Shyarly looked at Hera like she had seen a ghost, but she still put away the gold on the table: "Little girl, I have made so many prophecies, but this is the one that has surprised me the most."
Hera nodded: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Shyarly looked at the calm Hera but still felt a bit uneasy; the image of the kidnapped Celestial Dragon from her prophecy lingered in her mind.
Having received the prophecy she wanted, Hera left satisfied and went to enjoy coffee with her crew.
Shyarly touched the shattered crystal ball: "This is truly... I never expected to see such a scene one day." She felt a sense of anticipation for the future.
Hera's group soon arrived at the plaza, where Queen Otohime was handing out flyers in the center: "Everyone, please sign this petition supporting the coexistence of humans and merfolk."
Queen Otohime was a goldfish mermaid of the mermaid race, with a human upper body and a goldfish lower body.
She had wavy long golden hair and large blue eyes. An orange crown-shaped hairclip held her long hair back. She wore an orange robe with a fish-scale pattern, with the patterns becoming denser at the cuffs and tail. A red sash with white edges was tied around her waist, secured further with a white ribbon.
Her eyes were filled with gentleness, and even the children were affected, playing and frolicking with her.
While handing out the petition, Queen Otohime saw Hera's group and greeted them warmly.
"You must be Hera. I heard from Jinbe about your crackdown on slave traders and your rescue of our mermaid companions. Thank you very much for your contribution to Fish-Man Island." As she spoke, Queen Otohime moved to bow to Hera.
Hera quickly stopped Queen Otohime: "It's what I should do. If anything, I should apologize to you for the Marine's long-standing indifference toward slave traders."
Just then, a crisis emerged. A Fishman approached Queen Otohime, his hand reaching for a hidden weapon. On the other side, Hody Jones also raised a gun, prepared to deliver the final blow.
Hera's Observation Haki detected this trace of malice. Acting first, as her Observation Haki expanded, she discovered both the nearby Fishman and the enemy in the shadows.
Moving even faster than the assassin Fishman was Hera's City of Devouring Time. The moment he pulled out his knife, dark shadows swirled around his body, freezing his descending blade in mid-air.
Seeing this, Hody Jones cursed "Damn it" in his heart and quickly fired a bullet.
The moment Hera moved, Kuina also reacted. Her wado ichimonji precisely sliced through the bullet fired by Hody Jones. Beside her, Nami transformed directly into a bolt of lightning, searching for the source of the gunshot.
Hody Jones realized something was wrong; the strength of these Marines was much greater than he had imagined. But at this point, there was no turning back. The plaza where Queen Otohime was had been blockaded by the New Fish-Man Pirates at some point.
Hera took out saikū and forging sky and began deploying her team: "Perona, use your astral projection to find King Neptune directly. Ain and Kuina, protect Queen Otohime and Perona's physical body."
Then she looked toward Nami, who had encountered Hody Jones head-on. Relying on the mobility of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, she was continuously striking her opponent with electricity.
Hera was still a bit worried about Nami. After all, Nami had only recently eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and she didn't know if Hody Jones had mastered Armament Haki. With a slash of saikū, she took Nami's place and faced Hody Jones.
"Go and knock out those thugs from the New Fish-Man Pirates with your lightning. Remember, we're underwater; be careful with the bubble coating on your body and don't cause too much of a commotion. Also, try not to kill these Fishmen. Prioritize self-protection, and if you encounter a difficult opponent, fall back toward Kuina."
Hody Jones, who was already annoyed by Nami's electricity, flew into a rage upon facing a new opponent. His hands clawed toward Hera as he shouted: "Despicable Marine, how dare you plot against our Queen Otohime! Taste my 'Soshu'!"
Hearing Hody Jones try to smear her even while fighting, Hera grew angry. The ability seemed to feel Hera's anger as well, and a white light gathered on saikū.
The Cancer Sword intercepted Hody Jones's hands. Feeling the pain, Hody Jones quickly dodged the blow.
Realizing he was no match in a direct clash, Hody Jones changed his strategy. He grabbed the seawater: "Mizukokoro: Yabusame!" The seawater transformed into sharks and lunged at Hera, attempting to destroy the bubble coating on her body.
The saikū in Hera's hand transformed into the minute hand. Black bullets infused with Armament Haki met the sharks, blowing apart Hody Jones's technique. Her contemptuous gaze seemed to say, "Is that all?"
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