Born under the name of Gol D.Ace , Portgas D.Ace was the Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' second fleet. He was also the founder and former Captain of the Spade Pirates before it was disbanded and integrated into Whitebeard's.
only son of Lord of the Pirates 👑 Gol D. Roger and Portgas D. Rouge , Ace was first adopted by Monkey D. Garp (Luffy's grandfather) at the request of his father and then raised by Curly Dadan. He thus became the spiritual brother of Luffy and Sabo when they concluded a brotherhood pact with a cup of sake. 🍶
Starting out as a pirate, he quickly rose to fame, earning him the nickname the Super Rookie . Subsequently, he was known as Ace of the Fiery Fists thanks to his devil fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi (Logia-type Devil Fruit) which allows him to create fire, control it and even transform into fire. Unfortunately, Portgas D. Ace only experienced 3 years of piracy before he was killed in the war at Marine Ford.
How does Ace get captured?
The root of the conflict that led to Ace's imprisonment and execution by the World Government dates back to the battle known as the Banamo Incident. After Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard, betrayed Whitebeard by killing Thatch in order to recover his Devil Fruit, the fruit of darkness. Wanting to defend the honor of his spiritual father, Portgas D. Ace sets out in pursuit of Blackbeard. And it is on the island of Banaro that he finds him after Blackbeard and his Pirates invaded the devastated region and killed most of its inhabitants.
Crouching on the roof of a building facing the traitor and his Crew, Ace harangues Blackbeard and reminds him of his heinous act. Despite this, Blackbeard still offers Ace to join him in fighting and killing Luffy so that he can take the vacant position of Captain Corsair. 💂🏼 Luffy being his spiritual little brother, Ace decides to stop him by confronting him. Unfortunately, faced with the power of Yami Yami no Ami which allowed Blackbeard to cancel the Devil Fruit powers of his opponents, Ace lost the fight and at the same time his freedom. Indeed, Blackbeard delivers him to the World Government and in return obtains the title of Corsair Captain. Discover our WIKI on the new Yonko: Blackbeard .
Ace's rescue at Marine Ford
Delivered to the World Government in the Impel Down Arc, Portgas D. Ace was sentenced to death. 👎🏼 He was then locked up in Impel Down Prison on Level 6 and later executed at Marine Ford, the former Navy headquarters . Having learned of the news, his spiritual brother Luffy decided to go there to free him. However, upon arrival, Ace has already transferred to Marine Ford. He then freed the prisoners of Impel Down and having only three hours left before Ace's death, he hurried towards Marine Ford.
For his part, having also heard of Ace's imminent execution, Emperor Whitebeard also decided to come to his aid and attack Marine Ford. Knowing that he was going to confront the Navy in his headquarters, Edward Newgate assembled an armada of 43 allied pirate crews as well as 4 of his own ships, including his main ship the Moby Dick 🐳 and a fifth which is hidden under the sea. Accompanied by the 241 escapees from Impel Down, Luffy also arrives in time in the Marine Fold bay to participate in the battle.
This great battle is the one which brought together in the same place the greatest number of pirates and Marines, numerous duels between these legends and a spread of powers on both sides. A first attempt to save Ace was made by Marco through the air by transforming into a phoenix, but he was stopped by Garp, the hero of the Navy, who hit him violently on the face. And, as the battle raged, Sengoku the Buddha ordered Ace's execution and the swords ⚔️ of the executioners rose. However, with the help of Jinbei, Luffy manages to be propelled onto Marine Ford's plaza but is pushed back by the three Marine Admirals.
The fight continues unabated and it is at this moment that Sengoku again orders the killing of Ace in provocation to Whitebeard. Once again, the executioners raise their sabers and bring them down on Ace. Seeing this, Luffy gets upset and involuntarily uses his Haki of Kings , which knocks out the executioners as well as the vast majority of Marine soldiers. And, thanks to Inazuma who opens a gateway for him, Luffy manages to join the scaffold after knocking out his grandfather, Vice-Admiral Garp who cannot bring himself to hit his grandson.
Arriving at Ace, Luffy tries to free him from his chains ⛓️ but Kizaru prevents him by destroying the key with a shot of rays of light coming from his devil fruit, the Pika Pika no Mi ( Luminous Fruit ) . For his part, Sengoku transforms into a giant golden Buddha thanks to his ultimate power of the Devil Fruit of the Mythical Zoan type, the Hito Hito no Mi, Daibutsu model ( Fruit of Human, model: Big Buddha in French) to crush Ace and Luffy. The latter then used his Gomu Gomu no Gigant Fūsen (Gear 3) to protect yourself from this attack.
On the other hand, Mister 3 furtively took the place of one of the executioners on the scaffold. With his power of Doru Doru no Mi of Paramecia type allowing him to create wax 🕯️ and control it as he sees fit, he protects Ace by covering him with a wall of wax. Due to Sengoku's attack, the scaffold collapses, propelling Sengoku, Ace and Luffy into the void. Fortunately, Mr. 3 managed to make a wax key which he threw towards Luffy. He then finally manages to free Ace from his chains, which allowed Ace to protect them from Sengoku's new attack.
Why did Ace die?
One might wonder why the World Government decided to execute Ace instead of keeping him imprisoned like all the other captives in the largest prison in the world, Impel Down. Indeed, despite its fame, Ace of the Burning Fists only lived as a pirate for 3 years. Was he the biggest threat to the World Government at that time? Additionally, being Garp's adopted grandson, he could have received preferential treatment instead of a death sentence. So why did you decide to execute him? ⚰️
To answer this question, we must base ourselves not only on Ace's past but also on his status and his origins. First of all, let's note the fact that Ace is in command of one of Whitebeard's fleets and that he loves the latter so much that he considers him his father. Thus, the World Government knows that Whitebeard will not allow one of his people, whom he considers his son, to be executed without trying to save him. Sengoku is banking on this to be able to face and exterminate Whitebeard and all his allies . This is why Ace's execution was scheduled for a week later and not today.
Furthermore, Sengoku had also learned of Ace's true identity. This is also why he told Garp that he intends to reveal the whole truth about him during the execution. 💉 And he did it in front of the entire army of the Navy as well as the whole world witnessing the killing through the Escarméra. During his speech, Sengoku solemnly declares that Ace's execution has special significance and that it is the beginning of a new era. He then asks Ace to reveal his father's name. He insists that his father is Edward Newgate alias Whitebeard . Sengoku then tells Ace's true story about his origins, ending up declaring that he was the only descendant of the infamous Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King .
His goal is to justify his decision by the fact that in Ace's blood flows the evil blood 👹 of his father. Furthermore, his origins and talents as a pirate could have led him to become the leader of the next generation of pirates, or even to become the new Pirate King . Its execution is therefore essential for Sengoku to serve as an example. He wants to send a message to the new generation of pirates, the Supernovas.
In which episode did Ace die?
To better understand the great battle that took place at Marine Ford and led to Ace's death, it is important to quickly retrace how the story unfolded. You should know that these events take place in the twenty-second arc of the One Piece series, which we know as the Marine Ford arc. It follows the Impel Down Arc in which Blackbeard captures Ace and delivers him to the World Government. It is again in this Arc that Luffy's attempt to free Ace in Impel Down and his departure for the Navy headquarters takes place.
And it is in the Marine Ford arc that the sequel takes place with the arrival of Whitebeard and his entire fleet on Marine Ford. Sengoku had well anticipated this major confrontation by bringing together the entire army of the Navy (all its officers, including the 3 Admirals, 100,000 soldiers, 50 warships 🚢 and an impressive number of cannons), the Giant Squad protecting the scaffold, the Pacifistas (hidden to attack the enemy from behind) as well as five members of the Corsair Captains. The entirety of this epic battle is in this arc, including Ace's death. You will find this sad event in episodes 482 and 483 .
Why Garp didn't intervene when Ace died
We can also ask ourselves the question of why Garp, Ace's adoptive grandfather, the Hero of the Navy, but also Vice Admiral of the Navy, whose power is immense, did not intervene to free him or save him. First of all, note that Garp still tried to intervene with Sengoku to prevent Ace from being killed. But Sengoku refuses and reminds Garp that his responsibility is also engaged (given the relationship between the prisoner and him) even if he never held it against him for having raised Ace and Luffy who then became legendary pirates 🏴☠️ by their crimes.
Furthermore, thanks to the discussion exchanged between Garp and Ace at the underwater prison of Impel Down as well as flashbacks, we have a better idea of the reasons why Garp was not able to intervene directly. From a young age, Garp always wanted Ace and Luffy to become great Navy officers while the latter only dreamed of one thing, becoming legendary pirates. So Garp regretted Ace's situation and even burst into tears in front of him during their last exchange on the scaffold. But he didn't intervene because on the one hand, he was torn between his duty to the Navy ⚓ and his feelings towards Ace. And Sengoku is the only high-ranking officer to whom Garp obeys given the long friendship between them. It would have been difficult for him to betray the latter and thwart his plans against Whitebeard. And on the other hand, Ace always rejected him and considered that his real father was Whitebeard. So, if Ace found himself in this situation, he only has himself to blame.
On the other hand, when Ace died, Garp was still devastated and even wanted to kill his grandson's murderer, which he could have done if Sengoku had not stopped him.
Who was Ace killed by and how?
After Luffy and Mr. 3 manage to free Ace, the other pirates come to their aid to free them from the Plaza while they are surrounded by hundreds of Marine soldiers. At the same time, Squardo intended to sacrifice himself with Whitebeard's last boat ⛵ in order to allow the pirates to escape. But the Emperor, already injured, decides otherwise. He then decides to sacrifice himself to save his crew and his sons and thus cover their escape.
On this order, the pirates began to flee, taking with them the wounded. Luffy and Ace do the same until Admiral Akainu catches up with them and insults Whitebeard to provoke Ace. Unable to bear these insults towards the man for whom he has so much respect, Ace turns around to confront Akainu and launches an attack against the latter who immediately retaliates. Unfortunately, his fire attack 🔥 is weaker than Akainu's magma, which threw him very far. Taking advantage of the situation, Akainu aimed at Luffy to kill him with a lava fist. But Ace threw himself in front of Luffy to take the blow for him and was pierced right through, which was fatal to him. He then dies in Luffy's arms while his life card is completely consumed.
Why didn't Sabo save Ace?
Sabo couldn't save Ace for 2 reasons. The first is that he was absent from the Battle of Marine Ford and the second, because he no longer remembered that Ford was his spiritual brother (nor of his past). Indeed, Sabo lost his memory following an incident when he was still young. Sabo is the son of a nobleman, Outlook III , who only saw him as a way to rise in social status 💬 and who predicted that he would marry a princess later. This situation caused the boy to flee his home on his own boat. Unfortunately, he fell on the ship of Celestial Dragon Saint Jalmack who shot his boat twice and sank it.
Falling into the water, he owes his life only to Monkey D. Dragon who rescued him near the shore and brought him back to the revolutionary army ship. Unfortunately, when he wakes up, Sabo no longer remembers his past, he has become amnesiac. Dragon then decided to keep the boy with the revolutionary army and sent him to train in Baltigo. He subsequently became number 2 of the revolutionary army, but never regains his memory until he learns of Ace's death in the newspaper. 📰
Events following Ace's death
When Ace died, Luffy passed out and was only saved from Akainu's hands at the last minute by Marco, Jinbey, Ivankov and finally Crocodile and Buggy . Unfortunately, Luffy was still injured in the chest by Akainu during his evacuation. 🆘 For his part, completely mad with rage, Whitebeard decides to raze the Marine Headquarters after creating a huge ravine to give his allies the opportunity to flee. And it is at this moment that Blackbeard in turn arrives in Marine Ford Bay with the aim of killing his former Captain. Unable to beat him himself, he orders his crew to attack him. Whitebeard then eventually succumbed to his injuries and gave up the ghost, revealing to the whole world that One Piece really existed. And Blackbeard then seized Whitebeard's power. And it is the arrival of Emperor Shanks which finally ended this terrible war.
With the death of the latter and as Sengoku announced in his speech, a new era has begun, but it is not the era of peace that he wanted. Fighting broke out all over the world 🗺️ now that some islands were no longer under the protection of the deceased Whitebeard. The abuses of bandits and pirates have resumed with a vengeance (looting, killings, fires). Additionally, Marshall D. Teach took the latter's place as Yonkô and annexed all of his lands under his control after the War of Retaliation. which took place about a year after that of Marine Ford. It was during this confrontation that the remaining Whitebeard Pirates under Marco's command faced Blackbeard and suffered a terrible defeat. The world situation was worse than before the Marine Ford War. Eventually, Garp and Sengoku respectively resigned from their positions in the Navy. As for Luffy, he was taken by Jinbe and the Trafalgar Law Pirates to the island of women, 🤼♀️ Amazon Lilly for treatment. When he wakes up, Jinbe confirms that Ace has indeed died. Later, Luffy decides to accompany Rayleigh to the island of Ruskaina to train there for 2 years like Zoro on the island of Mihawk. This is where the Post-Marine Ford Arc ends, the twenty-third Arc of the One Piece manga and anime and final arc of the War at the Summit Saga .
The new holder of Mera Mera no Mi
These events take place after the two-year ellipse in the Pirate Alliance Saga , ☠️ also known as Dressrosa Saga, and more specifically in the Dressrosa Arc. With Ace's death, the Devil Fruit Mera Mera no Mi was reincarnated in an unknown place and it was the king of Dressrosa and Grand Corsair Don Quixote Doflamingo who found him. In order to dissolve the alliance established between Law and Luffy, Doflamingo used the Devil Fruit as bait by putting it as a reward for the Corrida Colosseum tournament which was taking place in Dressrosa. A large number of representatives from the various kingdoms registered for this tournament, including Luffy.
First, Luffy proposes to his Crew's carpenter, Franky 🤖 to eat Ace Fruit in his place, but he refuses. Luffy was therefore forced to register for the tournament in order to win it himself. Subsequently, Bartolomoe, who has idolized Luffy from the beginning, tells him that he wants to win the tournament to give it to him. And that's when Sabo appears in front of Bartolomeo and Luffy declaring that there is no question of the latter inheriting the Mera Mera no Mi. At first Luffy doesn't recognize him since he hasn't seen him since they were little and he thought he was dead. After realizing that the man standing in front of him was Sabo, he fell into tears before "falling into his arms" (or more precisely jumping on him) almost suffocating him. Before fleeing, he then allows his brother to take his place in the tournament to seize the Mera Mera no Mi and eat it.
During the final stage of the tournament, the Devil Fruit was placed on the back of a Level 1 Elite Fighting Fish 🐡 and other Elite Fighting Fish have been added to the arena. You should know that it is the smell of blood that attracts them and they are able to jump out of the water to catch the fighters in the ring. Disguised as Lucy instead of Luffy, Sabo enters the arena. He faces Jesus Burgess while Rebecca is in difficulty against Diamante, the current champion of the Coliseum and owner of the Hira Hira no Mi (Paramecia type Devil Fruit allowing it to transform any solid object into something malleable and floating like a standard). He then asks Bartolomeo to protect Rebecca and jumps on the level 1 fighting fish to capture the Mera Mera no Mi. Declared the winner of the tournament for having caught the fruit and being the last person standing, he ate the fruit and became THE new Fireman .
Here is the summary of Comment Portgas D. Ace , after only 3 years of life as a pirate, suffered a horrible death while sacrificing himself to save his brother, Luffy. In the end, we can only admire Ace's sacrifice to save the protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. What a noble gesture 😍!
It's your turn to do something honorable to honor the memory of Portgas D. Ace. Just like Ace, everyone will remember you for your nobility of soul and your love for your loved ones. You also deserve to discover all our collections of Goodies dedicated to Portgas D. Ace, Luffy and Whitebeard . 🧙🏼♂️ Treat yourself by getting the best items.