Whether it was due to that unreliable system that had abandoned them or some other mysterious factor, Gustave discovered his recovery speed was remarkably fast. In the normal world, the old saying "a hundred days to heal broken bones" held true—fractures typically required at least three months to fully heal. However, Gustave felt almost completely recovered within just four or five days of regaining consciousness.
Although he felt nearly healed, there was still a difference between feeling recovered and actually being recovered. Gustave still had to be careful not to strain his injured areas during movement.
Today, Gustave planned to venture outside and explore. Having arrived in the world of One Piece, he hadn't yet had the opportunity to properly appreciate the beauty of this world.
After breakfast, Po was whisked away by Garp to the back mountain for another session of "loving" special training. Meanwhile, Gustave prepared to take a leisurely stroll and get a good look at Garp and Luffy's hometown—Windmill Village.
But just as Gustave took his first step outside, he heard Luffy's enthusiastic shout:
"Uncle Gustave, what's today's story? I want to hear more about D'Artagnan!"
Over the past few days, while Gustave had been recovering and Garp's attention was focused on training his new apprentice Po, the bored Luffy had taken to pestering Gustave for entertainment.
After learning that Luffy was currently only four years old, almost five, and that he hadn't yet met Shanks at this point in the timeline, Gustave had decided to establish a proper set of values for the boy.
While the Marine in this world was subordinate to the Celestial Dragons and the World Government and had certainly done many heinous things, with plenty of corrupt individuals among their ranks, it was undeniable that the Marine's existence did maintain oceanic stability and protected countless innocent people. At least the Four Seas enjoyed relative peace, and the Marine's contributions were indispensable to that stability.
As for pirates, the original story was always told from the perspective of the Straw Hat Pirates, making it seem like they never did anything truly wrong. But in reality, burning, killing, and looting were the norm for pirates. Countless people had lost their families and lives because of piratical violence.
Pirate crews like the Straw Hat Pirates, the Red Hair Pirates, and the Roger Pirates were actually outliers among pirates. These groups were closer in nature to adventuring parties than traditional pirates.
Considering the darker aspects of the Marine and Luffy's free-spirited personality and love of freedom, it was impossible to make the boy follow Garp's wishes and join the Marine. But Luffy couldn't be allowed to go down the crooked path of traditional piracy either. So Gustave had decided to instill a different concept in Luffy—
The most classic ideal of the Knight errant!
Punishing evil and promoting good, helping the weak, but not bound by rigid formalities—free by nature yet possessing his own moral code. The existence of the "knight-errant" was undoubtedly the most suitable philosophy for Luffy. It would be wonderful if a Ranger King Luffy emerged in the future due to Gustave's influence.
In Gustave's opinion, D'Artagnan and Robin Hood stood at the pinnacle of heroic virtue. One was a clever and daring swordsman who fought alongside the Three Musketeers for honor and loyalty; the other, a legendary outlaw who stole from the corrupt to give to the poor. Both were courageous, fiercely independent, and bound by their own sense of justice—perfect examples to help instill the right values in young Luffy.
So, whenever Luffy begged Gustave for a story, he would tell him thrilling tales of Robin Hood's cunning ambushes in Sherwood Forest, or D'Artagnan's daring duels in the shadow of Versailles. Stories of heroes who defied kings, protected the weak, and fought not for gold or glory—but for what was right.
As expected, the concept of "knight-errant" appealed greatly to little Luffy, who was almost five years old. From the very first day Gustave told him these stories, Luffy had become deeply fascinated by the chivalrous ideal. Even Tom's various magical objects could no longer capture Luffy's attention as they once had.
During these past few days, Luffy would pester Gustave for stories almost daily. The happiest beneficiary of this arrangement was Tom, who had finally escaped his persistent little follower.
"Oh, it's Luffy! I want to take a walk around the village today. Can you show me around? How about I tell stories while we walk?" Gustave asked, looking at little Luffy with his still-chubby cheeks. He couldn't help but ruffle the boy's hair affectionately.
"No problem! Just leave it to me!" Luffy declared, patting his chest proudly.
Looking at the adorable little Luffy, Gustave couldn't resist patting his head again. Then he glanced over at Tom, who was lying down and preparing for a post-meal nap.
"Tom, would you like to come explore with us?"
Hearing the question, Tom struggled to his feet and shook his head, indicating he'd rather stay home.
Since Tom didn't want to join them, Gustave didn't press the issue. Ever since Luffy had started bothering Gustave instead, Tom had felt much more relaxed. He'd even stopped attending Garp and Po's training sessions, preferring to find comfortable spots to lie down and sleep all day. Perhaps this was simply the nature of cats.
These days, Gustave and his group were staying in Garp's old house, located at the end of Windmill Village near the forest. Makino's tavern was situated at the village's entrance near the coast, where foot traffic was heaviest and she could occasionally serve travelers from the sea.
Gustave's destination today was Makino's tavern. Walking from the village's end to its beginning would allow him to see Windmill Village's scenery while checking if Makino needed any assistance. After all, she'd provided them with considerable care over the past few days.
"Hey, Luffy, what are you up to today?" called out a villager as soon as they stepped outside.
"Ah, it's Uncle Jack! Uncle Gustave wants to look around the village, and I'm showing him around!" Luffy responded cheerfully.
"So this is Brother Gustave! You're Po and Tom's friend, right?" During the past few days, Po and Tom had made quite an impression in Windmill Village, and the villagers had learned about their injured friend named Gustave.
"Yes, I'm Po and Tom's friend. Please, just call me Gustave," he replied with a warm smile.
"How's your injury, Brother Gustave? I heard from Po that you were seriously hurt," Uncle Jack asked with genuine concern.
"Thanks to everyone's kindness, and with Po and Makino's care over these past few days, I'm almost completely healed!" Gustave answered gratefully.
"That's wonderful to hear! I don't have much with me, but please take this bag of apples, Brother Gustave. Eating more fruit will help your body recover." Uncle Jack handed the bag of apples to Luffy before Gustave could refuse, then waved and walked away.
Gustave could only shake his head and accept the gift. The villagers of Windmill Village were truly kindhearted people.
In this manner, Luffy guided Gustave through Windmill Village toward Makino's tavern. Along the way, they encountered many villagers who all greeted Gustave and Luffy enthusiastically.
Windmill Village wasn't large, but Gustave and Luffy still took considerable time to reach the village entrance, stopping frequently to chat with friendly villagers.
"Makino! I'm here with Uncle Gustave!" As soon as Luffy spotted Makino's tavern, he ran ahead excitedly, accidentally dropping several of Uncle Jack's apples in the process.
Gustave had no choice but to gather up the fallen fruit.
Makino's tavern enjoyed an excellent location near the coast. A small pier extended into the water nearby, and the tavern sat conveniently close to this docking area.
Gustave entered the tavern carrying the recovered apples. Only three or four patrons were drinking and chatting inside today, while Makino was cheerfully engaging with little Luffy at the bar.
"Mr. Gustave, how are you feeling today?" Makino greeted him warmly as he entered.
"Thank you for all your care these past days, Makino. I'm feeling much better now," Gustave replied, placing the apples on the bar.
"Today I thought I'd look around the village, so I asked Luffy to show me around. I also wanted to see if there's anything I could help you with."
"I see! My tavern isn't too busy right now. Please, Mr. Gustave, have a seat. Would you like something to drink?" Makino asked, moving toward the wine cabinet.
"A glass of juice, please!" Gustave didn't hesitate, settling into a chair beside the bar.
"Me too! Me too! I want juice as well!" Luffy raised his hand and shouted.
Looking at the mischievous and adorable little Luffy, then at the bag of apples from Uncle Jack, Gustave stood up with an idea.
"Makino, do you have a kitchen here? I'd like to make some apple pie for everyone!"
"Oh! There is a kitchen. Mr. Gustave, you can cook? And is your hand all right?" While Makino's tavern did have a kitchen that could provide meals, they were typically simple dishes like fruit pies, vegetable salads, and barbecue—nothing too complicated.
Moreover, Makino had tasted food prepared by both Tom and Po over the past few days. Both possessed impressive culinary skills, and she hadn't expected Gustave to be a cook as well.
"It's fine. Although my left hand is injured, I still have my right hand to work with," Gustave replied with a smile.
"In that case, Luffy, please show Mr. Gustave to the kitchen in back. I'd love to try apple pie made by Mr. Gustave!" Makino was curious about Gustave's cooking abilities, so she asked Luffy to escort him to the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, Gustave had Luffy help wash the apples while he prepared the other ingredients.
Although this was a different world, many ingredients remained familiar, and Gustave easily located everything he needed.
First, he cubed butter and mixed it into low-gluten flour, kneading continuously until they blended completely. Then he added white sugar, mixed thoroughly, and gradually added water to form a proper dough.
The first key to delicious apple pie lay in this dough-kneading step. Although Gustave could only use one hand, his skills hadn't diminished in the slightest.
He set the kneaded dough aside to rest and ferment, then peeled and cored the washed apples, dicing them finely. He also prepared a portion of cornstarch slurry.
Next, he heated a pan and added butter. Once the butter melted, he poured in the diced apples and stir-fried them briefly, then added sugar to help remove moisture from the apple pieces. He added the cornstarch slurry and continued cooking until the mixture thickened into a paste.
At this point, he turned off the heat and added cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice to the apple mixture, creating the perfect apple filling for his pie.
The preparation of apple filling was the second critical factor in creating delicious apple pie. The amount of seasoning, the heat level, and the final consistency would all affect the pie's ultimate taste.
He divided the rested dough into two portions—one for the pie base and another for the top covering.
The base needed to be rolled into a sheet of appropriate thickness and fitted into a round baking pan. The second portion was also rolled thin and cut into long strips.
Now he could fill the cooled apple mixture into the pie base, packing it as full as possible to ensure the finished pie would look appetizing.
After adding the filling, he arranged the dough strips in a decorative lattice pattern across the top, then brushed everything with beaten egg yolk. The pie was now ready for the oven.
Since Makino's kitchen oven couldn't be set to specific temperatures and times, Gustave had to control the heat manually. Temperature control was the final and most critical step—if this wasn't done properly, all the previous work would be wasted.
But as the youngest world famous chef in history, Gustave could master every step perfectly.
About thirty minutes later, a golden, crispy apple pie emerged from the oven, filling the air with heavenly apple aroma. Little Luffy had been drooling with anticipation, eager to taste the pie from the moment it went into the oven, but he had to wait for it to cool down first.
Once the apple pie had cooled sufficiently, Gustave cut it into portions with a knife. He gave the first piece to Luffy, who had been waiting so patiently, then brought the rest out to share with Makino and the other tavern guests.
"The crust is golden and crispy, and the filling is sweet and delicious. Mr. Gustave, your cooking skills are truly exceptional!" After taking her first bite, Makino immediately gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and the other patrons added their own high praise.
"Yes, yes! Uncle Gustave's apple pie is the best I've ever eaten!" Luffy declared, his mouth completely stuffed with pie, making him look like a chipmunk and rendering his words barely comprehensible. Still, his joyful review came through clearly.
Seeing his work receive such recognition from everyone, Gustave displayed a satisfied smile. For any chef, this kind of appreciation was the highest possible evaluation.