How Ace dies?
In one of the most emotional and pivotal scenes in One Piece history, Portgas D. Ace loses his life protecting Monkey D. Luffy from a deadly strike by Admiral Akainu during the Battle of Marineford. This loving sacrifice cements Ace‘s place in One Piece lore forever.
Ace Sets Out to Challenge Blackbeard
Ace, commander of the Whitebeard Pirates‘ 2nd division, heads out to challenge his former subordinate Marshall D. Teach after learning that Teach betrayed Whitebeard by attacking and capturing territory in his name. As Whitebeard‘s "sons," Ace feels duty-bound to defend his honor.
After tracking down Blackbeard on Banaro Island, the two engage in a tremendous battle that destroys much of the island. Though Ace manages to deal heavy damage with his pyrokinetic abilities, Blackbeard eventually overwhelms him with his darkness powers. Distraught over his loss and capture, Ace‘s loyalty to Whitebeard leads him to refuse to disclose any intel on him.
The Marines Announce Ace‘s Execution
Rather than killing Ace themselves, Blackbeard strikes a deal and hands Ace over to Vice-Admiral Garp of the Marines in exchange for a position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. With an infamous pirate and son of late Pirate King Gol D. Roger now captive, the Marines opt to publicly execute Ace at their headquarters in Marineford as a display of their might.
News of Ace‘s pending execution sends waves throughout the pirate world. As someone who once sailed with both Whitebeard and Gol D. Roger, Ace carries tremendous significance. For his younger brother Monkey D. Luffy, the news becomes a personal call to action. He immediately sets sail for Marineford, prepared to do whatever it takes to rescue Ace from execution.
The Whitebeard Pirates Wage War
Unwilling to let the Marines execute his "son," Whitebeard summons his entire pirate fleet to assault Marineford and break Ace out. What results is all-out war between Whitebeard‘s forces and the combined military strength of Marine Headquarters and the Warlords of the Sea. With ace chained to a platform awaiting execution amidst the fighting, the stage is set for an epic clash.
(description of major one-on-one battles during war, significance of them)
Just when the Marines seem ready to declare victory, Red-Hair Shanks arrives with his entire Red-Hair pirate crew and calls for a cease-fire. After a tense standoff, Sengoku agrees and grants Shanks permission to retrieve Whitebeard and Ace‘s bodies.
Ace Gives His Life to Save Luffy
During a lull in the fighting, Ace finally spots Luffy battling closer toward the platform where he‘s chained. But with victory seeming imminent, Admiral Akainu won‘t let Luffy reach Ace. He launches into a brutal offensive, landing a deadly strike that fatally burns through Luffy‘s side.
Seeing Luffy injured triggers Ace into action. Breaking free from his chains, Ace throws himself in front of Luffy at the last second as Akainu goes for a killing blow. Akainu‘s magma fist pierces directly through Ace‘s back and out his chest, burning a fatal hole through his torso right before Luffy‘s eyes.
With his final breaths, Ace thanks Luffy for loving him and supporting him in pursuing his pirating dreams rather than resenting him as the "son of evil." He then collapses into Luffy‘s traumatized arms with a smile, his loving sacrifice cementing their unbreakable brotherly bond for eternity.
Lasting Effects of Ace‘s Death
Ace‘s heartbreaking death delivers both immediate and long-term impacts. For Luffy, the grief and trauma of losing his brother right in front of him causes him to fall into a catatonic stupor. He remains almost comatose even as Trafalgar Law and Jinbei secret him away from Marineford by submarine.
The Whitebeard pirates also suffer devastating losses, including their captain Edward Newgate. Though they recover Ace and Whitebeard‘s bodies thanks to Shanks‘ intervention, losing their leader and division commander deals the once great pirate fleet a lasting blow.
On a grander scale, Ace‘s death signals the inevitable changing of eras. With Whitebeard gone and two of the Warlords stripped of their status after the war, the power balance begins shifting dramatically. This disruption soon enables the next wave of rising stars like the Straw Hat Pirates and Blackbeard Pirates to soon make their marks.
Of course, fans worldwide feel their own real grief seeing the tragic end of Ace‘s arc. Once full of pirate charm and promise, his loving sacrifice leaves an emotional crater at Marineford. For longtime viewers and readers, One Piece is never quite the same again.
The Death That Propels a Future King
Yet for all the inherent tragedy, Ace‘s death ultimately gives Monkey D. Luffy the motivation he needs to pursue his pirating destiny even stronger than before. After recovering both physically and emotionally during his training with Silvers Rayleigh, Luffy returns ready to fulfill Ace‘s hopes of one day becoming King of the Pirates.
Now fully committed to honoring Ace‘s memory and sacrifice through achieving their childhood dream, Luffy enters the New World with greater conviction and resolve than ever. Driven by his brotherly bond with Ace, the grief-stricken crybaby from Marineford begins his ascent into a truly formidable pirate captain, Grand Fleet leader, and future Pirate King candidate.
So while terribly heartbreaking and impactful within the One Piece story itself, Ace‘s loving sacrifice in trying to save Luffy results in unleashing the latter‘s full dormant potential. In this way, his death bookmarks the end of one great pirate era while ushering in the rise of a worthy successor – his own brother, Monkey D. Luffy.
