Chapters · Summit War › Marineford
Chapter 574: The Death of Portgaz D. Ace
Predictions this chapter touches — filed in writing, chapter-cited, scored on the board.
This chapter's foreshadowing ledger — what it plants, what it pays off, and what debuts here. Locked seeds pay off beyond your ⚓ progress; tap one to reveal it anyway.
- Plants
- 4 seeds🌱 dialogue-from-dead-character🌱 prop-tell🌱 name-etymology🌱 visual-silhouette
- Firsts
- Ch. 573
- Ace's true lifelong wish is revealed: not fame, but to know whether he should have been born / whether anyone wanted him. His final words — 'Thank you... for loving me!!' — are his answer, given by Whitebeard's crew and Luffy.
- Ace's birth name is reaffirmed at his death in the closing caption: 'His name is Gol D. Ace' — Gol D. Roger's biological son; his mother named him (p.17).
- First on-page mention of 'Sabo' — Ace references a third little brother he once cared for (the crossed-out S in his 'ASCE' back tattoo, p.15).
- Akainu's Haki bypasses Logia intangibility — he repels the logia/zoan commanders Marco and Vista, calling them 'you Haki users... can be such a handful' (p.7).
- Garp breaks free in grief and tries to kill Sakazuki for killing Ace; Sengoku restrains him ('You fool!!') (p.6).
- Jinbei shields Luffy from Akainu and carries the wounded Ace and Luffy clear, declaring he was 'prepared to die from the start' (pp.5, 8).
Arc: Marineford · Saga: Summit War · Released: 2010-01-11 (est.)
Summary
The chapter opens on the aftermath of Akainu’s magma fist (SHLUK!!) — it has punched through the collapsed Luffy and struck Ace, who threw himself in the way. “Ace is hit!” The Whitebeard Pirates scream for Akainu to stop while the Marines open fire. Jinbei shields Luffy, declaring he was prepared to die from the start; Garp breaks free and tries to kill Sakazuki for killing his foster grandson, only for Sengoku to pin him. Marco and Vista charge Akainu and are swatted back — “you Haki users can be such a handful.” Jinbei carries the mortally wounded Ace and the unconscious Luffy clear of the magma. Ace, his guts “burned out,” knows he is dying. In his final moments he tells Luffy that what he truly wanted was never fame — only to know whether he should have been born, whether anyone wanted him — and that the crew and his little brother answered that for him. He passes his regards to Dadan, admits he could not see Luffy’s dream through to the end, and asks Luffy to relay his last words to everyone. With his final breath Ace thanks his comrades “for loving me!!” and dies in Luffy’s arms, the “ASCE” tattoo on his back in view. A closing flashback shows Ace’s mother naming her unborn child — “If it’s a boy, his name will be Ace” — over the caption “His name is Gol D. Ace.”
New reveals
- Ace dies. Portgas D. Ace, Whitebeard’s Second Division Commander, dies from the magma wound he took shielding Luffy. His guts are “burned out”; no doctor can save him.
- Ace’s true wish. Not fame — he only ever wanted to know whether he should have been born and whether anyone wanted him. His last words (“Thank you… for loving me!!”) are that answer.
- “Gol D. Ace.” The closing caption reaffirms Ace’s birth name and Roger lineage; his mother is shown choosing the name “Ace” (p.17).
- First mention of Sabo. Ace references a third little brother, “Sabo” (p.10) — the crossed-out S in his “ASCE” back tattoo (p.15).
- Haki vs Logia. Akainu deflects the logia Marco and the swordsman Vista, naming them “Haki users” — Armament Haki bypasses Logia/elemental intangibility (p.7).
- Garp’s grief. Garp tries to kill Sakazuki; Sengoku restrains him (“You fool!!”) (p.6).
Foreshadowing seeds planted
Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)
Mentions / appearances
Ace · Luffy · Sakazuki (Akainu) · Jinbei · Garp · Sengoku · Marco · Vista · Whitebeard · Buggy · Mr. 3 (Galdino) · Sabo · Dadan (mentioned) · Roger (referenced, “Gold Roger”) · Ace’s mother (shown unnamed, forward-canon Portgas D. Rouge, p.17) · Whitebeard Pirates · Marines · Mera Mera no Mi · D · Haki
Notable panels
- p.1 — Chapter-title splash “THE DEATH OF PORTGAZ D. ACE” over a standalone B&W illustration: a whack-a-mole “MOGURA” arcade game (creature-moles popping from holes; a girl in a “CRASH” cheer top wielding the mallet).
- p.2 — SHLUK!! Akainu’s magma fist, having pierced Luffy, has struck Ace. “Ace is hit!”
- p.6 — Garp breaks free to kill Sakazuki; Sengoku pins him (“You fool!!”).
- p.7 — WHAM! Marco and Vista charge Akainu and are repelled — “you Haki users… can be such a handful.”
- p.14 — Full-page panel of Ace’s tear-streaked face: “THANK YOU…” .
- p.15 — ”…FOR LOVING ME!!” Ace dies; the “ASCE” back tattoo (crossed-out S = Sabo) in view.
- p.17 — Closing flashback: Ace’s mother — “If it’s a boy, his name will be Ace.” Caption: “His name is Gol D. Ace.” Present-day Luffy screams over Ace’s body.
Open questions raised
- Who is Sabo, and why is his initial crossed out in Ace’s “ASCE” tattoo?
- Will Luffy carry Ace’s unfinished will and dream?
- What becomes of the Mera Mera no Mi now that its user is dead?
- How will Whitebeard and the war respond to Ace’s death?
- How will Luffy survive the magma wound and the trauma of Ace’s death?