Ha Shiro finished gathering the last of the "wool" and let out a satisfied breath before walking back over to Vivi's side.
"Vivi, relax. I'm here," he said gently, lowering his voice as if the ship itself might overhear. "No matter what comes our way—even if it's someone terrifying—I'll do everything I can to help you handle it. Here… drink this cold fruit juice I made for you in secret."
He tugged her lightly toward the rear deck—an area that had slowly become his personal territory on the ship.
Ice was a luxury out here. Shiro only had it thanks to what he'd scavenged back on Iron Barrel Island and carefully preserved. Using his hair and a custom-made iron case, he'd managed to store enough to make chilled fruit drinks.
Nami had already enjoyed hers earlier.Of course, during that "earlier," she'd been fed in Shiro's own particular way—mouth to mouth, sharing bites under the guise of "feeding each other."
"Shiro, we're still—mmh—" Vivi tried to resist, but he only chuckled.
"Knew it. Still gotta feed you directly."
…
"Tch… the fruit still has flaws." Shiro clicked his tongue, staring at the remaining four hair-wrapped boxes with mild irritation. "It doesn't even have spatial storage ability."
But that wasn't what mattered right now.The real issue was Crocodile.
Shiro still hadn't awakened armament haki. Mostly because he couldn't be bothered to seriously try.
And honestly? His logic wasn't wrong.
People learned haki best through instinct and trial—look at Luffy. Sure, mentors helped, but in the end, you developed it by fighting, surviving, experimenting.
Shiro's original plan was simple:Grind in the Daughter's Island instance for two straight years, then come out absolutely untouchable.
But facing Logia users… he couldn't coast forever. He needed his own countermeasures, his own techniques. He couldn't just rely on relaxing against soft thighs every day.
Lately he'd been indulging too much, enjoying the company of gentle girls instead of going out to "harvest wool." That wouldn't cut it anymore.
Crocodile.Enel.Both elemental powerhouses.
If he couldn't hit them, he'd just be a punching bag. And that wasn't who Ha Shiro was.
"…Yeah. Time to push my fruit power further," he muttered to himself.
The Devil Fruit had endless potential. Logias and Mythical Zoans weren't unbeatable; he just had to evolve his own ability and fill in his weaknesses. He already had some ideas—Crocodile would be the easiest to test against. His weakness was obvious, after all.
Water.
Before long, the Going Merry reached the island. The manatees continued guarding the ship, so everyone felt safe leaving it behind.
Vivi's goal was clear:find the rebel leader, negotiate peace, and unite forces against Crocodile.
But the desert was brutal.Especially for Shiro, whose long hair made the heat cling to him like a curse.
Still—this was for Vivi. He'd endure it.
At least he'd prepared ahead of time. The four chilled hair-boxes on his back were for this moment.
Soon enough, problems started rolling in.Desert storms.Lost supplies.Luffy separating from the group again.
Shiro didn't even blink. That was just Luffy being Luffy.
During the chaos, he quietly pulled the two women aside and slipped away from the main group. The reason was simple:
If he used his special tricks in front of everyone, he'd never hear the end of it.
"Nami, Vivi—we got separated. But don't worry. I can sense where the others are. We'll meet up in the next town."
He opened a black case behind him with a flourish.
"Look what I prepared for you two—ice-cold juice. Made specially for you."He grinned. "Talk about a lifesaver in a desert, right?"
"Shiro, you even have ice? That's amazing!" Nami practically dove for the orange juice and gulped it down.
"Thank you, Shiro." Vivi drank hers gratefully.
"So? Good, right? I'll try it too. Hehe."Shiro pulled Vivi close and tasted the sweet orange flavor right from her lips—while Nami rode on his back.
"Sh-Shiro? Nami is still—mmh—!" Vivi panicked, glancing between Shiro and Nami's oblivious drinking.
"Wow, it's delicious!" Nami turned around, bright-eyed. "Shiro, aren't you having some?"
"I'm fine. These are for you two. I'll just eat a little crushed ice."His powerful observation-like instinct felt Nami turning around, so he casually released Vivi, scooped up some ice, and popped it into his mouth.
"There's still one bottle left—we can't drink that much. I've got half here. Want to taste this one too?" Nami offered.
"…Sure."Shiro took it casually, though he shot Vivi a knowing look as she pretended to focus only on her juice.
A little later, Shiro shaped his hair into a massive elephant and lifted all three of them onto it. Naturally, he sat in the middle, nestled between both girls—partly to "keep them from falling," partly for… other reasons.
He would've stayed like this forever, but eventually they rejoined the group.
—not because he wanted to stop,but because it was almost lunchtime, and Shiro's cooking was terrible. Only Sanji could save them all.
"WHOA! SHIRO! This elephant is SO COOL!" Luffy's eyes sparkled as he stared at the towering elephant made of hair.
Behind him trotted a rainbow-colored camel.
There was no way Shiro would let Nami or Vivi sit on that cursed thing, so the camel was assigned to carry cargo instead.
"This elephant is my limit. Sorry—I can't make another one. And I have to control it manually, so you'll have to walk yourselves."
"By the way, Sanji—when's lunch?" Shiro called out lazily.
"DAMN IT, YOU BASTARD! GET OUT OF THAT SPOT! DON'T SIT BETWEEN NAMI-SAN AND PRINCESS VIVI!"Sanji's jealousy exploded immediately.
Shiro didn't bother replying—Nami simply tilted her head, flashed a cute smile, and sent Sanji away whimpering.
Ace, meanwhile, observed Shiro quietly.
"…He's strong," Ace murmured.But he didn't challenge him—this wasn't the environment for a duel.
The hair-elephant was hollow inside. People could lie down in it comfortably, and Shiro had even shaped a parasol into its design. Cool air circulated inside like the whole thing had built-in air conditioning.
"Nami, Vivi—I'm going to rest a bit. You two handle steering."Shiro lay back inside the cool elephant body, using Vivi's thighs as a pillow. It was bliss—pure vacation-level comfort.
As for dangers on the road?Luffy could handle them.If anyone picked a fight with Shiro?The elephant's trunk would simply fling them into the horizon.
Unless Crocodile himself appeared, Shiro had no intention of moving.A gentle paradise like this would spoil anyone.
As for shaving the camel or doing other chores?He left everything to his hair puppets. The experience gain was nearly the same anyway.
Eventually, Ace split from the group, leaving Luffy with his life card.
None of them realized how serious the situation was becoming.
Crocodile's forces were already gathering.
A massive war was about to erupt.