordered Ace to do this and had Marco confirm this. Whitebeard grinned as the shockwaves he had sent out returned as two massive tsunamis on either side of Marineford, thus signalling the start of the war.

When Admiral Aokiji froze the tsunamis and attacked him with Ice Block: Partisan, Whitebeard shattered both him and his attack with a shockwave, leading Aokiji to fall into the bay and freeze it solid, thus creating a battleground for the pirates and Marines. When Dracule Mihawk sent a ranged slash at him to test the difference in their strength, Jozu intercepted it, and when Admiral Kizaru attacked Whitebeard with "Yasakani Sacred Jewel", Marco protected Whitebeard from it with his partially-transformed form.

When Admiral Akainu used "Great Eruption" to rain magma fists down on the battlefield, Whitebeard caught one on the end of his bisento and blew out the flames before telling Akainu to work his skills on a birthday cake.

Soon, Little Oars Jr. opened a path into the bay and began making his advance toward Ace, prompting Whitebeard to note he does not know what to do with such a fool sometimes before ordering his men to provide backup for Oars Jr.

As Whitebeard witnessed Oars Jr.'s defeat, he was attacked by Vice Admiral Lonz, but effortlessly defeated him with a quake bubble to the head before ordering his men to charge over Oars Jr.'s body. Soon after, he noticed several Marines being contacted about something and noted Sengoku had something up his sleeve.

When Monkey D. Luffy and his allies fell into the bay, Whitebeard expressed confusion over what had just happened. Whitebeard was attacked by Crocodile, but Luffy protected him and revealed he did so because Ace cares about Whitebeard. Upon seeing Luffy's straw hat, Whitebeard was reminded of how Shanks, the hat's former owner, said he bet his left arm on the new age. After Luffy confirmed that he was here to save Ace, Whitebeard claimed that he would simply be throwing his life away, but Luffy defiantly told him that he would not decide this and that Luffy himself would be Pirate King. Impressed by Luffy's confidence, a grinning Whitebeard told him to not get in the way.

Luffy informed Whitebeard of the Marines' plan to execute Ace ahead of schedule, for which Whitebeard thanked him. As Luffy leaped off the Moby Dick and started heading for Ace, Whitebeard noted that the Marines did not feel the need to adhere to schedule for a mere pirate as Marco arrived and informed him of the same thing Luffy did. Whitebeard states they must stay calm because Sengoku would never make the mistake of allowing the enemy to overhear a key strategy. After Luffy declared his intention to save Ace even if it killed him, Whitebeard ordered Marco to not let him die.{

Upon noticing Buggy and his newly-assembled crew of escaped convicts nearby, Whitebeard asked him if he planned on taking his head before pointing out that Buggy would have to deal with the Marines afterward. Whitebeard offered Buggy the opportunity to join forces in order to crush the Marines, which Buggy accepted, and admitted to Marco that he did not want to deal with Buggy's crew of convicts before having his forces scatter themselves to the left and right of the bay.{

When Crocodile sent dozens of his men flying away with Sables, Whitebeard noted he was a troublesome man.

Soon afterward, the Pacifista arrived, prompting Whitebeard to recognize them as the World Government's human weapons which he had heard rumors about.

When the Pacifista began attacking with no heed for the Marine battleships, Whitebeard noted that the Marines were not above sacrificing their own forces before ordering his men to push onward into the square. As the pirates began attacking the Pacifista, Whitebeard noticed Squard walking up behind him. When informed that the allied crews in the rear were suffering heavy casualties, Whitebeard proclaimed his intention to join the battle himself, but was shocked when Squard stabbed him through the chest with his sword.

Squard accused Whitebeard of making a deal with the Marines to have Ace and his pirates spared in exchange for sacrificing his New World subordinate crews. When Squard claimed Whitebeard did this despite knowing Squard lost his entire crew to Roger, Whitebeard noted the Marines chose the man who would be most affected by Ace being Roger's son before hugging and forgiving Squard, whom he told to not hold the sins of Roger against Ace before stating that all of his sons are equal to him. After destroying the walls of ice on either side of Marineford so the pirates could escape at any time, Whitebeard admitted that he would not always be the strongest man in the world before telling his men to be prepared to give up their lives if they wished to continue fighting alongside him while leaping into the battle.

As Whitebeard's men cleared a path for him, John Giant attacked Whitebeard, who effortlessly blocked him with his bisento before tilting the entire island of Marineford with "The Man who Shakes the World". After defeating John with a shockwave, Whitebeard saw the siege wall rise and looked on in shock as Akainu destroyed the Moby Dick with "Meteor Volcano".

After apologizing to the Moby Dick, Whitebeard attempted to destroy the siege wall with a shockwave, but it did not even crack, to the surprise of those watching. When Luffy charged ahead and confronted the three admirals, Whitebeard noted that he shared his recklessness with Ace before telling his men that they were going to break through to the execution platform.

Whitebeard revealed another coated ship that had been lying on the sea floor up until that point. After having his men climb aboard, Whitebeard had Oars Jr. grab and ram the ship through the gap in the siege wall, effectively bypassing it. When Oars Jr. was taken down by cannon fire, Whitebeard ordered his sons to get down and encased the blade of his bisento in a quake bubble before swinging it at the Marines, sending several dozen of them flying. Whitebeard rallied his men to save Ace and destroy the Marines.

When Whitebeard attempted to hit the Marines with another quake bubble-enhanced slash, Aokiji encased him in ice with "Ice Ball", but the ice shattered due to the vibrations surrounding Whitebeard's body, and Whitebeard impaled Aokiji on his bisento. Aokiji attempted to hit Whitebeard with "Ice Block: Partisan", but was interrupted by Jozu, who punched him away and told Whitebeard to advance. When Luffy was severely wounded by several Marines and kicked away by Kizaru, Whitebeard caught him and ordered his men to tend to his injuries after assuring Luffy that he had done enough already. Admitting that he liked idiots like Luffy, Whitebeard prepared to attack the Marines with his bisento once more, but was intercepted by Akainu, causing his strike to instead destroy part of the town nearby. When Akainu noted that Whitebeard's actions would destroy the island, Whitebeard dared him to stop him before countering Akainu's "Great Eruption" with a shockwave.

When Monkey D. Garp joined the battle, Whitebeard told his men to not be intimidated by him because he was just another old Marine, but Akainu pointed out how they were from the same generation before attacking Whitebeard with "Hound Blaze", which Whitebeard dispersed with a slash of his bisento. When this slash destroyed a nearby tower, Akainu once again told Whitebeard to not destroy the town, but Whitebeard merely dared him to stop him once more. However, Whitebeard was soon incapacitated by his old age weakening his body, which caused him to cough up blood, and Akainu used this opportunity to impale him with his magma hand.

After Akainu pulled back, Whitebeard was shot and stabbed by several more Marines. However, when his men attempted to help him, Whitebeard ordered them to stay back and wondered if they thought this was enough to defeat him before defeating all of the Marines before him with a single blow while proclaiming that he was Whitebeard. Whitebeard stated that he could not die yet because he needed to watch over the futures of his sons, and chastised his subordinate crews for caring too much about his pride when they gathered behind him in order to protect him. When Sengoku ordered the executioners to kill Ace, Whitebeard attempted to knock them out with Conqueror's Haki, but was interrupted by his illness and old age incapacitating him once more. However, he was shocked to see Luffy knock out the executioners himself with Conqueror's Haki.

After pushing back the Marines trying to attack him with his bisento, Whitebeard ordered his men to fully support Luffy while mentally asking Luffy to show him what lies beyond this age as a carrier of the Will of the D. After defeating several Marines with a shockwave, Whitebeard slashed through Kizaru with his bisento when the latter attempted to prevent Luffy from reaching Ace. After reforming, Kizaru pierced Whitebeard with a laser beam. Shortly afterward, Whitebeard looked on as Luffy successfully freed Ace.

"There's no need for words... Just answer one question for me, Ace... Was I a good father?"
 * —Whitebeard's last question to Ace.

Upon seeing Luffy and Ace fighting off Marines together, Whitebeard grinned in pride. Soon after, when Squard attempted to lead a suicidal charge into the plaza with the paddle ship, Whitebeard stopped the ship with one hand and told Squard that it is painful for a father to bury his child before announcing that his final order was for the pirates to safely return to the New World without him. Claiming there was no ship to take him to the next age, Whitebeard damaged the Marine headquarters with a shockwave and recalled his past as a young pirate before telling the Marines they would finish this here.{

Whitebeard's men refused to leave without him, but Whitebeard merely repeated his order before attacking the Marines before him. As Whitebeard continued attacking the Marines, he noticed Ace clearing a path to him with fire. When Ace knelt before him, Whitebeard asked him if he was a good father, and laughed when Ace claimed he was. After Akainu fatally impaled Ace, Whitebeard shed tears upon realizing his son was going to die.

As Akainu prepared to pursue Luffy, Whitebeard appeared behind him and smashed him into the ground with a quake bubble-enhanced punch. When Akainu retaliated by melting off part of his head with "Hellhound", Whitebeard hit him with another shockwave that further damaged the Marine headquarters and split the plaza in half as Whitebeard continued to tear through the Marine ranks. However, he was shocked when Blackbeard and his crew arrived at Marineford.

Upon seeing Blackbeard, Whitebeard attacked him and his crew with a shockwave while proclaiming his intention to avenge Thatch. When Blackbeard confronted him, Whitebeard attempted to hit him with another shockwave, but Blackbeard neutralized his powers, only for Whitebeard to cut him down with his bisento before wrapping a quake bubble around his head. Fearing for his life, Blackbeard had his crewmembers shoot and stab Whitebeard multiple times. However, Whitebeard survived and noted that someone other than Blackbeard would succeed Roger before proclaiming that One Piece existed. Bidding farewell to his sons, Whitebeard died as his coat fell from his shoulder to reveal his back, which had never received a wound from him running away.

Postmortem
After Whitebeard's death, Blackbeard used an unknown method to steal Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers from the corpse. When Shanks arrived to end the war, Whitebeard's and Ace's bodies were taken for a proper burial, a request that Sengoku allowed despite Vice Admiral Doberman wanting to show their heads to the world to symbolize the Navy's victory. Whitebeard, along with Ace, were buried in an island near Whitebeard's homeland somewhere in the New World.

His coat and bisento were made into a grave marker, with his pirate flag tied to it and a bouquet of flowers hanging from the halberd's handle. His grave was put beside Ace's and filled with flowers and swords left behind by his crew members, and the members themselves stood on either side of the island, paying their last respects to the two deceased.

From the Decks of the World
Two years later, the grave markers had become tattered with age. Sabo visited them and placed a bottle of sake and three cups on a crate next to Ace's grave, pinning the recent newspaper article of the Straw Hats' return onto Ace's grave as a message to him that Luffy is doing fine.

Legacy
Whitebeard's death was a devastating blow to the balance of power in the world. Because of his great power and influence, many of the islands he controlled as protectorates descended into anarchy as pirates began invading his territory. One of the more prominent pirates was his assassin, Blackbeard, who annexed most of Whitebeard's territory and usurped his previous status of Emperor. Nonetheless, Whitebeard's dying words provoked the New Age of piracy and inspired countless pirates to voyage to the New World, just as Gol D. Roger did. Also, two pirates who claim to be the late Emperor's son and lover are going after his crew and subordinate crews in order to claim his fortune.

Canon

 * Edward Newgate vs. Gol D. Roger (several times, have yet to actually be shown)
 * Edward Newgate vs. Crocodile (has yet to actually be shown)
 * Edward Newgate vs. attackers of Fishman Island
 * Edward Newgate vs. Spade Pirates
 * Edward Newgate vs. Portgas D. Ace (at least 100 times)
 * Edward Newgate vs. Shanks
 * Edward Newgate vs. Admiral Aokiji
 * Edward Newgate vs. Vice-Admiral Lonz
 * Edward Newgate vs. Vice-Admiral John Giant
 * Edward Newgate vs. Admiral Aokiji (in the plaza)
 * Edward Newgate vs. Admiral Akainu
 * Edward Newgate vs. multiple Marine Officers
 * Edward Newgate vs. Admiral Kizaru
 * Edward Newgate vs. Admiral Akainu (after the death of Ace)
 * Edward Newgate vs. Marshall D. Teach
 * Edward Newgate vs. Blackbeard Pirates

Non-Canon

 * Edward Newgate vs. Marine Bazooka Unit
 * Edward Newgate vs. Z (unseen)

Appearance
In the manga and other related merchandise, the interior color of Whitebeard's coat was initially green. In the anime and other related merchandise, it is red. Later in the manga, however, this was changed to red. In his initial appearance in the anime, his eyes were black like many male characters of the series, but this was changed to a golden yellow color by the Battle of Marineford.

In the manga, Whitebeard has no hair showing, but in the anime, he initially had some brown hair; his hair was later retconned to follow the manga. His pants were also left hanging over his boots in his first appearance in the anime and during one of the scenes of his meeting with Shanks; in the manga, his pants were always tucked inside his boots.

War at Marineford
After Ace's death, Whitebeard tried to stop Akainu but was attacked by Kizaru. In One Piece Episode 484, instead of blasting off half of Whitebeard's face, Akainu only managed to remove part of Whitebeard's mustache. Instead, Akainu successfully punched another hole in Whitebeard's torso and visibly filled him with magma. Also, the battle between Whitebeard and Akainu went on longer, with Whitebeard launching more vicious attacks against the admiral. The fight between Whitebeard and Blackbeard is extended in the anime. Blackbeard manages to land punches on Whitebeard's torso and chin. Even after the initial strike proved Whitebeard's quake punch has no effect on Blackbeard, Whitebeard continued to punch several more times before using his bisento. Whitebeard was unable to move after his last attack on Blackbeard, but managed to move forward with his body turned red with smoke coming out of it, similar to Luffy in Gear Second. This was likely done to signify his fury. Additionally, Whitebeard's speech about One Piece was longer in the anime.

After Whitebeard's death, when the narrator lists all the injuries Whitebeard suffered, swords that have pierced his front and through his body could be seen with the tips protruding from his back. In the anime, there were no swords at all in his body.

Later, in One Piece Episode 507, when Usopp dropped a newspaper covering the aftermath of the war, Whitebeard's body was shown to match the manga's depiction as opposed to the anime's censorships: his torso had swords sticking out, he was posed to make it looks like half his face was torn off, and the gaping hole on his stomach that Akainu inflicted on him in the anime was missing, leaving only the hole in his upper chest.

Translation and Dub Issues

 * Whitebeard's real name, was spelled "Ward Newgate" in the English dub, for means and reason yet to be known or explained.

As confirmed in One Piece Yellow: Grand Elements, Newgate's official English epithet is "Whitebeard", despite him having no actual beard. In the Japanese language, there are no distinct terms for beard or mustache; instead, Whitebeard's name contains the word "Hige", which is a blanket term for facial hair.

Notes & Trivia

 * Universal Studios of Japan built a replica of the original Ace's and Whitebeard's tombs. Whitebeard's epitaph says: "Edward Newgate, captain of the Whitebeard pirates, here lies a great captain and father, liberated from the exhausting role and labor, who captained the Moby Dick in the spectacular Era of Pirates".
 * He is one of three characters whose name comes from the real life Blackbeard, otherwise known as Edward Teach; the others being Thatch.
 * In the 5th Japanese Fan Poll, Whitebeard ranked the 26th most popular character in One Piece, making him the third most popular of the Whitebeard Pirates and the second most popular Emperor.
 * A pirate with a similar crescent-shaped mustache, Galley, can be seen in Oda's early "Romance Dawn" one shots.
 * Throughout the Battle of Navyford, Whitebeard received 267 sword wounds, 152 gunshot wounds and 46 wounds from cannonballs — adding up to a total of 465 injuries at the time of death. Despite this, there was not a single scar on Whitebeard's back showing cowardice.
 * In a SBS, Oda jokingly stated that Whitebeard once had a dog, Stefan, with a mustache similar to his own.
 * Whitebeard is been widely regarded as the "strongest man" in the world. In comparison, the Emperor Kaido is said to be the "strongest creature" in the world, though the extent of his powers remains unknown. At one time, Krieg falsely proclaimed himself to be the "strongest man" while Whitebeard was still alive.
 * Oda explains in an extra pamphlet (that came with the first initial copies of Databook Yellow or otherwise known as, One Piece Yellow: Grand Elements in celebration of the series's 10th anniversary) titled, "One Piece Paradise Vol. 2", that Whitebeard was directly modeled after the barkeep of the pub he used to frequent with his previous manager. This barkeeper passed away in 2007.
 * The Newgate Prison was a notorious prison in London, active during the Golden Age of Piracy, and where many infamous pirates (and other criminals) were incarcerated; including William Kidd and members of the original "King of the Pirates" Henry Every's crew.
 * In the 6th Japanese Fan Poll, Whitebeard ranked 28th.
 * At 72 years old, he is the oldest known Emperor in the series.
 * A pirate with a similar crescent-shaped mustache, Galley, can be seen in Oda's early "Romance Dawn" one shots.
 * Oda explained in an extra pamphlet (that came with initial copies of Databook Yellow) titled "One Piece Paradise Vol. 2", that Whitebeard was directly modeled after the barkeep of the pub he used to frequent with his previous manager. This barkeeper passed away in 2007.
 * Whitebeard shares several characteristics with the legendary warrior monk, Musashibo Benkei. A popular figure in Japanese folklore, Benkei was said to have been five times the size of a normal man, possessed inhuman strength, and wielded a naginata as his weapon of choice. He famously died in a standing position, with his body riddled with arrows and spears.