Portgas D. Ace/History

Growing Up with Luffy and Sabo
Ace had gestated in the womb of his mother, Portgas D. Rouge, for five months when his father, Gol D. Roger, was executed. To protect Ace, Rouge kept him in her womb for an additional 15 months, giving birth to him on Baterilla a year and three months after Roger's death but dying from the exertion immediately afterwards.

Ace was placed in the custody of Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, who put him in the care of Curly Dadan and the Dadan Family on Mt. Colubo on Dawn Island. During his childhood, Ace would encounter people who voiced their hatred of Roger and any offspring he might have, causing him to feel alone and worthless. Once, this led to him nearly beating some of them to death, shocking Dadan. When Garp came to visit, Ace asked if he should have been born at all, and Garp replied he could only find that out by living. Ace later met Sabo on Gray Terminal, which Sabo claimed to be from. The two shared a dream of becoming pirates, and stole money and treasure in preparation for the day they would set off to sea.

One day when he was ten, Ace returned home after hunting a buffalo when Garp brought his grandson Monkey D. Luffy to live with Dadan. When he saw Luffy, Ace spit on him. After the family ate the buffalo he caught, Ace ran off and Luffy chased after him, wanting to be friends. However, Ace sent a tree rolling at Luffy, and when Luffy continued chasing him, Ace hit him and sent him plummeting into a chasm. It took a week for Luffy to return home, but he continued chasing after Ace for the next three months, not giving up despite everything Ace threw at him.

Ace met with Sabo one day, and they compared the treasure that they had stolen when Luffy, having made it all the way to Gray Terminal, called out to them. Since he found out about their dream to become pirates, Ace and Sabo tied Luffy up and decided to kill him, but were unable to. Suddenly, Porchemy of the Bluejam Pirates came in, searching for Ace who had stolen his money. Porchemy captured Luffy, and to Ace's horror, Luffy called out to him. Porchemy took Luffy away to get Ace's location out of him, and Ace and Sabo worked to move their treasure to another location. When Sabo returned after moving the last of the treasure, he revealed that Luffy had not revealed Ace's location, to Ace's shock. He and Sabo then broke into the Bluejam Pirates' hideout to rescue Luffy, and Porchemy grabbed Ace, but Sabo freed him before rescuing Luffy. Ace and Sabo stayed behind to fight Porchemy, defeating him. Afterwards, Ace asked Luffy why he risked death rather than revealing his location, and Luffy revealed that Ace was the only person he had. Since the trio's actions would make them well-known to the pirates on Gray Terminal, Ace and Luffy brought Sabo into the Dadan Family's household.

The trio continued their adventures across the island, becoming more well-known to an increasing number of people. They hunted animals and fought each other to grow stronger. One day, they snuck into the Goa Kingdom, where they ate at a restaurant and broke out without paying. As they were running away, Ace and Luffy saw a man calling out to Sabo, but Sabo denied any connection to him. However, when they returned to the woods, Ace and Luffy forced Sabo to tell them the truth. Sabo revealed that the man was his father and he was the son of nobles, but left that life behind. The trio then proclaimed their dreams as they plotted their future pirating lives, and with a bottle of sake he had stolen from Dadan, Ace poured three cups and the trio exchanged them to become sworn brothers. They continued their lives of adventure, visiting Foosha Village at one point and being visited by Garp on occasion as he attempted to raise Ace and Luffy to become Marines. They also moved out of Dadan's house to live in a treehouse.

One day, however, Sabo's father Outlook III and the Bluejam Pirates forcibly took Sabo. Ace tried attacking, but was punched away by one of the pirates. Outlook III told the pirates to do whatever they wished with Luffy and Ace while he took Sabo away, but Sabo promised to go without a fight if Ace and Luffy were spared. Afterwards, Bluejam told Ace and Luffy that Sabo was fortunate to live the life of a noble, and kept his agreement to not harm the two by having them move boxes around Gray Terminal. That night as they prepared to sleep, Luffy wondered if Sabo was all right, but Ace reminded him that they were trying to forget about him. A few days later, Bluejam prepared to put Ace and Luffy to work burning down Gray Terminal that night by order of the nobles. Ace and Luffy protested this, but Bluejam ignored them and instead asked them about the location of their treasure. Afterwards, Ace and Luffy were tied to a pole, and as night fell the Bluejam Pirates set Gray Terminal ablaze. As they were surrounded by flames, Ace cut himself and Luffy free with a shard, and they ran from the fire.

However, the duo were confronted by the Bluejam Pirates, who wanted to know the location of the treasure before it went up in flames. Ace eventually relented and told Bluejam, but to his anger, the pirates took him and Luffy with them to make sure they were not lying. Bluejam swore to take revenge on the nobles and said that Sabo was no different than the rest of them. This caused Luffy to fight back and get brutally attacked in return, and in desperation Ace shouted at the pirates, unleashing Haoshoku Haki and knocking out all of them except Bluejam. Bluejam subdued Ace and prepared to shoot him, but the Dadan Family suddenly came in to rescue their wards. However, Ace refused to run away with them as he confronted Bluejam, and Dadan stayed with him while Luffy and the rest of the family ran away. Ace and Dadan managed to defeat Bluejam, but became surrounded by the flames. Dadan severely burned herself to get Ace through the flames, and Ace raided the town for medical supplies to keep her alive before they returned to the hideout. As she recovered, Dadan asked Ace why he did not run, and Ace reflected that he wanted to keep Luffy safe.

Later, Dogra came and told Ace and Luffy that Sabo had gone out to sea only for his ship to be blown up by a World Noble. Ace went to avenge Sabo, only for Dadan to force him down. Dadan said that the world killed Sabo and Ace would have no chance of avenging him until he grew stronger, ordering her family to tie him up. The next morning, Ace was released after calming down, and received a letter from Sabo explaining his decision to set out to sea early, expressing his desire to meet his brothers again, and telling Ace to take care of Luffy in the meantime. Ace went to the coast, where Luffy was still crying. Luffy promised to get stronger and pleaded for Ace not to die. Ace promised not to, saying that since Sabo had been killed before he found freedom, they had to live their lives with no regrets, and they decided to each set sail as pirates when they turned 17. As things returned to normal on Dawn Island, Ace and Luffy continued adventuring as they sought to become stronger and more independent, although they at first struggled to accomplish things without Sabo. One time, Makino visited Mt. Colubo, and Ace told her that he wanted to thank Shanks at some point for what he did for Luffy. The two brothers continued growing stronger together for the next seven years.

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 Fish-Man Island, and Ace went off to a cheap cafe. There, he talked with Aladine about Whitebeard and Jinbe protecting the Ryugu Kingdom from uprisings. He then returned to his crew and ship, and Deuce revealed to him his new bounty, which was now greatly above 100,000,000. Seeing the Whitebeard Pirates' flag, Ace burned it to declare his intention of taking down all the Four Emperors, and he and his crew quickly left Fish-Man Island for the New World before anyone saw what happened. After reaching the New World, Ace hunted down Shanks in order to fulfill his intention of meeting him. He discovered Shanks and his crew on a winter island, and revealed his connection to Luffy. He declared his intention to grow his reputation by bringing down most figures of power, and asked Shanks about the scars Blackbeard had given him before departing from the island.

One time, Ace went to Amigasa Village at Wano Country and befriended the villagers after letting them acquire his food and water. He met a little girl named Tama and formed a bond with her. During his stay, he learned how to weave a kasa. Tama wanted to go out to sea with Ace, but he told her that she was too young at the time. He promised that he would take her with him if she became a kunoichi by the time he returned. Also during this time, Ace went to Onigashima to kill Kaido, and he met Yamato. While on the island, he broke a dragon statue at the island's entrance.

As he searched the seas for Whitebeard, he plotted to take advantage of another attack on the Emperor to strike at him while his crew was weaker, and he and his crew went to one of Whitebeard's islands which they had heard he was heading for. However, they were confronted by Jinbe, who had been following them around. Angered at Ace burning Whitebeard's flag on Fish-Man Island, Jinbe intended to battle him to prevent him from going after Whitebeard. The battle lasted for five days and ended in a stalemate, with both combatants collapsing from exhaustion.

Becoming Whitebeard's Son


Whitebeard, who had heard that Ace intended to take his head, 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. 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 aboard 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". Ace gave the kasa he made in Wano to Little Oars Jr. to protect him from the sun.

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
After being defeated by Blackbeard, Ace was brought in to the World Government and incarcerated in Level 6 of Impel Down before he was sentenced to public execution at Marineford.



Some days later, Ace was visited by Garp. Ace expressed his desire to be killed now, but Garp replied that there was no stopping the oncoming war between the Marines and Whitebeard. The two talked about Garp's wish for Ace and Luffy to become Marines, with Ace reflecting on his and Luffy's bloodlines, though mentioning his hatred for his father and how he considers Whitebeard his true father.

Some time later, Ace watched as Jinbe, who was in the cell with him, was beaten by the prison guards for defiance, and heard Jinbe's wishes to end the upcoming fighting. Jinbe told Ace how Whitebeard protected his homeland of Fish-Man Island from pirates, but the two heard Crocodile and many other Level 6 prisoners hoping for Whitebeard's death. Boa Hancock later visited Ace and discreetly informed him that Luffy was in Impel Down trying to save him, much to Ace's dismay. When Luffy fought against the warden Magellan, Ace heard the commotion and asked the guards what was going on, but got no answer. Many hours later, Jinbe told Ace that Hancock might have been lying, but Ace bitterly replied that this was the kind of thing his brother would do.

Sometime during his imprisonment, Ace told Jinbe that he had seen Luffy for the first time in three years, and was relieved to see that Luffy had found a crew of great friends to protect him. Ace also asked Jinbe to look after Luffy if he died, though Jinbe warned that he did not easily help other pirates.

Magellan then came down to transport Ace to Marineford for his execution, and they had gone up to Level 1 when Ace overheard a report of Luffy being subdued with sleeping gas in Level 6. He cried out and tried moving back to the lift, forcing Magellan to subdue him. He was put on a Marine fleet in the custody of Vice Admiral Onigumo, who encouraged him to look up at the sky one last time before he was put on the execution platform as the fleet approached the Gates of Justice to Marineford. After reaching Marineford, Ace remembered his childhood with Luffy as he was brought up a large set of stairs to the execution platform.

Marineford Arc


Ace was put on his knees at the execution platform while the Marines awaited the arrival of Whitebeard. To start the anticipated event, Sengoku asked Ace who his father was. Ace maintained that it was Whitebeard, but Sengoku then revealed Ace's real father to the world and explained how Rouge had kept Ace safe through her pregnancy. Sengoku then explained how Whitebeard had protected Ace for the latter to become Pirate King, despite Ace's denial, but Sengoku said that Ace's bloodline necessitated his death.



The Whitebeard Pirates then arrived, and Ace called out to Whitebeard. He asked his crew why they had come, since it was his fault he went after Blackbeard and got captured. However, Whitebeard claimed that he had ordered Ace to go after Blackbeard. Ace watched as his crewmates rushed into battle, but when Little Oars Jr. came onto the scene, Ace told the giant to stop because he was too big of a target. He cried out when Oars Jr. was severely injured by Bartholomew Kuma, and watched in dread as the giant pressed on despite receiving injuries in quick succession but ultimately fell short of reaching the execution platform.



As the battle continued, Ace watched as Garp refused to enter the fray, with the Vice Admiral expressing bitterness over the path his adoptive grandson chose in life. Ace then spotted a battleship containing Luffy and other prisoners of Impel Down falling out of the sky. Ace and Luffy called out to each other when they saw the other, and as Luffy raced from the Moby Dick to the execution platform, Ace told him not to interfere, trying to alienate himself from Luffy to keep him safe. However, Luffy responded that he did not care and would rescue his brother no matter what. Ace was then calm as he stated that he would accept whatever ended up happening to him, out of respect for his crew's efforts.



Ace watched in shock as Whitebeard was betrayed and stabbed by Squard, and was still taken aback as Whitebeard handled the injury and joined the battle himself. Whitebeard unleashed a shockwave at the execution platform, but it was blocked by the three Admirals' Haki, and Ace later watched as the Marines' attempts to raise a giant wall between him and his crew was sabotaged by Oars Jr.'s body. With the wall still mostly trapping the Whitebeard Pirates, the Marines prepared to execute Ace ahead of schedule, but Ace watched as Oars Jr. regained consciousness and attempted to rescue him again while Luffy was sent over the wall by a water blast. The executioners began to move their swords to execute Ace, but they were taken out by Crocodile's sand blasts. Ace then watched in shock as Oars Jr. pushed the Whitebeard Pirates' remaining ship through the wall to let the crew return to the plaza, though at a further cost to the giant.

With the battle resuming, Marco attempted to rescue Ace, but was punched away by Garp. Ace then put his head down and started weeping as he saw all the pirates in front of him being dedicated to saving his life, which many others had considered worthless, and he watched as Luffy unleashed a great cry after receiving a dose of hormones from Emporio Ivankov. Although Whitebeard showed weakness from his age and was punished by the Admirals, Ace watched as his captain continued to press on. The executioners, having returned, raised their blades to try to execute Ace again, but they were suddenly knocked out by Luffy unleashing Haoshoku Haki.



Ace sat stunned by Luffy's Haki before he watched as Inazuma created a ramp for Luffy to run to the execution platform, and although Garp confronted Luffy, the Vice Admiral was taken out in one punch as Luffy reached Ace. Sengoku then prepared to attack Luffy with his Devil Fruit power as Kizaru destroyed the key to Ace's handcuffs, but after regaining consciousness, the nearby Galdino was ordered to protect Ace with a wax barrier while Luffy absorbed Sengoku's punch. The force of the punch caused the execution platform to fall, and the Marines fired cannonballs at Ace and Luffy, but after Galdino made a wax key to unlock Ace's handcuffs, Ace was freed and used his Devil Fruit powers to shield himself and Luffy from the explosion.



After landing on the ground, Ace and Luffy quickly went to work fighting off the Marines in tandem. When Aokiji stepped in, Ace met the Admiral's ice powers with his fire. However, the brothers were taken aback as Whitebeard proclaimed to his crew that he would stay behind on Marineford while they escaped. Ace initially did not move after this proclamation, and Whitebeard asked him if he had been a good father, which Ace resolutely affirmed. Ace and Luffy then ran off with Jinbe, but Admiral Akainu stepped in, saying that Whitebeard was a failure and that his crew were scum and cowards. Angered at Akainu's statements about Whitebeard, Ace went back and attacked him, but was overwhelmed due to Akainu's magma fruit being superior to his own fire. Akainu then ambushed an unsuspecting Luffy, and Ace stepped in front of the Admiral, whose magma fist went through his torso and burned up his insides.



With Ace still alive in the immediate aftermath, Akainu prepared to attack him again, but was intercepted by Jinbe. The dying Ace fell into Luffy's arms, and he recollected how he had first been given a place with Luffy, Sabo, and Dadan as he remembered a childhood otherwise filled with torment and persecution. He only regretted that he would not be able to see Luffy's dream come to pass, and he then called out to his crew, thanking them for loving him despite his bloodline and faults. After this, he fell to the ground and passed away.

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 island near the latter’s home island somewhere in the New World. 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".