The Whitebeard Piratesare, to date, perhaps one of the most robust pirate crews to ever traverse the world ofOne Piece. Their size appeared to necessitate a total of 16 division commanders, who each held control and responsibility over a part of the crew. Whitebeard’s desire for a family appeared to manifest in him accepting pirates from many different backgrounds and origins to join his organization. This is further compounded by the existence of their many subordinate crews. As an orphan, Whitebeard desired to have a family of his own, which he found in his crew, and by extension the subordinate crews that operated on his behalf.
These crews are often employed by Emperors, and operate on behalf of their superior. In an effort torescue Ace at Marineford, many subordinates made themselves known during the Summit War. Although they are assumed to have a relatively high level of strength, with most if not all of them serving as infamous New World Pirates, they are largely muscled out due to the presence of many more significant characters. Here are the captains of said crews who had displayed impressive power in their admittedly limited screen time.
5Squard
Surviving Roger
Squard is a veteran pirate, from the time ofGol D. Roger, the infamous King of the Pirates himself. Although many pirates view Roger as a figure worthy of looking up to or at least matching in terms of achievements, Squard’s own experiences with the captain left him with a much more negative impression of Roger.
In an unseen fight against Roger, the captain is noted to have killed every last one of Squard’s former crewmates. Although surviving Roger is a feat of its own, Squard’s story did not end there. He subsequently befriended Whitebeard, who took care of the pirate after this tragic incident. Squard later rebuilt his crew to serve under Whitebeard. Whitebeard viewed Squard as a powerful figure in his own right, with him being the captain’s initial choice to lead the attack to rescue Ace.
Unfortunately, Sakazuki tricked Squard, by revealing to him that Ace was the son of Roger, and lying that Whitebeard was planning to sacrifice his subordinates to rescue Ace. This led to him stabbing Whitebeard in the abdomen. Squard regretted the action after realizing he was being lied to, and begged for Whitebeard’s forgiveness. The Captain hugged his “son” and shrugged off the attack, claiming it to have barely hurt him. Nonetheless, Whitebeard’s primary confidant, Marco, seemed to think even landing such an attack was an achievement of its own.
4Decalvan Brothers
Dueling Dalmatian
The Decalvan Brothers are a pair of pirate captains, presumed to be twins. Their main weapon of choice appears to be two sets of clawed gloves that each brother wields in battle. Their legs also appear to be of above average physical strength, as they are seen using them as a method of attack at certain points. They are never seen without each other, and this appears to extend to their fights.
The anime shows them quickly forcing Vice Admiral Dalmatian onto the defensive, even with hisZoan Devil Fruitintact. Vice Admiral is the third-highest rank a marine officer is capable of achieving, implying a level of remarkable physical strength. The position rests below merely the Admirals and Fleet Admiral,a position currently inhabited by Akainu.
3Doma
Dueling Momonga
Doma was one of many captains who worked for Whitebeard, shown to be an expert swordsman. He had a pet monkey on his shoulder, who was shown to somehow be proficient in the use of a flintlock pistol. Doma, on his own, was shown to be skilled enough of a swordsman to duel on-par with Momonga, a vice admiral capable of killing a sea king. His monkey’s flintlock gave him a further edge, allowing him to effectively still launch attacks, even while holding onto his swords.
2McGuy
Dueling Doberman
“Thunder Sword” McGuy was one of the most notable subordinate captains seen in Marineford. Through unknown means, he was able to electrify his sword (in a manner with a passing resemblance tothe Minks’usage of electro) in combat, living up to his moniker. He is shown to be roughly on par with Vice Admiral Doberman during their duel, and more impressively, has no extra outside help during the fight.
1Little Oars Jr.
Taking on Giants
There is little that is little about this ancient giant, whose species is on average much bigger than their more humanoid counterparts. He is a descendant (presumably the grandson) of Oars, a giant who Gecko Moria scouted as a candidate for his mostly undead crew, the Thriller Bark Pirates. Little Oars Jr. himself is possibly the most prominent subordinate captain of the Whitebeard Pirates.
He was notably fairly close to Ace, as the late pirate specially made him a Kasa (a special kind of Japanese hat, made in Wano withinOne Pieceuniverse), despitehis Devil Fruit powersburning his earlier attempts. Little Oars Jr. was especially grateful for this, as it managed to protect him from various forms of adverse weather. This makes it no surprise that he was one of the major players in the concentrated effort to rescue the pirate.
However, his size is not just for show. Little Oars Jr. was able to take on a giant vice admiral, LaCroix, muscle his way past the other giant Vice Admirals as they tried to stop him, and cut down an entire battleship with his large sword. He also survived attacks from the likes of Bartholomew Kuma, Donquixote Doflamingo and Gecko Moria. Although the latter attack led to his collapse, even his unconscious body proved to still be a boon, as it damaged a siege wall he collapsed on top of.
Upon awakening, he manages to break Whitebeard’s ship through a barricade, allowing them to more successfully attack their foes. However, he is quickly felled by cannon fire, making his whereabouts, as well as whether he is even alive, unclear for the time being.
