Mrs. Gusclary walked slowly through the snowy town, a small parasol in one hand and a wicker basket in the other. From time to time a carriage rolled past behind her, its wheels crunching over the frozen ground. The coachman on one such carriage glanced at her with a strange, knowing expression—though the faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips was as cold as the winter air.
It wasn't that Mrs. Gusclary planned to act immediately.No—right now she was merely selecting merchandise, discreetly marking children who fit a very particular age range.
But the real reason she had yet to make a move was simple: she couldn't just seize a child right in front of adults. Doing so would destroy the kindhearted persona she had so carefully crafted—and once that mask shattered, she wouldn't be able to remain in this small town for even a day.
Before long, she arrived at a remote, slightly dilapidated house. She tapped lightly on the weathered door.
The door creaked open just a sliver.A freckled little girl peeked out cautiously, checking to see whether her mother and brother had returned. Winter nights were frightening—especially after her brother had scared her half to death days earlier with a story about a "snow monster."
But when she realized the visitor was Mrs. Gusclary, her guard vanished instantly. She poked her small head out, smiling brightly.
There wasn't a single child in town who didn't know Mrs. Gusclary. Not only was she beautiful—she had a gentle heart, owned a dessert shop near the pier, and often handed out sweets to children. Her popularity among them was unparalleled.
"Miss Candy… do I get treats again this year?" the girl asked shyly, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.
"Of course you do," Mrs. Gusclary said warmly.
She pulled a beautifully wrapped box from her basket and placed it into the girl's hands.
Feeling the weight of the box, the little girl hugged it tightly, a blissful smile blooming on her face.
"Oh, by the way," Mrs. Gusclary added sweetly, brushing the girl's hair aside, "where are your parents, little one?"
"Mom took my brother out shopping," the girl replied with a pout. "My brother said it's too cold outside and he didn't want me to get sick… Ugh! Nanako isn't afraid of the cold! My dumb brother always decides everything without asking me."
This little freckled girl was Nanako, Luo Ji's younger sister. Because it was snowing, Luo Ji didn't want her exposed to the cold. He'd suggested leaving her home and reminded her not to open the door for strangers.
In his mind, a quick shopping trip would take no more than fifteen or sixteen minutes.
But Luo Ji had no idea that this small decision…nearly cost him his sister's life.
"Ohh? So your name is Nanako," Mrs. Gusclary cooed. "What a lovely name. Nanako, where is your father?"
Nanako lowered her head, her voice going quiet."Nanako… doesn't have a father."
"I see," Mrs. Gusclary murmured—her tone laced with an excitement she could barely hide. "So you're all alone at home today."
Nanako instinctively stepped back, unease prickling her spine. Something about Mrs. Gusclary's voice suddenly felt wrong.
"Um… Miss Candy, wait. My mom and brother will be back soon. And I—I still need to wash some things. Sorry, I should go…"
Just as she tried to close the door, Mrs. Gusclary slid her hand into the gap and stopped it."Oh? You need to wash something? Let me help you."
Her smile twisted—feral, unnervingly wide.
The expression was so monstrous Nanako immediately recalled the terrifying snow-monster tale her brother had told her.
She opened her mouth to scream.
But a cloth drenched in a sharp, pungent scent smothered her cry before it left her throat.
"Mm—!"
Nanako gasped as dizziness washed over her. Her lungs seized. Her strength drained. After a few desperate struggles, her small body fell limp.
Mrs. Gusclary gathered the unconscious girl into her arms, turned gracefully, and carried her toward the waiting carriage.
"That makes three deliveries ready," she said with her trademark smile—the kind that sent chills down the spine.
"Gusclary, you're such a good woman," the coachman mocked as he took Nanako carefully from her arms, handling her as though she were valuable cargo.
When he opened the carriage door, two other unconscious children lay inside—just like Nanako, abducted with ease.
Mrs. Gusclary ignored his taunting completely. Still wearing her sweet, gentle smile, she strolled toward the next house.
Meanwhile…
"It feels so good…"Yashiro leaned back, patted his stuffed belly, and let out a satisfied burp.
He'd been in a great mood today, so he'd used almost all of the flour and glutinous rice flour to make a huge pot of sweet dumplings. And he'd demolished nearly half the entire batch by himself.
Next to him, Nico Robin—who had been equally greedy—had also eaten several extra bowls. Now her tiny stomach was completely round, and both of them lay sprawled on the bed, hiccuping and groaning from being too full.
Suddenly—knock, knock, knock.
Yashiro nudged Robin with his elbow."Little Robin, someone's here. Go open the door."
"Nope. You do it. I'm sealed to the bed by the evil blanket. I physically cannot move," Robin declared, curling herself into a ball and poking only her little head out from under the covers.
Yashiro: (╯‵□′)╯ What is happening right now?!
Why was this Nico Robin so different from the one in the anime?
He clearly remembered child-Robin being nothing like this.Had he ended up in some kind of parallel One Piece world?
He clicked his tongue, sighed dramatically, then reluctantly pulled the little gremlin out of the blanket long enough to escape its warmth himself.
The cold slapped him instantly.
He froze—literally—and dove back under the blanket.
"Nope. Nope. This is too hard…" Yashiro trembled.
Robin nodded solemnly."Exactly! We shouldn't open the door. It could be human traffickers. Or the snow monster with sharp fangs that loves eating people. Or worse—someone chopped up, with missing limbs and kitchen knives sticking out of their torso."
Yashiro stared at her, horrified."Why are your thoughts like this?!"
Now he felt even more nervous.But with no choice left, he decided to open the door and check who it was.
As he approached, tension coiled in his stomach.He pictured a snow monster.Then a creepy trafficker.Then a severely injured person bleeding everywhere.
He shook his head hard—banishing all the ridiculous images—and cracked the door open just enough to peek outside.
"Yashiro, you rotten brat—"
A massive face suddenly filled the gap.
Yashiro shrieked, fell backward onto the floor, and the door swung open as a huge figure stepped into view.
"Pa…Paiwa?! What are you doing here?! Do you know how close I am to dying of fright?!"
Paiwa didn't bother replying.He simply punched Yashiro on the head, instantly raising a huge bump.
"Little punk. I figured you probably ran out of flour and sugar. There was some left in the kitchen, so I brought it. And this is how you greet me? Brat."
Yashiro looked up, touched by the gesture—only to realize Paiwa had disappeared.
He reappeared a moment later on the bed, snuggled under the blanket beside Robin.
Both of them sighed in unison."…It's so warm…"
"Hey!! You don't just climb into my bed!!"Yashiro flailed, torn between gratitude and utter disbelief.
Paiwa scrambled out quickly, embarrassed."S-sorry… I just can't resist when I see a warm blanket."
"Right, right… anyway, since you're here—try this."Yashiro grabbed another small bowl, scooped him some still-hot dumplings, and handed it over.
Paiwa accepted it with a strangely emotional look.Then, stubborn as ever, he muttered, "You made this? Hmph… Looks mediocre at best. If you're planning to be a cook, you should learn real cooking from me. Then at least you'll have skills to work in my shop and won't starve."
He popped a dumpling into his mouth mid-lecture—
—and froze.
His expression erupted like a volcano.
"What… WHAT is this?! How can something made from simple flour and sugar taste like this?! No—this isn't just flour! There's something else mixed in!"
Paiwa stared at Yashiro in shock.
"Don't tell me… this brat actually has ridiculous cooking talent?!"
Yashiro scooped himself a bowl, took a bite, then turned to Paiwa with utter confidence.
"Want to learn? I can teach you."
Paiwa: "…"
Robin: "…"
Readers: "…"
A deathly silence fell across the warehouse.
Then bonk bonk—two fists smacked down on Yashiro's head, followed by Robin's delicate bell-like laughter.
Rubbing the new lumps on his skull, Yashiro cleared his throat seriously.
"Anyway, dumplings are easy to make. First, mix flour with glutinous rice flour. Add hot water and knead it into a dough. Roll it into balls, boil them, then add sugar."
He continued proudly,"You can soak glutinous rice in water for a day or two, drain it, then grind it into flour. Luckily Old Man Jack loves glutinous rice porridge, so he left some glutinous rice in the warehouse—otherwise I couldn't make these today."
Robin looked at him with the strong urge to punch him again.
Paiwa finally nodded in realization."So that's what it is. Glutinous rice flour… No wonder… no wonder."