( the sound of his brother's voice makes his chest squeeze, a wistful sort of ache. even if this luffy turns out to be little more than an apparition, whatever created it must surely have been watching them from some unknown dimension, or perhaps it searched deep within his heart and materialised what would mean the most to him in this limbo — for what reason, ace doesn't yet know, but it doesn't stop him from carrying on until they emerge again into almost-blinding light.

he turns, then, to face the younger pirate once more and it is only now that ace finds himself tongue-tied, unsure of how to address the questions he doesn't know the answer to himself. ) Y'know what? I couldn't even tell you, even if I wanted to. ( ace's laugh is a wry one, faintly bitter but relieved at the same time as he shrugs. no point in hiding the truth, is there? ) Pretty sure I'm dead, but you — you're not, are you? ( his brows furrow, as if still trying to figure out the integrity of what he's seeing. ) S'it really you, Luffy?