Shirohige V.2 JUS

The Whitebeard Pirates were formerly one of the strongest pirate crews in the world, as their late captain, Whitebeard, was one of the only pirates to have ever been a match for the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, in a fight. Whitebeard’s crew is segmented into divisions, instead of all under their captain’s direct command. The crew had multiple subordinate crews operating in the New World, allowing the pirate crew to function as a massive pirate fleet.

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Following the deaths of Whitebeard and Ace, the remaining members of the crew engaged the Blackbeard Pirates in the Payback War, which ended with the Blackbeard Pirates brutally defeating them, followed by conquering their former territories, with their admiral usurping Whitebeard’s position in the Four Emperors. As a result, the crew has lost most of its power and influence, and they disbanded.

After the timeskip, the remaining crew members and subordinate crews are being hunted down by Edward Weevil and his mother Bakkin, who proclaim themselves as their captain’s biological son and lover, to gain his fortune.

Whitebeard’s flag is that of a standard Jolly Roger with a large mustache and a cross behind it. Many high-ranked crew members bear the Whitebeard flag symbol on them, including Ace who is seen having it tattooed on his back and being extraordinarily proud of it.

Originally in the manga, a manji (卍) was behind the skull instead of a cross. The anime used the cross-version from the beginning in order to avoid confusion with a swastika, also known as the Hakenkreuz (卐), the symbol best known in Western societies from its association with the Nazi regime. The manji has a long history in many cultures as a religious symbol and is distinguishable from the Hakenkreuz by the direction of the angles. Despite this, in Shonen Jump #50 2006, Oda commented that from Chapter 434 onwards he would have to use the cross version of the flag in the manga as well, after being told to do so by the higher-ups at Shueisha.

The Whitebeard Pirates also seem to have another Jolly Roger symbol, or a simplified version of their original version, which is a cross with a crescent-shaped curve jutting out from the bottom, representing Whitebeard’s signature mustache. This symbol is not used on the flags, but many members have it either tattooed on their bodies (such as Marco on his chest, Curiel on his chin, and Atmos on his shoulders) or clothing (Blamenco has it on his tricorn, Jiru on his fez, and Rakuyo on his headband); the significance this symbol makes is as of yet unknown.