During their celebratory dinner, Gustave found himself marveling at Camearra's transformation. The ancient warrior who'd once radiated cosmic fury had become genuinely gentle and talkative, engaging warmly with everyone at the table. Was this truly the power of love, or had her months among humans fundamentally changed her nature?
Either way, the change was decidedly positive. Gustave no longer had to worry about Camearra suddenly flying into a rage and storming the Bamboo Staff to settle old grievances with her fists.
The only unfortunate aspect was losing his informal bet with Conan about her personality. Fortunately, they hadn't wagered anything significant, or Gustave would have faced serious losses.
After the meal, most of the group prepared to return home. Gustave, Chu Zihang, Ace, and Luffy headed back to the Bamboo Staff, while the Moral Lord made an unexpected announcement about departing Earth entirely.
"I wish to explore this universe's cosmic principles," the ancient sage declared with characteristic directness. "The physical laws here differ subtly from my home dimension, and such differences merit investigation."
With that cryptic explanation, he simply vanished, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air to mark his passage.
Po and Yang Chan, as expected, requested permission to remain and explore Daigo's world more thoroughly—a pattern they'd established during previous interdimensional visits.
What surprised Gustave most was Conan's decision to stay as well. The young detective who'd expressed such concern about aliens and monsters now seemed eager to experience this world firsthand.
"I've realized that the extraordinary events here don't occur as frequently as I initially feared," Conan explained when pressed for his reasoning. "I'm curious to observe how this society differs from our own. The technological advancement alone presents fascinating research opportunities."
His scientific curiosity had overcome his safety concerns—though Gustave suspected the detective's investigative instincts played a larger role than pure academic interest.
Ai reluctantly agreed to extend their stay, though her expression suggested she was primarily motivated by reluctance to leave Conan unsupervised rather than personal enthusiasm for the arrangement.
This expansion of Po's responsibilities from one child to three didn't seem to concern the gentle panda. If anything, he appeared pleased by the prospect of additional companions during their extended cultural exchange.
Before departing, Gustave solved the group's most pressing logistical problem by hacking into the world's governmental databases. His electromagnetic abilities made him arguably the most sophisticated cyber-criminal in any modern society—within minutes, complete identity records for Po, Yang Chan, Conan, and Ai appeared in all relevant systems.
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is remarkably useful in technological societies," he observed with satisfaction, reviewing his digital handiwork.
Po found them accommodation in the same apartment building where Camearra lived, with Daigo providing enthusiastic introductions to the building's residents. Granny Ori, the kind-hearted landlady who'd first befriended Camearra, immediately welcomed the newcomers with open arms.
"Three children!" she exclaimed with obvious delight. "How wonderful! I do so love having young voices around the building—and such a sweet little girl!"
Yang Chan's innocent charm had clearly made an immediate impression.
After several days of careful observation, Conan reached a frustrating conclusion: Daigo's world wasn't significantly different from his own. The technology was more advanced, surveillance systems were more comprehensive, the police demonstrated superior competence, and extraordinary events occurred with slightly higher frequency—but the fundamental human experience remained essentially identical.
The ubiquitous monitoring and highly effective law enforcement proved particularly annoying to someone accustomed to operating in Beika Town's more relaxed investigative environment. When Conan finally encountered a potential mystery, he discovered that the local authorities had already solved it using advanced forensic techniques and database analysis.
"Where's the intellectual challenge in that?" he muttered, watching police officers efficiently process a crime scene with equipment that made Beika Town's resources look medieval by comparison. "If technology does all the thinking, what's the point of having detectives?"
The professional detectives in Daigo's world seemed relegated to mundane tasks—investigating adultery, locating missing pets, and handling other cases deemed unworthy of police attention. Their work bore uncomfortable resemblance to Kogoro Mouri's pre-Conan career.
After a week of such disappointments, Conan was seriously considering returning to the Bamboo Staff and admitting defeat. At least Beika Town's incompetent police force allowed him to demonstrate his intellectual superiority on a regular basis.
Then Granny Ori provided exactly the kind of opportunity he'd been craving.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Conan, please open the door," the elderly woman called from the hallway.
Po was busy preparing lunch in the kitchen, while Yang Chan and Ai were completely absorbed in a romantic drama series. As the only unoccupied member of their makeshift family, Conan reluctantly handled door duties.
He dragged a stool to the entrance, climbed up to check the peephole, and confirmed their visitor's identity before opening the door.
"Hello, Granny Ori!" he said with practiced childhood politeness.
"Hello there, Conan!" she replied warmly, reaching down to pat his head with obvious affection. "Is your brother Po available?"
"Big Brother Po is cooking in the kitchen," Conan replied, naturally slipping into his child persona.
"I see. Well, please tell him not to venture out after dark for the next few days," Granny Ori said with genuine concern in her voice.
"Why not?" Conan asked, though his detective instincts were already stirring with interest.
"I received a notice from the police station warning that several people have disappeared in our neighborhood recently. They're advising everyone to avoid unnecessary nighttime outings until the situation is resolved."
Missing persons case, Conan thought, his pulse quickening. Finally, something worthy of investigation.
"Conan, make sure you tell Po about this," Granny Ori continued. "I need to inform the other residents as well, especially Camearra. That dear girl often works late at the nursing home and walks home alone."
As she headed downstairs to spread her warnings, Conan was already reaching for his smartphone.
His search of official news sources yielded only the basic police advisory Granny Ori had mentioned—clearly, authorities were suppressing detailed information to prevent public panic. Standard procedure, but unhelpful for investigative purposes.
Fortunately, Conan knew better sources than mainstream media.
He logged into a private forum frequented by detectives and mystery enthusiasts, quickly scanning the discussion threads for relevant information.
Holmes: Anyone heard details about the recent disappearances?
Conan Doyle: Just the official warning about avoiding solo nighttime activities.
Watson: Shouldn't surveillance cameras have captured something? The police solve most cases using video evidence these days.
Poirot: My friend works at the station. Says all the disappearances occurred in camera blind spots. Whoever's responsible knows the system's weaknesses and doesn't leave forensic evidence.
Marple: Could be aliens or monsters? We've seen both before.
Augustus: Unlikely. Aliens and monsters don't operate covertly—they're too large and obvious. This feels like human trafficking, possibly organ harvesting.
Watson: Black market organ trade is certainly profitable enough to justify the risk.
Holmes: Any common factors among the victims?
Poirot: According to my police contact, the disappearance locations are scattered across multiple districts, victims show no obvious connections, and crime timing appears random. The only consistent element is that everyone vanished during late-night hours.
Augustus: That makes pattern analysis nearly impossible.
Poirot: Wait, I just remembered something! The perpetrator consistently avoids surveillance, and the areas with the most camera blind spots are parks in various neighborhoods!
The conversation continued, but Conan had seen enough.
"Parks, interesting," he murmured, closing his phone with a satisfied smile. Finally—a mystery the local police hadn't solved with their technological advantages.
"Conan, what did Granny Ori want?" Po asked, emerging from the kitchen with a tray of fragrant dishes.
"She warned us about people disappearing in the area recently. Says we shouldn't go out at night," Conan replied with studied casualness.
"Then we'll stick to daytime excursions," Po said sensibly. "No point taking unnecessary risks just for sightseeing."
Po's reasonable response masked his complete lack of understanding about Conan's true nature. Though he knew the boy was an accomplished detective, Conan's earlier expressions of concern about aliens and monsters had created the impression of a cautious, well-behaved child.
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