As the story moved forward, Kyougo finally appeared, and yet, by the next morning, Ha Shiro was nowhere to be seen.
So where had he gone?
Of course—he had gone to the nearby island to "help people get haircuts."
"Your girlfriend's really beautiful," he said with his usual grin. "She deserves to look even prettier… Tell you what—I'll give her a free trim first, and then you can decide if you want more, deal? Buy two, get one free! Only a thousand Berries per cut!"
And so, Ha Shiro returned later that day with a sack slung over his shoulder, his smile brighter than ever. He had earned over five hundred stamina points from his little side job.
The reason there were so many this time was simple—it was his first round, and a first round always came with a bonus. He had deliberately chosen clients who had daughters, offering "free haircuts" in the name of kindness.
Who would ever turn down a free favor like that?
And naturally, when a crowd saw many people gathering, business only got better.
Just as Ha Shiro came back, the real story began.
The Black Cat Pirates, led by Kyougo, had officially started their assault.
Ha Shiro, meanwhile, watched from a distance like one of the melon-eating onlookers—content to enjoy the chaos from afar.
Of course, he wasn't completely idle. Whenever Nami was in danger, he stepped in immediately.
Like the time when Zoro's two swords were stolen—Nami had tried to help, only to fall into a trap.
At the crucial moment, Ha Shiro appeared and pulled her out of harm's way.
Still, he knew he couldn't just sit back and do nothing forever. Even if he preferred to "paddle" through battles, he couldn't be too blatant about it.
These little minions? They were all his rightful targets.
After all, even a mosquito counts as meat, right? And besides, he had his own secret technique—Shaving.
A move so unique it allowed him to shave all the hair off his enemies, leaving them bald and motionless in an instant.
"Ha Shiro! What are you doing!?" Nami shouted as she rushed over.
All around her were bald-headed pirates, lying unconscious at her feet. She couldn't help but laugh.
"Ah, nothing much," Ha Shiro said with mock seriousness. "In my homeland, there's a custom—we say, 'Lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha.' It's called cutting away the threads of worldly troubles to purify one's sins."
"Is that so?" Nami blinked, half amused, half unconvinced.
But she quickly turned her attention elsewhere. She had her own goal—looting the treasure of the Black Cat Pirates. Nami was nothing if not ambitious.
"Finally got it all… wasted too much time, though," she muttered. "Wait—this isn't good. Kaya's in danger!"
The name struck Ha Shiro like a thunderbolt. He had forgotten about her!
He immediately used his hair-sensing technique to locate her and dashed off at top speed.
By the time he arrived, Kyougo was already preparing to hypnotize Kaya.
"Like hell you will!" Ha Shiro barked. He lunged forward and kicked the man square in the chest, sending him flying.
"Kaya! Are you alright? Sorry I'm late," he said, guilt heavy in his voice.
This was the girl he planned to protect—the long-haired princess he would "raise" carefully, like the fairy-tale Rapunzel.
He had even told her that story before, planting the seed in her heart.
"Ha Shiro… it's you… Thank you…" Kaya whispered, tears streaming down her face as she collapsed into his arms.
Being betrayed by someone you trusted most—there was no pain quite like it.
"It's alright," he said gently. "I'm here now."
He held her until she finally drifted off to sleep, comforted and safe in his embrace.
"Next step—raise her affection, make her my Rapunzel. Then find a decent doctor for her. Maybe I can get Law to handle that part…" he murmured to himself.
Once Kaya was secure, Ha Shiro carried her back to her villa and returned just in time to see Luffy struggling against Kyougo's crew.
His opponent was a master of preliminary Shaving techniques—impressive, but still too slow for Ha Shiro's taste.
"Bit flashy, not enough punch," Ha Shiro muttered, casually watching the fight while munching on an orange.
"Oh, Zoro, you're still alive," he teased as the swordsman limped over. "Here, catch." He tossed him another orange.
"Damn it, Ha Shiro! You're just watching again!?" Zoro barked, then promptly collapsed and fell asleep on the spot.
"Cut it out," Ha Shiro snorted. "If I don't 'watch,' how else are you supposed to look cool?"
He leaned back, taking another bite of his orange, as the battle drew to its end.
Once the dust settled, he strolled over and began "cleaning up the mess."
"My XP bags… time to shave them all clean," he grinned.
"The first Shaving of named character Kyougo—gained 906 stamina, Shaving proficiency +96.""The first time shaving a pirate—increased stamina by 9 points.""The first time shaving…"
"Not bad," Ha Shiro chuckled. "Following the protagonist really does pay off."
He shaved each pirate one by one, humming cheerfully. Those who resisted got a "gentle persuasion"—a good smack to the head that knocked them out cold.
"Ha Shiro, what are you doing?" Luffy asked, staring at him in confusion.
"Oh, just cutting away their sins," Ha Shiro replied smoothly, still humming.
🎵 "Everyone has hair on their body, let me shave it all away~ No matter how much, I'll trim it down today~" 🎵
By the time he finished his "ritual," the crisis was officially over.
With Nami hauling in her loot and Kaya safely awake again, the group finally secured the Merry with the butler's help.
Under Ha Shiro's subtle guidance, they all set sail—Usopp tearfully waving goodbye to Kaya.
"Wait for me, Kaya! I'll come back! Next time, I swear I'll—""You better come back, Usopp…"
As emotions ran high, Ha Shiro quietly turned to Nami.
"Miss Nami, your hair needs maintenance. Let me wash and trim it for you. Your bangs are a bit uneven."
After holding back for so long, he finally bared his "fangs," though he still kept up his image as the gentle, dependable man.
"Hmph. We'll see how well you do," Nami replied, clearly still jealous after seeing him comfort Kaya.
Never try to read a woman's mind. Be a good scoundrel—no, a warm man. One who knows when to advance and when to retreat, and who can always keep the perfect distance.
"I'll start now," Ha Shiro said, focusing completely.
He took his time—an entire hour—to perfect the trim.
"The first time trimming the hair of the important heroine Nami—Stamina +3999."
When it was over, Ha Shiro swallowed hard.
"That's… way too much stamina," he thought. "That's several times more than what the protagonist gets! Just as I expected—being a warm man really is the right way to survive in this world."
"Hey, Hairy, give me one too," Zoro interrupted.
"Oh, alright."
"What about me? You're not giving me a head massage? How's your long hair gonna cut mine!?"
"Cut~"
Kawipe! Kawipe!
A few snips later, Zoro sported a fresh buzzcut that actually looked… pretty good.
"First time trimming the hair of supporting character Zoro—Stamina +860, Observation Haki +99."
Still, Ha Shiro's double standards were obvious.
"Hey, Usopp! Those curls of yours look like a chicken's nest. Let me fix that."
"Huh? Oh, uh, sure…"
Ha Shiro gave him a quick, clean cut.
"First time shaving supporting character Usopp—Stamina +1568, Observation Haki +36."
The higher gain made sense—he'd shaved off way more hair this time.
But he wasn't done yet.
"Luffy, why's there a chunk missing from your bangs? Come here, I'll fix it."
Moments later—another 996 stamina and 86 proficiency points gained.