Under Captain Tom's expert navigation and with favorable winds filling their sails, the Luffy cut through the East Blue's waters with impressive speed, far exceeding her previous performance under less skilled hands.
"We've been sailing for over two days now," Luffy groaned from his sprawled position on the bow. "Why haven't we seen a single pirate yet?"
"Because Gustave and I already cleared out most of the scoundrels in these waters, you idiot!" Ace called down from his perch in the rigging, though he refrained from his usual head-bonking. He was beginning to suspect that all those 'educational' strikes from himself and Garp might actually be affecting Luffy's already questionable cognitive abilities.
"Hey, Luffy!" Gustave emerged from the galley, flour still dusting his apron from preparing their afternoon meal. "Stop lounging around like a beached whale. Those lunch dishes won't wash themselves!"
"This is so unfair!" Luffy protested as Gustave hauled him upright. "Why do I always get stuck with kitchen duty?"
"Because you're the only crew member with literally nothing else to contribute to ship operations," Gustave replied matter-of-factly. "And Captain Tom specifically designated you as our cleaner. We agreed you'd follow orders while aboard, remember? Keep complaining and you'll be staying behind next voyage!"
The threat worked like magic. Luffy's protests died instantly, and he shuffled toward the galley with exaggerated dejection.
Ace snickered from his lookout position, having wisely returned to his duties the moment he spotted Gustave emerging from below. Only Luffy had been foolish enough to remain visible in his act of rebellion.
"Ace!" Gustave called up to the mast. "Keep those eyes sharp! According to our charts and sailing speed, we should reach our destination soon!"
"Aye aye, First Mate Gustave!" Ace snapped off a mock salute before raising his spyglass to scan the horizon.
Gustave headed back to supervise Luffy's dishwashing—experience had taught him that unsupervised, the boy would somehow make an even bigger mess than when he'd started.
He'd barely disappeared into the galley when Ace's shout rang across the deck.
"Land ho! I can see an island ahead!"
The announcement brought everyone scrambling topside. Luffy bounded from the kitchen like an excited puppy, soap suds still clinging to his arms. Even Po emerged from his meditation spot near the stern, while Tom abandoned his captain's post long enough to peer through his own telescope.
Captain Tom gave an enthusiastic blast of the Luffy's horn—a massive brass contraption he'd mysteriously acquired and installed shortly after assuming command. Gustave had never seen ship horns in this world before Tom's arrival, but the cat's inexplicable ability to produce necessary items from thin air had long since ceased to surprise anyone.
As their ship approached the island's coastline, a lone figure emerged from the dense forest and made his way to the rocky shore.
The boy possessed the most distinctive moss-green hair Gustave had ever seen, and two katana hung at his side with casual familiarity. He'd apparently been wandering the woods when their horn caught his attention, prompting him to climb a tall tree for a better view of the approaching ship.
A pirate ship? Zoro wondered, squinting at the distant craft. The range made details difficult to discern.
As the Luffy drew closer, he finally made out their flag—not the traditional skull and crossbones, but rather a stylized cat's head. Relief flooded through him. Pirates would mean danger for his village, and with his notorious tendency to get lost within minutes of leaving familiar paths, he'd never manage to warn anyone in time.
Since they clearly weren't pirates, Zoro scrambled down to the shoreline and began waving vigorously to catch their attention.
"Gustave!" Ace called down excitedly. "There's a kid with green hair signaling us from the beach!"
The mention of distinctive green hair made Gustave's pulse quicken. He retrieved his own spyglass from the cabin and focused on the figure. Sure enough, there stood the future first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates—Roronoa Zoro himself.
"Tom, bring us toward that boy!" Gustave directed their feline captain.
Tom nodded and adjusted their course toward Zoro's position.
Unable to risk running aground, Tom brought the Luffy to anchor a safe distance from shore. Po immediately dropped their anchor with practiced efficiency.
"Right then," Gustave announced, "time for a bit of creative disembarkation. Ace, Luffy—hold tight!"
Before either boy could ask what he meant, Gustave grabbed them both and launched into an impressive leap that carried all three in a graceful arc toward the beach. They landed with enough force to kick up a substantial cloud of dust and sand.
Meanwhile, Tom simply hopped onto Po's broad shoulders. The panda took a few running steps and employed his mastery of Geppo—the Moon Walk technique—to literally step on air until they reached solid ground.
"Cough, cough!" Zoro waved frantically at the settling dust cloud. When it finally cleared, he found himself facing a tall, handsome man with an unmistakably cheerful demeanor, flanked by two boys roughly his own age. Behind them stood what appeared to be a large black-and-white bear with a cat perched atop its head.
"Yo there, moss-head!" Luffy called out with his usual tact.
"Luffy, you absolute moron!" Ace immediately delivered a corrective punch to his brother's skull. "You can't just call someone moss-head to their face—it's incredibly rude!"
But he DOES have moss-colored hair! Zoro thought indignantly. These strangers were definitely not making the best first impression.
"Both of you, behave yourselves!" Gustave administered swift disciplinary taps to both boys' heads. "I sincerely apologize for these two hooligans. They're usually better behaved than this."
"Uh, no worries," Zoro replied with slight awkwardness, caught off-guard by the genuine apology. "I'm not really bothered by it."
"I'm Gustave," the older man introduced himself warmly. "These troublemakers are Luffy and Ace, and my friends behind me are Po and Tom. What's your name, young swordsman?"
"Roronoa Zoro," came the straightforward reply.
"We're from Windmill Village in the Goa Kingdom," Gustave explained. "Just doing a bit of exploring. Could you tell us what country this is?"
Zoro's expression grew sheepish. How could he possibly answer that question when he barely knew where he was half the time?
"I... honestly don't know which country this is," he admitted. "I only know that through that forest is Shimotsuki Village—that's where I live."
Gustave mentally slapped himself. Of course Zoro wouldn't know—the future swordsman's directional challenges were legendary. The original story had never even specified which nation Shimotsuki Village belonged to.
"Would you mind guiding us to your village?" Gustave asked hopefully.
"Sure thing! Just follow me!" Zoro agreed instantly, already heading toward the forest.
Gustave sighed as he watched the boy's carefree acceptance of total strangers. No wonder he and Luffy would become such fast friends—both possessed the same alarming lack of suspicion toward people they'd just met.
While the Luffy wasn't flying pirate colors, any actual criminals could have easily used this same approach to infiltrate the village. Zoro's trusting nature could have spelled disaster if they'd been genuine threats.
Before they departed for the village, Gustave decided their young guide deserved proper hospitality. "Zoro, have you eaten recently? It's nearly dinner time, and I was planning to prepare something special."
"I'm not really hungry—" Zoro began, but his stomach chose that moment to release a rumbling growl that could probably be heard back at their ship.
"That settles it then!" Gustave laughed. "Tom, would you mind starting a small cooking fire here on the beach? I think our new friend needs some proper nourishment before we make the trek to his village."
As a world-renowned chef, Gustave had mastered cuisines from every corner of the globe. For this impromptu beach cookout, he decided on something that would appeal to a young swordsman—Japanese-inspired yakitori skewers with his own French twist.
From their ship's stores, he retrieved fresh chicken, vegetables, and his carefully guarded collection of spices. Working with practiced efficiency over Tom's expertly built fire, Gustave prepared several varieties: classic tare-glazed chicken with his secret addition of miso and French herbs, vegetable skewers featuring bell peppers and onions with a subtle wine reduction, and his signature fusion creation—chicken with a delicate teriyaki glaze infused with Provençal honey and thyme.
The aromatic smoke had everyone's mouths watering within minutes, but Zoro looked particularly mesmerized.
"I've never smelled anything like this," he admitted, unconsciously moving closer to the fire.
"Cooking is about bringing people together," Gustave replied, carefully turning the skewers. "Food has a way of crossing all boundaries—cultural, linguistic, even the barriers between strangers."
When the yakitori finished cooking, Gustave presented each person with a small feast. Zoro bit into his first skewer and his eyes widened in amazement.
"This is incredible! What kind of cooking technique is this?"
"A combination of Japanese grilling methods with French flavor principles," Gustave explained proudly. "I've spent years studying culinary traditions from around the world. Good food should tell a story."
Po nodded approvingly as he savored his portion. "The balance of sweet and savory is perfect, Gustave. You've managed to honor both traditions while creating something entirely new."
Tom somehow managed to consume his entire serving in one cartoonish gulp, then produced a tiny French chef's hat and placed it on Gustave's head with ceremonial solemnity.
Even Ace and Luffy paused their usual bickering to focus entirely on the delicious meal.
"See?" Gustave said with satisfaction as he watched their new friend enjoy the impromptu feast. "This is how you properly welcome someone aboard your crew—even temporarily."
Zoro looked up from his skewers, sauce slightly smeared on his cheek. "Your crew? But I'm just showing you the way to my village."
"True," Gustave smiled mysteriously, "but something tells me this won't be the last time our paths cross, young swordsman."
As the sun began its descent toward the horizon, painting the beach in warm golden hues, their unlikely group prepared to venture into the forest toward Shimotsuki Village.