The Chaos that ensues
They weren't marked for a long life: Pirates, revolutionaries ... they simply weren't.
Ace came as a painful reminder, a blow that wasn't entirely unexpected even if it seemed unlikely , even when they ignored the voice calling in the pit of their stomachs telling them it could have been anyone ... anyone of them , however capable and strong he was.
Ace reminded them of mortality and all the after thoughts that come with it.
And maybe that is why Garp was adamantly, persistently against Ace and Luffy becoming pirates.
Garp knew he wasted his life ... this confession is a tally of integrity he owes himself. He wasted his life protecting an order that deserved to be uprooted long ago, a bunch of faithless idiots who can do nothing but consume ... destroy. The celestial dragons, the world government ... a bunch of liars all of them but what forced him to stay is exactly what is occurring now ... Chaos.
And while it is a natural order, a payment for all their prior mistakes; a long time ago garp witnessed chaos and knew exactly the measure of destruction it can do.
After all the current order is nothing but an ugly offspring of Chaos.
And he doubted if any pirate, any revolutionary knew what they were doing.
So he chose the less of both evil: become a good level head organised marine migitating the atrocities the world's government does instead of becoming a benevolent pirate who goes around in circles and doesn't know what to do.
But Ace, while he never deserved to die, never wanted to; deserved to become a martyr.
Dadan waits for Ace . In the depth of her heart, she will always await his return, like every mother does until he either comes or she follows him to the afterlife.
Part of her soul will always be missing.
Dadan will root for anyone who will avenge his death, be it marine, pirate or revolutionist as long as he avenges him, as long as he keeps Luffy safe.
Ace reminded Luffy of death.
And that wasn't good for a pirate. Pirates struggle to run away from death, the thought of it while they encounter it everyday.
Whether through detachment or nonchalance .. the way Law and Robin do, or antagonism towards everything, absolutely everything the way Zoro does or indulgence the like most of them, him included do ... Food, money, women ... etc.
So, rule number 1 in the book, Pirates mustn't think of death, the moment they do is the moment they die.
Rule number 2, Pirates mustn't form attachments .. that they fail miserably to do.
The sea, the Crew that sails is all about attachment. The land where they are eventually bound to return to for supplies, they are tied to it.
Roger knew, Shanks knows and even the most secluded person in the world: Mihawk has come to learn.
You can't stay guarded forever, those you constantly drive away or piss off are those you become ironically most attached to.
And although Luffy buried Ace long ago in his mind .. although he seemed to have recovered, His heart still yearns for his brother
Ace's demise was the blow that Sabo desperately needed to wake him up.
Sabo was a revolutionist ... and while seemingly selfless the exact opposite is what they can eventually turn to over the course of the revolution .. Selfish.
Sabo was selfish. He only ever remembered the revolution with its current ideas and methods that weren't to be questioned.
Sabo forgot his brother, the dreams they had, the bonds they shared instead of extending a hand to help him, to save him from their common enemy.
Sabo was selfish and whether he will live long or short .. he will always regret it.