"Luffy! Ace! Give me a hand with these tables, would you?" Gustave's voice boomed from the kitchen doorway as he emerged, carefully carrying a massive pot of steaming chicken mushroom soup that filled the air with an intoxicatingly savory aroma.
With so many guests, their usual dining setup wouldn't cut it. They needed to create one long, grand table to accommodate everyone.
"You got it!" the brothers yelled in unison, immediately abandoning their stories to shove the two heavy wooden tables together with more enthusiasm than grace.
"We should help too!" declared Kazama, ever the responsible one.
"Yeah!" the others cheered.
"Kasukabe Defense Force, move out!" Shin-chan shouted, taking the lead with a determined look on his face.
The five children scurried over to "help." Under Kazama's earnest direction, they tried to push the tables, their combined strength doing little more than making them grunt. Realizing their limitations, they switched tactics and focused on dragging the heavy chairs into place around the newly formed mega-table.
With the chaotic but cheerful cooperation of the kids, the dining area was quickly set. Gustave, Po, and Tom began ferrying an endless parade of dishes up from the kitchen below, covering every inch of the wood surface.
"Whoaaaa! Brother Gustave's food looks amazing!" the kids cried out, their eyes sparkling as they took in the magnificent spread. It was a feast that dwarfed any they had ever seen.
"It tastes even better than it looks," Gustave replied with a warm chuckle. He ladled a bowl of the fragrant soup for Nene, who was seated beside him. "Here, try this first. I promise you'll love it."
"Me too, Boss! I want soup!" Shin-chan wailed from across the table. His short arms were no match for the vast expanse of the combined tables, leaving the soup tureen tantalizingly out of reach.
Kizaru, lounging in his chair, found he couldn't ignore the plea from the small child who so earnestly called him "boss." With a lazy sigh that was part annoyance and part amusement, he picked up an empty bowl and filled it to the brim for his self-appointed subordinate.
Soon, everyone had a bowl of soup, with the older members helping the younger ones. Over on his side of the table, Chu Zihang gently rocked the now-drowsy Himawari, who had drifted off into a peaceful, milk-drunk sleep. After laying her down safely in a nearby cushioned nook, he finally joined the others.
"What kind of mushroom is this?" Chu Zihang asked after his first spoonful, his usually stoic face showing a flicker of genuine surprise. "The flavor is extraordinary. I've never tasted anything like it."
"They're called chicken mushrooms," Gustave explained. "They only grow for a short time during the summer, which makes them an incredibly rare mountain delicacy. Most people never get a chance to try them." 1
"Fascinating. I'll have to research them when I return," Chu Zihang replied, making a mental note.
"A word of advice," Gustave said, leaning in with a conspiratorial whisper. "Don't just go picking wild mushrooms you find near your home. I'm not taking responsibility if you poison yourself." He straightened up, put on a theatrical grim face, and chanted, "Red cap with white stem, you'll be seeing ghosts after eating them!"
The table erupted in laughter at his mock-serious delivery.
"Hey, what's this stuff? It smells funny!" Luffy announced, holding up a plate of what looked like scrambled eggs mixed with some strange, dark green vegetable.
"Stinky vegetable fried eggs," Gustave said casually. "Smells weird, tastes wonderful."
"Really?" Luffy's entire rubbery face scrunched up in disbelief.
"Really and truly. Try it," Gustave insisted.
Luffy pinched his nose dramatically, squeezed his eyes shut, and took a tiny, hesitant bite, bracing himself for the worst. His eyes flew open. The pungent smell was completely gone, replaced by a complex, savory flavor that danced on his tongue.
"This is amazing!" he exclaimed, immediately using his chopsticks to grab a huge mouthful.
Seeing Luffy's one-eighty, the others cautiously tried it for themselves. Just like stinky tofu, the dish's foul aroma was a clever disguise for its incredibly delicious taste.
After a few bites of the eggs, Shin-chan's adventurous spirit took over. He reached his spoon toward the dish closest to him: the stir-fried chicken mushrooms. He scooped up a massive portion and shoved it in his mouth.
"Hoo-hoo-HOOO!"
Shin-chan's face instantly turned beet red. A comical jet of steam shot out from his ears, mouth, and the top of his head, making him look like a tiny, human steam engine.
Tom watched this display with wide, fascinated eyes. He had always assumed he was the only one on the ship bound by the laws of cartoon physics when it came to spicy food. Apparently, he had found a kindred spirit.
"It's so spicy," Shin-chan gasped, fanning his mouth frantically, "but so... yummy!" Despite the five-alarm fire raging in his mouth, he immediately went back for another spoonful.
Intrigued by this dramatic reaction, Kazama tried the dish. He, too, felt the intense heat, but had to admit it was undeniably delicious.
In truth, Gustave had used a relatively mild pepper, something akin to an Erjingtiao, which he himself found barely spicy. But for the uninitiated palates of five-year-olds, it was a flavor explosion.
"Those are the same chicken mushrooms from the soup," Gustave explained with a smile, watching the children's faces. "Stir-fried with green peppers and leeks. The flavor is something else, isn't it?"
"Green peppers?" Shin-chan's ears perked up, the steam still faintly whistling from them.
"The very same," Gustave confirmed.
"But... why are these green peppers so good?" Shin-chan asked, genuinely confused. "The ones my mom makes are gross!" As a boy who had built a fierce reputation on his absolute hatred of green peppers, this was a world-shattering discovery.
"He's right!" Kazama chimed in. "Why do these taste so much better?"
"It comes down to the variety," Gustave explained simply. "The peppers I use are grown in China. They're different from the Japanese green peppers you're used to, which often have a bitter aftertaste that many kids don't like."
"I knew it!" Shin-chan slammed his little fist on the table. "Next time Mom goes shopping, I'm telling her to buy Chinese green peppers! Then I won't have to suffer anymore!"
"But Shin-chan, wouldn't peppers from China be really expensive?" Masao, ever the cautious one, pointed out.
"He's probably right," Nene added thoughtfully. "Whenever I go shopping with my mom, the imported vegetables always cost a lot more."
"I don't care!" Shin-chan insisted, shuddering at the memory of his mother's cooking. "Japanese green peppers are the worst!"
"Alright, alright, let's not think about unhappy things," Gustave said with a laugh. "Eat up! There's still plenty more to try."
Kizaru, who had been quietly listening to this exchange, found himself momentarily lost in thought. "China... Japan... I've never heard of these places," he mused. "Are they nations outside the World Government's reach?" He pondered it for a second before his natural laziness washed the thought away. Whatever countries they were, it wasn't going to affect his paycheck. He went back to his soup.
Finally, it was time for the main event: the golden-fried bee pupae.
When the plate was set down, a hush fell over the children's end of the table. Nene looked genuinely horrified. The others just frowned, their apprehension palpable. Compared to this, the stinky eggs were nothing. This was true "dark cuisine."
To Gustave's surprise, it was Shin-chan who broke the silence. He squared his little shoulders, picked up his chopsticks, and, with the solemnity of a knight accepting a quest, picked up a single, crispy pupa. He popped it into his mouth.
Crunch.
"Delicious!" he shouted, his eyes wide with delight. "This is incredible!" The crispy texture and unique, savory flavor were unlike anything he'd ever had. It was, he decided, what pure protein was supposed to taste like.
Inspired by Shin-chan's bravery, the other boys cautiously followed suit, their fear quickly turning to enjoyment. But poor Nene couldn't do it. Even as everyone around her raved about the taste, she just shook her head, unable to bring her chopsticks to the plate.
Gustave didn't press her. Everyone had their limits, and he would never force a guest to eat something that made them uncomfortable.