Isuka

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"Nailing" Isuka is a Marine Ensign featured prominently in the spin-off novel One Piece Novel A (Ace's Story), where she serves as a primary rival to Portgas D. Ace and a complex, tragic figure whose story is closely tied to his. Her backstory is defined by deep personal betrayal and an unwavering, yet ultimately shattered, belief in absolute justice. When Isuka was a young girl, her hometown was burned to the ground during a pirate attack, and her parents perished in the devastating fire. During the chaos, she was rescued from the flames by a Marine named Draw, who later became a Vice Admiral. Although she survived, she was left with a permanent burn scar on the back of her hand. Grateful for her survival, Isuka grew up deeply admiring Draw, viewing him as her savior and the ultimate example of Marine heroism. She joined the Marines under his guidance to pursue her own strong sense of justice, eventually rising to the rank of Ensign. She earned her formidable nickname, "Nailing Isuka," due to her incredible speed and proficiency with a rapier, which allowed her to overwhelm opponents with rapid, precise thrusts. As an adult, Isuka became obsessed with capturing Portgas D. Ace and the Spade Pirates, relentlessly pursuing them across the first half of the Grand Line. Despite being enemies, a unique mutual respect developed between Isuka and Ace because of his innate kindness. However, her entire worldview was shattered during a violent confrontation between Ace and Vice Admiral Draw. During the battle, a horrifying truth was revealed: Draw himself had deliberately set fire to Isuka's village years earlier. Draw justified the civilian casualties and the deaths of Isuka's parents as a "necessary evil" to ensure that no pirates escaped his ruthless interpretation of absolute justice. Devastated by the revelation that her lifelong hero and father figure was responsible for the destruction of her village, Isuka was left in complete despair.