"The rainbow is out! It's so beautiful!"
Yang Chan's joyful voice rang across the deck as she spotted the magnificent arc of colors stretching behind the Bamboo Staff restaurant. Her eyes sparkled with wonder as she gazed at the natural phenomenon painted against the clearing sky.
Over the past few days, Shin-chan and Kazama had brought several other members of the Kasukabe Defense Team to visit Bamboo Staff multiple times. With friends her own age around, Yang Chan had blossomed considerably, her once-quiet demeanor giving way to cheerful laughter and animated conversations.
"Chan'er, would you like to see it more clearly?" Gustave asked, noticing how Yang Chan's face lit up at the sight of the rainbow. The chef's voice carried a warm, indulgent tone that had become familiar whenever he spoke to the young girl.
"Mm-hmm!" Yang Chan nodded enthusiastically, her pigtails bouncing with the motion.
"Then Brother Gustave will take Chan'er for a closer look!"
With that declaration, Gustave gently lifted Yang Chan into his arms and activated his Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers. Electricity crackled softly around them as they rose into the air, allowing her to view the entire rainbow in all its prismatic glory.
"Wow, it's absolutely beautiful! Chan'er wants to take a picture of the rainbow!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with pure delight.
During their recent visits, Kazama had gifted Yang Chan a small camera—a present his mother had bought specifically for the little girl. Under the patient instruction of Kazama and the other children, Yang Chan had quickly mastered the basics of photography. She treasured this magical device that could capture and freeze precious moments, carrying it everywhere and photographing anything that caught her fancy.
Seeing the stunning rainbow stretching across the sky, Yang Chan carefully extracted the camera hanging from the colorful strap around her neck and began taking pictures, her small fingers working the controls with practiced ease.
After capturing several shots from different angles, Yang Chan turned to look at Gustave with hopeful eyes. "Brother Gustave, can you take Chan'er to the rainbow itself? Chan'er wants to stand on the rainbow and see what it's like up there."
Hearing her innocent request, Gustave shook his head with an amused smile. "Chan'er, if we get too close, we won't be able to see the rainbow anymore."
Yang Chan's brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to process this information. "Why? The rainbow is right over there—why can't I see it when I get closer?"
"Well, you see, the formation of rainbows is due to the reflection and refraction of light through water droplets in the air..." Gustave began, then caught himself as he realized he was about to launch into a complex scientific explanation that would be completely lost on a four-year-old child.
Instead of continuing his lecture, Gustave decided on a more practical demonstration. He flew with Yang Chan toward the area where the rainbow appeared to originate. Sure enough, as they drew closer to the colorful arc, it began to fade and shimmer until it vanished entirely from their view.
"What a shame..." Yang Chan's disappointment was palpable as she watched the rainbow disappear. She now understood that Gustave had been right, but the fact that she couldn't touch the beautiful colors with her own hands left her feeling deflated, her shoulders sagging with dejection.
"Chan'er, it's not entirely impossible for you to touch a rainbow with your own hands," Gustave said thoughtfully, seeing her crestfallen expression.
"Really?" Yang Chan's eyes immediately brightened with renewed hope, the sparkle returning to her gaze.
"Really. Let's go back and find Tom first," Gustave replied. He knew he had no way to make a tangible rainbow himself—the Moral Lord certainly possessed such power, but whether he would use it was another matter entirely. That left Tom, and if anyone could make the impossible possible through cartoon logic, it would be their feline friend.
"Tom! Tom!" Gustave called out loudly as soon as they landed on the deck. When there was no response, he headed directly to Tom's room on the fourth floor, Yang Chan following close behind. Sure enough, they found Tom curled up in a ball, fast asleep and snoring softly.
"Tom, wake up!" Gustave propped open Tom's eyelids with his fingers, trying to rouse the sleeping cat.
Tom grumbled irritably and tried to swat Gustave's hands away, but eventually gave in and sat up, though he continued yawning dramatically and rubbing his eyes.
"Tom, wake up! Chan'er wants to touch a rainbow—you have to help us figure out how!" Gustave grabbed Tom's shoulders and shook him gently but persistently until the cat was fully alert. The moment Tom heard that Yang Chan wanted to touch a rainbow, his drowsiness vanished completely, replaced by determined focus.
Tom reached behind himself and pulled out a small bottle of mysterious potion. He examined it carefully, shook his head, and tossed it aside. He reached again and produced another bottle, which also failed to meet his requirements and was similarly discarded. This process continued for several minutes, with Tom producing an increasingly absurd number of bottles from seemingly nowhere until he finally found the one he was looking for.
Tom held up the correct potion triumphantly and began gesturing animatedly, indicating through elaborate pantomime that if they dropped this special liquid where the rainbow appeared, it would solidify the rainbow into something tangible.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Gustave exclaimed, grabbing Tom's paw and heading for the stairs.
However, when they reached the first floor, Gustave discovered that not only Yang Chan, but everyone else aboard the Bamboo Staff was gathered and looking at him expectantly—Po, Ace, Luffy, Chu Zihang, and even the Moral Lord himself stood among the crowd with interested expressions.
"Master," Gustave addressed the Moral Lord with some uncertainty, "do you also want to touch the rainbow like Chan'er?"
"Of course! Who says that I, your master, can't share the same curiosity as Chan'er and the others?" the Moral Lord replied with what could almost be described as a pout.
If any of his celestial acquaintances could witness this scene, they would be struck speechless with shock. The dignified Taiqing Saint, Laozi himself, displaying the same childlike wonder about rainbows as a four-year-old girl!
Left with no other choice, Gustave had to accommodate everyone's wishes. The entire crew of Bamboo Staff boarded a smaller ship and sailed toward the area where the rainbow had appeared.
Tom carefully extracted a single drop of his special potion and let it fall into the air where the rainbow had been. Instantly, a magnificent, solid rainbow materialized before their eyes, its colors more vibrant and defined than any natural rainbow they had ever seen.
"Wow! The rainbow really appeared!" Luffy shouted with unbridled excitement, practically bouncing on his feet like an overjoyed monkey.
"Luffy, keep it down! This rainbow is for Chan'er to enjoy!" Ace chided his younger brother with a gentle knock on the head, though his own eyes were bright with wonder.
Yang Chan didn't say anything, but the radiant smile spreading across her face showed that she was every bit as thrilled as Luffy in that moment.
"Chan'er, go ahead and touch it," Gustave encouraged gently.
"Okay!" Yang Chan nodded eagerly and reached out her small hand toward the rainbow. The moment her fingers made contact with the colorful arc, her hand sank into it as if she were touching the softest cotton clouds.
"It's incredible! It's so soft and fluffy!" Yang Chan gasped in amazement, her eyes wide with wonder.
Upon hearing her description, Luffy and Ace immediately rushed forward to touch the rainbow themselves, confirming that it indeed felt like the most luxurious cotton imaginable.
Seeing their reactions, Po and Chu Zihang also stepped forward to experience this impossible phenomenon for themselves. For all of them, it was their first time actually touching a rainbow!
The Moral Lord didn't join the others in their tactile exploration, but remained to the side, watching with a subtle, knowing smile playing at the corners of his lips.
At this magical moment, Yang Chan retrieved her camera, wanting to capture a group photograph of everyone gathered beneath the rainbow. However, after everyone had assembled together, they realized that no one was available to take the picture, leaving Yang Chan looking troubled.
"Chan'er, leave it to me," Gustave said with a confident smile, taking the camera from her hands.
Hearing his assurance, Yang Chan gladly handed over her precious camera. Gustave instructed everyone to hold their positions while he determined the perfect angle for the shot. Once he was satisfied with the composition, he used his electrical powers to make the camera float in mid-air, then quickly returned to join the group. With a focused thought, he triggered the camera to capture their group photo beneath the magical rainbow.
With a casual wave of his hand, Gustave guided the camera back to Yang Chan's waiting hands.
Yang Chan looked at the group photo displayed on the camera's screen—all of them smiling together under the brilliant rainbow—and her face lit up with pure happiness.
"Hmm, someone is approaching Bamboo Staff," Po announced, his enhanced senses detecting a presence drawing near their restaurant.
"A visitor? Then we should head back quickly," Gustave replied after hearing Po's observation, and he led everyone back toward their floating establishment.
When they returned to Bamboo Staff, Gustave spotted a lone figure approaching in the distance. The man carried a distinctive cross-shaped sword on his back and stood on a small coffin-like boat, his presence as sharp and predatory as a hunting eagle cutting through the waves.
"Hawkeye Mihawk!" The silhouette was unmistakable, and Gustave immediately identified the approaching figure as the world's greatest swordsman.
After Hawkeye drew close to Bamboo Staff, he leaped gracefully from his coffin boat onto their deck, landing with cat-like precision.
"Bamboo Staff restaurant?" Hawkeye inquired, his piercing golden eyes scanning the establishment.
"Yes, this is Bamboo Staff. I didn't expect the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk, to have heard of us," Gustave replied, maintaining his composure despite the surprise of receiving such visitor.
"Bamboo Staff has quite a reputation. You defeated Kaido, and some say that the head chef Gustave's culinary skills are the finest in the world," Hawkeye stated, his intense gaze fixed directly on Gustave.
"Oh my, I wonder who could have said such a thing. I'm rather embarrassed by such high praise," Gustave responded, though privately he was quite pleased with the compliment, regardless of its source.
"Red-haired Shanks," Hawkeye revealed, mentioning a name that was very familiar to Gustave.
"That Shanks, really..." Gustave muttered, both amused and slightly exasperated that his reputation had been inflated by the red-haired emperor.
"So then, Mr. Mihawk, would you care to join us for a meal?" Gustave inquired. Though it wasn't explicitly stated, he was well aware that Hawkeye had a tendency to seek out challenges wherever he went, and he was curious about the swordsman's true intentions.
"A meal," Hawkeye replied simply, his answer catching Gustave somewhat off guard with its straightforwardness.
"Then please, follow me, Mr. Mihawk. Bamboo Staff operates on an ingredient-selection model for our dining experience," Gustave explained, gesturing toward the restaurant's interior.
"Very well," Hawkeye agreed, following Gustave as they made their way toward the kitchen's ingredient storage area.