Several days had passed since Sabo's departure, and Hera had gradually become familiar with the use of the Second Bullet. Corresponding to the First Bullet, which could accelerate the time of whatever it hit, the Second Bullet could slow down the time of whatever it hit.
On one hand, it could be used against enemies; on the other hand, if a companion suffered a serious injury like major bleeding, it could slow down the rate of blood loss. It could be considered both offensive and defensive.
Based on the principle that if others slow down while I stay at normal speed, it's basically like the opponent is imprisoned. Combined, it's roughly a low-end version of a localized time stop. As Hera thought about it, she started giggling foolishly.
"What kind of expression are you making with that cute face of yours?" Ace couldn't help but complain upon hearing Hera's silly laughter.
Hera quickly pulled her thoughts back. She couldn't keep thinking like that, or she'd start believing she could defeat Imu already. She still didn't know how Haki would affect her abilities and needed more time to develop. She had to remember not to get cocky.
Hera asked, "It's nothing. Is it just you today? Didn't Luffy come with you?"
Ace replied, "He's back at the shore watching the sea again. Sabo's departure seems to have had a big impact on him."
Hera thought about it and agreed. Luffy was still just a troublesome brat. That day, after hearing that Sabo had left with Dragon, he immediately burst into tears and stayed gloomy for quite a while. Now, whenever he was free, he'd go to the seaside to see if Sabo had come back.
"This is bad, this is bad! Hera, Ace, come here quickly!" Luffy's voice drifted over before he even arrived.
"What's wrong, Luffy? Don't panic," Ace said first.
"I was at the shore and saw another Pirate Crew heading this way, and they're docking right at Foosha Village."
Hera asked, "Don't worry yet. Did you see what their flag looks like?"
"It looks like a flag with a red background, and the skull in the middle has three scars over its eye."
Hearing Luffy's description, Hera felt relieved and said to him, "Don't worry, that's the Red Hair Pirates. They're not here to pillage; they're probably just restocking supplies. The villagers all know them."
Relieved that there was no danger, Luffy's fear was replaced by curiosity about the Pirate Crew. He asked Hera and Ace, "Then let's go see them! We can ask them for adventure stories and stuff. I'm really curious about things out at sea."
"Hera, you guys go ahead. Pirates are all no good, and besides, Dadan won't let me have contact with Pirate Crews anyway." Ace lost interest as soon as he heard there wouldn't be a fight.
Hera was also very curious about Shanks. As everyone knew, Foosha Village was a place of hidden masters—there was the Bandit King who whittled sixty Emperors down to four, the Sea King that could take one of Shanks' arms, and she also wanted to see Luffy eat the Rubber-Rubber Fruit.
On the Red Hair Pirates' ship, the Red Force, Vice-Captain Beckman said to Captain Shanks, "A brat saw us just now and ran off. He looks like Garp's grandson from the intelligence reports."
"Garp's grandson, huh? Worth a look. Say, if I were to trick Garp's grandson into becoming a pirate, what kind of expression do you think that old man would make?"
Beckman shook his head with a wry smile. "That old guy is not to be trifled with. If he finds out you dared to trick his grandson, he'll chase you all the way to the New World."
Shanks laughed. "That's what makes it interesting, doesn't it? Besides, are we, the Red Hair Pirates, afraid of him?"
Hearing the Captain's words, the officers of the Red Hair Pirates all laughed. "Let that old man chase us! If the Captain isn't afraid, then neither are we."
"Alright, we're about to dock. We'll stay here for a while to rest and resupply before heading out again. The tavern here is top-notch."
As Shanks spoke, Makino's gentle face already came to mind.
Although Hera wanted to tell Ace about his true identity, she hadn't made up her mind yet due to Dragon's advice. Now, seeing Shanks' arrival, she felt that this was an opportunity.
If Shanks knew Ace's identity in advance, then even if the Marineford War really happened, he might become an ally. Even if they couldn't save Whitebeard, they might at least be able to save Ace.
But Hera wanted to meet Shanks first. After all, manga was manga, and it was safer to meet in person. So she said to Luffy, "Since you're so curious, let's go take a look."
Luffy was already impatient. As soon as Hera finished speaking, he ran off, and she quickly followed.
When the two reached the shore, Shanks and the others were just heading toward the tavern carrying a chest. Luffy rushed up and asked, "I'm Monkey D. Luffy. I heard you're the Red Hair Pirates. Can you tell me some stories about your crew?"
Hearing Luffy introduce himself, Shanks laughed. "Brat, since you want to hear stories so badly, come along to the tavern." Seeing Hera behind Luffy, he added, "Looks like there's more than one curious brat. Come on, everyone."
Uta, who was on the ship, watched Luffy and Hera run over. Since she rarely saw anyone her own age on the ship, she became curious about Hera, who was about the same age as her, and ran out after Shanks.
Having developed a bold personality on the ship, Uta proactively reached out her hand to Hera. "Hello! I'm Uta, the Musician of the Red Hair Pirates."
Hera took Uta's hand. "I'm Hera. Monkey D. Hera."
Uta felt the kindness radiating from the girl her own age and became happy as well.
Just then, others on the ship called out to Uta. Hearing them, Uta said to Hera, "Someone's calling me. I'll head back to the ship first. I'll come find you once I'm done!"
Hera nodded and said, "Alright."