“One Piece” is an epic anime and manga series which has done well in the industry and has captivated audiences worldwide with its thrilling adventures and memorable characters. Ace, one of the major and most beloved characters by fans in the Anime series One Piece, meets his tragic and most unexpected end in Episode 483 in the Marineford War, which ran for 33 episodes, from Episodes 457 to 489. The title of the episode in which Ace dies is “Looking for the Answer – Fire Fist Ace Dies on the Battlefield.” Ace’s death was pivotal since it represented a turning point in the entire series. Due to his death, Monkey D. Luffy was motivated to free the nation, which he eventually did, and found the One Piece treasure.
Ace first appeared in the Arabasta arc, and he instantly won a special place in the hearts of fans, especially with his backstory. While growing up, he was constantly hated, which made him question his existence, but he found a home amidst pirates who loved him for what he was. His death was heartbreaking and emotional for the fans as one of their favorite characters died unexpectedly.
Who is Ace?
Known initially as Gol D. Ace or Portgas D. Ace is the son of Pirate King Gol D. Roger and Portgas D. Rouge and a sworn elder brother to the future pirate king Monkey D. Luffy and Sabo since he never knew his father. Ace looked up to Monkey D. Garp, also known as Whitebeard, as his father figure.Ace is a significant character in the well-known Anime” One Piece,” created by Eiichiro Oda. He is the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
What supernatural power does Ace Posses?
Ace gained his supernatural abilities after eating one of the ‘Devil Fruits’ known as “Mera Mera no Mi” or the “Flame Flame fruit,” which allowed him to control fire. This ability made him like his brother Luffy, who had also eaten one of the ‘devil fruits’ accidentally, known as the “Gomu Gomu no Mi,” or rather “gum fruit,” which made him have rubber-like abilities similar to his fellow pirates with different supernatural abilities.
Luffy had a diverse crew of pirates, popularly known as the Straw Hat Pirates. These pirates embarked on a journey to find the world’s ultimate treasure known as “One Piece,” which later made Monkey D. Luffy, Ace’s young brother, King of the Pirates.
What led to Ace’s death?
Ace actively hunted for Marchal D. Teach, also known as Blackbeard, since Blackbeard killed “Thatch,” the fourth division commander among the Whitebeard pirates. In the Whitebeard Pirate ship, killing a member was unforgivable, so Ace sought revenge for one of his comrades.
After confronting Blackbeard in a fierce battle single-handedly, Ace ended up being defeated and consequently captured by Blackbeard. Blackbeard then handed Ace over to the Marines after confirming that he wanted to capture Monkey D. Luffy, Ace’s young brother. After the handover, Blackbeard acquired the title of Warlord at the time.
Ace’s execution
After the Marines captured Ace, the world government announced he would be publicly executed in Marine Ford. Ace’s execution set the stage for one of the most influential and most excellent arcs in the anime series, the Marine Ford War arc. The Marine Ford war Arc drew the attention of all figures in ‘One Piece,’ such as; The Marine Admirals, The Whitebeard pirates, The Seven Warlords, Aokiji, Shanks, and Sengoku, among others.
After a series of events, Ace was freed from execution in episode 482(Chapter 573), and in a bid to save his life, he decided to run and escape from the ongoing war. Ace’s freedom is attributed to Whitebeard and Luffy, who had come to his rescue and were ready to sacrifice themselves to enable the escape of Ace from the Marines who had him. Marine Admiral Akainu saw this and started speaking ill and slandering Whitebeard in front of Ace. The slandering against Whitebeard provoked Ace, who was consumed by rage and decided to confront the marine instead of fleeing the scene for safety.
How does Ace die?
Marine Admiral Akainu turned his rage on Luffy, who had helped Ace to be free. He goes for Luffy’s head, but Ace, at the scene, jumps In front of the deadly attack targeted at Luffy, his younger sibling. Ace is punched by a magma fist (one of the deadliest and superior powers that the ‘devil fruit’ could offer) through the back of Akainu, and he falls into Luffy’s arms. Akainu releases his fist while Ace coughs blood. The magma fist punched a big hole in Ace’s chest. Whitebeard turns back and sees the immortal wound incurred on Ace. Ace then takes a trip down memory lane and remembers his aim in life: to find out whether or not he deserved to be born.
Admiral Akainu then prepares another magma fist with the sight of Luffy and Ace, but Jinbe blocks the attack, willing to sacrifice himself to save the brothers. Marco and Vista then rush to the assistance of Luffy and strike Akainu with Hakki-imbued attacks. Still, the attacks are ineffective since Akainu walks out of the fire with one arm, of which he restores the other one, and the war rages on between the Marines and Pirates.
Luffy tries to put pressure on Ace’s wounds, but the wounds are too great as Akainu’s magma fist burns clean through his internal organs. Before kicking the bucket, Ace reminisced his childhood memories and aspirations and, in a weak voice, thanked Luffy and his friends and died with a smile, leaving Luffy sobbing profusely.
The Impact of Ace’s Death.
Ace’s death is one of the most emotional parts since what could be worse than seeing a brother die protecting his younger one? Akainu is the reason for Ace’s death which makes him one of the most hated characters in the Anime, notwithstanding he had convinced Squad to betray Whitebeard so that he could have the upper hand in the Marine Ford Arc war, which also led to the death of Whitebeard. The relationship between Whitebeard and his family has always been emotional in the Anime series. Whitebeard saw many of his sons die on the battlefield throughout the war. Even sadder was that Ace died, the one hope Whitebeard hoped to protect. The loss of Ace served as a stark reminder of the harsh realities of the pirate world, where death and sacrifices are common occurrences.
Conclusion
Though it’s heartbreaking for fans of the Anime, Ace died because of protecting Luffy from the deadly magma fist from Admiral Akainu. He was a secondary character in the series. He had to die because he lacked high aspirations to unearth the One Piece treasure or rise to the position of Pirate king. His main desire was to see his young brother Luffy achieve his dream and to help his father figure, Whitebeard, become the next Pirate King. His death was a wake-up call for Luffy to become stronger and more purposeful since he realized his powerlessness against other stronger powers. Due to the sequential flow of events, Luffy eventually sets the nation free.
