After witnessing Thunder Blaze and Power Titan's triumphant victory over Golden Iron Beast, Gustave departed the Robo-Troopers World with satisfaction. With those two legendary warriors protecting them, Luo Luo and Ye Xiu's safety was virtually guaranteed. The next phase would reveal how they'd lead the Vehicle Tribe in their greater conflict against the Beast Tribe—but that story belonged to them now.
Back aboard the Bamboo Staff, life resumed its familiar rhythm. Training continued with dedicated intensity while leisure moments provided necessary balance. The most entertaining disruption came from Tom, who'd somehow acquired a baseball bat and used it to chase Jerry in elaborate slapstick sequences that carried them from ship to shore and back again. The villagers of Windmill Village had grown accustomed to these cartoon physics displays, though they still gathered to watch whenever the chase passed through town.
Time flowed peacefully, and before anyone realized, more than half a month had passed.
"Luffy, stop dragging your feet and move!" Gustave's voice carried stern authority as he supervised the young boy's afternoon training regimen.
Luffy had developed increasingly lazy habits recently, his enthusiasm for rigorous exercise replaced by constant attempts to slack off whenever possible.
"Uncle Gustave, this isn't fair!" Luffy planted his feet stubbornly, his neck stiff with indignation. "Why do you get to stand there watching while I have to do all this hard work?"
"Me?" Gustave's eyebrow arched with amusement. "Because ordinary training methods are completely useless at my current level. My strength growth depends on enlightenment and understanding, not repetitive physical exercise."
The statement carried absolute truth. Gustave's capabilities—both in terms of physical technique and Devil Fruit mastery—had reached a critical plateau. Throughout the entire One Piece world, he felt confident in his ability to defeat any opponent except the mysterious and possibly mythical Im.
But this plateau had persisted for an extended period, leaving him frustrated with his lack of progress. When he'd consulted the Moral Lord about breaking through, his master had simply replied that "the time has not yet arrived." So Gustave continued his attempts at deeper understanding, hoping that eventual breakthrough would come naturally.
"I don't believe you!" Luffy declared with typical stubborn defiance.
"You don't believe me?" Gustave's eyes narrowed dangerously—a warning sign that Luffy should have recognized by now.
The boy's survival instincts finally kicked in, sending him scrambling away at maximum speed. Unfortunately, no amount of desperate sprinting could match Gustave's lightning-enhanced reflexes.
Flash.
Gustave materialized directly in front of the fleeing child, his fists wreathed in pitch-black Armament Haki.
BONK!
A massive bump immediately swelled on Luffy's head, the impact forcing tears from his eyes as he crouched in pain, both hands pressed against the throbbing lump.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Luffy," Ace observed with obvious satisfaction, strolling over to enjoy his younger brother's predicament. "Uncle Gustave warned you about being lazy. Why'd you have to take that beating?"
"Ace!" Luffy's voice cracked with betrayal. "You're supposed to help me, not make fun of me!"
"Help you with what? Look at Brother Zihang over there." Ace pointed toward the beach where Chu Zihang continued his relentless training routine. "He's working harder than anyone. When he first arrived on the Bamboo Staff, he wasn't even as strong as you. But now? Ten of you working together couldn't defeat one of his hands."
Indeed, Chu Zihang's dedication remained absolutely unwavering. At this very moment, he was performing push-ups with Po seated comfortably on his back, timing the exercise so he'd descend when waves rolled in and rise as they receded—adding the ocean's natural rhythm to his workout's difficulty.
Previously, Chu Zihang had used massive boulders for weight training, but as his strength increased, even the largest stones became insufficient challenges. Po's participation solved this problem in an elegant way. The Moral Lord, impressed by Po's kind nature and honest character, had gifted him an ancient martial arts manual discovered during travels through the human world.
This particular technique was extraordinarily sophisticated—teaching practitioners the state that many martial artists spent lifetimes pursuing: the ability to make light objects feel heavy and heavy objects feel light. The manual's genius lay in its immediate applicability. Though Po appeared to be simply sitting on Chu Zihang's back, he continuously adjusted his effective weight to remain precisely at the edge of Chu Zihang's endurance limits.
Every push-up left Chu Zihang's arms trembling with exhaustion, yet he gritted his teeth and persevered through each repetition.
The results spoke for themselves. Chu Zihang's combat capabilities had reached Vice Admiral level within the Marine ranking system. Translated to his home dimension, he could now defeat third-generation dragons single-handedly, or even weaker second-generation specimens. However, elite second-generation dragons like Ladon would still pose serious challenges.
After all, Ladon had been powerful enough to challenge Nidhogg directly—placing his strength roughly equivalent to a top-tier Vice Admiral or Admiral candidate. Even Gustave had required significant effort during their confrontation.
"Luffy, don't you always claim you want to become a great hero?" Gustave asked with pointed emphasis. "Name one great hero in history who achieved greatness through laziness."
The combination of Chu Zihang's inspiring example and the magical phrase "great hero" ignited Luffy's dormant passion like a struck match.
"Just watch me!" Luffy roared with renewed determination. "I, Monkey D. Luffy, will become the greatest hero who ever lived!"
He took exactly two running steps before stopping abruptly, his attention drawn to something in the distance.
"Luffy, is this your idea of commitment?" Gustave's frown deepened. Had his extended influence somehow corrupted the boy's natural determination?
"No, Uncle Gustave—look over there!"
"Over where? What are you—" Gustave followed Luffy's pointing finger and immediately spotted what had captured the boy's attention.
A massive pirate ship was approaching Windmill Village, its familiar flag clearly visible even from this distance. Gustave's heart leaped with recognition and genuine joy.
"Shanks! They're back!"
The Red Hair Pirates represented Gustave's first real friendships in the One Piece world, beyond the immediate bonds with Luffy, Garp, and Makino. Connections forged in obscurity and mutual respect carried special strength—seeing old friends return after such a long absence filled him with warm anticipation.
"Hey, Shanks!" Gustave called out across the water, waving enthusiastically.
"Haha! I should have known that was the Bamboo Staff!" Shanks' distinctive laugh echoed across the ocean as he recognized the ship. "I was wondering why I spotted a ship flying your logo from such a distance!"
The Red Hair Pirates had heard stories of Gustave's sea restaurant but had never seen the magnificent reality. The Bamboo Staff exceeded every description they'd received.
"Gustave! Po! Tom!" Shanks shouted from the Red Force's bow, his crew increasing speed toward Windmill Village with obvious excitement.
The reunion promised to be everything such occasions should be—friends separated by adventure coming together to share stories, laughter, and the kind of meal that only the Bamboo Staff could provide.
Soon the Red Force pulled alongside their ship, and the first person to disembark wasn't Shanks but someone much smaller and infinitely more energetic.
"Po!" Uta launched herself toward the giant panda without hesitation, her face radiant with joy.
"Uta!" Po caught her in a gentle embrace, his own happiness evident in every gesture.
"Haha, Gustave—I finally tracked you down!" Shanks strode over and pulled the chef into a hearty bear hug, then immediately followed it with a playful punch to the shoulder. "You captured Jack, turned him over to the Marines for bounty money, then let me take the blame! The Beast Pirates have been making our lives miserable for over a year!"
"Wait, Kaido's still alive?" Gustave burst into laughter. "When he came looking for trouble last time, Po and I sent him flying into the ocean. I figured he'd drowned by now!"
Even though he and Po had delivered a decisive beating that left Kaido unconscious and sinking beneath the waves, Gustave had never truly expected to kill the seemingly indestructible Yonko. Still, a man could hope.
"You're impossible," Shanks replied with fond exasperation, shaking his head at his friend's casual attitude toward one of the world's most dangerous pirates.
"We haven't seen each other since you hijacked Jack's ship and sailed it straight to Marine headquarters for reward money," Shanks continued, studying the Bamboo Staff with obvious admiration. "I never imagined you'd end up with your own ship like this."
"Not just my own ship—I've got many more friends now too." Gustave's pride in his extended family was unmistakable. "Come aboard and let me introduce you to everyone."
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