Portgas D. Ace, also known as Gol D. Ace, was the sworn older brother of Luffy & Sabo, as well as the genetic son of the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, & Portgas D. Rouge. Ace was embraced by Monkey D. Garp, as Roger had asked before his execution. Ace was the Whitebeard Pirates’ second division commanding officer and a former captain of the Spade Pirates.
Ace was caught and condemned to death by the World Government for his bloodline, resulting in the Summit War of Marineford, an all-out conflict of powers between Whitebeard’s powers and the Marines and Seven Warlords. He was set free, but he gave his life to save Luffy from Marine Commodore Akainu. Ace first appeared in the Drum Island Arc, but then he was introduced in the Arabasta Arc, where he serves as a concise ally of the Straw Hat Pirates. He plays an important role throughout the Summit War Saga. He also appears in Ace’s Great Blackbeard Search Cover Page Serial.
Ace’s death served as the impetus for Luffy to train for 2 years to become good enough to defend his friends, laying the foundation for the 2nd half of the series.
Portgas D. Ace: Appearance
Ace was a tall, lanky young fellow with curly black hair. He resembled his foster brother, Luffy, despite the fact that they were not blood relatives. Ace, on the other hand, was taller and more muscular than Luffy and had a more severe appearance. He also had instead childlike freckles (acquired from his mother) and tended to raise his left eyebrow in a sceptical manner. Surprisingly, his facial features resembled his biological dad Gol D. Roger in his youth, minus the moustache (Portgas D. Ace)
Ace’s tattoos were one of his most notable and distinguishing characteristics. He had a tattoo of the Whitebeard symbol—purple bones in a cross under a purple skull with a white moustache—on his back, which he explained as his happiness and joy.
Portgas D. Ace: Personality
Ace was far more intelligent, polite, and bearable than Luffy, prompting the Straw Hat Pirates to wonder if he was truly related to their captain. He was the subject of two running gags. The first was his severe narcolepsy. He had a habit of randomly falling asleep while eating or conversing, leaving strangers wondering if he had died.
The second was that he always did a “dine and dash” routine. This dates back to his childhood days with Sabo and Luffy, when they would frequently dine and dash in the city of Goa, and has continued into adulthood, as evidenced by his appearances on Drum Island, Arabasta, and Lulusia Kingdom.
Ace was proven to be extremely impulsive, somewhat like his younger brother, making impulsive decisions &, in certain cases, ignoring reason. As Roger’s son, he stayed in his shadow and remains to this day the first D. illustrated to truly question his own right to live, despite showcasing the fewest generally seen D. related traits. Ace’s personality, according to Benn Beckman of the Red Hair Pirates, is much more ignorant than his looks would imply. He had a habit of never backing down from a fight, claiming that he would never run once confronted with an enemy (Portgas D. Ace).
Portgas D. Ace: Power and Abilities
Ace wielded power over his subordinates as commanding officer of the Whitebeard Pirates’ 2nd division. Furthermore, as being one of the Whitebeard Pirates’ top commanders, he was among the best and most highly respected pirates on board under Whitebeard himself.
He was even offered to attend the Seven Warlords of the Sea while captain of the Spade Pirates, but he declined. Ace was powerful enough to be recognised by Emperors Shanks & Blackbeard, with the former saying he had earned his position as Whitebeard’s 2nd division commander and the latter wishing Ace had decided to join his team and emphasising how his own powerful crew is no where near strong enough to battle Ace at the time, talking volumes about Ace’s strength.
Death
Ace’s death has been omitted and slightly altered all through the manga, anime adaptation, & specials 3D2Y as well as Episode of Sabo.
When Ace was struck through by Akainu in the anime, his embellished necklace broke apart and tumbled all over the surface, with one bead spinning to Whitebeard’s foot, who picked that up mournfully. The pendant stayed untouched in both the manga and the specials.