‘One Piece’ Update: Portgas D. Ace to Star in Spin-off; Series May Focus on His Afterlife

Fans of the long-running series "One Piece" are in for a bit of great news. A spinoff is under development and it won't be focusing on any of the Straw Hats. Instead, it will be starring Portgas D. Ace, the "brother" of Luffy who died tragically.

According to Comic Book, the "One Piece" spin-off was announced in celebration of the manga's 20^th anniversary this year. There are other plans that Shonen Jump has for the series. However, the Ace-centric spin-off is one of the biggest yet.

Some fans are speculating that the "One Piece" spin-off may focus either on Ace's time after his death or his adventures with the Whitebeard pirates. While his journey with the great Whitebeard was already told in the original manga, more details are expected in the upcoming series. It is also believed that Monkey D. Luffy will appear in the Ace starrer.

For starters, Portgas D. Ace is the adoptive grandson of Monkey D. Garp, who is Luffy's direct grandfather. Garp took Ace in after the execution of Gol. D Roger, the King of the Pirates. Ace went on to join the Whitebeard pirates, wherein he became one of the great captain's second in command. Ace has since become one of the beloved characters in "One Piece."

Ace's death came as a shock to many "One Piece" fans. Portgas D. Ace was captured and sentenced to death. This led to the huge Battle of Marineford. Luffy, to the rescue, took the attention of the entire "One Piece" world. Pirates from all around the globe came to help him. However, in a fit of rage from Akainu, one of the chiefs of the marines, Ace fell down dead.

The death of Ace in "One Piece" led to Luffy taking his dream of becoming Pirate King seriously. Luffy's recovery from the tragic death of his brother who sacrificed his life for him was hard. Thanks to Jinbei, Luffy woke up to his senses. Epic Stream notes that the spin-off dedicated to Ace may focus on his mysterious past.

At the moment, Eichiro Oda has not announced the plot for the Ace-centered series. Still, fans believe that Luffy will be part of Ace's story. This is because Ace has had a huge impact on Luffy's dreams of becoming the greatest pirate after Gol D. Roger, Ace's biological father.

Meanwhile, "One Piece" Chapter 860 is set to see the success or failure of Big Mom's assassination plan. According to Celebeat, Luffy and team Capone Bege have decided to take out Big Mom within five seconds. It remains to be seen if the plan will be pulled off without trouble.