Gustave's group followed Garp away from the Marine base, but rather than heading toward his distinctive dog-headed warship anchored nearby, the legendary hero led them to a secluded area away from prying eyes.
"Gustave," Garp said once they were alone, "was Luffy about to mention Shanks back there? Have you actually met him?"
"Yes, Garp-san," Gustave replied honestly. "Shanks spent several days in Windmill Village with us recently."
There was no point in concealing the information—given Garp's easygoing nature, even if he could capture Shanks immediately, he'd probably just invite him for drinks instead. Besides, the Red Hair Pirates had already departed for unknown waters, making the intelligence harmless to share.
"That sneaky little brat!" Garp grumbled, grinding his teeth in mock frustration. "Playing hide and seek with me across the entire ocean!"
"How did you encounter Shanks in the first place?" Gustave asked curiously.
"Oh, I was just wandering around the New World when I spotted two pirate crews having a proper battle," Garp replied while casually picking his nose. "One side had Big Mom Pirates executives involved, so naturally I was curious about who could hold their own against Charlotte Linlin's top commanders."
He paused to examine whatever he'd extracted from his nostril before continuing. "Then I noticed a very familiar straw hat, and suddenly remembered that scrawny kid from Roger's crew. Couldn't resist following him to see what he'd become!"
"So you chased him all the way from the New World to East Blue just because you recognized him?" Gustave asked in disbelief.
"Bwahahaha! Exactly right, Gustave! You're a sharp one!" Garp laughed heartily, then casually wiped his nose-picking hand on Gustave's shoulder before the chef could dodge.
"Grandfather, that's absolutely gross," Ace commented while mimicking Garp's nose-picking gesture with perfect form.
"Bwahahaha! The New World gets boring sometimes, you know? Besides, Aokiji and the other admirals have everything under control there. When you spot an old acquaintance, why not have some fun chasing them around?"
Garp's completely casual attitude toward his responsibilities as a Marine hero was both endearing and mildly horrifying.
"If your motivation was that trivial, why drag us to this isolated spot?" Gustave wondered aloud. "I thought you had some classified information to share."
"Oh right!" Garp suddenly exclaimed, as if remembering something important. "Since I ran into you kids, I might as well take my vacation! I don't think I've used my annual leave yet this year!"
Without further explanation, he produced a Den Den Mushi from his coat and began dialing.
"Moshi moshi, Sengoku?" Garp said cheerfully while resuming his nose-picking activities.
"YOU IDIOT GARP!" came the explosive response through the transponder snail. "OF COURSE IT'S SENGOKU! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CALLED ME! DO YOU HAVE ROCKS IN YOUR HEAD?"
"Ah, Sengoku, perfect timing," Garp continued as if he hadn't heard the outburst. "I just remembered I haven't taken my vacation days this year. Since I'm already back in East Blue, figured I'd take some time off while I'm here."
"WHAT?! You can't just announce vacation plans without advance notice! There are procedures! Forms to fill out! What goes on in that empty skull of yours?!"
Sengoku's voice reached volumes that probably shattered windows at Marine Headquarters.
"Anyway, I've informed you about my vacation, so we're all set! Talk to you later!" Garp said cheerfully before ending the call.
On the other end, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's apoplectic rage could probably be heard from three islands away. Marine personnel passing his office quickly dispersed when they realized he was cursing Garp's name again—a routine occurrence that no longer surprised anyone at headquarters.
"Why are you all staring at me like that?" Garp asked innocently. "Come on, you kids came here by ship, right? I'm commandeering your ship for my vacation!"
Without waiting for permission, he threw his arms around Gustave and Po's shoulders and began marching them toward the Luffy with complete confidence.
As they passed his dog-headed warship, Garp suddenly remembered his responsibilities.
"HEY, BOGART!" he bellowed to his second-in-command. "Take everyone back to headquarters! I'm going on vacation with these kids!"
Before the bewildered officer could respond, Garp had already boarded the Luffy and made himself completely at home.
The Marine hero immediately raided their kitchen, emerging with braised chicken and fruit juice. He then appropriated one of their deck chairs and settled in like he owned the place, eating their food with obvious satisfaction.
"Grandfather!" Luffy protested indignantly. "You're eating our snacks behind our backs! That's completely unfair!"
Garp glanced at his grandson with mild interest, then deliberately accelerated his consumption of the braised chicken just to annoy him further.
"This is outrageous!" Luffy fumed, trembling with righteous anger at this blatant food theft.
Tom cheerfully sounded the ship's horn, and the Luffy began its journey toward Windmill Village with their unexpected passenger aboard.
After they'd been sailing for a while, Gustave realized this might be the perfect opportunity to seek advice about Devil Fruit development. While Garp had never consumed such a fruit himself, he'd worked closely with numerous powerful Devil Fruit users throughout his career. The current Marine Admirals alone were perfect examples of natural-type mastery.
Approaching where Garp was gleefully tormenting Luffy with food-related psychological warfare, Gustave cleared his throat.
"Garp-san, could you offer some guidance about developing Devil Fruit powers?"
Garp paused his grandson-teasing activities and delivered a casual slap to Luffy's head before focusing on the question.
"Gustave, did you eat a Devil Fruit? What kind of ability did you get?"
"Yes sir. Based on what happened yesterday, I believe it was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
"THE RUMBLE-RUMBLE FRUIT?!" Garp's jaw dropped in amazement. "That's one of the most powerful natural-types in existence!"
His expression grew serious as the implications sank in. "How in the world did you acquire something that rare?"
"Well, it's rather embarrassing..." Gustave recounted the previous day's events—how he'd been yawning while watching Luffy's battle, only to have a mysterious fruit fall directly into his mouth at exactly the wrong moment.
Garp stared at him in stunned silence for several long moments. The idea that someone could accidentally consume one of the ocean's most coveted Devil Fruits through pure chance was almost insulting to everyone who'd spent years searching for such power.
"You unbelievably lucky brat!" Garp finally exploded. "Do you have any idea how many people would kill for that fruit? And it just falls into your mouth while you're YAWNING?!"
"Do you know anything about Devil Fruit development?" Gustave pressed, ignoring the Marine's obvious jealousy.
"I'm no expert, but I watched Aokiji develop his devil fruit powers for years," Garp replied, calming down slightly. "I can share what I learned from observing him."
He held up one finger. "First and most important—physical conditioning. Devil Fruit abilities consume enormous amounts of energy. Without a strong body to support your powers, you'll never reach your full potential."
Garp pinched Gustave's arm critically. "You need serious work in this area. Your current physique is pathetic for someone with such a powerful fruit."
Gustave wanted to protest—after all, his current strength dominated East Blue completely. But remembering this region's reputation as the weakest of all the seas, he decided to accept the criticism.
"Second," Garp continued, "learn to combine Devil Fruit powers with Haki. Don't neglect your Haki development just because you have flashy lightning abilities. Only by mastering both can you become a true powerhouse."
This advice resonated strongly with Gustave. He'd observed how Doflamingo's neglect of advanced Haki had prevented him from reaching the absolute top tier of fighters.
"Third, use your imagination! Devil Fruits aren't limited to their obvious applications. Even seemingly weak fruits can become incredibly powerful with creative thinking."
Garp's point was excellent—look at how Bartholomew Kuma had transformed the simple Paw-Paw Fruit into abilities like teleportation, damage reflection, and memory compression through pure creativity.
"As for anything else..." Garp suddenly scratched his head with a confused expression. "I've completely forgotten what I was going to say next. I'll let you know if I remember!"
Gustave felt his eye twitch with frustration at this typically Garp-like conclusion to an otherwise valuable lesson.
Despite the abrupt ending, he'd gained valuable insights into his development path. Physical training, Haki mastery, and creative application—three pillars that would help him unlock the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's true potential.
"Thank you for the guidance, Garp-san," Gustave said with genuine gratitude. "I'll focus on those areas moving forward."
"Just don't get too comfortable with that lightning of yours," Garp warned with a grin. "Logia-types who rely too heavily on their intangibility often get nasty surprises when they face someone with proper Haki training."
As if to demonstrate his point, Garp's fist briefly darkened with Armament Haki—a casual display that sent chills down Gustave's spine.
The message was clear: power without wisdom was just a recipe for future defeat.