Portgas D. Ace and an unnamed man are stranded on the
East Blue island of
Sixistogether, and Ace nicknames him
Masked Deuce. Deuce is initially wary around Ace after discovering his heritage, but after he unsuccessfully tries ambushing Ace, he regrets his actions and the two become friends. Ace winds up eating the
Mera Mera no Mi on this island, and the two work together to build a ship to escape, forming the beginning of the
Spade Pirates.
Years pass, and the Spade Pirates grow in number, adding top members
Mihar and
Skullwhile becoming more infamous. They are approached one day by Marine Ensign
Isuka, who is accompanied by several warships. When they sink one of the warships, Isuka stops fighting to save her comrades, and Ace decides to save her from drowning in the process.
Isuka repeatedly pursues them, though is always ineffective, and the Spade Pirates reach the
Sabaody Archipelago. There, Ace and Deuce end up on the Ferris wheel with Isuka, who tells them how pirates burned her village as a child before being rescued by now-
Vice Admiral Draw. She offers Ace the chance to quit piracy, as she does not see him as evil, but Ace refuses. Isuka and Draw reunite, and three days later they give Ace the opportunity to continue pirating as a
Shichibukai. Ace refuses, and Draw attacks him with flamethrowers, setting the homes around them on fire. Ace fights Draw, and manages to overpower the Vice Admiral as he gains the ability to use
Busoshoku Haki. After Draw is defeated, the Spade Pirates and Isuka part ways as Ace leads his crew into the
New World.