As the Golden Melly glided across the sea of clouds, the crew finally arrived before the great white archway known as the Gate of Heaven.
An elderly woman with small wings fluttered down to greet them, her expression unreadable as she waved them through. With the help of an enormous express shrimp, their ship surged forward, racing straight toward the towering cloud-waterfall ahead.
"Huh?" Ha Shiro narrowed his eyes. "This feeling… someone's watching us. Is it Enel?"
The moment they crossed into the region, a shiver crawled down his spine––as though some invisible eye had fixed itself on him.
Ding-ding~
After landing on the island proper, everyone immediately heard a gentle, melodic sound drifting through the air. A soft piano tune mingled with the rustle of clouds. High above, sitting on a cushion of white vapor, a beautiful young woman plucked a crystal harp.
"Are you visitors from the Blue Sea?" she asked with a polite bow. "My name is Conis."
She had delicate features, soft eyes, and two small antenna-like ornaments rising from her hair—along with a pair of snow-white wings that made her look like an actual angel.
"(⊙o⊙) An angel!" Sanji shrieked, instantly collapsing into worship mode.
"This beautiful angel lady," he declared, falling to his knees, "please allow me the honor of serving you!"
Ha Shiro, unable to restrain his own impulse, immediately strode forward. "Miss Conis, please––let me serve you instead."
"Ha Shiro!"Nami grabbed his ears and yanked him backward with a jealous twitch of her eye.
"OW––ow ow ow! Nami, gentle! Gentler!" Ha Shiro winced, feeling her vinegar practically radiating from her.
"You," Nami scolded, tugging harder, "need to seriously reflect on your behavior!"
Ha Shiro rubbed his ear pitifully as she shoved him aside and sulked.
Toot~
At that moment, a Weiba slid toward them—a strange cloud-powered motor scooter—driven by Conis's father. Luffy immediately jumped on it to try it out and was launched spectacularly into a pile of cloud-bushes.
Nami, however, mastered the Weiba instantly.
With her excitement renewed, she forgot her earlier irritation and began racing around the island, her laughter echoing through the sky.
The others followed Conis's invitation to her home for a meal. Ha Shiro shot a glance toward the direction Nami had zoomed off to, a small knot of worry forming—but seeing her having fun, he let himself relax.
Instead, he turned his focus toward his next target:
Conis.
"Miss Conis," he said, slipping smoothly to her side, "please, allow me to serve you. As a barber, it is my noble duty."
"A barber? Ah, but I…"Conis started to protest, but Ha Shiro already had the cloth draped over her shoulders.
Snip.
In an instant, he was trimming, shaping, and working with meticulous focus.
A warm chime echoed inside his head:
[First Service… Stamina +6999. Hair Resistance Increased. Monthly Step Proficiency Up.]
Ha Shiro's eyes widened in delight. Sky Islanders give this much?He had severely underestimated the value of an angelic client.
In truth, it wasn't simply because she was from Skypiea. Conis possessed her own special abilities—she could control the island's sky beasts, and the energy in her hair reflected that.
"This is incredible," Ha Shiro murmured. "There's so much experience just waiting to be harvested…"
He could barely contain his excitement.
"Hey, dinner's ready! Why hasn't Nami come back yet?" Sanji fretted.
"What? She hasn't returned?" Conis paled. "She might have wandered to the Forbidden Border—the boundary of God's Island…"
Her voice trembled as she explained the one name everyone on Skypiea feared:
Enel.
"Enel, huh?" Ha Shiro muttered. "That's… troublesome."
To be honest, Enel's raw power was nearly comparable to a Marine Vice Admiral—without Luffy's natural lightning immunity, defeating him would be nearly impossible.
"But Nami should be fine," Ha Shiro reasoned quietly. "If something happened, I'd feel it."
Still, he followed the others. He couldn't focus on one woman while another was in danger—Robin was here as well, and he wasn't about to let any of them suffer under his watch.
They wanted to use the Melly to search, but with no wind on the island, moving the ship was nearly impossible. Thankfully, Conis's father hurried to repair the damage Luffy had caused earlier, so they only had to wait a little longer.
Ha Shiro stationed himself nearby, fully alert.
Just then—
"You illegal immigrants…"
A group of men wearing white berets marched out arrogantly. Their captain listed absurd fines and violations, clearly intent on squeezing money out of them.
Luffy, naturally, had no money at all, so the situation devolved into a tense stalemate.
During the argument, Luffy started fishing out of boredom. The fish on Skypiea were enormous—one almost crashed directly into Conis before Ha Shiro punched it unconscious midair.
"Conis, are you okay?"Ha Shiro scooped her up effortlessly, a perfect opportunity to raise affection.
"T-thank you… but could you please put me down?" she mumbled, blushing as she squirmed in his arms.
"Oh—oh! Sorry!" He gently set her down, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
But the berets weren't done. Their captain continued rattling off charges until—
Nami returned.
And the moment she heard their nonsense, she delivered a spinning kick straight into the captain's ribs, launching him into the distance.
That single kick escalated everything.
To buy them time, Conis tried desperately to lure the enforcers away. But this was Luffy—he wasn't going anywhere. The moment the berets pursued them, they were instantly annihilated.
"Shave!"Ha Shiro blurred forward, reaping them like a field of wheat.
[Stamina +193][Stamina +111][Stamina +99]…and more…
He held nothing back, sweeping across the field and collecting over a thousand points of stamina in seconds.
"You won't get away! The priests will come for you!"One of the berets spat out the threat before crawling away.
"Priests? Those leeks?" Ha Shiro snorted. "Perfect for harvesting."
Still, he positioned himself at the perfect vantage point—ready for Enel at any moment.
To avoid dragging Conis and her father into the conflict, the crew prepared to leave. Before their departure, Conis brought them boxed meals and guided them toward the correct path.
"What a kind beauty…" Ha Shiro admired, his eyes lingering.But he noticed the worry etched across her face. Something was wrong.
So he quietly followed her down the dock.
"Hmm? No… I shouldn't go down there." He hesitated, torn. "Miss Conis, I have something to give you."
But then he saw she was wearing the hair armor he had crafted for her.
"This will protect you. I hope you won't need it."Ha Shiro stepped close, embraced her softly, then jumped back onto the Melly.
"Ha Shiro!"Nami stood at the rail, jealousy blazing in her eyes.
"Eh? Nami, wait—I can explain! I'm not—well?!"
Before he could finish, Ha Shiro suddenly grabbed both her and Robin, pulling them tightly against him as his hair exploded outward like a shield.
He had sensed it.
Something massive surged beneath the ship.
A huge express shrimp erupted from the clouds and seized the Melly, dragging them away at high speed.
"Zoro, this one's yours!" Ha Shiro shouted, refusing to leave the women's side for even a second.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—Conis, having revealed the truth to Luffy, triggered divine punishment.
BOOM—
Lightning struck.Even with Ha Shiro's hair armor, she barely survived—saved only by the timely arrival of the Sky Knight.
Enel.A true monster.
"Enel… you bastard…" Ha Shiro growled, feeling the devastation.His hair armor was nearly depleted. He had underestimated the god of Skypiea's power.
But now he was with Nami and Robin. If he had gone alone, he might have lost control entirely.
And one more thing:
After harvesting those berets…His total stamina had surpassed 50,000.
Which meant…
His Devil Fruit was on the verge of awakening.