Name : Portgas D. Ace
Epithet : "Fire Fist Ace" Original Anime/Manga, "Trace Heat Fist" (English Dub)
Age : 20
First Appearance : Manga Chapter #154, Anime Episode #91
Species : Human
Bounty : None

Ace has eaten the Devil Fruit Flare Flare Fruit (Mera Mera no Mi), a Logia or elemental type fruit, giving him pyrokinetic abilities and his reputation as "Fire Fist Ace" ("Trace Heatfist" in the English dub).

Currently, Ace is one of the two known pirates to ever escape arrest by the Marine captain Smoker (Chaser), the other escapee being Ace's younger brother Luffy. Ace and Smoker fought to a standstill in Alabasta. Since the pirate controls fire and the Marine Captain controls smoke, they practically cancel the other out. Ace is the only person in One Piece so far to fight evenly with Smoker -- Luffy was almost captured by Smoker in Roguetown and has since resorted to running away from the man instead of fighting.

He also displays his immense power by destroying a handful of Baroque Works ships with ease. For some reason, Ace does not seem to mind his inability to swim, despite the risk that destroying the Billions' ships could have left him in the ocean.

In a recent Japanese fan poll, Ace ranked in as the tenth most popular character, making him the third most popular character outside the Straw Hat crew.

He left Fuchsia Village three years before Luffy, and he is a loyal crewman and commands the Second Division of Whitebeard, his captain.

In appearance, the two brothers are obviously related, despite the fact that Ace is more muscular than the rather lanky Luffy. He also sports rather childish freckles. He is apparently narcoleptic and therefore falls asleep on random occasions, making people wonder if he has dropped dead. As far as personality goes, Ace is much more intelligent, polite, and generally more bearable then his younger brother, which prompts the Straw Hat crew to question whether he is truly related to their bumbling captain. However, the brothers themselves are very close, Ace portraying typical good-big-brother behaviors such as asking the crew to keep an eye on his little brother.

Red-Haired Shanks for some reason has an interest in Ace and Blackbeard, and has sent a messenger to deliver a note to Whitebeard concerning this matter. Why Shanks has an interest in Ace and Blackbeard is unknown for now but Shanks is currently travelling to speak to Whitebeard personally about the matter. As of yet there have been no references at all to any relationship between Shanks and Ace despite the fact he spent almost a year in Luffy and Ace's hometown.

It is yet to be explained why his surname is not the same as Luffy's, but has led to speculation that the sign of kinship may be the Initial "D."

Ace left his hometown 3 years before Luffy when he was already very strong and skilled, apparently even more so than his younger brother Luffy.

Neither really on the Straw Hat's side nor against them for that matter, he was in Alabasta to search for his former crewmember Blackbeard, who used to be in Whitebeard's Crew. Blackbeard killed his crew and fled and now Ace is looking for him to kill him for his crimes.

Ace was first seen (albeit for a brief period of time) on Drum Island and is later introduced in the Alabastan city of Nanohana; he was seen sleeping in the Spicebean restaurant. Later during the Jaya arc, Ace hopped in Buggy the Clown's ship for food and promised to show him the way to Luffy.

Ace was also given a mini-arc in the chapter titles of the manga where he infiltrates a Marine ship to deliver a letter to the parents of a milk maiden who saved his life. The mini series takes place some time before the current storyline as when it was published, he was with Buggy and his crew.