I think Luffy needs some kind of reverie regarding everything that's happened since he was separated from the others.
So the first thing he sees when waking up being them and knowing that they're okay would be something I could see being really special.
I personally think that time skip is the most likely scenario right now (especially with the last page), but a part of me wants to see Luffy do something and do it now. He's been such a bystander in one too many situations (his crew separated, now Ace dying). If he doesn't get some sort of rage-boost right now, I'd be majorly disappointed.