When Ha Shiro returned to the Merry, every single person on board was staring at him as if he'd just grown a second head.
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA! Ha Shiro got beaten up! Hahaha!"Luffy was the first to crack, bursting into uncontrollable laughter.
To be fair, he had a point. Throughout their entire journey, Ha Shiro had never really taken an actual loss. Even when he crossed paths with Dracula Mihawk, he'd only sacrificed a bit of hair.
"HAHAHAHAHA—!"Zoro followed suit, and soon the entire crew erupted in laughter.
Only Vivi stood there blinking in confusion.
It was the first time Ha Shiro had ever been forced into a disadvantage, and for the whole crew, it felt oddly refreshing—maybe even satisfying.
"What's so funny? Nami, why are you covering your mouth like that?"Ha Shiro sighed helplessly, plopped down in a random spot, and tried to ignore the idiots around him.
"Okay, okay, don't be mad—haha~"Nami approached, meaning to console him, but the instant she saw the red handprint on his cheek, she broke down laughing anyway.
"Nami… you looking for a fight?"
Smack—!Ha Shiro flicked her on the butt.
"Ah! Ha Shiro, you—!"
BONK!A fresh lump appeared on Ha Shiro's head.
The ship continued sailing and soon arrived at the legendary Little Garden.
Despite the name, Little Garden was anything but small. It was home to dinosaurs and giants—an ancient world frozen in time.
"What kind of surprises are these giants going to bring me? Hm… actually, why don't I just shave them? I did prepare a giant pair of scissors."
To match his unique "hair-fruit warrior" persona, Ha Shiro had forged an enormous pair of scissors back in Rogue Town.They were nearly as tall as a grown man, yet surprisingly manageable to carry.
He wanted to forge an even larger pair, honestly—but portability mattered, and these were more than enough for dealing with giants.
Soon, the crew disembarked into the primeval jungle.
"Vivi, if you're going exploring with Luffy, you should wear this underneath your clothes."Ha Shiro said this gently, slipping soft hair-woven protective coats into the inner garments of both women.
"This thing is wrapped so tight… do I really have to wear it?"Nami complained, pouting. It was an excuse—she was actually jealous that Ha Shiro had prepared one for Vivi too.
"I won't be on the ship to protect you, since I'm going out to gather ingredients. So you'll have to put up with it for now."Ha Shiro's face reddened slightly.
Crap. This feeling… am I going to nosebleed? No—better leave before they notice!
He vanished from sight with a leap.
"Alright, time to find a good spot to watch the show. And maybe get some dinosaur meat while I'm at it."
He moved through the forest, hunting.
Truthfully, he had a plan this time.It wasn't always fun to swoop in heroically and save the girls at the last second.They were walking experience points—why should someone else get to farm them instead?
Not long after, thunderous tremors shook the earth.The two giants were already fighting.
"So it begins, huh? Ooh—this herbivore meat smells way better than the carnivore kind."
Moments later, Ha Shiro returned to the Merry, carrying two enormous plant-eating dinosaurs, bound neatly like dumplings.
But the deck was empty.
"Huh? Everyone's gone? …Wait. This feeling… Don't tell me they've already been captured? How long was I gone—ten minutes?!"
Dropping the two dinosaurs, Ha Shiro dashed in a certain direction.
In the center clearing of Little Garden, the ground had been smashed flat by giant footsteps.Both giants had been subdued, immobilized by wax.
"Hmm, perfect timing."
Ha Shiro appeared above the battlefield and attacked the two giants pinning Zoro and Vivi, both of whom were trapped in a massive wax sculpture.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Pretending I'm not here?"Zoro yelled, about to cut his legs off to escape just as Ha Shiro landed atop the candle structure.
"Ha Shiro!"
"You bastard! You finally showed up!"Zoro grinned with relief.
Nami immediately dove straight into Ha Shiro's arms.
"Seriously… I go hunting for reserve food for a bit, and you all manage to get yourselves captured this fast?"
BOOM—!Ha Shiro kicked the towering wax structure behind him.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. That candle's extremely hard—"
"???"
Mr. 3 spotted him mid-kick and widened his eyes, ready to mock him——only to watch the "indestructible" candle snap cleanly in half.
Within seconds, Ha Shiro pulled both stiff, half-solidified women free.
"This Mr. 3 guy really has… uh… interesting hobbies. Even likes playing with dripping wax."
WHAM—!
Suddenly, a hardened projectile—booger-shaped and disgusting—shot toward the trio. Smoke and dust billowed everywhere.
"Ha Shiro!"Zoro roared. He'd finally broken free and glared at the attacker.
"Tch!"
Ha Shiro stepped in front of Nami and Vivi, shielding them with his back.Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth; his back was pitch-black, as if scorched.
Of course… he was acting.The blood was from his storage, carefully spat out for effect.
"Ha Shiro, are you okay?!"
"Ha Shiro…!"Both women were still stiff from the wax, barely able to cling to each other.
Bam! Bam! Bam—!More attacks slammed into Ha Shiro's back.
"Zoro! What the hell are you doing?!"Ha Shiro shouted while tanking the hits, then collapsed backward with both women still in his arms.
He was speechless.Why was Zoro just… standing there?!
"I want to move, but my body isn't listening…"Zoro groaned. His legs wobbled. He'd need a moment before he could act.
"So I'm the only one who can move? Figures… The 'injured hero' act should be enough."
Ha Shiro prepared to counterattack——but suddenly, an unfamiliar force washed over him.
A strange emotion.His abilities faltered.
"I can't use Tempest Kick?"
Right as he was about to strike, two glowing red markings appeared across the bodies of Nami and Vivi.
Ha Shiro froze, retracting his kick.
"Mm—Ha Shiro? What are you doing…?"
Both women inhaled sharply.
"Damn it—Nami, Vivi, listen! This is something weird—"
"Then why aren't you taking your hand away?"
"Mm—"
"Eh? S-Sorry! Sorry!"
Ha Shiro ripped his hand back, swallowing hard.
He tried to lift the two women to safety——but his hands kept drifting toward the glowing red markings, pulled in by some strange compulsion.
"Ah! H-Ha Shiro, you're doing it again!"
"No—he's trying to save us. We just have to endure it… Ha Shiro, please get us out of this range quickly."Vivi, familiar with Miss Goldenweek's ability, didn't blame him—but her face burned red all the same.
"Forgive me…"
Ha Shiro hoisted the two blushing women with one arm around each waist and retreated.
"Zoro, Luffy—handle the rest!"
Luffy arrived just in time.
"As expected, that little Miss understands me best. I really should thank her later…"
Ha Shiro mentally noted the favor, then carried the two women toward the mountains behind the giants.
By now, both giants' long hair had already fallen away—Ha Shiro had helped himself, naturally.And he'd absorbed nearly 5,000 points of physical strength and giant power.
"Damn, why are these markings still here…? Let me wipe them off."
"Ha Shiro, don't—!"
"…"
SLAP! SLAP!
Two bright red handprints appeared on Ha Shiro's face.
He grinned triumphantly anyway.