Baccarat finally came to her senses, vaguely realizing why the boss attached so much importance to Hera's arrival. It seemed there was an unknown relationship between the boss and Hera.
She said with a bitter smile, "From childhood to adulthood, this is the first time I've lost so badly in terms of luck. I originally thought I was the luckiest person after getting the Luck-Luck Fruit."
Hera patted her shoulder and comforted her, "It's okay, your luck is already stronger than most people's."
Baccarat hid her curiosity and led Hera and the others to the most famous restaurant in Gold City, entering a room that had been reserved in advance.
Gold City truly lived up to its reputation as the world's most luxurious casino. The wealthy Gold Emperor directly bought out the best chefs in the world with money, and the dishes they made had a unique flavor.
Here, one could not only eat ingredients from all four seas but also various specialties from the latter half of the Grand Line and delicacies from Sky Island.
Hera even saw many dishes made from ingredients created by the Big Mom Pirates' ability users.
After taking a bite of a mochi dumpling made from Katakuri's Mochi-Mochi Fruit, Hera couldn't help but exclaim:
"Do the Big Mom Pirates have this business? Ingredients made by strong individuals are indeed more chewy."
Baccarat introduced the special ingredients from various places to everyone, not forgetting to explain the cooking methods and production processes of each ingredient.
Reiju and Perona listened very carefully while eating. After learning that her brother Sanji held the position of chef on the Straw Hat Pirate Crew.
Her sisterly competitive spirit made her voluntarily take on the role of chef for the Argo. She wanted to not only surpass Sanji in strength but also in his most Good at skill, cooking, the next time she saw him.
Perona herself also had some research into cooking. During her time with the Moriah Pirate Crew, she cooked for herself and now helps Reiju as an assistant.
Baccarat noticed Reiju and Perona's interest in cooking methods and secretly arranged for the kitchen to prepare a comprehensive recipe book.
Hera, Ain, and Kuina, on the other hand, turned into big eaters, completely immersed in the delicious food. With Baccarat's introduction, the food in their mouths indeed tasted much better.
After finishing the hedgehog that had been wandering in Sky Island this morning, Hera wiped her mouth contentedly. This meal made her very happy.
In fact, due to the richness of the ingredients here, she enjoyed it even more than the meals she had with Sanji.
After Baccarat ordered the kitchen to serve more desserts and drinks, she also received a notification from the Gold Emperor that the performance was ready, just waiting for Hera's arrival.
Mr. Tanaka and Blueno, who had received the notification, knocked on the door. After hearing Baccarat's permission to enter, they walked in from behind the door.
Baccarat explained, "This is Blueno, the Door-Door Fruit ability user. He will open a door and send us directly to the VIP room. The best seats have been prepared for you."
Hera, who had already hinted to Blueno, was relieved to see him arrive in Gold City as she had expected. It seemed no accidents had occurred.
However, she still showed a hint of surprise and said to Blueno, "Aren't you from CP9? Why are you working here? Are you trying to go undercover again?"
Blueno shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "After you took Tom and left Water Seven, the Straw Hat also came here. We originally wanted to capture Robin, but we were defeated by the Straw Hat."
"The World Government blamed everything on us and directly fired us. Fortunately, the boss here took us in. This time, we are genuinely working here."
Hera nodded. With her ability, the ability she could discern the true emotions in a person's words. Blueno indeed wanted to settle down with the Gold Emperor and had no other intentions.
Hera then asked, "Where's your boss, Lucci? How is he? Are your other companions here too?"
Blueno nodded and said, "Boss Lucci was severely injured after being defeated by Straw Hat Luffy. Thanks to the boss here, he was healed."
Then, he said with a self-deprecating tone, "It's strange, after being defeated by the Straw Hat, I don't know why, but I subconsciously thought of this place."
"But it's quite good here. It gave us, who were fired by the World Government, a way out. Boss Gold Emperor even paid to have our bounties revoked."
Seeing Hera interested in them, Blueno continued to talk about their arrangements here.
"I'm currently working as a bartender here. Sometimes I cooperate with Mr. Tanaka to deliver some distinguished guests and transport supplies. Kaku has returned to his old profession of repairing ships."
"Kalifa became the Gold Emperor's secretary and sometimes uses her Bubble-Bubble Fruit ability to add stage effects to performances."
"Jabra became the casino manager, specifically responsible for receiving wealthy nobles. He also enjoys this deceptive work."
"Kumadori and Fukuro are in charge of security, and Lucci is their superior, specializing in dealing with pirates who cause trouble."
"Aside from Lucci seeming a bit unhappy, everyone else is doing quite well. The work atmosphere here is also very good, it's just that working for a long time makes you feel disconnected from the outside world."
While listening to Blueno, Hera used her ability to sense the spatial power within the two of them.
After realizing that her ability didn't have much desire for their power, and absorbing it would only slightly enhance her physique and the hardness of her spirit dress, she gave up on the idea.
Although Blueno said his work was easy, being able to eat fresh specialties from various places in the kitchen would not be possible without the help of the Door-Door Fruit.
Moreover, if she absorbed the Door-Door Fruit, what would happen when she needed to transport Berries in the future? It wouldn't be realistic for Gold City to travel around the world to pay salaries. Since the improvement wasn't significant, she decided against it.
Furthermore, after absorbing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, her mastery of space had already made a qualitative leap. Hera could now say that she lacked nothing.
"The World Government is not a good place. Being able to leave early and come here is a good destination. Work hard, you will have opportunities to prove yourselves."
While encouraging Blueno, the power of her ability followed her voice and infiltrated Blueno's body, combining with the power Hera had already embedded within him.
Since she didn't plan to absorb his power, she needed to deepen her control over Blueno. This ability to cross space had to be in the hands of her own people.
Moreover, Hera was planning to have him transport Berries to various places later, so it was even more important to deepen her control.
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