Before Hera could react to the sudden change, she felt the world spinning as Perona picked her up.
Looking at Perona, who had turned from tsundere to yandere because she had been neglected for so long, Hera swallowed hard, a bad premonition welling up in her mind.
Perona threw the trembling Hera onto the bed, her eyes gleaming: "That's right, the Captain is still a child after all. There are some things that an adult like me needs to teach her."
At this moment, Hera felt deeply regretful for not making enough time to spend alone with Perona, yet an inexplicable emotion made her unwilling to run away.
Perona lay down on the bed following Hera's figure, looking at Hera pinned beneath her: "It's all your fault, you know? It's all because you snatched me away."
Then, she directly sealed Hera's lips.
That night, all the Little Heras guessed wrong, because Perona didn't give Hera any opening to beg for mercy.
The people eavesdropping nearby chuckled. Because it was so sudden, Hera didn't even have time to release the City of Devouring Time; it was Kuina who released her spirit dress to isolate the sound from the outside world.
A hint of anticipation appeared on Reiju's face; next, it should be her turn.
Nami's face flushed: "Perona is so bold, and I didn't expect her to be so assertive."
However, the eavesdropping plan was soon seen through by Hera, who sensed the fluctuations of spiritual power. She forced herself to focus and released the City of Devouring Time.
Feeling the isolation of the shadows, Ain sighed in disappointment: "Sigh, so thin-skinned."
With no more show to watch, everyone disappointedly pulled their ears away from the wall and went to sleep.
The isolation of the City of Devouring Time lasted until the next morning. When Perona finally came to her senses and realized what she had done, she left the room with a flushed face.
Reiju brought food to Hera's bedside. Hera looked indignantly at the snickering Reiju and asked, "Did you leave something in this room?"
Reiju stroked the Slime in her hand and said, "It was nothing. I just saw how dishonest Perona was being and left a little poison that would make her speak her mind."
"At most, it just gives her a feeling like being slightly drunk. Besides, if you hadn't stayed away for so long, causing her to wait in the living room for ages, it wouldn't have happened."
"I didn't put anything in the room itself."
Knowing she was in the wrong, Hera couldn't really get angry. She had indeed neglected Perona's feelings, but she was still a bit disgruntled by Reiju's scheming.
Taking advantage of Hera's weakened state, Reiju patted Hera's head and smiled with satisfaction. Then, her aggressive gaze swept over Hera on the bed:
"Next, it's my turn. You can look forward to it."
Hera's face immediately turned red with embarrassment, and her hands flailed toward Reiju, but in Reiju's eyes, Hera looked like a cute kitten right now.
Reiju patted Hera's head again and placed the food on the nightstand: "Alright, we'll talk after you've recovered a bit."
Then, after kissing Hera's forehead, she left.
In the following days, the Marines were busy cleaning up after the Marineford War. With the help of Little Hera's 'Fourth Bullet' and 'Aquarius Bullet', the treatment of the wounded went very smoothly.
Akainu had one arm severed by Shanks during the pursuit and took a solid, furious blow from Whitebeard, leaving Hera without any good treatment plan for him.
Of course, it wasn't that there was no way at all, but Hera was very dissatisfied with Akainu's disregard for the lives of fellow Marines during the battle. Coupled with the past Buster Call incident, she did not heal Akainu's severed arm.
With his strength significantly diminished and having chosen to defy orders during the Marineford War, Akainu had also earned Sengoku's deep dissatisfaction.
Taking advantage of the grand victory in the Marineford War, Sengoku conveyed his dissatisfaction during his report.
Soon, an order from the World Government arrived. Due to his insubordination, Akainu was demoted from Admiral to a Special Vice Admiral, and the vacant Admiral position was to be filled by Hera.
The crew of the Argo had all mastered at least one type of Haki. Based on their outstanding performance in this war, they were all promoted to Vice Admiral.
Upon receiving the news, Garp excitedly brought it to Hera, who was purchasing supplies at Marineford and preparing to set sail again.
Although Hera was a bit excited to hear the news, she still asked about her biggest concern: "Then what about my movements? They won't assign me specific tasks, will they?"
Garp patted Hera's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, that fellow Sengoku already knew what you were worried about. The position he arranged for you is to be stationed at Marineford."
"Aside from old-generation sea legends like Whitebeard and Golden Lion, who else would attack Marineford for no reason? Besides, I'm guarding this place too, so you can go wherever you want without a problem."
Hera remembered that in the original world, Fleet Admiral Sengoku wanted to resign after this war, so she quickly asked for news about him.
Garp laughed and said, "Him? When he thinks about how the Marines suffered almost no casualties while achieving their goals, and how there are much fewer pirates now..."
"...he's so happy that even the wrinkles around his eyes have lessened. He's experiencing a second youth right now. He's thinking about staying in the Fleet Admiral position for a few more years, ideally ending the Great Pirate Era during his tenure."
Then, as if remembering something, Garp said, "What, do you want to be the Fleet Admiral directly? Do you need me to give that old brat a beating so he'll hurry up and step down for you?"
"But I have to warn you first, that Fleet Admiral position isn't easy. That fellow Sengoku hasn't been out in the field for a long time; he's exhausted every day by all that paperwork."
"You need to think it through. If you become the Fleet Admiral, your freedom will truly be restricted, and your age is also an issue."
Hera said, caught between laughter and tears, "What are you thinking, Grandpa Garp? I was just concerned about his condition; I have no intention of becoming the Fleet Admiral yet."
Hearing Hera say that, Garp added, "I see, that's fine too. But don't worry, if you need the Marines to take action, just say the word. That brat Kuzan and I will both support you."
Hera nodded and said, "Don't worry, Grandpa Garp, I won't be polite when I need the Marines. By the way, Grandpa Garp, has my code name been decided?"
Garp scratched his head and said, "Right, I called you about that. They haven't decided yet. Do you have any ideas? It's best if it's a color plus an animal. How about 'Black Cat'?"
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