While Gustave and Chu Zihang were chatting idly in the dining hall, a sudden, thunderous patter of footsteps echoed from the grand staircase. It wasn't the sound of one person, but a chaotic, stampeding herd of… something small.
Ace and Luffy were in the kitchen, diligently washing a mountain of vegetables under a running tap. Po and Tom were sunning themselves on the veranda, soaking up the gentle afternoon rays. With everyone else accounted for, there was only one possibility for the sudden racket.
"Well, now," Gustave mused, his gaze drifting toward the stairs with a knowing smile. "It appears we have new arrivals from the Gate. You might recognize them. Then again, you might not."
Chu Zihang shot him a look that could have frozen fire. "That is perhaps the most unhelpful thing you have ever said."
The stomping grew louder, a frantic, disorganized descent that promised pure, unadulterated chaos. Both men straightened up, their curiosity piqued. Who in the multiverse could possibly make such a racket?
The answer came in the form of a pair of chunky little legs, followed by the distinctive, potato-shaped head of a boy who was charging forward with the unyielding determination of a freight train. Strapped to his back, a baby sister bounced along for the ride.
The moment they saw the unmistakable silhouette of Shin-chan, Gustave and Chu Zihang exchanged a look. It was a glance that said, So, it's that one. The agent of chaos himself.
Shin-chan skidded to a halt, his eyes scanning the room. He spotted the two tall men standing there and let out a deeply disappointed sigh, his shoulders slumping dramatically.
"Aww, man! I was hoping for a beautiful big sister!"
In the five-year-old's world, a fine establishment like this could only be run by a gorgeous, gentle woman. The reality of Gustave's impressive but decidedly masculine presence and Chu Zihang's cool, handsome demeanor was a crushing blow to his expectations.
While Shin-chan mourned his shattered fantasy, the baby on his back, Himawari, was having the exact opposite reaction. An appreciation for handsome men was practically encoded in the Nohara family DNA. Though not even a year old, Himawari possessed a radar for attractive faces that would put a military-grade satellite to shame. Her eyes locked onto Gustave and then swiveled to Chu Zihang, and she began to gurgle with pure, unadulterated joy. It was like finding two shiny, priceless jewels right in front of her.
"Himawari, don't just wander off!" Shin-chan yelped, a moment too late.
With a speed that defied her infant physique, Himawari had already scrambled off his back and launched herself directly into Chu Zihang's arms.
Chu Zihang, who suddenly found himself holding a beaming, giggling baby, was completely and utterly paralyzed. He was vaguely aware of the Crayon Shin-chan anime, but it wasn't something he'd ever watched. As a child who was the model of discipline and academic excellence, cartoons weren't part of his rigorous upbringing. All he knew was that this particular baby was behaving with a level of coordination and single-minded purpose that was highly unusual for someone her age.
Shin-chan's cry of alarm was enough to summon the rest of the household. Ace and Luffy trotted out from the kitchen, wiping their wet hands on their shorts, while Po and Tom ambled in from outside, blinking in the relative dimness of the restaurant. They were followed by a small troop of other children who had trailed Shin-chan down the stairs.
"Whoa! Is that a real giant panda?!" a boy with a perfectly coiffed hairstyle exclaimed, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and awe as he stared at Po. The rest of the kids erupted into a chorus of excited gasps. They'd only ever seen pandas on TV.
"Are you perhaps referring to me?" Po asked, his voice gentle and warm as he noticed the small humans pointing at him.
"The panda can talk!" another one shouted. "This is amazing!"
"Alright, settle down, little ones," Gustave said, his voice a warm blanket of hospitality. He gestured grandly to his friends. "The giant panda is my dear friend, Po. The cat next to him is Tom. This is Ace, and that's Luffy." He then pointed to himself. "And my name is Gustave. Welcome to my restaurant." He then turned his charming smile on the children. "Now, would you be so kind as to introduce yourselves?"
A girl with a neat bob haircut and a determined glint in her eye stepped forward first, performing a polite little curtsy. "My name is Sakurada Nene, and I am five years old."
One by one, the others followed her lead. Kazama, Bo, and Masao all gave their names and ages with practiced politeness. Finally, it was Shin-chan's turn. He struck a pose, cleared his throat, and launched into a grand monologue.
"My name is Nohara Shinnosuke! I'm five years old and I'm in the Sunflower Class at Futaba Kindergarten! My favorite TV show is the Nightline News, because the host, Komiya Etsuko, is a real looker! But the weather girl, Oishi Megumi, is super cute too, hehehe..."
He trailed off, his face turning beet red as he finished his speech with a bashful grin and a slight turn, wiggling his hips.
Everyone stared, completely dumbfounded. A wave of collective exasperation washed over the room. Who asked for his entire life story, complete with a list of his favorite news anchors?
Kazama, his face a mask of mortification, slowly began to back away, adopting an expression that screamed, I have never met this person in my entire life.
Noticing his friend's attempt to disown him, the still-blushing Shin-chan crept up behind Kazama and, with mischievous glee, blew a soft puff of air directly into his ear.
Kazama instantly went rigid, his whole body shuddering. A furious blush crept from his ears all the way down his neck. He spun around, pointing an accusatory finger.
"Shinnosuke! What do you think you're doing?!"
Instead of apologizing, Shin-chan shifted seamlessly into character. He fluttered his eyelashes, looked at Kazama with the wounded eyes of a spurned lover, and adopted a high, delicate voice.
"Kazama-kun… don't you love me anymore? You cruel, heartless man!"
With that, he covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking with mock sobs, perfectly embodying a poor, innocent maiden abandoned by her roguish lover.
"Th-That's not it at all!" Kazama stammered, instantly falling for the act and getting sucked into the bizarre, impromptu soap opera.
"Really? You mean it, Kazama-kun?" Shin-chan peeped, peering through his fingers before dramatically collapsing into Kazama's arms, gazing up at him with manufactured tenderness.
Luffy and Ace, who had never witnessed such a peculiar performance, were utterly aghast. Their jaws hung open. Were kids these days really playing games this… intense?
Gustave was fighting a losing battle to suppress his laughter, his shoulders shaking. The classic Shin-chan and Kazama routine was even funnier in person.
Finally, Nene couldn't take it anymore. She had been trying so hard to present herself as a sophisticated young lady, but this ridiculous display shattered her composure entirely.
"That is QUITE ENOUGH, you two!" she bellowed.
The shout snapped Kazama out of his trance, and he realized with horror that he'd been completely played. Shin-chan, however, simply pressed his knees together in an exaggeratedly feminine pose, waved a limp hand, and simpered, "Oh my, don't be so loud! You're frightening me!"
"SHIN-CHAN, YOU—!" Nene's self-control evaporated. Behind her, an aura of pure, unadulterated rage began to shimmer, looking suspiciously like actual flames.
Luffy turned to his brother, his eyes wide with genuine confusion. "Ace… is that Nene girl a Devil Fruit user? How is she making fire appear behind her?"
Ace just nodded slowly, looking just as bewildered. "Maybe? At this point, I wouldn't be surprised…"
It was Gustave who finally stepped in, his voice laced with amusement. "Alright, children, that's enough drama for one afternoon. How did you all end up here?"
His calm, practical question was enough to break the spell. The kids immediately dropped their role-playing and returned to a semblance of normalcy.
"Ooh, me! Let me tell it! Let me!" Shin-chan shouted, waving both hands frantically in the air.
Gustave smiled at his enthusiasm but wisely looked past him. "Actually, Kazama, would you be so kind as to explain?"
Anyone else might not have known better, but Gustave was well aware that letting Shin-chan tell the story would result in a rambling, half-day epic filled with tangents about snacks and pretty ladies.
"Ah, me?" Kazama asked, pointing at himself in surprise.
"Yes, you, please," Gustave confirmed with a reassuring nod.
"What a heartless man," Shin-chan muttered under his breath, already preparing another dramatic scene now that he'd been passed over.
According to Kazama's much more organized account, the children and their parents had been on a special Action Kamen-themed cruise. During an evening screening of an Action Kamen movie, a horde of mysterious monkeys had suddenly appeared and kidnapped all the adults, leaving only the kids behind on the ship.
Being the brave (and reckless) boy he was, Shin-chan had organized an expedition to a nearby island to search for their missing parents. They searched all day but found no trace of them. As night fell, they took shelter in a cave. It was then that Himawari, who had been left on the ship, somehow managed to find them, bringing their dog, Shiro, with her.
After reuniting, they woke up the next morning ready to continue the search. But at that exact moment, a strange, shimmering door had appeared in the minds of both Shin-chan and Kazama—a vision only they could see. After confirming they were seeing the same thing, Shin-chan had tried to will the door into existence, and to everyone's astonishment, it had materialized right in front of them. The bold and curious Shin-chan had immediately moved to open it. Kazama tried to stop him, but in the ensuing scuffle, he ended up helping push it open. The whole group had then tumbled through, arriving in the dining hall of the Bamboo Staff Restaurant.
"I see. That explains everything," Gustave nodded thoughtfully. He looked over the small, disheveled group. "Have you children eaten? If you're hungry, you're welcome to join us for lunch. We were just about to cook."
As if on cue, a symphony of stomach rumbles echoed through the room. The children all blushed, looking down at their shoes in embarrassment.
"Haha, I'll take that as a yes! Don't you worry, food will be ready soon," Gustave chuckled. He turned to his crew. "Luffy, Ace, could you two get some juice for our guests and tell them a little about our restaurant?"
"You got it!" the brothers replied in unison, happy to have a mission.
"Po, Tom, to the kitchen with me," Gustave commanded. The three of them moved with practiced efficiency towards the kitchen. Chu Zihang, meanwhile, was still effectively held hostage by a very content Himawari, who showed no signs of letting him go.
Inside the kitchen, the atmosphere shifted from leisurely prep to focused execution.
"Alright, we have five very hungry children, a baby, a dog and our usual crew," Gustave announced. "Something fast, delicious, and universally loved. Po, break out the dragon-scale boar bacon. Tom, I need the finest dice you can manage on those sky-onions and fire-peppers."
Po lumbered over to a massive cold locker, retrieving a slab of cured meat that shimmered with an iridescent, scale-like pattern. Tom, meanwhile, became a blur of motion, his claws flashing as he reduced a pile of vibrant vegetables into perfectly uniform cubes.
Gustave cracked his knuckles, and a low hum of electricity filled the air. He held his hands over a massive bowl of day-old rice. A gentle current of static electricity, invisible to the eye, flowed from his palms, causing every single grain to separate perfectly, becoming light and fluffy without being touched.
Next, he turned to the bacon Po had sliced. Instead of marinating it, he sent a low-voltage pulse through the meat. The electricity worked like magic, instantly tenderizing the muscle fibers and coaxing out the savory, smoky fats in seconds.
"Wok," he said simply.
Tom slid a massive, deep wok onto the stove. Gustave placed a hand on its base. There was no flame. Instead, a deep, resonant hum vibrated from the metal as he channeled his Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers directly into it. The temperature climbed with impossible speed and precision. A drop of oil sizzled and vaporized instantly.
He started with the eggs, cracking a dozen into the wok. A controlled burst of electrical energy, like a miniature lightning strike, cooked them into a perfect, fluffy scramble in a single, explosive CRACKLE. He scooped them out and set them aside.
In went the bacon and vegetables. The sizzle was clean and sharp, the sound of pure, efficient heat. The air filled with the intoxicating aroma of rendered pork fat, sweet onion, and spicy pepper. Finally, he added the rice, tossing it with movements so fluid they seemed effortless. As he mixed everything together, he feathered the power, using micro-bursts of electricity to flash-sear the grains, locking in the flavor and giving the fried rice a perfect wok hei char without a single lick of smoke. The entire process was a symphony of controlled power—a culinary artist painting with thunder and lightning.
Just as he was adding the final seasonings, however, a brilliant beam of golden light sliced through the sky outside, heading straight for the Bamboo Staff Restaurant. Another guest was arriving, and this one didn't seem to be using the stairs.