The Whitebeard Pirates were formerly one of the strongest pirate crews in the world, as their late captain, Edward Newgate, better known as Whitebeard, was one of the Four Emperors and the only man to have ever been a match for the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, in a fight Whitebeard's crew was 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. 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.

Though the division commanders all made their appearance in the series, only half of them were directly named in the main storyline. The rest were named in the SBS of Volume 58.[9] It has been stated by Oda that all the Whitebeard commanders, no matter which division they are leading, are all equal in rank and the division number does not indicate their strength.[10] But outside Ace, who was Luffy's brother and thus naturally received a lot of exposure, three of the commanders, Marco, Jozu, and Vista, have been given far more reverence and focus than the others. Each division has specific duties for its members.[11] Teach was offered the position of second division commander, but he refused, due to not wanting to make himself known to the world yet. After Thatch's murder, his position was left unreplaced at the time of the Marineford War.

Division Commander #01: Marco the Phoenix
Division Commander #02: Kozuki Oden (former/deceased) / Fire Fist Portgas D. Ace (deceased)
Division Commander #03: Diamond Jozu Combat division.
Division Commander #04: Thatch (deceased)
Division Commander #05: Flower Sword Vista Swordsman division.
Division Commander #06: Blamenco
Division Commander #07: Rakuyo
Division Commander #08: Namur
Division Commander #09: Blenheim
Division Commander #10: Curiel
Division Commander #11: Kingdew
Division Commander #12: Haruta
Division Commander #13: Water Buffalo Atmos
Division Commander #14: Speed Jiru
Division Commander #15: Fossa
Division Commander #16: Izou (deceased)