Hera still wanted to control the bullet's rotation, but this action was somewhat laughable in Zephyr's eyes. His Observation Haki had already foreseen it, and the point he struck was exactly where Hera wanted it to turn, shattering the Lions Bullet with a single punch.
Seeing that the Lions Bullet was ineffective, Hera immediately used "Water Bottle Bullet" to first heal her injuries, then released a new technique she had realized, "Rankyaku: Great Cut." A slash soared toward Zephyr as Hera kicked out.
Like a savage bear, Zephyr casually smashed through Hera's Great Slasher and rushed in front of her, throwing another punch.
Hera's Great Slasher hadn't achieved the desired effect, and it was too late to condense space power again. Zephyr's punch was now unavoidable.
Looking at the incoming punch, Hera's heart actually calmed down. She no longer thought about the techniques of Zafkiel or her ability, nor did she try to escape the punch. Hera's various abilities could no longer help her block it, but she still had strength—the strength she had continuously trained since her transmigration.
From Garp's teachings since childhood, Shanks's training, Genzo's training, and now the training in the Marine training camp, everything Hera had accumulated finally erupted at this moment. A black power wrapped around Hera's hand holding the blade and the military saber. In that instant, Hera saw Zephyr's fist and the trajectory of the next second.
Hera smiled. Her military saber, also wrapped in Armament Haki, collided head-on with Zephyr's punch. The space power drawn from her ability merged with Hera's Armament Haki. For a moment, the black and white powers combined on Hera's military saber, actually holding a stalemate against Zephyr's fist without being blown away again.
Zephyr first restrained his aura and caught Hera, who was falling forward after exhausting her strength, saying softly, "You won."
Hera used the last of her strength to lift her head, found that the battles on the other stages had ended, and fainted with peace of mind.
When she woke up again, it was already the next morning. Upon waking, Hera felt so hungry she could eat an elephant, and her stomach began to growl loudly.
Kuina, who was keeping watch nearby, couldn't help but laugh seeing Hera's hungry state. This laugh tugged at the wounds from yesterday's training, causing her to grimace with a distorted expression.
Hera subconsciously summoned her ability and healed Kuina with a Water Bottle Bullet.
Kuina said to Hera, "Teacher Zephyr already explained that it's normal for you to be hungry. He's already told the cafeteria to send food over as soon as you wake up to replenish your energy."
Just as Kuina finished speaking, a nurse nearby brought the food. Hera didn't think much more; her body's instinct drove her toward the food, and she began to wolf it down.
It wasn't until the food, which was piled up like a small mountain, was all finished by Hera that she recovered from her weakened state and gained some strength.
Kuina marveled as she stroked Hera's flat stomach, finding it unbelievable. She found it hard to imagine that so much food had gone into Hera's belly without any bulge at all.
Hera ignored the protest in Kuina's eyes and patted away the small hand touching her stomach. "You can't touch my stomach; if it gets cold, I'll catch a cold."
Kuina curled her lip with a look of disdain. "With your current physique, how could you catch a cold by exposing your stomach? Let me touch it again; your stomach is so smooth and has a bit of muscle texture, it feels so comfortable. And I want to know why you don't get fat after eating so much. Is this also a devil fruit power?" At the end, Kuina became curious again.
Hera thought for a moment and said, "It should be because using Haki consumes too much."
Just then, Zephyr, hearing that Hera was awake, walked over and explained, "This is Life Return, an ability one has a chance to realize after mastering the Six Powers. It allows all the food consumed to be used for recovery."
After saying that, he praised Hera, "I didn't expect you to realize Haki so quickly. I felt you were ready before that punch and thought I'd give you a little more stimulation, but I didn't expect you to use it directly."
"Now, in the entire training camp, you should be the youngest student to have realized Haki."
Zephyr also had another reason for coming: "Since you've recovered, help out. Yesterday's training left some students seriously injured. Come and help treat them; this will all count as your military merit."
Hera didn't refuse. She still had plenty of time energy left, and besides, the pirate hunting phase was about to begin, where she could replenish her energy again. Moreover, with military merit, Hera wanted to be able to lead a team independently sooner; she had many places she wanted to go that weren't suitable for too many people.
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