Recently, Oda has revealed a new race in the world of One Piece, called the Buccaneer race, and it appears that Whitebeard might actually have been a member of this secret race that is connected to the Sun God Nika.

Whitebeard’s Incredible Strength

Whitebeard was quite easily one of the strongest people in the entire One Piece world. He held enough strength to make it to the rank of Yonko and even among the Four Emperors, he was extremely special. Whitebeard was born on Sphinx Island, which is a very poor place in the New World. He had to grow up in poverty and had to fend for himself. It is unknown how exactly Whitebeard went to the sea, however, he certainly did and ended up becoming a powerful pirate. He also joined with Rocks at some point and became his underling at some point, however, while he was officially a subordinate, Whitebeard did not recognize the authority of Rocks, which just goes to show his spirit as a king himself.

Whitebeard was incredibly skilled as a fighter and fans have seen a display of that during the Marineford arc. However, that version of Whitebeard was actually far beyond his prime. In his prime, Whitebeard was certainly one of the strongest to have ever lived, being capable enough to match even the former Pirate King, Roger himself. In fact, At the beginning of the series, it was believed that Whitebeard was the only pirate alive who had tied a battle with Roger, and that speaks for itself. With his incredibly overpowered Devil Fruit that could destroy the entire world, and an incredible Haki, along with tremendous physical strength, one can see why Whitebeard was the strongest man in the world. However, now, it appears that Whitebeard might actually have had connections to the Buccaneer race, which would also then explain his strength in many ways.

Oda’s Hints At Whitebeard’s Race

The Buccaneer race was revealed recently in One Piece in the flashback of the character, Bartholomew Kuma. Fans know this race to be incredibly special, mostly due to the ties it has with the Sun God Nika. It is believed that the lore of Nika has been passed down the Buccaneer line and they might actually be somewhat close to this legendary Warrior of Liberation. It is also possible that the former Warrior of Liberation stemmed from the Buccaneer race itself, and that, when revealed, was certainly shocking to the fans. The most interesting aspect about those of the Buccaneer race is that they are astoundingly big. Members of the Buccaneer race are not as big as the Giants, however, they are not as small as humans either.

Usually, people in the One Piece world can be absurdly massive, however, the Buccaneer folk take this to the next level. Kuma stands at over 22 ft in height and which is remarkably large. Curiously, Whitebeard himself was also over 22 feet and around the same height as Kuma, which certainly raises an eyebrow. Moreover, when comparing the body type of both, Kuma and Whitebeard appear to be quite similar. Even when they were kids, they had a similar build and as they grew older, the similarities grew as well. Even their jaws and their faces look quite similar and one can see how Whitebeard could end up being a member of the Buccaneer race. Those with the Buccaneer bloodline are known to have the blood of the Giants in them, which might explain why they are incredibly overpowered. Whitebeard possessed tremendous Haki and Devil Fruit abilities, however, his physical strength was also top notch and that is certainly something that is worth noting.

As such, Whitebeard meets every single criterion for being a Buccaneer.

Recently, in One Piece chapter 1100, Oda dropped another major hint pertaining to the idea of Whitebeard being a Buccaneer. So far, fans had only drawn connections based on their physical appearance, and the fact that the height of these characters was rather similar along with their builds. The author had drawn no connection between these two so far. However, that changes with One Piece chapter 1100, where Oda drew a comparison between Whitebeard and Kuma.

After Kuma is given the position of Shichibukai, this news is spread all over the world. Alvida, who, at this point, is in the East Blue with Koby on her ship, looks at this remarkable poster and comments on the fact that Kuma is just as massive as Whitebeard in terms of size. This is a very astute observation and the fact that Oda put this in there was certainly because he wanted to drop a hint about the connection between Kuma and Whitebeard. It is almost certain now that Kuma and Whitebeard belong to the same race and that is the Buccaneer race that exists in the One Piece world.

Was Whitebeard A Buccaneer?

While nothing can be said for sure just yet, the theory suggesting Whitebeard to be a Buccaneer is growing with each passing day. This theory could also have some interesting implications for the future of One Piece, even though Whitebeard is dead. This could come into play when Oda finally reveals the final meeting that Roger had with Whitebeard. Roger shared the legend of Joyboy with Whitebeard and, perhaps, at this point, Whitebeard could’ve revealed to Roger what he knows about Nika himself. At the same time, finds also know that Whitebeard was certainly aware of the presence of Gods who lived atop the Red Line 400 years ago, in the form of the Lunarians.

It appears that Whitebeard was certainly very aware of the fact that Gods existed in the One Piece world long ago and, especially when he used to drink, he would blurt out this information to his pirate crew. Furthermore, another interesting angle the story can take with this plotline is in regards to Edward Weevil, Whitebeard’s son. Unsurprisingly, Weevil is exactly around the same height as the members of the Buccaneer race – Kuma and Whitebeard. This would mean that Weevil himself is a Buccaneer as well and his strength has been compared to Whitebeard directly. This would also mean that he has Giants’ blood flowing through his veins and the same blood that Whitebeard possesses as well. Given that Weevil is going to be an incredibly important plot point in the future of the story, fans will most definitely find out more about Whitebeard being a Buccaneer.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1100, is set to be December 3, 2023.