#volume 59

this scene right here is so, so important to me, because this is Luffy's first encounter with his (dead till then) big brother in years, and all he can do is feel remorse over watching Ace die right in front of him without being able to do anything. But this is how Sabo also felt. What was he supposed to do, miles away from them, without even remembering a single thing about his brothers until he saw the newspapers? Of course he knows how Luffy feels, he feels exactly the same.

But Luffy is alive. It's been years, and he's been so close to death so many times, but he's alive. And so is Sabo. Ace may no longer be there, but they have each other. They're not alone. Sabo needs to say "thank you for living" just as much as Luffy needs to hear it - they both don't want to regret anymore.

In the most important moments, Sabo and Ace are speaking from their core, and there's so much love and truth behind their words:

Shanks!!!