On the other side, Hera and the others arrived at the port during the New Year. Garp was roasting a massive Sea King he had hauled over. Seeing Zephyr follow them, he greeted him warmly.
"Zephyr, you're here too. It looks like you've given my granddaughter a bit of a test. Well? Are you satisfied with her progress?"
Zephyr nodded. "Her physical abilities are now at least twice as strong as when she first awakened. She can practically be compared to that monster, Big Mom."
Garp laughed heartily. "Of course! Just look at who raised Hera."
Zephyr felt a bit frustrated hearing that. "You old rascal, you're so lucky. Why can't I pick up such a strong granddaughter?"
Most people close to Garp knew that he had found Hera. They were all green with envy. Not only did Garp have a grandson, but the granddaughter he picked up was both powerful and rooted in the Marine. It was truly enviable.
Having trained for a long time, Hera and the others were already starving, their eyes glowing green with hunger. Upon seeing the roasted Sea King, they abandoned all ladylike etiquette and rushed forward. Hera didn't forget to take out the fish she had stored from the Sky Island to give to Garp.
"These are Sky Island fish I caught up there. They have a different texture than Sea Kings and are incredibly delicious. Grandpa Garp, you should try some too."
Garp happily began roasting the fish Hera had produced, not forgetting to show off to Zephyr. "Look, this is my granddaughter. Even when she's out on an adventure, she doesn't forget to bring back good things for me."
Zephyr irritably snatched a few. "So what? She's also my disciple. These are for us. Who said you could hog them all?"
Watching Zephyr snatch the fish, Garp tried to grab them back while saying, "Tch, I was just thinking of roasting them for you."
Zephyr pushed Garp's large hand away again. "As if you're the only one who can roast! Today, I'm going to let Hera taste my skills too." As he spoke, he even released his Observation Haki to strictly monitor the heat of the grilled fish.
The ingredients gradually dwindled under the roasting competition between the two old men until Hera and the others could eat no more. Only then did the banquet come to an end.
Several days passed since the banquet. Hera and the others trained with Zephyr during the day and ate barbecue at night. Under Zephyr's tutelage, the new team members, Nami and Perona, both mastered the Six Powers.
The argo had sustained some damage over a series of voyages and had only recently finished maintenance at the Marine Repair Yard.
Looking at the refreshed argo, Hera suddenly thought of something. The ark she had seized on the Sky Island was still lying in the City of Devouring Time. So, she asked Teacher Zephyr for some time off and ran to find Admiral Kizaru.
Hera knocked on Kizaru's office door, and his languid voice drifted from inside. "Come in, the door's unlocked."
Kizaru put down the newspaper in his hand and saw Hera enter. "Oh~, little girl, what brings you to me? Let's get this straight, an Admiral is very busy, you know."
Hera didn't believe Kizaru's nonsense for a second—busy enough to read the newspaper, right? She said, "Admiral Kizaru, when I went to the Sky Island, I found a special ship made of gold that can fly by using the Rumble-Rumble Fruit for power. I want to go to Egghead Island to see if I can combine this ship with my argo."
Kizaru became somewhat curious. He knew his old friend Vegapunk loved researching these novel gadgets. He asked with a hint of seriousness, "Oh? Can this ship really fly? How high can it go?"
Hera thought for a moment. In her past life, Eneru had flown all the way to the moon, so it must be some kind of high-tech. She replied, "According to the records of the Sky Island people, this thing supposedly came down from the moon. It might be able to fly straight back to it."
Kizaru realized this thing was not simple, but he still had some concerns. "Egghead Island is strictly controlled by the World Government. It's difficult for me to bring people in, let alone such a large ship. Where are you keeping it?"
Hera said, "Don't worry, I can sink the ship into the City of Devouring Time. After you take me inside, I can also hide in your shadow."
Kizaru was curious about Hera's endless stream of abilities. He had never heard of a devil fruit with so many powers. However, thinking it might be some special Mythical Zoan, he didn't ask further.
"That could work. When do you plan to set off?"
Hera was happy to hear Kizaru agree. "Anytime is fine, but the sooner the better."
Kizaru thought about his recent schedule. "Alright, there's a rotation of troops just before the New Year. I'll take you then and we'll come back together after two days. Right now is a critical period for the development of the Pacifista, and the World Government is keeping a very close eye on Vegapunk's side."
Hera nodded. Meeting Vegapunk was for the best. As long as Kuma's memories were preserved, the enhanced 'Fourth Bullet' could restore Kuma's physical body, allowing him to be resurrected from his robotic body in the near future.
Seeing that Hera had nothing else, Kizaru picked up the newspaper again. "I'll call you when the time comes. Remember to bring the argo and the ark. If there's nothing else, you can head back."
Hera left the office. "Then I'll be going. Make sure to call me when we leave!" She didn't forget to close the door behind her.
Watching Hera's departing figure, Kizaru's intuition told him that his slacking time might be getting shorter and shorter. He sighed, "As expected of Garp's granddaughter. Young people just can't stay still."
Soon, the appointed time arrived. Hera disguised herself as Kizaru's adjutant and blended into the rotation team. After arriving at Egghead Island, she didn't have time to marvel at the futuristic technology before hiding in Kizaru's shadow and meeting Vegapunk.
Kizaru gestured to Vegapunk, who immediately understood and took him to his secret research site.
Hera floated out from the shadow. Vegapunk looked the little girl over curiously. "What a miraculous ability. Can I draw some of your blood?"
Hera said, "As long as it's not used for cloning, it's fine." She was also curious about what Vegapunk could discover from her blood, but clones were out of the question; her 'Eighth Bullet' could already do that.
Vegapunk extracted a bit of Hera's blood, and Kizaru explained their purpose. "Do you remember the argo you designed before? Hera found something that's likely lunar technology and wants you to help her upgrade the ship."
Vegapunk's attention was focused on Hera's blood. He had never seen blood with such exaggerated vitality. After being extracted, the blood remained violently active for a while before returning to calm, and the spiritual power within it dissipated.
Vegapunk noticed a difference. The blood of Devil Fruit ability users also carries the power of the Devil Fruit. Hera was different; the power in her blood would rapidly dissipate upon reaching the outside world, as if it had lost its power source.
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