The moment victory was assured, all the tension drained from Chu Zihang's body like air from a punctured balloon. He collapsed onto the beach, gasping for breath while his newly awakened Armament Haki flickered and faded. The euphoria of breakthrough gave way to the reality of his injuries—every nerve ending screamed protests, and his vision swam with exhaustion.
Fortunately, their resident miracle worker was already on the scene.
Tom appeared beside the fallen mixed-blood with his characteristic efficiency, medical bag materializing from thin air as he conducted a rapid triage assessment. After a quick examination, he waved urgently at Gustave, pantomiming the need to get their patient back to the Bamboo Staff for proper treatment.
"Right, can't have you bleeding out after that performance," Gustave muttered, his electromagnetic field gently lifting Chu Zihang from the sand. To Luffy and Ace, he called out: "Boys, tie up our fishy friend there and drag him to the ship. Also, go collect the rest of Arlong's crew from the village—the ones I left for the locals to handle."
"Got it!" Ace produced rope with practiced efficiency, binding the unconscious fishman with sailor's knots. Arlong's powerful vitality meant he'd recover soon enough, but for now he remained blissfully unaware of his defeat.
Luffy sprinted toward Cocoyasi Village to round up the remaining pirates—a task made easier by the fact that Gustave had simply paralyzed them with electromagnetic pulses rather than engaging in drawn-out battles.
From the third-floor window, Daigo watched Gustave's casual display of magnetic control with fascination and growing unease.
"Superpowers?" he murmured. In his world, such abilities belonged to aliens, ancient civilizations, or the occasional human mutant—never to friendly restaurant owners.
"Daigo, you haven't eaten since yesterday," Camearra said softly, her voice carrying none of the rage from their first encounter. "Should I bring you something? You need to regain your strength."
When he turned to look at her, Daigo found gentle concern in her eyes—a stark contrast to the fury that had nearly destroyed him in space. This version of Camearra seemed almost fragile, as if she feared he might disappear if she spoke too harshly.
"Thank you, but you don't need to fetch anything," he replied after a moment's consideration. "I'll go downstairs myself."
Despite his injuries, Daigo pushed himself upright and limped toward the door, using the wall for support. Every step sent jolts of pain through his battered frame, but he refused to appear completely helpless.
"Daigo, let me help you." Camearra moved to his side immediately, offering her shoulder for support.
He stiffened slightly at the contact—muscle memory from their battle warring with her obvious care—but didn't pull away. Whatever complex history existed between them, she clearly meant him no harm now.
Downstairs, Tom was administering first aid to Chu Zihang with characteristic thoroughness. The cat had produced bottles of iodine, cotton swabs, and various medical supplies from his impossible storage space.
"Gah! Easy there!" Chu Zihang hissed as Tom dabbed antiseptic into a particularly deep gash. The normally stoic young man had been reduced to a whimpering patient, his usual composure abandoned in favor of very human pain responses.
Gone was the intimidating figure who'd just awakened Armament Haki. In his place sat a wounded teenager trying not to cry while a cartoon cat performed emergency medicine.
"Tom, be gentle with him!" Chu Zihang pleaded, sounding more like Luffy than the serious mixed-blood Daigo had met yesterday.
"Tom's just being thorough," Gustave replied with obvious amusement, using his magnetic field to hold Chu Zihang's hands still. "This is for your own good!"
The patient shot Gustave a murderous glare that promised future revenge, but remained immobilized by electromagnetic restraint.
Fortunately, Tom worked with impressive speed, cleaning and treating every wound with professional competence. When he produced the bandages, however, Chu Zihang braced for the worst—he'd seen what happened to Gustave after his own injuries.
But Tom simply wrapped his torso in neat, practical bandages before tying them off with a decorative bow. No mummy treatment, no excessive immobilization—just efficient medical care.
"Tom, I object!" Gustave protested loudly, pointing accusingly at the patient. "Why does he get normal bandaging while I was wrapped like an ancient Egyptian mummy?"
Tom ignored the complaint entirely, packing away his medical supplies with the air of someone who owed no explanations to anyone.
"Hahaha!" Chu Zihang couldn't help laughing at Gustave's indignation, his relief at avoiding mummy treatment overriding diplomatic concerns.
"Laugh all you want—just don't split your wounds open," Gustave grumbled, preparing to storm off in mock anger.
The comedy was interrupted by Daigo's arrival, supported carefully by Camearra. The GUTS member took in the scene with wide eyes—Chu Zihang wrapped but mobile, Gustave pouting like a child, and Tom somehow stuffing an enormous medical kit behind his back until it simply disappeared.
"This... this... this..." Daigo pointed at Tom, rendered speechless by the blatant violation of physics.
Under normal circumstances, Tom would have ignored such reactions with feline indifference. But Camearra's presence behind Daigo changed the equation entirely. The dark warrior's intimidating aura made even cartoon invincibility feel fragile.
Tom swallowed nervously and scurried behind Gustave for protection.
"Ah, Miss Camearra! Mr. Daigo!" Gustave greeted them with exaggerated cheer, hoping to deflect attention from Tom's obvious terror. "Sorry about the noise earlier—I know the battle got a bit loud."
"Excuse me," Daigo began hesitantly, "are you by any chance... an alien?"
Gustave nearly choked on his own saliva. "I'm human—100% pure human stock, I assure you!"
"Mr. Daigo, you arrived yesterday during some unusual circumstances," he continued, launching into a carefully edited explanation of the Bamboo Staff, the Gate of All Worlds, and their dimensional restaurant concept.
It was unfortunate timing, really. Daigo had transformed in panic yesterday without gathering any information, gotten thoroughly beaten by Camearra, then awakened to Chu Zihang's life-or-death battle. The poor man deserved some context.
Though considering his current situation—tended by a woman who'd been sealed for thirty million years, possessed devastating power, remarkable beauty, and apparent devotion to his wellbeing despite being the one who'd injured him—perhaps his luck wasn't entirely bad.
"So this is another world entirely?" Daigo asked after processing the information.
"Exactly. If this were your world, would there be people who look like that?" Gustave pointed toward Arlong, whom Ace was currently dragging across the sand like an oversized fishing trophy.
"Then Mr. Gustave, why were you fighting that man? And why is he tied up?"
"That 'man' is a fishman pirate who invaded the village this morning," Gustave explained matter-of-factly. "He and his crew were planning to enslave the local population."
"Pirates?" The word sounded almost archaic to Daigo's ears. In his world, such criminals existed only in historical texts and entertainment media.
"Indeed. Most of this world is ocean, and piracy remains a serious problem..." Gustave provided a basic primer on the One Piece world's geography, power structures, and the ongoing conflict between pirates and Marines.
"I see. Will you be turning that pirate over to the Marines then?"
"Not this time," Gustave replied thoughtfully. "I have a friend who's better suited to handle Arlong and his crew—someone with more personal investment in fishman affairs."
He had no intention of simply collecting bounty money when Jinbe could deliver more appropriate justice. Some situations required cultural understanding rather than bureaucratic processing.
"Mr. Daigo, you haven't eaten since yesterday," Gustave continued, smoothly changing the subject. "This is a sea restaurant, after all. Would you like something to eat?"
As if summoned by the suggestion, Daigo's stomach produced an audible rumble that echoed across the dining area.
"Ah, excuse me," he said with embarrassed laughter. "Could I have a bowl of ramen, please?"
"What type would you prefer?"
Daigo looked suddenly lost. "Could you choose for me? I usually eat in the TPC cafeteria, so I'm not very familiar with... options."
The admission painted a picture of someone whose demanding career left little time for culinary exploration—a lifestyle Gustave understood all too well from his own pre-interdimensional days.
"Miss Camearra," he added politely, "what would you like to eat?"
He didn't expect her to need sustenance, but courtesy demanded he ask. Offending her remained high on his list of things to avoid.
"The same as Daigo," she replied simply, her attention focused entirely on her companion rather than the menu.
"Excellent! Please make yourselves comfortable—I'll have two bowls of ramen ready shortly."