Seeing Uta running on the desolate island, Hera could no longer suppress the longing in her heart and jumped straight off the Argo.
The others jumped down one after another. Hancock flatly refused Ain's suggestion to help her float down; instead, she coated her legs in Armament Haki and smashed a large crater into the ground upon landing.
Theseus put away the Argo. Uta looked at the circle of people surrounding her and at Hera, who was hugging her, falling into a state of confusion for a moment.
"Are you... are you Hera? How did you get here? And these people are..."
Hera hurriedly pulled a Little Hera clone out of her City of Devouring Time, though the Little Hera clone was still sucking on a lollipop she had secretly snatched inside the city.
Holding her up, Hera said, "Look at this, you recognize it now, right? It's me! The person who used to play with you all the time back in Foosha Village when we were kids."
Seeing the Little Hera that Hera was holding, Uta became even more bewildered. She had recognized her childhood playmate, but she was still a bit baffled by this sudden turn of events.
"If you're Hera, then what is this in your hand? How has it been so long since we last met that you've multiplied? And she looks exactly like you did when you were little."
After an explanation from Hera, Uta finally understood that the Little Hera in Hera's hand was her clone, and the others who had landed were Hera's companions.
Seeing that Uta believed her, Hera then sent the Little Hera clone back into the City of Devouring Time. Upon returning, Little Hera sat back down within the space of the City of Devouring Time.
She looked at her three companions beside her, then at the mahjong tiles in front of her that had been completely messed up, and was so angry she almost flipped the table.
The three clones playing with her first chuckled secretly, then could no longer hold it in as their laughter grew louder, making the clone who had been pulled out bite down hard on her lollipop in anger.
Gordon, who was waiting in the church for her return from her run, heard a loud noise from outside. Worried about Uta, he rushed out and found her surrounded by the crowd.
Before Uta could explain, Gordon's heart skipped a beat. He immediately rushed over, automatically imagining a scenario where people who had accidentally arrived here were bullying Uta.
Looking at the zombie-like man in front of them, Perona and Ain were also startled. In this desolate atmosphere, the suddenly appearing Gordon was mistaken by them for a zombie.
In her fright, Perona summoned a 'Negative Ghost,' which passed through Gordon's body, causing him to collapse directly onto the ground.
Seeing her adoptive father attacked, Uta hurriedly said, "No! He's my adoptive father. He's been taking care of me here all these years and even taught me singing techniques."
Hearing Uta's cry, Perona realized she might have made a mistake and quickly canceled the Negative Ghost's effect on Gordon, allowing the dejected Gordon to pull himself together.
Hera finally recovered from her excitement and quickly said, "I'm Uta's childhood friend, and these are my companions. We've come to find Uta."
Gordon looked at Uta, who nodded in confirmation. Having heard Hera's words, he finally felt relieved.
Moreover, after snapping out of his preconceived notion that Uta was being bullied by outsiders, Gordon observed closely and realized that everyone who had come was wearing Marine uniforms.
The leader, Hera, even wore the rank of an Admiral, and the others were all Vice Admirals, which left him utterly shocked.
Seeing such a dilapidated island, Hera couldn't help but complain, "That bastard Shanks, why would he leave you here?"
Hearing Hera's complaint, Uta subconsciously thought of the members of the Red Hair Pirates sitting on treasure chests as they sailed away, and the flames on the island. For a moment, her expression turned quite lonely.
Gordon also became tense when he heard Hera mention Shanks in front of Uta.
Noticing the shift in Uta's mood, Hera immediately became a bit flustered. "What's wrong, Uta? Did something happen before?"
By now, Uta had already learned the truth of everything through a Visual Dial she had found on the beach.
At this time, Uta had not yet become the superstar of the future. Without a clear goal, she was far less strong than she was in the original movie version, especially after seeing her close childhood friend.
Uta's long-suppressed emotions erupted, and she couldn't help but pour her heart out to Hera. "Hera, I... I think I did something very wrong and harmful."
Standing aside, Gordon's heart skipped another beat when he heard Uta's trembling voice. He said in disbelief, "How is that possible? Do you know everything now?"
Uta nodded. "While walking on the beach, I found a video den den mushi that recorded the events of that time. I saw the truth in it."
Then, Uta's singing broke the seal of the demon king of song, and the members of the Red Hair Pirates worked together to defeat the demon king of song.
But the destruction caused by Tot Musica on the island was permanent. In the end, Shanks took the other survivors and the treasure, entrusting her to King Gordon.
At this point, Uta was already in tears, letting out everything she had kept hidden in her heart for years.
Hearing Uta's words, Gordon sighed and said with heartache, "It wasn't your fault or Shanks's. It was the demon king of song, Tot Musica, who used your power."
"If anyone is to blame, it's me, the one who failed to prevent the demon king of song's resurrection. I am the greatest sinner."
Hearing this, Hera grew angry. She had originally thought Uta had always been on Shanks's ship until she accidentally chose this place for a concert and awakened the demon king of song.
She hadn't expected it to be like this. She comforted Uta, "It's not your fault; it's the demon king of song's fault. Shanks probably didn't want you to carry this guilt, so he chose to leave."
She couldn't even imagine how a young Uta could accept the betrayal of the Shanks she had always trusted.
Hera thought to herself, "Shanks, where was your Observation Haki that predicts the future? Why didn't you interrupt Uta when she started singing? And this way of handling things is just too presumptuous."
However, she also knew in her heart that for the Shanks of that time, it might have been better to let her think he betrayed her than to let her bear the guilt of destroying a kingdom.
After pouring out the things she had suppressed for so long, Uta suddenly felt much lighter and regained her usual optimistic demeanor.
She took out several sheets of letter paper from behind her and said to Hera:
"Look, Hera! After getting in touch with someone called the Gold Emperor, I've gained my own fans. Many fans even send me letters."
"They also share news from the sea with me. I heard the Marines have a new Admiral named Hera. Under her renown, there are far fewer pirates."
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