"It's fine," Ha Shiro said with an easy smile. "Think of this as proof of our friendship. Trust me—have a little confidence in yourself. You're perfect now."
Before the bewildered Dusty could refuse, he had already paid for everything. Then, with a wave of his hand and a smile that somehow felt both teasing and sincere, he turned to leave.
"The next time we meet," he said over his shoulder, "I want to hear your name. Mine's Ha Shiro—don't forget me, okay?"
And just like that, he walked away without looking back.
"Eh? W–wait! How did I forget to tell him my name…?" Dusty stared at his retreating figure, her heart strangely unsettled. "Ah—oh no! I forgot to take my sword for maintenance!"
Having finished what he came here for, Ha Shiro wandered through Rogue Town aimlessly, hands in his pockets.
"Man, Nami's really stingy," he muttered, glancing into his nearly empty wallet. "With what she gave me, I can barely buy a single bottle of shampoo, let alone decent tools. For a navigator who loves money, she's practically legendary."
Still, he had a goal—to upgrade his barber tools. After all, style and strength were both essential for a man of taste.
Of course, whenever he came across a beautiful woman worth his time, he'd "just happen" to set up a small stall again.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in town, Luffy had already run into Zoro—and somehow managed to get lost while asking for directions. Typical.
Ha Shiro had no time to worry about them. Luffy's father was around; that alone meant the kid wouldn't die anytime soon.
After wandering through the backstreets, Ha Shiro finally found an unassuming blacksmith shop. Inside worked a master craftsman, old and sharp-eyed. After some negotiation, Ha Shiro paid a hefty 500,000 Berries to have a custom set of barber tools forged.
Expensive? Absolutely. But he valued speed and quality above all else—waiting wasn't his style.
While the craftsman worked, Ha Shiro set up his makeshift barber chair again, entertaining the crowd and occasionally charming another beauty into trying a "miracle haircut."
Meanwhile, at the heart of Rogue Town—
"I'm going to be King of the Pirates!" Luffy shouted from the execution platform, grinning ear to ear.
"To die with a smile… I could never pull that off," Ha Shiro muttered, leaning on a railing nearby. "That kind of courage isn't my thing."
Of course, with his father's interference, Luffy escaped in spectacular fashion—sending half the Navy into chaos.
By the time the Straw Hats regrouped aboard the Going Merry, the storm was already rolling in.
"Ha Shiro, when did you get on board?" Luffy asked, eyes wide.
"Oh, me? I jumped here."
"You jumped that far?!"
Ha Shiro only smirked.
The Navy's pursuit forced them to sail through the night, lightning flashing, waves crashing. Yet amid the chaos, they found themselves laughing again.
"I'll become the Pirate King!"
"I'll become the world's greatest swordsman!"
"I'll map the entire world!"
Ha Shiro grinned, raising a pair of scissors. "Then I'll become the world's number one barber."
"Hey! Don't get too close to Miss Nami!" Sanji snapped, glaring daggers.
"Oh?" Ha Shiro chuckled, then casually pulled Nami into his arms. "You mean like this?"
"I'm gonna duel you!"
"Fine by me. I'll use my legs too."
Wham! Thud!
"Both of you—cut it out!" Nami roared, transforming into a human tempest as her fists crashed down on both idiots' heads.
Days later, while at sea, they rescued a young girl floating adrift. During that time, Ha Shiro ran a little "experiment" to see if his hair-based abilities worked on animals.
Sadly, the results were… disappointing. Animal hair offered no stat boost at all. He sighed and watched the rest of the voyage unfold from the sidelines until they reached the Red Line and the towering Upside-Down Mountain.
The Going Merry shot upward with the raging current.
"This mountain's wild," Ha Shiro said, staring up in awe. "What kind of force keeps the water running like that?"
A deep rumble echoed.
"ROOOAAAR!"
"Wait—there's something ahead! That's not a rock!" Ha Shiro's eyes widened. "It's a whale!"
He leapt like a startled carp, instantly rushing toward Nami.
"H–Ha Shiro?! What are you doing?!" Nami squealed as he scooped her into his arms.
"Look ahead!"
The Merry slammed into the massive creature before anyone could react. A moment later, the whale opened its jaws—and swallowed the entire ship whole.
Inside the whale's cavernous stomach, chaos reigned.
"Ha Shiro, do something!" Nami clutched his coat desperately, her voice trembling.
"This thing's massive. If we try to cut our way out, we'll probably sink. Let's wait—they should be fine."
Sure enough, before long, Luffy and an elderly man emerged unscathed.
"Luffy! You're okay! Thank goodness!"
"Huh? Nami, Ha Shiro! You're here!" Luffy waved excitedly.
Ha Shiro leapt down with Nami still in his arms, landing effortlessly on the Merry's deck.
"Let go of Miss Nami!" Sanji barked, face flushed with jealousy.
Ha Shiro ignored him completely, his eyes narrowing toward a pair of figures hiding in the shadows nearby. "Well, well. Looks like we've got company."
Moments later—
"Not good! The compass broke!" Nami cried.
Of course, it had been crushed during one of Sanji and Zoro's endless fights.
"You two better reflect on what you've done!" she yelled.
Thwack!Both men hit the deck simultaneously.
Ha Shiro gulped. "An angry woman is a terrifying thing…"
Then, as fate would have it, a girl in royal attire fell into the sea nearby.
Ha Shiro dove in instantly, pulling her back to the ship with practiced ease. "Are you all right, miss?" he asked gently, handing her a towel. "That was quite the fall."
"Th–thank you. I'm… Miss Wednesday," she said, a little dazed.
"A pleasure," Ha Shiro said smoothly. "I'm the ship's barber. Would it be rude of me to offer you a haircut?"
Miss Wednesday blinked. "Oh—no, that won't be necessary. But thank you for your kindness."
"As you wish." He smiled. "By the way, is it just me, or is it… snowing?"
Indeed, flakes had begun to fall. The first trial of the Grand Line had begun—the weather itself turning against them.
"Ha Shiro! Why aren't you helping!?" Nami shouted.
"Oh? Isn't my puppet busy?" he replied casually.
"The hull's leaking!"
And so, amid shouting, snow, and chaos, the Going Merry pressed on—until an island loomed ahead.
"Finally! Land!" Luffy whooped.
Ha Shiro squinted at the enormous cactus-shaped peaks. "The Whiskey Peaks… Perfect place for a trim."
As they approached, the island's outline shimmered against the horizon like a mirage—beckoning the next adventure of the Straw Hats' enigmatic barber.