[The pain of his regrets hits him harder than it probably should when he listens to those words, specifically the question of if he'll stick around. He's vowed to himself to never, ever let Luffy get in the way of intense danger, to never forget or lose him, and now that Ace is here, he feels --

Well, he feels as if he has a second chance. He's not going anywhere, and he isn't going to forget a thing.]

I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you.

[He smiles and moves to press their foreheads together.]

Promise.

[And then, after lingering there for a moment, straightens back up.]

But for now, I'll leave you to rest. I should go get some food, anyway.