Since accepting Shin-chan's invitation to his world, Tu Shanyan had been living her best life. Unlike the Nexus dimension with its constant space beast threats, the Crayon Shin-chan world offered all the pleasures of modern civilization with none of the existential terror. She'd finally dropped all pretenses of sophisticated fox-demon nobility, revealing her true nature: an overgrown child who fit perfectly among Kasukabe's youngest defenders.
While Tu Shanyan reveled in her extended vacation, the Bamboo Staff welcomed visitors who'd been absent far too long.
The third floor stood empty as usual, its guest quarters waiting patiently for otherworldly guest. Without warning, the Gate of All Worlds shimmered to life, and a large-eyed boy with distinctively spiky hair poked his head through cautiously.
"Where am I?" he whispered, studying the corridor's hotel-like layout with growing confusion. "This looks like some kind of inn..."
"Oof!"
Something shoved him from behind, sending him tumbling across the wooden floor in an undignified heap. His blue-and-white armor-like suit offered little protection against the impact as he rolled to a stop against the far wall.
"Hot Wheels! Why'd you push me?" The boy—Luo Luo—immediately scrambled to his feet, pointing accusingly at the figure emerging from the dimensional portal.
His friend wasn't human but rather a robot of similar height, blue-and-white coloring marking him as mechanical kin to Luo Luo's attire. His design clearly indicated motorcycle origins, though he currently walked on two legs with mechanical precision.
"Luo Luo, what's there to fear?" Hot Wheels declared with overblown bravado, puffing out his metallic chest. "With me—second-in-command of the Time City—here to protect you, nothing can possibly go wrong!"
"That's exactly why I'm scared!" Luo Luo shot back, his voice carrying the weary exasperation of long experience.
Despite his grand titles and confident proclamations, Hot Wheels was fundamentally a coward—brave in speech, timid in action, with combat abilities barely exceeding Luo Luo's own modest capabilities. His one genuine talent lay in high-speed retreats, a skill that placed him second only to the Tiger King among the beast clan's swiftest warriors.
"Anyway, where are we?" Hot Wheels continued, knocking experimentally on the nearest wall. "This doesn't look like Vehicle Tribe territory or beast tribe architecture."
Tap tap tap.
"These walls are just wooden planks," he observed with mechanical precision. "Structurally inadequate and highly flammable. Serious safety hazard potential."
"Given the construction style, we're probably in the human world," Luo Luo concluded thoughtfully.
"The human world?" Hot Wheels nearly vibrated with excitement. "Your world, Luo Luo? We actually made it! That door was incredible!"
Their arrival had been purely accidental. While fleeing from the Blue Iron Beast through a diversionary maneuver, they'd encountered a mysterious door that vanished from physical reality only to manifest within their consciousness. After much internal debate—and Hot Wheels questioning Luo Luo's courage with pointed remarks about "the great Mecha Wars King being afraid of everything"—curiosity had won over caution.
"But how did we get here so suddenly?" Luo Luo puzzled, touching his chin in contemplation. "Last time I traveled between worlds, lightning struck me during the transition. This time there was no thunder, just that door, and now we're back in human world? Very strange..."
As Luo Luo pondered their dimensional displacement, he failed to notice a small figure slip quietly through the still-open Gate behind them.
One floor below, Tom had been enjoying a peaceful nap at the ship's bar when nightmares struck. In his dreams, the traumatic memory of splitting himself in half with an axe while chopping wood played on endless repeat—a cartoon physics incident that haunted him despite its non-fatal outcome.
"YEOWWWW!"
Tom's shriek of terror echoed through the Bamboo Staff as he tumbled from his perch, landing in a sweaty, trembling heap on the floor.
"Tom, what's wrong?" Gustave immediately abandoned his deck chair, lightning crackling around his form as he prepared for potential threats. Years in One Piece world had taught him that unusual sounds often preceded cosmic emergencies.
"Don't worry, Tom. I'm here," Yang Chan cooed gently, wrapping her small arms around the distraught cat's head in a gesture of pure comfort.
Tom's response was pure cartoon logic—he gestured frantically above his head, manifesting a white thought-cloud containing the image of a chubby brown mouse with mischievous eyes. His eternal nemesis and unlikely best friend: Jerry.
"Ah, you've been away from Jerry too long," Gustave observed with knowing amusement. "You miss the little troublemaker, don't you?"
"I do NOT miss him!" Tom protested in rare spoken words, his agitation breaking through usual pantomime habits.
SCREEEEEAAAM!
A shriek of pure terror erupted from the third floor—so loud it seemed to shake the entire ship's superstructure. Every head turned toward the source: the Gate of All Worlds.
"New guests!" Gustave immediately transformed into living lightning, streaking up the stairwells in a crackling blur of electrical energy. Tom followed close behind, his legs spinning like mechanical wheels as cartoon physics carried him upward at impossible speeds.
The scene that greeted them was one of mutual panic.
Hot Wheels had somehow launched himself into Luo Luo's arms—no mean feat considering the robot's considerable weight—while across from them cowered Jerry, the mouse's tiny heart hammering with terror as he faced these strange new entities.
"AROOOOOOOOO!"
Tom's arrival triggered the most spectacular cartoon meltdown in recent memory. His entire body froze mid-leap, limbs separating from his torso as if held by invisible strings. His eyeballs bulged outward like ancient bronze ceremonial masks, defying every law of physics and anatomy.
The reunion he'd unconsciously craved had finally arrived.
Whoosh!
Jerry moved faster than thought, launching himself across the space between them to burrow frantically against Tom's chest. The eternal chase between cat and mouse was temporarily suspended by shared terror of these mechanical strangers.
Tom grabbed at Jerry with instinctive disgust, trying to pry the clinging rodent loose, but Jerry's grip proved unshakeable. With resigned acceptance, Tom allowed his old adversary to remain pressed against him, both creatures finding unexpected comfort in familiar enmity.
Gustave smiled at the touching display. Even archenemies could find solidarity when faced with the unknown.
"Everything's fine now," he assured the three new arrivals in gentle tones, noting how his initial concern had been replaced by amusement. "No need for fear."
"Hot Wheels, get down this instant!" Luo Luo demanded, his legs visibly trembling under the robot's weight. "You're crushing me!"
"Absolutely not!" Hot Wheels tightened his grip desperately. "I'm terrified of mice! That thing could be dangerous!"
How Luo Luo's slender frame managed to support a full-sized robot remained one of those mysteries that defied rational explanation—much like most events aboard the Bamboo Staff.
"Hot Wheels, Jerry's completely harmless," Gustave intervened, physically prying the cowardly robot from his human companion before Luo Luo collapsed entirely. "He may be a mouse, but he's a cute mouse who wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Thank you," Luo Luo gasped with relief, massaging circulation back into his compressed limbs. "I'm Luo Luo, by the way."
"Welcome to the Bamboo Staff, Luo Luo. I'm Gustave, your host." The chef spread his arms in a gesture of warm hospitality. "We're delighted to have you aboard."
Jerry, meanwhile, had noticed Gustave calling him by name and pointed at himself with obvious surprise. How did this stranger know his identity?
"Jerry, your old friend Tom is right here," Gustave explained with patient amusement. "Is it really so strange that I'd know your name?"
Jerry considered this logic and nodded acceptance. Fair point.
"Please, everyone follow me downstairs," Gustave continued, gesturing toward the stairwell. "This corridor isn't the ideal place for proper introductions."
As the expanded group made their way to more comfortable accommodations, the Bamboo Staff's mission of interdimensional hospitality continued. Three more souls had found their way through the Gate of All Worlds, bringing their own stories, fears, and possibilities for growth.