As soon as the Merry sailed into Whisky Peak, it was greeted by a maze of winding tunnels and bustling villagers. The locals seemed overly enthusiastic, almost suspiciously so. After all, Whisky Peak had another name — the Pirates' Graveyard. Behind the mountain, rows upon rows of tombstones stood in grim silence.
Still, Ha Shiro wasn't the least bit worried. The strength of these bounty hunters was mediocre at best — the only real threat here was the guns in their hands.
"By evening, I'll just let Zoro handle these guys," Ha Shiro muttered with a lazy grin. "As for me... I'll focus on shaving. Perfect plan."
He walked up to Nami with a calm smile. His current mission was simple — protect the lovely Nami, like a shepherd guarding his precious lamb, and when the chance came... maybe shear a little wool for himself.
As the banquet kicked off, Ha Shiro dug into the food, savoring the hearty spread. He had to admit — these people could cook.
Then came his favorite part."This young lady," he said smoothly, approaching a blushing villager, "your hair's a little uneven. May I trim it for you? Don't worry — no charge. Just a token of thanks for your hospitality."
『Stamina +64』『Stamina +53』『Stamina +36』
Ha Shiro grinned to himself. Every snip of his scissors brought in a small harvest of energy points.
As night fell, his eyes gleamed. "Now then... time for the real experience pack."
He carried the tipsy Nami back to her bed, gently laying her down before placing a hair puppet in her stead. Then, blending into the shadows, he watched quietly as Zoro began to fight.
To be honest, these small fries weren't worth his effort. He'd just wait for Zoro to wrap things up... then swoop in to collect the rewards.
Suddenly — thud! — a duck and a blue-haired girl crashed from the sky.
"Huh? Miss Wednesday, are you alright?" Ha Shiro caught her in a flawless princess carry.
"Ha Shiro? What are you doing here?" Vivi gasped, instinctively pulling away from his arms.
"Hey, don't go running off. You can't beat Zoro anyway. It's much safer by my side," he teased, flashing his trademark grin before getting back to his great shaving endeavor.
Before long, nearly everyone in the village had been "trimmed" by him — literally and figuratively.
Then Nami's puppet sent a signal — trouble was brewing. From the shadows, Ha Shiro slipped over to her side.
"Ha Shiro, you're here."
"Yeah. What's the situation?"
"Not sure... looks like two Baroque Works squads are fighting each other."
"Oh? Then do we jump in?"
"No, wait... hehe."
The glint of gold danced in Nami's eyes. After a brief negotiation, the number one billion Berries was tossed around.
"Ha Shiro, I know you're the best," Nami purred, kissing his cheek. "Can you handle this for me?"
"Alright, alright. Leave it to me," he smirked. "But I'll be expecting a reward later."
And in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Elsewhere, Vivi was under attack — a grotesque man launching explosive snot at her.
"Boom!"
"Ugh, that's disgusting."
Ha Shiro appeared behind the attacker and ended him instantly with a single Rankyaku slash.
He turned, spotting a woman hovering above the battlefield — and then crashing face-first into the dirt.
"I've never seen such a stupid woman," he sighed, striding over to help Vivi.
"Princess Vivi, don't worry. I'm here to protect you. Let's regroup with the others."
Ha Shiro slid behind her on the duck's saddle, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"H-Ha Shiro... you know, you really don't have to— ah~!" Vivi's cheeks flushed crimson as the duck bolted forward at Ha Shiro's command.
Meanwhile, Luffy and Zoro were already clashing — though in the end, Nami's twin punches settled things faster than any sword or fist could.
Truly, the real powerhouse of the Straw Hat crew... was Nami.
"Hey, Nami! I brought Princess Vivi back safe and sound—"
Before he could finish bragging, Nami's glare silenced him instantly. Ha Shiro chuckled nervously. As for any "additional rewards," well... best to forget about that.
"Princess Vivi, how's my service? Worth a billion Berries, right?"
"I... I don't have that kind of money..."
"What? You're a princess, aren't you?"
"Alabasta's been taken over... by Baroque Works. By Crocodile!"
"Wait— that Crocodile? One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Just then, something whizzed past overhead.
"Oh great," Ha Shiro sighed. "This just keeps getting better."
Nami slumped to the ground in despair.
"It's fine," Ha Shiro said gently, pulling her close. "As long as I'm here, I'll protect you."
At that exact moment, an absurd scene unfolded — the curly-haired old man tried using a permanent log pose as bait... only to blow himself up in a massive explosion.
"Yeah, that's probably Robin," Ha Shiro muttered. "Maybe I can farm a little experience off her, too."
He carried Nami and Vivi back onto the Merry.
"Captain, go grab those two idiots!" he called out.
"Got it!" Luffy grinned, hauling Sanji and Usopp aboard.
But before the ship could depart, a shadowy figure appeared — a woman in black, calmly taking a seat on the railing.
"My, my... is this lovely lady here for a haircut?" Ha Shiro appeared behind her, fingers lightly brushing her raven hair.
"Please refrain from touching me," Robin said coolly, flicking her wrist. Instantly, Ha Shiro's hand was knocked away by a conjured limb.
"Ha Shiro, stop! She's Crocodile's subordinate — and the only one who knows the truth about Baroque Works!" Vivi shouted urgently.
"It's fine. She's a client now," he said with a smirk.
Slap!
Her hand cracked across his face.
"I just got slapped? Seriously?" Ha Shiro blinked, stunned. "I didn't even do anything yet..."
Before he could respond, Robin calmly handed over a permanent log pose — only for Luffy to immediately crush it.
"A turtle? That's one big turtle!" Luffy exclaimed.
Ha Shiro sighed, an evil grin forming. "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up."
With a sudden burst — Soru! Geppo! — he leapt skyward, appearing in front of Robin.
"Woman, you've caught my attention. And I don't let that go unpaid. Time to collect a little... interest."
Robin's eyes widened. "Moonwalk? Are you from CP9?"
"Never heard of them. I'm just a barber. Picked up a few tricks watching the Marines."
He leaned close, tilting her chin up with one hand. "Now then, as the first woman to hit me in the face... don't you think you owe me an apology?"
"I... I'm sorry..." Robin stammered, trembling slightly.
Ha Shiro smirked. "Good girl." He brushed a strand of her hair away, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Consider that my interest. Next time we meet... you'll owe me again."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Robin standing frozen, her heart pounding.
"Ha Shiro... that man... I won't forgive you!" she shouted after him.
He chuckled softly to himself. "Heh. Maybe I went a little too far that time."