With Gustave's strength having reached the pinnacle of the One Piece world and the Moral Lord's backing providing ultimate security, he decided there was no longer any need for secrecy. He told Makino the truth about the Gate of All Worlds—after all, it would be far simpler than constantly fabricating explanations every time a new guest appeared.
Makino's reaction was exactly what he'd hoped for: fascination rather than fear. Her curiosity was so intense that Gustave actually took her through the Gate to Chu Zihang's world for a brief visit, using the poor dragon slayer as their anchor. However, after satisfying her wonderment about alternate dimensions, Makino was content to return to her tavern and the life she'd built in Windmill Village.
After several peaceful days back home, the Gate activated once again.
The new arrival was tall and lean, wearing a pristine blue and white school uniform. His dark hair was precisely parted in a 4:6 ratio, and rimless glasses gave him an intellectual appearance that complemented his serious demeanor. A large sports bag hung across his shoulder. Like Chu Zihang, he radiated that particular aura of disciplined self-control that marked him as what some might call an "ascetic prince."
The newcomer was none other than Kunimitsu Tezuka, one of the protagonists from the sports anime "The Prince of Tennis"—making him the Bamboo Staff's first guest from the world of competitive sports.
Tezuka had been preparing to leave the Seishun Tennis Club's practice facility after completing his regular training routine when something extraordinary occurred. A door had simply... appeared in his mind. Driven by curiosity that overrode his usual caution, he had reached out and opened it. After a moment of complete darkness, he found himself standing not in the familiar club room, but on the third floor of an unfamiliar ship.
"Where am I?" he murmured, adjusting his glasses as he took in the unexpected surroundings.
"Hmph! Ace, you're cheating! I'm not playing with you anymore!"
The sound of an angry young voice preceded the appearance of a small boy in a white shirt with Anchor, who stormed out of a nearby room with his face set in an indignant scowl.
"Hey, a new guest!" Luffy's anger evaporated instantly when he spotted Tezuka standing near what appeared to be some kind of doorway. His expression transformed into a brilliant smile.
"Hello! I'm Luffy, and welcome to the Bamboo Staff!" he said, approaching with the kind of unreserved friendliness that could be either charming or overwhelming.
"Hello. My name is Tezuka Kunimitsu," Tezuka replied with polite formality, pushing his glasses up slightly—a unconscious habit when he was processing new situations.
"Tezuka Kunimitsu? Then I'll just call you Tezuka!" Luffy decided with typical directness. "Is that okay?"
"That's acceptable," Tezuka nodded. Though he was somewhat surprised by the boy's immediate familiarity, he'd encountered similar personalities before and saw no harm in the casual address.
"Great! That means we're friends now!" Luffy declared with absolute certainty. "And since we're friends, I should treat you to a meal! Come on, let me tell you about Uncle Gustave's incredible cooking..."
Before Tezuka could respond, Luffy had grabbed his arm and was pulling him toward the stairs. The tennis captain was startled to discover that despite his small size, the boy possessed remarkable physical strength—considerably more than Tezuka's own well-conditioned athlete's physique.
"Uncle Gustave! There's a new guest!" Luffy called out as they descended, his voice echoing through the ship.
When they reached the first floor, Tezuka realized he was aboard a floating restaurant docked at what appeared to be a small island village. The setup was unlike anything he'd ever encountered.
Gustave was reclining in a deck chair, supervising Chu Zihang's training routine, when Luffy's announcement reached him. He pulled off his sunglasses and sat up to get a better look at their newest arrival.
"You idiot!" Gustave exclaimed, immediately noticing the problem. "Look what you've done to the guest's uniform!"
"Huh? Oh no!" Luffy spun around and saw that his enthusiastic dragging had torn Tezuka's school jacket. "I'm really sorry, Tezuka! I didn't mean to do that!"
"Please excuse Luffy," Gustave said, standing up and approaching them with an apologetic smile. "He gets a bit overexcited when we have visitors."
"It's quite alright," Tezuka replied calmly, carefully removing his torn jacket and folding it neatly before placing it in his sports bag. "Accidents happen. I have another one at home."
As Tezuka stored his jacket, Gustave noticed the unmistakable shapes of several tennis rackets in the large bag.
"I'm Gustave, and that sleeping panda over there is Po," he said, gesturing toward the deck chair where Po was dozing peacefully. "You've arrived through what we call the Gate of All Worlds..."
Once again, Gustave launched into his now-practiced explanation of the interdimensional restaurant concept, the Gate's function, and their mission. He'd lost count of how many times he'd delivered this particular speech.
"The Gate of All Worlds," Tezuka repeated thoughtfully. "A fascinating concept. I assume that panda is more than he appears?"
"Po can talk, if that's what you mean. He's actually one of the strongest martial artists in this world." Gustave chuckled at Tezuka's sharp observation. "I can see you're still wearing a school uniform—are you currently a student?"
The question wasn't unreasonable. Tezuka's mature bearing and serious demeanor made him seem older than his years. Gustave remembered reading about how even adults sometimes mistook the tennis captain for a teacher rather than a student.
"Yes, I'm currently a second-year at Seishun Academy Junior High," Tezuka confirmed.
So they were still before the main Prince of Tennis storyline, which meant that arrogant prodigy Ryoma Echizen was probably still playing tennis in America, Gustave mused.
"Uncle Gustave, are you done talking yet?" Luffy interrupted, his stomach choosing that moment to growl audibly. "I promised Tezuka I'd treat him to a meal, and I'm getting hungry!"
"You just want to eat!" Gustave said, rapping Luffy lightly on the head. "But since you did promise our guest..." He turned to Tezuka. "Why don't you come take a look at what we have available?"
As they approached the kitchen area, Luffy immediately began his ordering spree. "I want tiger skin elbow, charcoal-grilled steak, braised pig's trotters..."
"Hold on!" Gustave bonked Luffy on the head again, raising a small bump. "The guest hasn't even ordered yet, and you're already demanding your favorite meat dishes!"
Turning to Tezuka with an embarrassed smile, he said, "Please, order whatever you'd like. I can prepare anything you can think of."
"Are the dishes Luffy mentioned sufficient?" Tezuka asked diplomatically.
"Luffy has an enormous appetite and only thinks about meat," Gustave explained. "But for an athlete like yourself," he nodded toward the tennis bag, "proper nutrition requires balance. You'll need vegetables too."
Tezuka nodded approvingly at this sensible approach and examined the available ingredients carefully.
"What's this green vegetable?" he asked, pointing to something unfamiliar.
"Water spinach—it's excellent when stir-fried. Would you like to try it?"
"Yes, please. Stir-fried water spinach sounds good."
After some additional consideration, Tezuka added, "I'd also like scallion-braised tofu and a bowl of crucian carp soup, if possible."
"Excellent choices," Gustave approved. "A perfect balance of protein, vegetables, and light broth. You clearly understand proper athletic nutrition."
As he began preparing their meal, Gustave found himself impressed by their newest guest's thoughtful approach to dining. It was refreshing to have a visitor who understood the importance of balanced nutrition—a sharp contrast to Luffy's meat-only philosophy.