That day marked a turning point for history.After much discussion, everyone finally agreed—the Straw Hat Pirates were officially born.
Ha Shiro stood at the deck, quietly watching as Luffy proudly raised the newly made pirate flag. The symbol fluttered in the wind, and Ha Shiro couldn't help but smirk.
He had witnessed the birth of a legend.
The next morning, he was jolted awake by the thunderous roar of cannon fire.
"Oi! Who the hell fires cannons this early in the morning?" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.
Ha Shiro had never been a morning person.
As he dragged himself up, he found Luffy and Usopp fooling around with the ship's equipment. The result? Both of them received a solid beating from him—followed by a swift toss straight into the storage room.
Moments later, when the plot demanded it, Johnny sneaked onto the ship. Unfortunately for him, he ran right into Ha Shiro's path and ended up getting smacked flat on the deck.
A freshly woken Ha Shiro was not someone to mess with.
Thankfully, Zoro stepped in before things got worse, recognizing Johnny as one of his former comrades. Not long after, Johnny's injured partner, Joseph, was also carried aboard.
Apparently, Luffy and Usopp had accidentally bombed the island the two bounty hunters were staying on.
As Nami explained, the man's illness was scurvy, highlighting how important it was to have a cook on board. That's how the crew decided to sail toward their next destination — the floating sea restaurant, the Baratie.
But before they could reach it, a ship bearing the Navy Headquarters insignia appeared on the horizon.
The captain of that ship was none other than Iron Fist Hobody.
Ha Shiro, of course, already knew the guy wasn't there for a fight. The real attraction lay just beyond him—the Baratie.
Still, his attention wasn't on the naval captain. It was on the beautiful woman standing beside him.
"Now that's someone worth trimming," Ha Shiro muttered, leaping effortlessly onto the naval ship.
"Pirate! What do you think you're doing? Looking for a fight?!" Hobody barked, fists tightening.
Ha Shiro raised both hands in mock surrender. "Relax, relax. Name's Ha Shiro—a barber by trade. I just noticed this young lady's hairstyle had a few flaws. Thought I'd fix it for free first. If you're satisfied, you can pay afterward. If not, you can throw me overboard."
His tone was so calm and sincere that even the soldiers blinked in confusion.
After all, the man didn't look like a pirate.
By the time he was done, everyone on the ship had been neatly trimmed.
He returned to the Going Merry with over 603 stamina points, a satisfied grin on his face, and a pouch full of freshly polished scissors.
When they finally arrived at the Baratie, everything seemed fine… until Luffy, being Luffy, managed to smash the restaurant's main sign within minutes of arrival.
As punishment, he was forced to wash dishes to pay off the damages.
Ha Shiro couldn't care less. He headed back to the ship with a sack of Berries.
"Nami, this is my savings," he said, handing her the bag. "Keep it safe for me."
"No problem! Leave it to me!" Nami replied instantly, her eyes sparkling with that unmistakable love for money.
"Great. Now, let's grab something to eat. I'm starving."
Just as they stepped inside the Baratie, a commotion broke out.
Luffy had been knocked flat on the floor, and a man in a black suit and curly eyebrow was standing over him.
That was Sanji—making his flamboyant debut.
He was berating a customer for wasting food, his irritation palpable.
The scene was chaotic, but everything was unfolding perfectly in line with the "script."
Moments later, Gin appeared—a starving pirate turned beggar—and despite the restaurant's policy, Sanji still served him food.
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
Ha Shiro didn't bother interfering. He and Nami sat down and began to enjoy their meal.
His goal today wasn't the food or the drama. It was Dracule Mihawk, the legendary Hawk-Eye swordsman.
If things went according to plan, Mihawk's appearance might give him the chance to awaken his Armament Haki.
As for getting Sanji to join the crew—he'd leave that to Luffy. He'd step in only if needed.
With his stamina rising steadily, Ha Shiro began experimenting with new techniques.
His latest was Hair Armor—a defensive and supportive skill that allowed him to manipulate his hair into protective armor. It could even be used on others.
Naturally, his first test subject was Nami.
He suggested wrapping her body in a protective "hair suit," but she flat-out refused. He didn't push it. She wasn't wrong to be cautious—it did sound strange out loud.
Back inside the restaurant, Nami and the others began ordering, and as expected, Sanji swooped in like a vulture, flirting with Nami without restraint.
Ha Shiro's hair twitched, transforming into a phantom slap aimed squarely at Sanji's face—but he stopped himself at the last second.
Instead, he simply pushed Sanji back.
"Oi, what are you doing?!" Sanji snapped.
"Nothing much," Ha Shiro said coolly. "Just keeping you at arm's length. Stay away from Nami unless you plan on joining us."
That was enough to kill Sanji's enthusiasm—temporarily, at least.
The food, however, was excellent.
Ha Shiro couldn't help but order several more dishes.
Over the next few days, while Luffy worked to pay off his debt, the Merry stayed docked.
Ha Shiro didn't waste the opportunity—he set up shop as the Baratie's unofficial barber, serving customers daily and earning a small fortune in stamina points.
Tourists came and went, often bringing female companions. Naturally, Ha Shiro reaped the rewards—over 6,000 stamina points in total.
That night, he opened his status panel:
Host: Ha ShiroOccupation: BarberDevil Fruit: Hair-Hair Fruit (Paramecia Type)Abilities: Hair Extension, Absorption, Flexible Stretching, Perfect Imitation, Hardening, Hair Needle, Manipulation, Hair Puppet, Hair Armor, Second Form (Other abilities developing)Stamina: 18,996 / 22,029Rokushiki Techniques:
Iron Body (Proficient – 1565 / 10,000)
Paper Art (Advanced – 530 / 5,000)
Shave (Proficient – 7,586 / 10,000)
Tempest Kick (Proficient – 7,687 / 10,000)
Finger Pistol (Proficient – 9,506 / 10,000)
Moon Step (Proficient – 1,106 / 10,000)Haki:
Observation Haki (Intermediate – 669 / 1,000)
Armament Haki (Awakening Possible)
Conqueror's Haki (Unawakened)
Ha Shiro grinned at the glowing panel. His overall strength had jumped another level. He could feel it—the next threshold was close.
And that threshold's name… was Hawk-Eye Mihawk.
He was determined to "trim" that man's head—literally.
Though, realistically, Mihawk wasn't the type to let anyone near him without a fight.
Still, just thinking about it made Ha Shiro's blood boil in anticipation.
Suddenly, chaos erupted in the Baratie.
Don Krieg had arrived.
Ha Shiro's expression turned sharp. "So… the next act begins."
He turned toward the Merry, his gaze softening.
Nami hadn't disembarked. He knew where she was headed…
Good thing he had already wrapped a few of his own hair strands around her before she left—a safety measure.
Watching the Merry sail away, Ha Shiro exhaled slowly and adjusted his stance.
It was almost time.
Not long after, news of Nami's departure spread through the crew.
Without hesitation, Ha Shiro gathered Zoro, Usopp, and Johnny and Joseph, and set sail in pursuit.
At that exact moment, Krieg's massive ship was suddenly split clean in half by two effortless sword strikes.
A small boat approached, carrying a lone man with a black blade strapped to his back and cold, hawk-like eyes.
With a single swing, he had destroyed a galleon.
Ha Shiro's grin widened.
Dracule Mihawk had arrived.
And the real fight… was about to begin.