Portgas D. Ace/History

Past
Gramps… do you think… I should have really been born?

Growing Up with Luffy and Sabo
Ace's father, the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, was executed while Ace's mother, Portgas D. Rouge, was still pregnant with Ace. She carried him for a full twenty months to protect him from the World Government as they sought to erase every last trace of Roger's blood. A year and three months after the execution, Ace was born in Baterilla in the South Blue. His mother only lived long enough to name him. Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp adopted Ace in secret as a favor to Roger, and Ace was moved to Foosha Village in the East Blue.

Ace was left in the care of Garp's friend Curly Dadan. Ace would travel around town causing trouble and beating people up to those who spoke ill about his father, which annoyed Dadan. At some point Ace befriended Sabo who was the same age as Ace at the time.



Later, when Garp got fed up with Luffy due to the influence of Shanks on the boy, he left his grandson in Dadan's care as well. Upon first meeting Luffy, Ace merely spat at him and gave him a sinister glare, which the agitated Luffy returned.

After having a meal, Ace went out of the house and Luffy decided to follow him. Luffy said that he is not angry that Ace spat at him (since it is not something to get worked out about) and also wanted to be friends. Ace responds by knocking a tree down at Luffy. Ace then crossed a bridge and Luffy followed. Ace charged at Luffy and knocked him off the bridge. He returned to Dadan's house without Luffy and without any concern for him. Luffy returned a week later. When Ace goes out, Luffy followed after him wanting to start a friendship only to get shunned by Ace.

Ace went to the Gray Terminal and meets up with a friend named Sabo. Ace and Sabo had been collecting money for a pirate ship. Ace handed over his share and Sabo put it in a secret spot. Luffy then showed up and both Ace and Sabo tied Luffy to a tree. Ace said that they should kill Luffy to keep their secret safe and Sabo agreed. However, both Ace and Sabo had a hard time deciding who should complete the task since both of them never killed anyone before. They heard someone coming so they took Luffy and hid. Ace then realized that the person he stole money from was Porchemy of the Bluejam Pirates. Ace and Sabo notice Luffy missing and then see Luffy get caught by Porchemy. Both Ace and Sabo watched as Luffy was taken away.

Fearing that Luffy might tell Porchemy, Ace and Sabo collect all of their money and treasure and move them to another location. They managed to move all the money and treasure to a new hiding place by sundown. Sabo, who went to check on the old hiding place, informed Ace that Luffy has not told Porchemy anything much to Ace's surprise. Ace and Sabo then came to Luffy's rescue and defeated Porchemy. Ace then learns from Luffy that Luffy has no parents with him and the reason he follows Ace is because he does not want to be alone. After that, Luffy joined Ace and Sabo and together, they start making a name for themselves.

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy sparred with each other, hunt gators, and beat up thugs. In the Central Town of the Goa Kingdom, the trio did a dine-and-dash and while running, they heard a man calling Sabo's name. Back in the forest, Sabo revealed that he was born in a noble family and the man calling him was his father.



Regardless, Ace and Luffy still considered Sabo as their friend. After the trio made a declaration of what they want to accomplish in the future, they shared a drink of alcohol and became brothers. They continue having adventures, hunting animals, and at one point had a party with Dadan, Wood Slap, and Makino, and also get a beating by Garp whenever he visits.

One day, the trio found themselves confronted by Sabo's father and the Bluejam Pirates. To spare Ace and Luffy, Sabo willingly went with his father and Ace cried out to Sabo as Sabo walked away in tears.

Ace and Luffy were then in the custody of the Bluejam Pirates. Ace and Luffy joined the Bluejam Pirates at the request of the captain and then carry cargo to marked locations in the Gray Terminal with the other pirates. Later, Bluejam revealed to Ace and Luffy that the cargo they had carried was oil and gunpowder and that the Gray Terminal will by engulfed with flames. Ace and Luffy reacted in outrage and were quickly apprehended by the pirates. Bluejam then informed them that they can no longer be left alive and asked them the location of their hoard of treasure. Later that night, the flames started and Ace and Luffy managed to cut themselves loose after they were tied up. Ace and Luffy then run for their lives, but come across Bluejam and his crew, who demand to know where Ace and Sabo hid their loot. Ace briefly demonstrates Haki when Bluejam tells him that Sabo was just using him. Dadan comes to the rescue and tries to get Ace and Luffy to safety. Ace refuses to run away from the fight and Dadan stays with him while Luffy and the rest of the bandits escape.

After the events of the fire but before Sabo's fall at the hands of the Celestial Dragons, Ace came back with an injured Dadan on his back. Luffy greets him crying and Ace is annoyed that Luffy really thought he was dead and punches him in the head telling him not to 'kill people'. He then explains how he and Dadan managed to defeat Bluejam and luckily escape to the "Middle forest" and hide themselves in the riverbank he carries on to tell them that he stole some medical supplies from town and desperately stabilized Dadan's life.



A few hours later, he explains to Dadan why he did not run back when they fought Bluejam, he told her how sometimes blood rushes into his head and he gets worried, that if he runs away then he will lose something big and goes on to tell her at that time Luffy was behind him. Later on, Dogura tells them about what happened to Sabo and an outraged Ace jumps on him stating that he would not forgive him even if it was a joke. Luffy and Ace then realize that Sabo was never happy when he left them and while Luffy breaks out in tears, Ace goes out to beat up whoever killed him. Dadan stops him and yells at him telling him that Sabo's murderer was the world, the country they lived in. To calm him down, the bandits tied Ace to a tree while Luffy spent the whole night crying. The next morning a letter came that was sent by Sabo before he left to become a pirate, explaining that by the time they read it he would already be out at sea, that he hoped they would meet again and that he wished for Ace to take care of their younger brother. As Ace reads the last of the letter, he breaks out in tears.

Some time later, Ace finds Luffy lying face down mourning Sabo's death. When Luffy tells Ace not to die like Sabo, Ace makes a promise that he will never die no matter what. Ace then reminds Luffy that they made a vow that they will become more free than anyone. The two then continue their training and get stronger. Ace asks Makino to teach him how to greet someone properly because Ace plans on thanking Shanks. Ace and Luffy continue with their hunting and fighting until the time has come for Ace to set sail.

The Path to Piracy
At the age of 17, Ace set out from Mt. Colubo and began his life as a pirate. Less than a year after he started sailing, he was shipwrecked on the East Blue island Sixis. There, he met a man without a name, and gave the man the pseudonym of Masked Deuce. They talked about their families, and when Deuce brought up Roger, Ace's expression gave away his true heritage. With mixed feelings about Ace being Roger's son, Deuce left him. Several days later, Ace was still unsuccessful in getting off Sixis, and prepared to eat a fruit, which unbeknownst to him was the Mera Mera no Mi. A starving Deuce prepared to kill Ace for the fruit, but Ace spotted him after hearing his stomach growl, and offered him the fruit. Deuce became guilty for his attempted plot and refused, but the two reconciled and formed a partnership. They split the Mera Mera no Mi, but Ace consumed it first, gaining its powers. They then worked together to build a ship to escape, building the Striker, which ran on Ace's flames. The two set out, forming the Spade Pirates.

As time went on, the Spade Pirates increased to twenty crewmates in number as well as a lynx, and they became more and more infamous, being targeted by hordes of bounty hunters. One day, they were confronted by a Marine warship battalion, and Ensign Isuka came onboard their ship. Despite her strength, she could not harm Ace, and the Spade Pirates sunk one of the Marine ships by leading it into a reef. Isuka jumped in the water to save her comrades, and as she started to tire and drown, Ace threw a life preserver at her because he thought she was not evil. Isuka chased down the Spade Pirates repeatedly, but Ace always easily dealt with her with a casual attitude. Eventually, the Spade Pirates reached Sabaody Archipelago, where they had to wait three days for their ship to be coated. After encountering and eluding Isuka again, Ace and Deuce went on the Ferris wheel, but after their first ride, Isuka confronted them in their gondola and they were locked in for another ride. Despite initial tension, Isuka confided to Ace that she wanted to go after pirates because they burned down her home as a child, and offered him a chance to become a Marine. However, Ace refused and leaped out of the Ferris wheel while it was still in motion.

Three days later, Ace and Deuce came to the slums, where they fed some poor children. They were then approached by Isuka and Vice Admiral Draw, who gave Ace an official invitation from the World Government to join the Shichibukai. Ace refused due to his disdain for the system, and although Draw shared his feelings, the Vice Admiral took the opportunity to kill him. Draw attacked with flamethrowers on his arms, setting the slums ablaze, which angered Ace as he went to rescue the children there. Isuka assisted him, and Ace attacked Draw, but struggled against the Vice Admiral's Busoshoku Haki. Draw grabbed Ace by the neck and prepared to kill him, but Ace's flames caused Draw's fuel tank to explode, injuring both of them. Ace then started overwhelming Draw in the fight, awakening his Busoshoku Haki in the process, and after a final clash he defeated the Vice Admiral. Ace then gave Isuka the opportunity to go on his ship and hunt him down in close quarters, but she refused, wanting to still be a Marine. Ace and Deuce returned to their ship as it left Sabaody, bidding a final farewell to Isuka.

The Spade Pirates then headed to Fishman Island and later the New World. Ace arranged a meeting with Shanks, as he had heard much about him from Luffy and wanted to see him in person.

As he searched the seas for Whitebeard, he ran into Jinbe, who was aware of Ace's strength and decided to fight him in order to keep him from challenging Whitebeard, the man he owed a debt to for protecting his home, Fishman Island. After battling for five days, both collapsed from exhaustion, giving the battle no victor.



Whitebeard, who had heard that Ace intended to take his head, suddenly arrived with his crew and the Moby Dick just after the battle between Jinbe and Ace. Whitebeard told his crew that he alone would be enough, and proceeded to attack Ace's crew. After a fierce battle, Ace got to his feet and cut off Whitebeard from his crew with a wall of flames. Though his battered crew protested, he commanded them to run while he stalled Whitebeard (prompting Whitebeard to call him a cheeky little brat). On the brink of death, Ace was offered by Whitebeard to join his crew, becoming one of his "sons". Ace fiercely refused, but was knocked out and dragged onto Whitebeard's ship nonetheless. Ace's crew later came to retrieve him, though they were beaten up by his captors and abducted onto the ship with their captain.

When Ace came to, he was already acknowledged as one of Whitebeard's crew. To make sure that his crewmates stayed alive, Ace remained on board of Whitebeard's ship; however, on many occasions (counted to be at least a hundred), he attempted to murder the old man, though each time was repelled with little effort from Whitebeard. Eventually he gave in, tempted by Marco's description of the crew's father-son relationship with Whitebeard, and accepted Whitebeard's mark on his back.

After defeating Doma and forcing him to surrender, he was promoted to the position of 2nd division commander. One of his subordinates, Marshall D. Teach, and he were on relatively good terms. One day, Ace decided to reveal his lineage to Whitebeard, who merely laughed it off, saying that his personality was nothing like that of Roger. (According to Sengoku, Whitebeard already knew.) When Ace asked if Whitebeard would kick him out due to him and Roger being enemies in the past, Whitebeard simply stated that his past does not matter, as everyone is a "child of the sea".

Then one day, Teach murdered his crewmate Thatch in order to obtain the Yami Yami no Mi Devil Fruit, which he had had his sights on, and fled. Since Ace was his commander and the Whitebeard pirates live by a code which means they must avenge a fallen comrade, Ace would have been sent after the murderer. Whitebeard, however, felt apprehensive about the situation and protested, acknowledging that Teach may have become too much for the boy to handle with his new powers. Despite this, Ace demanded that he go after Teach, saying that Thatch could not rest in peace if his murderer was not brought to justice, and that Teach could not get away with dishonoring his "father". Admiring Ace's dedication to both his captain and his duty, Whitebeard allowed his "son" to go, later claiming that it was he who told Ace to leave for the sake of Ace's honor. With this, Ace began his journey to find Blackbeard and finish him off.

Drum Island Arc
Ace is first seen in the storyline on Drum Island, where he leaves a message for Luffy to meet him in 10 days in the city of Nanohana, Alabasta. In the anime, the reason he was in Alabasta in the first place was to gain information from Scorpion about Blackbeard, something which Scorpion was lying about to draw him out.

Alabasta Arc
Alabasta is where he is formally introduced; he is seen sleeping in the Spice Bean restaurant (giving the impression to everyone present that he had dropped dead from eating a Desert Strawberry). As he finishes his meal, he is spotted by Smoker, who attempts to arrest him. However, shortly before he and Smoker begin to fight, both men are sent flying into the wall behind them by Luffy's attack as the latter launches himself into the restaurant.



After picking himself up, he spots Luffy eating, only to be knocked down by Smoker, who then attempts to arrest Luffy. After Luffy dashes out of the restaurant with Smoker in hot pursuit, Ace catches up with Luffy in time to save him from being arrested. His interference allows Luffy to escape while he deals with Smoker himself.

After throwing the Marines off his trail, Ace catches up with Luffy on the Going Merry to offer him a chance to join Whitebeard (which Luffy refuses). Ace leaves them a piece of paper, later identified as a Vivre Card, which apparently will allow the two to meet up again.

Jaya Arc
Ace later appears during the Jaya Arc, where he hopped on Buggy the Clown's ship for food and promised to show him the way to Luffy.

Ace's Great Blackbeard Search
After parting ways with Buggy's crew, he infiltrates a Marine base to deliver a letter to the parents of a milk maiden who saved his life and despite being exposed, is able to escape with vital information on Blackbeard that he took from the Marines along with successfully delivering the letter indirectly that led the parents to reunite with their daughter.

Post Enies Lobby Arc
Ace finally found and confronted Blackbeard and his crew on Banaro Island. He and Blackbeard exchanged a few words before Blackbeard offered him the chance to join his crew and help him become Pirate King. However, when Blackbeard revealed that he was intending to go to Water 7 and capture Luffy, Ace got angrier as he refused, revealing his relationship with Luffy. Van Augur then shot at him, but Ace had the bullets pass through him before retaliating with fire bullets. Jesus Burgess threw part of a hotel at him, but Ace demolished it with a pillar of fire before attacking the two of them and Blackbeard with Hiken.

Blackbeard admitted that he had killed Thatch, revealing that he had done it to claim the Yami Yami no Mi. Ace watched as Blackbeard became darkness and pulled the entire town into a black hole before releasing it as wreckage, but he immediately unleashed several small fiery explosions that injured Blackbeard due to his fruit amplifying damage rather than bypassing it. However, Blackbeard used his darkness to pull Ace toward him and nullify his Devil Fruit powers, allowing Blackbeard to punch Ace. Ace was pulled in again by Blackbeard's darkness, but managed to hit Blackbeard with an attack before Blackbeard broke his neck. As the two continued to clash, Blackbeard began to physically overwhelm Ace and once again offered him the chance to join his crew. Ace refused again, and brought out a massive fireball as he engaged in a massive final clash with Blackbeard's darkness.

Impel Down Arc
Although he did not at first find out precisely what happened to Ace, Luffy discovered part of the truth in another way. After learning about Vivre Cards from pirate Lola the Proposer, he realized that the piece of paper he received from Ace was in fact one such Vivre Card. But, as Luffy took it out, he saw slowly it burning away - a sign that Ace's life-force was fading. Unaware of the urgency of Ace's situation, he assumed that he could deal with it himself, and that he would not want any help from Luffy.

It was revealed that Ace was sentenced to a public execution in the plaza of Marineford, the home of Marine Headquarters. The execution is scheduled to take place a week after Luffy's triumph over the Gorgon Sisters on the island of Amazon Lily.



He is next seen with seastone chains on his feet and arms, in his holding cell in Impel Down. There he is visited by Garp, who notes that Ace is in terrible shape and asks if he is still alive. Ace asks Garp to kill him, but much to his grief is told that even with his death, Whitebeard will not stop his advance. Garp states that they had angered the "Ruler of the Seas".

He recalls that he had wished Ace and Luffy would become great Marine officers instead of doing the exact opposite and becoming terrible criminals. Ace replies that with the blood of world renown criminals running through their veins, becoming Marines would have been impossible for the two of them.

He goes on to say that he took the name Portgas from his mother, to whom he owes a great debt, but he does not care one bit for the half of his blood that came from his father - his only father is Whitebeard.

Ace is later seen talking with the Shichibukai Jinbe, who happened to share the same cell with him. Jinbe explains that he owes a great deal to Whitebeard, because in the past, his home, Fishman Island, came under continuous attacks by pirates and slave traders. However, when Whitebeard declared the island his territory, the attacks and kidnappings stopped. Thus, Jinbe wishes to stop the war for fear of Whitebeard's safety. However, they are interrupted by Crocodile, who apparently was placed in a cell opposite theirs. He chuckles that many "Silver Medalist" pirates have a grudge against Whitebeard and the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, after being defeated by them, and wish to kill Whitebeard or see him killed. Boa Hancock later visits him in his cell and (while causing a scene) cryptically informs Ace that Luffy is in Impel Down trying to save him, much to Ace's dismay. Ace is later seen muttering for Luffy to stay away. During Luffy's fight with Magellan, Ace shakes his chains to draw the attention of the guards outside his cell and demands to know what is going on upstairs. They blankly tell him that nothing is happening.

In several of Jinbe's flashbacks, during their time in Impel Down, the two talked about Luffy, that when Ace met the Straw Hats, that he was no longer worried about his brother because he had friends he could rely on now. He also asks Jinbe to look after his brother if Ace should die. Jinbe refuses, claiming he has no loyalty to people that do not interest him (though he would later protect Luffy anyway after being impressed by his character).

It is revealed that Ace is actually in Level 6, Eternal Hell. Jinbe mentions that Hancock might have been lying about Luffy, but Ace angrily denies that she came all that way just to lie to him, and then apologizes. He explains that Luffy has always done crazy things to make him worry, and what is happening right now is exactly the sort of thing Luffy would do.

When the time for Ace's execution arrives, the jailers begin to make preparations for his transfer. He is shown to be with Magellan and Domino and a few other jailers. Magellan takes Ace to Level 1 with the lift before Ace, hearing a report that Luffy is on Level 6 and about to be assaulted with sleeping gas, attempts to escape back to the lift. Magellan immediately recaptures him and tells him to stop resisting since Luffy, as a pirate, was doomed the minute he stepped into Impel Down. Ace reveals that he had been hoping that Hancock was lying and silently asks Luffy why he came.

Ace is seen being handed over to the Marines and is evidently en route to Marineford, since the Vivre Card no longer points directly up from Level 6. As six hours approach to Ace's execution. Ace is seen on the deck of the Marine battleship escorting him to Marineford, chained to a chair and given one last chance to look at the sky before his execution. The battleships arrive before the Gates of Justice, requesting permission to enter and advance to their ultimate destination.

Marineford Arc
As Ace is led to the execution platform, he remembers a childhood promise that he made with Luffy: that they would both go out to sea and live their lives without regrets.



Afterwards, Fleet Admiral Sengoku reveals that Ace's mother was Portgas D. Rouge and that his father was Gol D. Roger. As Sengoku continues, he declares that it was Whitebeard's intention to make him the Pirate King, despite Ace's desires to give this title to Whitebeard. Just after this revelation, a massive armada of pirate crews from the New World allied with Whitebeard appear, much to the surprise of the Marines. The Whitebeard Pirates's fleet, including the Moby Dick, suddenly rises up from under the water in the middle of the bay, revealing that the ships were coated and had approached Marineford from beneath the sea. Whitebeard himself appears to greet Sengoku and ask Ace to bear with them as they prepare for battle.



His past with the giant Little Oars Jr., an ally of the Whitebeard Pirates, is revealed when he fights his way towards him. He pleads for Little Oars Jr. to stop since he is such a large target and is injured by Bartholomew Kuma as Ace could only helplessly watch. Ace was deeply saddened watching his friend dying for him. When Little Oars Jr. is finally brought down by Gekko Moriah, his outstretched hand lands a few yards from him in a last vain effort to free him.



As the battle continues, Garp comes to sit near Ace and admits that, while he will not interfere with the execution, he can not help his feelings in this matter as he considers Ace family and tearfully asks why Ace did not lead the life that Garp wanted him to. At that moment, however, there is a huge commotion that has Ace looking up to the sky, from which he sees a ship falling down.

When the ship falls into the sea, Luffy climbs out and Ace spots him. As Luffy fights past several Marines and Gekko Moriah in an effort to reach Ace, the latter can only watch helplessly. He finally snaps, demanding Luffy that he go home and that he should not have come to save him. Ace, in his desperation to keep from dragging Luffy down with him, even attempts to drive him away by shouting that it is humiliating to have a "weakling" like Luffy coming to his rescue, and that he would never forgive him for this. Luffy responds by yelling that he is Ace's younger brother and, after going into Gear Third to defeat a Marine giant, states that he will save Ace even if it kills him.

Ace contemplates Luffy's words, along with those of his comrades that they will not let anyone who hurt Ace live and their determination to save him. Ace comes to an important decision. He will take whatever fate the future brings: If he sees a hand reach out to him, he will grab it, but if the white blade of justice falls on his head first he will accept it. He will not struggle anymore because it would just be disrespectful to everyone if he did.

The fight continues and Ace, incapacitated, can do nothing but stare horrified as Whitebeard is stabbed by Squard. Later, when Marineford's walls raised up to prevent the pirates from further penetrating the plaza, Luffy devises a plan to bypass the siege walls with the help of Jinbe's water-launching abilities. Ace is horrified as he sees Luffy standing face-to-face with the three admirals, believing that he does not stand a chance at taking down all three of them at the same time.

Sengoku orders Ace to be executed; as Ace braces himself, he is saved by Crocodile, who knocks the two guards away, much to everyone's shock and surprise. He later watches as Whitebeard and Little Oars Jr. successfully enact their plan, which brings almost all of the Whitebeard Pirates into the plaza, not far from the execution platform. He is horrified when Little Oars Jr. is brought down for a second time by cannon fire. He is later seen noticing that Garp has joined in the battle after Garp punches Marco while the latter is in his Phoenix form while attempting to rescue Ace.

Ace flashes back to his past when some thugs whom he knew insulted Gol D. Roger. Ace beat them until they were half dead because of what they had said. He went on to remember being scolded for his actions and continuing to ask about Roger, only to hear many horrible things about his father. Ace is then seen sitting on a shore, along with Garp, asking if he should really have been born. Garp's response is that he could only find out by living.

Back in the present, Ace, seeing how his comrades, little brother, and father are risking their lives to save him. In tears, he finally realizes that he desperately wants to live.

The battle takes a turn for the worse; Marco, caught by seastone handcuffs, is shot through the chest by Kizaru; Jozu is frozen and his right arm shattered by Aokiji; and Whitebeard suffers several serious wounds, including a molten punch to the chest by Akainu. Ace stares in horror as Whitebeard states that he cannot die until he secures a future for his sons. Sengoku then orders the execution of Ace once again and Ace closes his eyes in resignation as the executioners prepare to decapitate him. At the last moment, Luffy releases a huge burst of Haoshoku Haki; the executioners, as well as a number of pirates and marines, lose consciousness. Ace stares in disbelief at his little brother, as he had no idea that Luffy possessed such a powerful kind of Haki.

As Luffy approaches the scaffold, Garp blocks his path. Luffy is at first reluctant to engage his grandfather, but when it becomes clear that Garp will not move, he activates Gear Second. Just as he throws a punch at Luffy, Garp suddenly recalls the images of Luffy and Ace as young children, and the sight of Ace tearfully realizing his desire to live. Garp's hesitation allows Luffy to counter-punch, sending him flying away from the execution platform and crashing into the ground. Just as Luffy is about to unlock Ace's handcuffs, Kizaru destroys the key with a long-distance laser. Meanwhile, Sengoku has activated his Devil Fruit ability and is determined to carry out Ace's execution himself with a massive punch.

Suddenly, Mr. 3, disguised as one of the executioners, regains consciousness. He then forms a huge Candle Wall while Luffy goes into Gear Third and to take Sengoku's punch with his Giant Fusen. The force of the blow causes the execution platform to collapse. With the help of Mr. 3, who makes a duplicate key out of wax, Luffy frees Ace in mid-air moments before the other Marines fire at the platform, causing it to explode.



Now able to use his Mera Mera no Mi powers, Ace escapes the explosions with Luffy and Mr. 3 in tow by wrapping his flames into a tunnel, all the meanwhile scolding Luffy for never listening to anything he ever says, for always being so reckless and inconsiderate to his advice, and for always overdoing things. His newly-gained freedom causes a considerable morale boost amongst the survivors of the assembled pirate army.

Witnessing the two brothers' coordination as they fight off the Marines side-by-side, Vista remarks that Ace and Luffy have perfect teamwork. Ace comments that Luffy has gotten stronger, to which Luffy replies that a day will come when he surpasses Ace. Ace tells Luffy to let him cover for him until that day, and leaps forward to block Admiral Aokiji's Pheasant Peck attack. He and Luffy are shocked when Whitebeard announces that he is staying behind as he yells his captain's final order.



Ace seems to accept the fact that Whitebeard is determined to stay behind; Whitebeard asks Ace if he was a good father, and laughs heartily when Ace answers "of course". He and Luffy begin to escape with the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates, but when Admiral Akainu provokes him by insulting Whitebeard, calling him a failure, Ace stops and turns back. He clashes with Akainu in fury, but Ace's fire is outmatched by Akainu's magma, so much so that his arm is badly burned. Akainu attempts to strike down the defenseless Luffy, but Ace leaps in between them and takes the hit. The remaining fragment of the Vivre Card that he gave to Luffy rapidly disintegrates into ash as everyone looks on in shock.

After Jinbe, Marco and Vista intervene to keep Akainu from dealing yet another fatal wound to Ace, the latter eventually loses the strength to stand as he falls in Luffy's arms. Ace apologized to Luffy for making his own rescue a failure, however Luffy is unable to accept this, and desperately calls for a doctor to heal Ace. However, knowing that his innards had been charred to cinders and that he was beyond saving, Ace solemnly told Luffy that his life was at an end. Recalling the promise Ace made to him when they were boys, a grief-struck Luffy reminded Ace that he promised that he would never die no matter what. Sharing one last moment with his brother, Ace reminisced about Sabo and told him that if it wasn't for having Luffy as a younger brother to look out for, he would have given up living.



Feeling nostalgic for Dadan as well, Ace asked Luffy to give her his regards if he ever ran into her, and that he misses even someone like her, and also stating that he wished that he could have seen Luffy accomplish his dream. Ace affirmed his resolve and noted that just as they swore to each other, he had no regrets about the way he lived his life, and that it wasn't fame, or glory he wanted, but rather the answer on whether or not he truly deserved to be born. Noticing his voice getting quieter, Ace asked Luffy to pass on his final words to his crew.

Old man, everyone!! And you.. Luffy. Even though I've been good for nothing my whole life, even though I have the blood of a demon within me... You guys still loved me! Thank you so much!!



With his last breath, Ace tearfully thanked his family and friends for loving him, causing his crew call out to him in grief. Ace dies smiling, satisfied with his life. His psyche unable to handle Ace's death, Luffy enters a catatonic state to protect himself from the trauma. Later, Ace's corpse is seen surrounded by Marines and covered by a sheet.

Postmortem


Later, when the Red Hair Pirates appeared, Shanks managed to organize a ceasefire and asked that the bodies of both Whitebeard and Ace be handed over to the pirates so that they could depart from the location peacefully, a request which Fleet Admiral Sengoku allowed, despite Vice Admiral Doberman's desire of putting their heads for viewing as a symbol of the Marines' victory.

Ace, along with Whitebeard, was buried on an unknown island somewhere on the second half of the Grand Line. His trademark hat, necklace, and knife were made into a grave marker, which was placed beside Whitebeard's and covered with flowers and swords left behind by his crewmates, with the members themselves standing on either side of the island, paying their last respects. Before departing with his crew, Shanks thought of how surprised he was by Ace's final sacrifice and likened it to something his late captain Roger would have done.

Legacy
Although already famous in life, the events of the war and the fact that he was the son of the Pirate King has given Ace almost legendary recognition, like his father before him. Although his death left many heartbroken, none suffered more than Luffy, who fell into a coma only to awake in complete and utter despair. Ace's death also proved to be the final debacle for Luffy's resolve to become stronger, next to his crew's defeat and separation at the hands of Bartholomew Kuma.

Similarly to Luffy, Sabo was distraught over his inability to protect Ace from death. After learning about his brother's demise, Sabo gained an immense protective-streak towards Luffy, vowing to come to his aid whenever and wherever he needed him - even going so far as to disregard his duties in the Revolutionary Army if he felt Luffy was in danger. Ultimately Whitebeard's prediction that someone would appear to inherit Ace's will came to fruition when the Mera Mera no Mi was eaten by Sabo, who gained his brother's Devil Fruit powers and also inherited his signature technique, the "Hiken".