At one point in time, Whitebeard could be considered to be one of the strongest pirates in the entire world. Sure, the other Yonkou have crazy powers, like Big Mom who can take someone's soul or Kaidou who can turn into a dragon. But Whitebeard could literally crack the sky and move the earth with his fist.
One big reason why Whitebeard was the perfect candidate to be Pirate King was his reputation and his fleet. Out of all the other Emperors of the Sea, Whitebeard was easily the most beloved pirate by the people. In terms of the size of the crews, the entire Whitebeard Pirate fleet consisted of 16 divisions, all led by elite fighters like Ace and Marco, and it was further reinforced by 43 veteran pirates. Whitebeard was more than qualified to be the next Pirate King after Gol D. Roger. He even earned the nickname "The Man Closest to One Piece". So why didn't he take the crown? Well, the reason is a lot more simple and wholesome than one might think.
Whitebeard’s Past
In order to understand Whitebeard's decisions and motivations, it's important to first explore his past. Whitebeard was born under the name of Edward Newgate on a little island called Sphinx. It was a poor country that couldn't pay the Heavenly Tribute to join the World Government. So it was pretty much a lawless place where violent pirates and slave traders wreaked havoc and caused lots of children to struggle to survive without parents. Edward Newgate was one of those orphaned children.
At an early age, Newgate decided to leave the island and lead a pirate life. At some point during his adult life, Newgate joined the legendary Rock Pirates, along with other future legends like Big Mom and Kaidou. They were considered to be the most ruthless pirates at the time and ruled the vast ocean with an iron fist, at least until Gol D. Roger came along.
Once the Rock Pirates disbanded, most of the crews ended up forming their own pirate crews, including Newgate. And that was when he started to use the moniker "Whitebeard". As time went by, more and more talented people joined the Whitebeard pirates.
Why Didn't Whitebeard Want to be Pirate King?
The journey of Whitebeard was nothing short of inspirational. He was an orphan boy from a destitute island, and he managed to rise all the way to be the closest man to One Piece. The only reason why he didn't step up to the title of Pirate King was that he didn't want to.
The reason was that no matter how far he traveled the world, his mind was always rooted back to the Sphinx island. The experience of having to fend for himself and having nobody to lean on and nobody to share hardship and happiness with, was so deeply traumatizing to Newgate. What Edward Newgate missed and wanted the most ever since he was a little boy was not treasures, fame, or power. What he always wanted was a family.
That was why every man that joined the Whitebeard Pirates was considered "Sons" by Newgate, while everyone in the crew called him "Pops". Edward Newgate never had the chance to enjoy the company of a family before, so he surrounded himself with one huge family. That was why he was never interested to be the Pirate King, because he already got what he wanted the most in this world, a family.
What Does Whitebeard Do With All of His Treasure?
With such massive crews, colossal influence all over the world, and unimaginable power, you'd imagine that Whitebeard would have mountains of treasures at his disposal. And you'd be right. But since Whitebeard wasn't really interested in ruling over the open seas or spending all of that money on frivolous stuff, what did he use all of that fortune for?
The answer once again has to do with where it all began; the island of Sphinx. As mentioned earlier, even though he was a million miles away from Sphinx, his mind always stayed there. Once Whitebeard gained enough influence, he put Sphinx directly under his protection and thus created an era of peace on the island.
Not only that, but Whitebeard also regularly funneled funds to the island in order to help with the development of the villages there and the betterment of the people. And that was pretty much where most of Whitebeard's riches went. Needless to say, the current Sphinx bears no resemblance whatsoever to the one where Edward Newgate had to fight for survival when he was little.
There are so many powerful people in One Piece. Be it the marines, pirates, the revolutionary army, or any other factions, there are countless strong and influential figures all over the world. But even among all of those great names, Edward “Whitebeard” Newgate stood apart as one of the most charismatic people in its history.