With his resolve finally crystallized, Daigo bid farewell to everyone at the Bamboo Staff and set off to find Camearra, his steps carrying a determination that had been absent for weeks.
Watching him depart with obvious purpose, Gustave stood up with a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Who wants to witness Daigo's confession scene?" he asked the assembled group.
"I'm not sure that's appropriate," Chu Zihang replied with characteristic caution. "Secretly observing someone's private romantic moment seems rather... voyeuristic."
"Chan'er wants to go!" Yang Chan exclaimed with bright enthusiasm, clapping her hands together. "Big Brother Daigo and Camearra's confession scene must be incredibly romantic! Chan'er wants to witness this special moment!"
Since arriving at the Bamboo Staff, Yang Chan had developed a particular fascination with exploring different worlds and experiencing new cultures. Gustave actively encouraged these adventures, believing that exposure to diverse people and situations would help her develop the wisdom to judge character correctly as she matured.
The thought of Yang Chan potentially being deceived by worthless men in the future made Gustave's fists clench involuntarily.
"Since Po is also very interested in observing different world," Gustave continued, lifting Yang Chan and playfully tapping her nose, "you and Po can spend as much time exploring Daigo's world as you'd like."
"Brother Gustave, we want to come too!" Luffy and Ace chimed in simultaneously—no exciting adventure could proceed without their participation.
"Then I suppose I'll join too," Chu Zihang said, his resistance crumbling under peer pressure. "It feels less inappropriate with a group."
"Then we're all going!" Gustave declared, raising his hand like a battle standard.
"Let's go!" the children chorused with infectious excitement. Gustave possessed a natural talent for inspiring enthusiasm in young people.
Before departing, however, he needed to check with their remaining guests.
"Conan, Ai," Gustave approached the young detectives who were still working through their meal, "we're planning to visit Daigo's world to observe his confession. Would you like to join us?"
"We..." Conan began hesitantly. His world featured aliens and monsters, which seemed genuinely dangerous for civilians. Under normal circumstances, the great detective actually valued his personal safety—unless, of course, there was a mystery to solve.
"Let's go!" Ai interrupted before Conan could complete his refusal. "Both Conan and I want to come. I'm very curious about what other worlds are like!"
"But we haven't finished eating yet," Conan protested weakly, shooting meaningful glances at his companion. Usually Ai understood his subtle communications immediately, but today she seemed deliberately obtuse.
"No problem—finish your meals first," Gustave replied cheerfully. "I still need to ask Tom and Master if they're interested in joining us."
"We'll eat quickly!" Ai agreed immediately, ignoring Conan's expression of despair.
Sister, please don't do this to me, Conan's dead-eyed stare seemed to plead.
Leaving the young detectives to their meal, Gustave climbed to the upper floors to consult with the Moral Lord about their impromptu expedition.
"Master, we're all planning to visit Daigo's world to observe his confession to Camearra. Would you like to join us?"
The ancient sage considered the proposal thoughtfully. "I've been playing video games intensively recently and could use a change of scenery. Yes, I'll come along."
With the Moral Lord's agreement secured, Gustave returned downstairs to coordinate their departure. This would be the first time so many people had traveled together to another dimension—proper preparation was essential.
As for Tom's opinion? There was no point consulting him. The cartoon cat slept wherever he pleased and could be transported simply by having Po carry him on his shoulders.
Once everyone was ready, Gustave activated a protective barrier around the Bamboo Staff and led their impressive procession toward the Gate of All Worlds.
In moments, the entire group had transferred to Daigo's world.
"Brother Gustave," Conan said nervously as he surveyed their new environment, "we're all illegal residents here. What if the police discover us?"
Gustave looked at the young detective with surprise. Why would someone who regularly contaminated crime scenes be worried about law enforcement now?
"Don't worry about the police," he replied confidently. "They won't investigate us, and even if they try, I can help everyone escape."
While he might not be able to defeat Camearra or Tiga, Gustave remained supremely confident in his ability to evade ordinary humans. Moreover, he had no fear of the surveillance cameras ubiquitous in Daigo's world—any electronic device fell under his electromagnetic control.
For example, though TPC's Atdis aircraft wasn't yet complete, Gustave's electrical manipulation could override its systems entirely. His attack power might not match the vessel's destructive capabilities, but the Atdis would be helpless against him. If he chose, he could seize control of not just the aircraft but TPC headquarters itself.
But such concerns were irrelevant to their current mission.
Using his Observation Haki to locate Daigo's position, Gustave led their group in covert pursuit of the nervous suitor.
Daigo, naturally, couldn't simply rush to Camearra immediately after his revelation. Even someone inexperienced in romance understood the importance of proper preparation.
His first stop was a flower shop, where he purchased a bouquet of red roses. Though he had no idea what flowers were appropriate for confessions, he noticed other customers buying roses and decided to follow their example.
Next, he visited a jewelry store, where a helpful saleswoman convinced him to purchase a black opal necklace that cost three months' salary. Given that Defense Team members received exceptionally high wages, this represented an amount that could support an ordinary working-class family for two or three years.
After hiding the expensive necklace among the rose stems, Daigo straightened his uniform and made his way to the nursing home where Camearra worked.
Gustave's group maintained their surveillance throughout these preparations, eventually arriving outside the care facility. The building's cheerful signage and the sound of elderly residents' laughter drifting from within gave Gustave pause—he hadn't expected Camearra to choose such nurturing work.
"The person Mr. Daigo wants to confess to must be a very beautiful, loving, and gentle lady!" Conan declared with detective-like confidence, drawing conclusions from the nursing home setting and the care evident in Daigo's preparations.
"Are you certain?" Gustave asked with raised eyebrows.
In his assessment, Camearra was indeed beautiful, but her kindness was questionable at best. As for gentleness—that particular quality had no connection whatsoever to the ancient warrior he knew.
"I'm absolutely certain!" Conan replied with the confidence of someone whose deductive abilities had earned media comparisons to Sherlock Holmes.
"Then let's see how this plays out," Gustave said with barely contained amusement, leading the way into the nursing home.
The upcoming confrontation between expectation and reality promised to be highly educational for the young detective.