TheForGotteN wrote...
I seriously want this chance to be taken and Shanks and the other Kings to come and kick ass... kill all the damn marines!
The story of one piece definitely cannot do without the marines, so I don't see the marines getting annihilated. On the other hand, Whitebeard is a dispensable character. Oda has made it clear that Whitebeard is not after the title of Pirate King but is grooming Ace for that position. Whitebeard will die protecting the new pirate age by ensuring the safety of Ace and Luffy.
How exactly the pirate world will cope with the loss of Whitebeard and how Ace and Luffy will take up his mantle will make for a good story.