"Luffy, we have to get Vivi to Alubarna now. And we have to stop Crocodile's plan."Ha Shiro spoke firmly, looking straight at Luffy.
"But this whole place is about to flood! Do you have any bright ideas?"Nami pointed at the seawater spilling endlessly down the walls, her expression tense as she stared at Ha Shiro.
"This…"Truthfully, Ha Shiro did have a solution.But Crocodile hadn't gone far—if he returned to intercept them, the entire Rainbase would become a disaster zone. Acting rashly could drag everyone into even greater danger.
Just as they hesitated, cracks split open across the floor and walls. In the next instant, seawater exploded into the chamber like a living beast, swallowing the ground beneath their feet.
"Ha Shiro, hold on to us!"Vivi and Nami grabbed him tightly, then leaped straight into the torrent.
"I—woah!"Ha Shiro could actually swim… but after eating a Devil Fruit, it didn't matter how skilled he was. In the water, all strength left him. His limbs turned to dead weight, his body sinking like a stone.
Fortunately, the water skills of Vivi and Nami were excellent. Holding onto him between them, they swam with powerful strokes toward the surface.
Ha Shiro's vision blurred; his entire body felt numb and weak. All he could do was hold his breath and hope they reached the surface in time.
Thankfully, the suffocating heaviness didn't last long. The moment they broke through into fresh air, Vivi and Nami dragged him to solid ground.
"Ha Shiro! Wake up! Are you okay!?"Nami immediately knelt and lifted him up.
Vivi hurried to his other side.
Heh. Let's pretend to drown. Let's see how they react.Ha Shiro remained limp, eyes closed, letting seawater trickle from the corner of his mouth.
"Nami, let me try."Vivi leaned in without hesitation.
She began administering mouth-to-mouth, forcing him to expel the water.
Of course, Ha Shiro had zero intention of missing such an opportunity.
"Cough—! Ugh, so uncomfortable…"He let out a weak groan, blinking open his eyes as if dazed. He turned his head, deliberately looking confused as his gaze fell on Vivi.
Vivi, naturally, knew perfectly well he was acting.But instead of exposing him, she simply glared, cheeks flushed.
"Zoro, how did you end up saving him, too?"Nami pointed to where Zoro had dragged a soaked, coughing Smoker onto dry land.
Ha Shiro wasn't interested. He leaned against Nami, perfectly content to let the scene unfold.
Smoker himself made no move to attack; after all, they had saved him from drowning.But the Marines under his command didn't know that—and they certainly didn't hesitate.
"H-HEY! Str—Straw Hats!" a Marine shouted. "Get them! Capture them all!"
"Ha Shiro! Are you sure you're okay? Come on—we've got to go! The Marines are coming!"Luffy grabbed Ha Shiro—still pretending to be weak—and slung him over his shoulder.
"Hey—hey! I said I'm fine! Put me down already!"Ha Shiro was speechless. Being carried like a sack of flour was more humiliation than he expected.
"Luffy!"Not far away, Chopper charged toward them riding a gigantic moving crab, skittering across the sand at impressive speed.
Soon, everyone was piled onto the crab's broad shell.
"What a huge crab… I kinda want to know how it tastes."That was Ha Shiro's first thought—and judging from Luffy's nod, he felt the same way.
Meanwhile, Crocodile arrived back at Rainbase and discovered their escape, along with the insulting note Sanji had left behind. Rage boiled off him like heatwaves.
Just as he seethed, the strands of black hair Ha Shiro had left on the wall twitched and slithered upright.
Crkk—
Those strands crept up in eerie patterns, sending a chill straight into Crocodile's spine.
Of course, the hair barely harmed him—but it infuriated him further.
With a snarl, Crocodile shot out of the casino in pursuit.
Robin lingered behind, staring thoughtfully at the black hair on the floor.
Back on the crab—
They had barely settled when a golden hook shot out of nowhere and yanked Vivi off the crab's back.
Ha Shiro didn't hesitate."Like hell I'm letting you take her!"
He launched forward using Soru and Geppo, catching Vivi mid-air and pulling her safely back.
"I'll stay behind and hold him off!"Luffy grabbed Crocodile's hook with his bare hands—then let himself be pulled away, flying straight toward the Warlord.
"Oi—Luffy! What the hell are you doing!?"Ha Shiro fired his hair forward to pull Luffy back—but couldn't reach him in time.
This was the desert—Crocodile's home turf.Even Ha Shiro wouldn't have it easy here, let alone Luffy.
"Ha Shiro! Protect them for me!"Luffy ignored the hair trying to retrieve him, turning only to shout before facing Crocodile head-on.
"Damn it. Fine—send a puppet. Go!"Ha Shiro clicked his tongue.
Before he could act, the crab beneath them surged forward, running at full speed without giving him any chance to jump off.
He quickly transformed the hair he'd fired into a puppet. The puppet sprinted across the sand toward Luffy.
When it reached him, it unraveled into a cloak of hair that wrapped around Luffy's body.
A black armor formed, enclosing Luffy like a living suit.
"Thanks, Ha Shiro! I'll definitely stop this guy!"Luffy clenched his fists, standing tall with newfound determination.
Crocodile narrowed his eyes.
"So you're eager to die? Then I'll oblige you."He threw down an hourglass."You have three minutes."
The battle erupted immediately.
Even with the hair armor, Luffy could only last a bit longer.Crocodile eventually overpowered him, impaling him and burying him alive beneath the desert sands.
Fortunately, Nico Robin arrived just in time and dug him out before he suffocated.
Furious, Crocodile resumed his chase. Before long, he spotted the giant crab carrying the others.
"Tch… so he really chased us down after all."Ha Shiro closed his eyes. His Observation Haki swept the surroundings instantly.
"Vivi, Nami—stay behind me. I'll stop him."He kissed both of them lightly at the corners of their mouths before leaping off the crab.
"Ha Shiro, be careful!""Ha Shiro—come back to us!"Both girls called after him with trembling voices.They knew that if Crocodile was still pursuing them, it meant Luffy had lost—and Ha Shiro was facing near-certain danger.
"Well… it's been a while since I played the hero. Time to blow off some steam."Ha Shiro cracked his knuckles, eyes brightening with battle lust.
"Boy… that trap of yours earlier—was that your doing? Not bad."Crocodile's killing intent flared like a sandstorm."You can die now."
"Oh? Then come try it."Ha Shiro didn't waste breath."Hair Armor!"
Black strands surged over his body, shaping into armor.
"Desert Spada!"Crocodile swung his arm, slicing the desert open with a massive blade of sand.
"Soru—Rain!"Ha Shiro blurred aside, dodging easily. His long hair exploded outward, firing countless needle-thin strands toward Crocodile.
"Hmph! Sables!"Crocodile hardened part of his body into sand, dispersing most of the damage. Then a towering sandstorm spiraled around him.
"This guy can control the weather now!? Seriously—annoying!Hair Technique: Type One—Hatsuza!"
A gigantic black skeleton formed around Ha Shiro, blocking the oncoming sandstorm.
"Oh? Then try this—Quicksand!"Crocodile slammed a hand into the ground.A massive whirlpool of sand formed beneath the skeleton, dragging it down piece by piece.
"Whoa—this combo's insane! He's locking down all my movements at once."Ha Shiro gritted his teeth.
But he wouldn't sit still.
"Hair Body: Thousand-Hand Formation!Finger-Gun—Thousand Styles!"
Countless massive black arms—made entirely of hair—burst from behind him and hammered down toward Crocodile from all angles, each limb forming different martial arts postures as they attacked.