That’s why we shouldn’t underestimate the Whitebeard Pirates
I don’t get why people think Whitebeard’s Commanders are any weaker than the other Yonko Commanders.
Whitebeard’s Commanders are not only strong, but they’re also plenty. There are 16 Commanders, and obviously not all of them are extremely strong but they’re still formidable. Safe to say that the weakest Whitebeard Commander isn’t fodder, compared to Kaido’s and Big Mom’s crew where there are only a few actually powerful people and the rest might as well not be there.
It’s not like any other Commander would’ve done better against the Admirals unless we’re talking about Shanks’ crew which is known as the most well-balanced and impenetrable crew among the four Yonko crews with Benn Beckman, Lucky Roo and Yasopp, that are all noted to be big names themselves.
So let’s run the feats Whitebeard’s Commanders offer to us.
MARCO THE PHOENIX
Marco has the Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix devil fruit which allows him to transform into a phoenix, granting him the ability to fly. His control over his hybrid form is so great that he can transform individual parts of his body, being able to remove his hands and feet from his transformation when necessary.
The greatest ability derived from his Devil Fruit however, is being able to regenerate and heal parts of his injured body by simply enveloping them with the flames of his phoenix form. In this form he can endure deadly attacks without being affected in the slightest, since it can heal any would almost instantly (It can also heal the wounds of others, even if more limited).
Marco was thus able to block a barrage of simultaneous laser beams from Kizaru, and even intercepted, with the help of Busoshoku Haki, Akainu’s magma punch, an attack that was so damaging it burned and eventually took the life of the fire Logia-user Ace; the latter feat suggests that phoenix flames are superior to Akainu’s magma and Ace’s fire, or this could have just been due to Marco’s healing powers.
Marco definitely demonstrated in the Marineford war that he was on a similar level of fighting as the three Admirals. He was fully capable of fighting Admirals Kizaru, Aokiji, and Akainu while holding his own. Post-timeskip on Onigashima, Marco had a brief, head-on clash with Big Mom on what seemed even terms, with Marco seemingly confident that he could keep the Emperor occupied. Also, Marco effectively held off and overpowered the two All-Stars King and Queen—Kaido’s two strongest combatants with bounties over one billion—at once, his attacks sending each flying and repeatedly drawing blood.
JOZU
Jozu has outstanding brute strength. He picked up and hurled an immense iceberg at a great distance at the Giant Squad Marines protecting Marineford. Thus, Jozu has demonstrated one of the greatest feats of strength seen in the series
Jozu ate the Kira Kira no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows him to transform parts and most likely all of his body, into diamond.
Jozu’s powers give him the ability to greatly increase his offensive and defensive capabilities, as his already strong physical attacks are enhanced by the density of his diamond body. His defenses seem to enhance exponentially, as he is able to block the strongest slash in the world from the world’s greatest swordsman, Shichibukai Dracule Mihawk, with no visible damage to himself, as diamond is one of the hardest substances in the world, along with Seastone and the Poneglyphs.
Despite his massive body, his speed and reflexes are on par with his brute force. This speed, combined with his Haki, makes Jozu (especially when he’s in his Diamond form) particularly dangerous against Logia users. He launched a devastating surprise attack against Crocodile that knocked him a great distance back. Later, he launched another surprise attack against Admiral Aokiji, which shattered his ice form and caused the Admiral to bleed from the mouth.
