A short while later, Haredas returned with several other residents. They all wore similar clothes, but in different colors. They were also quite short, dwarfed by the average height in the One Piece world. Even Shirakawa, who was considered short for his age, towered over them.
"So this is the one who wants to live here?" one of the elderly men asked, examining Shirakawa with a magnifying glass.
"Hey, have you seen enough?" Shirakawa said, annoyed by their scrutiny.
"No," another man replied firmly.
"Why not?"
"Because everyone here is a meteorologist. You're not, so you can't live here."
"Really? But I have money," Shirakawa said, emphasizing the word "money."
The scientists' eyes lit up.
"If you have money, we can negotiate," one of them said. After all, their research required funding.
"But it'll cost you a lot to live here. And you'll have to pay every year."
"No problem. How much?"
"Give us a moment to discuss it."
The scientists huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. Shirakawa resisted the urge to eavesdrop with his Observation Haki.
They returned a few minutes later. The tallest of them spoke. "We require an annual payment of 100,000 berries."
"100,000 berries? That's not much," Shirakawa thought they would demand a much higher price. It seemed he had underestimated their kindness.
He took out a stack of 10,000 berry notes from his pocket. There were about ten of them, totaling 100 million berries. These were parting gifts from Buggy, who had reluctantly handed them over with a pained expression.
The scientists' eyes widened as Shirakawa peeled off ten notes.
"Wait! We need to renegotiate!" the tall one exclaimed.
The others nodded eagerly. That much money could fund their research for years.
Shirakawa smirked, knowing what they were thinking.
"No need. I'll give you all this money, but I have one condition."
"What is it? Anything within our power, we'll do it!" they said, practically drooling over the money.
"I was planning to build my own house, but I'll leave it to you. I'll be leaving soon anyway."
"No problem!" They readily agreed. Building a house was a simple task.
"Build it next to Haredas's house."
"Consider it done!"
"Why next to my house?" Haredas asked, bewildered.
"Next to his house it is!" the tall scientist declared, and the others chimed in, silencing Haredas's protests. They weren't going to lose such a generous benefactor because of him.
"Fine," Haredas grumbled, outnumbered.
Shirakawa smiled to himself. He had a feeling Nami would end up here someday. While he wasn't particularly interested in the Straw Hat crew, he was curious to see the familiar characters in person.
Besides, Weatheria was the perfect hideaway. A moving island, its location constantly changing with the wind, was ideal for someone like him, the Silver King, who needed a discreet base of operations.
"Can we have the money now?" the scientists asked impatiently, their eyes fixed on the stack of bills in Shirakawa's hand.
"Sure." Shirakawa tossed the money in the air, and the scientists scrambled to grab it, including Haredas. He had made a sacrifice, after all, and deserved a share of the reward.
Moments later, the money was divided, and the scientists looked at the scattered scraps on the ground with regret. They shouldn't have been so hasty.
Haredas, being the smallest, had gotten the least. He sulked in a corner.
"Don't worry. I have more," Shirakawa whispered to him, putting an arm around his shoulder.
"Really?" Haredas's eyes lit up.
"Of course. Why would I lie to you?"
"That's great! So, would you..." Haredas rubbed his hands together expectantly.
"Sure."
Haredas's face creased into a wide smile.
"Okay, let's go."
The two walked away, Shirakawa's arm still around Haredas's shoulders. The height difference made for a comical sight, with Haredas's feet barely touching the ground.
Once they were alone, Shirakawa handed Haredas another stack of bills, about 10 million berries this time.
Money meant little to Shirakawa. He could always plunder another pirate ship or, if necessary, defeat a few wanted criminals and collect their bounties in disguise.
It was better to use his wealth to build good relationships, even if those relationships might not be immediately useful.
Shirakawa then plucked a hair from Haredas's head.
"Ouch! What was that for?" Haredas yelped.
"10 million berries for one hair. Fair trade?"
"Deal! I have plenty more hair. Want a few more?"
"No, one is enough. This is my compass to return to this island in the future."
Shirakawa needed something from Haredas to create a Vivre Card. While Vivre Cards were typically made from fingernails, hair should work too, since it also contained genetic material.