"Rookie."
Without even bothering to look back, Ha Shiro sliced off half the man's hair in one clean motion. He didn't linger—just walked away with the other two as if nothing had happened.
Not far from the tavern, they happened to run into Blackbeard. Under his fiery, passionate speech, both Luffy and Zoro managed to pull themselves together again.
"You don't have to carry them," Ha Shiro muttered as he passed. "They'll be fine."
"Unbelievable…" Nami grumbled.
Even though she felt strangely safe leaning against Ha Shiro, the more she thought about what had happened earlier, the more irritated she became. By the time she returned, she was in a terrible mood, sulking without saying a word.
Fortunately, Robin did not disappoint the crew. She arrived with a newly drawn map.
With a clear goal ahead, everyone regained some hope.
Ha Shiro, however, was already thinking about what came next.
Their journey to Skypiea was filled with hazards—most notably, the unpredictable divine judgments that could strike from nowhere. He would have to protect both women the entire way.
Before long, the Merry halted before a castle.
Next came the plot involving Rolando's descendant—something Luffy and the others would inevitably trigger. Ha Shiro left them to it and went straight to the bedroom, where he found Robin sorting through her haul of the day.
"You bought that many clothes? Are the outfits I designed for you not good enough?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"You do know a woman needs different clothes every day, right?" Robin replied, not looking back. "And some of this is for Nami. I borrowed her outfit the other day, so I thought it was only fair."
Ha Shiro looked around. The bedroom was enormous, yet Nami's clothes practically filled the entire wardrobe.
"You can use the smaller space where I used to sleep. You should have your own wardrobe anyway. Just leave me a small section."
"Oh? You're trying to hide things from me?" Robin teased lightly. "Still… you're right. That space is actually perfect."
She immediately began reorganizing. In the end, she left Ha Shiro a pitiful little section—barely fifteen centimeters wide—for his clothes and bedding.
"You're kidding me… You're using that much space?" Ha Shiro stared speechlessly at the cramped corner that was supposed to be his.
"As compensation," Robin said with a faint smile, "I'll permit you to move now."
She caught his subtle shifting instantly and tugged both her quilt and Nami's to the center of the large bed.
"Well… alright. I guess that works." Ha Shiro scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
He dragged his mattress over and placed it right between them.
"Perfect," he said.
"You haven't been punished in a while, have you?" Robin said sweetly—then mimicked Nami and smacked her fist onto his head.
"Geh—! Ow…!" Ha Shiro clutched his head, more surprised than hurt. He didn't fight back.
When he saw she wasn't pushing his mattress away, he let out a breath of relief.Getting hit was worth it.
"Robin! Ha Shiro! Dinner's ready! Hurry up!" Nami's voice echoed from outside.
During the meal, the crew learned the tale of Roland and the legendary Sky Island—and more importantly, how to reach it. They needed to ride the knock-up stream and, to find it, catch a bird that always pointed south: the Southbird.
The current would appear soon. Time was tight—they had to find the bird before nightfall.
Everyone set off immediately, crossing to the next island.
The group split up as usual.
Naturally, Ha Shiro took Robin and Nami with him. No one objected. With Ha Shiro's personality, this was normal—and he had always been reliable. When he said he would protect someone, he never let them get hurt. Even if he was injured, he'd never let harm touch them.
The jungle teemed with insects, which Nami absolutely hated. She kept clinging tightly to Ha Shiro's side.
"It's fine. I'm here," he said, flicking bugs and moths away without killing them. If he killed them all, Nami would lose her excuse to stay glued to him.
Before long, everyone regrouped. Robin captured the foul-smelling Southbird.
When they returned to the shore, they found the Merry heavily damaged. The diamond-faced uncle lay on the ground, gravely injured.
"Bellamy really never learns," Ha Shiro sighed, watching Luffy's silhouette racing into the distance.
He joined the makeshift repair crew immediately.
After a full night of hard work, the Merry emerged reborn:The Golden Merry, reinforced and fitted with wings.
She looked magnificent riding the wind.
The crew boarded and, guided by the Southbird, sailed south toward the direction of the giant cumulus cloud.
What the Straw Hats didn't know was that Blackbeard had set his sights on them.
Ha Shiro knew the man would never catch up. With no wings on his raft, reaching Sky Island was impossible for him. Still, Ha Shiro made certain preparations—just in case.
The knock-up stream resembled a tornado, possibly the result of an undersea volcanic eruption.
The Golden Merry took position at the center of the whirlpool, waiting for the current.
Blackbeard approached during the wait.
"He came after all? Too late, though."Ha Shiro stood on deck, watched the rising current, and smiled.
WHOOM—!A massive impact erupted from below, blasting Blackbeard's raft to pieces.
Under Nami's command, the Golden Merry shot upward and soared into the sky.
"This is bad—shock incoming! Nami! Robin!" Ha Shiro shouted.
He grabbed both women at once, activated his ability, and sheltered them inside the prison space.
BOOM—!
The Golden Merry landed safely in the White Sea, though the impact destroyed both wing sets.
"Nami, Robin, are you two okay?" Ha Shiro asked as he released the ability.
The altitude—around seven thousand meters—was already making him short of breath. He inhaled deeply, adjusting to the thin air.
Before anyone could react further, a figure plummeted from the sky, knocking several of the crew off their feet and aiming straight for the Merry.
"Courting death!" Ha Shiro flared with power, ready to intercept.
At that moment, an elderly man riding a pegasus swooped down and repelled the attacker. He introduced himself as a Sky Knight and gave them a general explanation of the island.
Sky Island had two layers:
The lower level at 7,000 meters
The upper level at 10,000 meters
He left them with a whistle—essentially a communication device—but incredibly pricey: five million Sky currency, about fifty thousand Berries.
After he departed, everyone slowly adapted to the new environment.
As they explored, they soon discovered a building made of clouds, complete with a cloud waterfall.
It appeared to be the only structure around, so they headed toward it.
To be honest, Ha Shiro was fascinated. Clouds you could walk on? Sail on? Build with?
He didn't understand the principle at all—but it was incredible.