Did Whitebeard belong to the Buccaneer Race?
Kuma is a member of the near-extinct special race known as the buccaneers, inherited from his late father Clapp.
Buccaneers are a nearly-extinct special race of humanoids taller than average humans but smaller than giants. They carry the blood of the giants but they cannot be easily distinguished from otherwise tall humans without a blood test.
There’s a growing discussion and speculation within the One Piece fan community about the possibility of Whitebeard being a member of Buccaneers.
Whitebeard was the strongest man in the world and the man closest to the One Piece. As for his appearance, Whitebeard had a height of 666 cm making him close to Kuma who stands at 689 cm. Comparing side-by-side pictures of Whitebeard and Kuma, we can see there are many similarities even during childhood. Their egg-shaped heads, v-shaped bodies, thick arms, and skinny legs are some of the prominent features.
Furthermore, Whitebeard was too strong to be fully human and could belong to another species.
Just another potential connection: In Chapter 1094, I mysteriously realized that the Number 46 was seen on PX-III Kuma. “46” is Whitebeard’s Number, which can also be found in his Bounty! In Goroawase, the Number 46 can be read as “Shiro,” which means “White”.