Portgas D. Ace is one of OnePiece's most loved characters. Introduced for the very first time towards the end of the Drum Island arc, Ace went on to make a huge impact in the series, especially in the first half of the story. He made his full debut during the Alabasta arc, where it was revealed to the fans that he was Luffy's older brother. From there onwards, Ace started growing gradually in the background.
He was on a hunt for Blackbeard for the murder of a crewmate, and he eventually ran into him on Banaro Island. The two pirates then clashed and this event became a trigger for the greatest war in the Great Pirate Era of One Piece to date. Ace lost to Blackbeard and was handed over to the Navy. Eventually, his execution was announced and in the war that took place on the island of Marineford, Ace lost his life to protect his younger brother.
The Death Of Portgas D. Ace
Being a pirate, Ace had conceited his life from the get-go. Life on the high seas is one full of danger and every powerful pirate acknowledges that they could die at any moment. The pirates also have a certain code of honor. For instance, when Blackbeard killed Thatch, the Fourth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace took it upon himself to punish the former, given that he worked under him. The sense of responsibility and the respect that he bore for his father, Whitebeard, meant that Ace could not let this slide. He immediately set on a quest to hunt Blackbeard and eventually, ran into him. Not knowing that Blackbeard was hiding his true powers, Ace took him on and combat. However, it must be remembered that even if Ace knew his powers, he would still attempt to fight him.
This is especially true because Blackbeard was attempting to capture his younger brother, Luffy. Given that Ace is a responsible older brother, he knew that he could not back out once he heard this from him. Instead of Luffy, Ace was the one who ended up getting captured and was turned over to the Navy. This ended up playing to the advantage of the Navy, who had been on the lookout for Ace for years, having realized that he was the son of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. To the Navy, snuffing out his bloodline was extremely important and thus, the execution of Ace was decided, which triggered the Paramount War. All of Ace's friends came to his rescue and even managed to save him, thanks to their collective effort, however, Ace chose to sacrifice his life to protect Luffy from the rage of Akainu, and thus the curtain came down on the brilliant life of the pirate, Portgas D. Ace.
Why Ace Had To Die
Ace is a beloved character, so it goes without saying that fans still feel his loss to this day, however, his character is one that needed to be killed off for various reasons. For one, Ace wasn't seeking the One Piece like Luffy. That was far from his dream and for Oda, dreams of characters matter a lot. Once a character accomplishes their dream, he will be more willing to kill them off. For Ace, this dream was to find out whether he should have been born or not. After all, Ace was left alone in the world immediately after being born and was despised by everyone, thanks to the fame that his father carried. Marineford proved to be in the perfect stage for him to realize that he was, indeed, loved by so many. After all, everyone was there ready to lay their lives on the line for him. As such, Ace had no regrets while sacrificing his life for his brother. He knew that he was loved and that is certainly something that played in Oda's mind.
However, more importantly, it must be remembered that Ace was not the main character of One Piece, despite being the son of the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. Roger believed that his son would be the one to find the One Piece, however, that did not come to pass. It is his brother who is at the center of the story and Ace, despite being a phenomenal character in his own right, had to be a stepping stone for Luffy to make that jump. It was thanks to Ace that Luffy managed to progress to the next level and become a pirate worthy of challenging the Yonko in the New World. Ace's death made Luffy realize that he was weak and, in order to protect all those who are dear to him, he needed to get stronger. This is what led to the two-year timeskip and forced Luffy to grow stronger. Everything that Luffy is today is down to the pain and suffering that he has endured and Ace's death certainly is a part of that.
While Ace has already died, he remains as relevant as ever to the main story. In the Fish-Man Island arc, Oda emphasized how much stronger Luffy had gotten, thanks to Ace's sacrifice. Moving forward, the Dressrosa arc saw a huge fight being fought over his Devil Fruit, and Sabo, another brother of Luffy and Ace, popped up. Ace's will became central to the arc and is still being carried by not just Luffy, but Sabo as well. As fans already know, the Wano Country arc was no different and saw Ace play a huge role, possibly bigger than any arc other since Marineford. Ace came to Wano and made a promise to free the land eventually. He became friends with not just Tama but also Yamato. He also led Marco to fight for Wano. Ace's fire is what triggered the liberation of Wano in more ways than one, and fans know that he is a flame that will always burn bright in the hearts of the many people who loved him, just like his brother, Luffy, who owes everything that he is today to him.