"Tom, how's the roasted lamb coming along?"
"Po, please help me with that big pot of fried rice!"
The dinner was about to begin, and this was Gustave's busiest moment. He had to oversee both the final dish preparations and the serving logistics. For a large banquet like this, timing was absolutely crucial.
A familiar voice sounded behind him:
"Gustave, you've organized this farewell dinner magnificently!"
Gustave didn't turn around, recognizing Garp's distinctive tone immediately. He continued transferring the seafood fried rice into the large pot Po had brought and replied:
"Thank you, Mr. Garp. This is a farewell dinner prepared specifically for you, so of course it has to be spectacular!"
"By the way, where did you disappear to after breakfast today? Po looked everywhere for you."
Hearing this, Garp chuckled and said:
"Gustave, are you finished with your preparations? I have something important to discuss with you."
Hearing Garp's unusually serious tone, Gustave turned around and found the marine hero wearing an uncharacteristically grave expression—clearly about to share something significant. He quickly handed the fried rice to a helpful villager and followed Garp to a quieter area.
When they reached a shadowy corner, Gustave saw someone he hadn't expected. It was a boy dressed remarkably similar to Luffy—red singlet, shorts, and flip-flops. Most distinctively, this boy had small freckles dotting his face.
"Gustave, this is my other grandson: Ace. He's Luffy's brother," Garp announced, gesturing toward the boy.
Gustave was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected Garp to bring Ace here—it seemed the brothers would be meeting earlier than in the original timeline. However, he quickly recovered his composure, extended his hand, and greeted the boy warmly:
"Hello, Ace. I'm Gustave. You can call me Uncle Gustave, just like Luffy does."
Ace studied Gustave's outstretched hand, then glanced at Garp. When his grandfather nodded approvingly, Ace shook Gustave's hand and introduced himself:
"Hello, Uncle Gustave. My name is Ace—Portgas D. Ace."
Hearing Ace's full introduction, Gustave realized the boy already knew his true parentage.
"Gustave, I've been fostering Ace in the mountains, but I'm planning to let him stay with you for a while. What do you think?" Garp asked with an almost pleading tone.
That morning, when Garp had announced his return to Marine Headquarters, he'd asked his apprentice Po to help look after Luffy. Although that's what he'd said, both Po and Garp understood that Gustave would be the one actually guiding Luffy. Since Gustave regularly told Luffy stories and his cooking was delicious, Luffy had grown especially attached to him.
Garp's reason for bringing Ace away from Dadan's family was his assessment that if Gustave could handle Luffy so well, there probably wouldn't be any issues with Ace either.
In truth, Garp knew that while Dadan had done an adequate job raising Ace, she was still a bandit and inevitably lacking in proper education.
Garp's greatest wish was for his two grandsons, Ace and Luffy, to follow in his footsteps and join the Marine. However, over the years, both boys had drifted further and further from that path.
Recently though, after less than two weeks with Gustave, Luffy had been enthusiastically declaring his desire to become a hero—to help the weak, fight against the strong, and champion justice.
While this wasn't quite the Marine route Garp had hoped for, it was infinitely better than becoming a pirate. Garp dreaded the possibility of one day having to capture his own grandson or watch him die at the hands of other Marine officers.
Additionally, during Gustave's storytelling sessions with Luffy, Garp had often listened in. He'd come to believe that the "knight-errant" ideal Gustave promoted might actually be more suitable for Luffy than the Marine. Before leaving, Garp had decided to entrust Ace to Gustave as well, hoping for similar positive influence.
"Of course! Po, Tom, and I will be staying in Windmill Village for quite some time anyway," Gustave readily agreed.
"Luffy will be living with us going forward, and with Ace here too, it might actually be better for the two brothers to be together."
To activate the Gate of All Worlds, the prerequisite was owning a ship and transforming it into a mobile sea restaurant. To acquire such a ship, they needed to find ways to earn money. After Gustave had recovered, he'd discussed with Po and Tom and decided to settle in Windmill Village temporarily, opening a restaurant to earn funds for building their own ship.
They'd already chosen the restaurant's location during Luffy's village tour—directly across from Makino's tavern. The two establishments would complement each other perfectly: Makino would handle beverages while Gustave's team managed the food service.
The main restaurant structure had been completed over the past few days with help from Windmill Village residents, and they'd be opening for business soon. Taking care of Luffy and Ace wouldn't interfere with Gustave's plans at all.
Gustave also wanted to test whether Ace might choose a different path under his influence. After all, Garp was Po's master and their benefactor. Gustave didn't want to see the old man suffer through watching his grandson die before his eyes.
The person who would feel the most pain from Ace's death would undoubtedly be Garp—watching his grandson perish while being powerless to intervene, torn between Marine duty and family love, then having to endure Dadan's misunderstanding. Garp would suffer the most.
"Really? Thank you, Gustave!" After hearing Gustave agree to care for Ace, Garp smiled with genuine happiness.
"By the way, Mr. Garp, the dinner is about to begin. Aren't you ready to make your entrance as tonight's guest of honor?" Gustave asked with a grin.
"Eh? The dinner's starting already? Then let's head over quickly! Just thinking about your cooking has me drooling, Gustave! Bwahahaha!" With that, Garp began striding toward the feast location.
After taking only two steps, Garp seemed to remember something important. He stopped and said hesitantly:
"Gustave, there's something I should tell you. Ace's father is—"
But before he could finish, Gustave interrupted him.
"I don't need to know who Ace's father is. I just need to know that Ace is your grandson, Mr. Garp, and Luffy's brother."
Hearing this, Garp burst into his characteristic booming laughter:
"Yes! It's enough that Ace is my grandson and Luffy's brother! Bwahahaha!"
"Well then, Gustave my boy, let's go!"
This time, Garp's steps showed no hesitation whatsoever.
Ace, following behind, was stunned by what he'd heard. He whispered to himself:
"Is it really enough that I'm grandpa's grandson?"
The dinner was held in a small square at the village center. A bonfire blazed in the square's heart, with Windmill Village residents chatting and laughing around the flames.
When the elderly village chief Slap spotted Garp, he shouted:
"Hey! Garp, where have you been, old man? I can't wait for this feast to start!"
Hearing village chief Slap's voice, Garp immediately began their familiar banter:
"Hey, Slap, you old codger! Will missing one meal actually kill you?"
"I went to collect my grandson. You're not nearly as important as my grandson!"
After saying this, he brought Ace forward and introduced him:
"This is my other grandson: Ace."
Then he looked at Luffy and commanded:
"Luffy, what are you standing around for? Say hello to your brother!"
Luffy hadn't expected to suddenly gain a brother—Garp had never mentioned Ace's existence before. But with his naturally optimistic disposition, he stood up cheerfully and waved:
"Hello, Ace! I'm Luffy!"
Ace hadn't expected this silly-looking boy to be his younger brother. His grandfather had instructed Luffy to call him "brother," but this kid was calling him by name directly.
So Ace turned his head away and snorted proudly.
Garp noticed that his two grandsons' first meeting seemed rather awkward, but knowing he'd be leaving them in Gustave's care, he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he grabbed a roasted lamb leg and began devouring it.
Everyone present was stunned by Garp's behavior. This grandfather was truly outrageous! Then they heard village chief Slap's indignant voice:
"Garp, you old scoundrel! You're really breaking protocol by eating first! I won't stand for this."
With that declaration, village chief Slap also grabbed a lamb leg and began chomping away.
Realizing the two old-timers weren't playing fair, everyone else picked up food and began eating heartily. They couldn't let the two elders monopolize everything.
Thus began Windmill Village's farewell dinner...
Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. This was the first time Gustave had gotten drunk since arriving in this world.