Soon, Hera found Sengoku. Garp was beside Sengoku eating a rice cracker at the time. Seeing Hera arrive, he stopped eating his rice cracker and went to greet her.
"If it isn't Hera! What brings you here?"
Hera broke free from Garp's embrace and said, "Grandpa Garp, I have business with Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Sengoku looked up from his paperwork and said, "Oh, little Hera is here. What do you need from Grandpa Sengoku?"
Hera held out the document requesting her stationing at the Sabaody Archipelago and said to Sengoku, "I want you to approve this appointment request."
Before Sengoku could even take the document, Garp snatched it away, grabbed Sengoku's seal, and stamped it. "Here, take it. Sengoku agrees."
Hera immediately picked up the document and left happily, skipping away.
Sengoku immediately became anxious upon seeing this. "I haven't even read it yet!"
Garp glanced at Sengoku unhurriedly and went back to eating rice crackers. "Is there anything in Marine Headquarters that can be hidden from you, the Fleet Admiral? Do you even need to read this document?"
Sengoku was somewhat speechless. "At the very least, I should ask why she insists on going to the Sabaody Archipelago. She went back on her promise to Kuzan and chose Momousagi's current location. Besides, as you know, the Celestial Dragons visit that place."
Garp said, "What about the Celestial Dragons? They're just a bunch of scum."
Sengoku didn't respond. After all, he was still the Fleet Admiral; there were some things he couldn't say as bluntly as Garp.
Garp continued, "It's a good thing she has her own ideas. Besides, while I'm not too old yet, let her do whatever she wants."
Sengoku stopped talking after hearing this. Instead, he prayed that the Celestial Dragons going to the Sabaody Archipelago would never run into this little ancestor, Hera.
Hera's custom-made ship arrived soon. Vegapunk truly was the smartest person in the world; after hearing his old friend's request, he put a little thought into it and designed the ship Hera wanted. Every function was included, and with sufficient power, it really could fly for a bit, though the energy consumption was very high.
Hera excitedly accepted her exclusive ship and gave it a name that was very famous in her past life: "argo." She hoped the heroes who boarded the ship would create new legends in the world of the Pirate King.
Now that the ship was ready, the long-awaited journey naturally had to begin. Hera led Kuina and Ain on a shopping spree through the Marine's mall, frantically sweeping up ingredients and necessities.
Kuina couldn't help but complain, "It's not like we're fleeing a famine. Why bring so much stuff? Besides, we can resupply along the way."
Hera, carrying the joy of leading her first independent voyage, retorted, "What if we encounter some danger and can't dock for a long time? Besides, with the City of Devouring Time, the food won't spoil anyway." After saying that, she tossed some more fruit into the shadows.
Ain couldn't help but ask, "Why are you buying so many fruits? And they're all different kinds."
While continuing to stuff fruits inside, Hera said, "I have a use for them, of course. You'll find out when the time comes."
Then Hera saw a mattress. After touching it to feel its softness, she bought that too.
Kuina complained, "And this mattress? What use does it have?"
Hera retorted, "In case of an emergency where you can only hide in the City of Devouring Time, you'll have a mattress to sleep on."
The shopping frenzy continued until Hera tried to stuff more roasted meat into the City of Devouring Time, and the City of Devouring Time spat it right back out. Only then did Hera stop stuffing things in and turned to buy some necessary large-scale supplies for the ship.
It was the first time Kuina and Ain had seen the new ship. Hera proudly introduced it to them: "This is the argo. It's our home on the sea. It's fully equipped with all sorts of new equipment!"
Kuina was more curious about the Gravity Training Room. Hera introduced, "This Gravity Training Room is the latest research. It can reach up to ten times gravity, and it's fully equipped with training gear. You can work out here in your spare time."
Next, they moved to the Captain's quarters. She introduced, "This is where the ship is controlled. As long as you put in an Eternal Pose, it can automatically sail in that direction, though you still need to manually steer to avoid obstacles."
Then Hera solemnly introduced a button in the Captain's quarters: "This is the Flight Mode Starter. Press it once, and the ship enters flight mode. Press it twice, and it will take off. However, it requires too much energy, and the flight altitude is very low. But that's a problem we'll solve next."
Kuina and Ain were shocked to hear that the ship was so advanced. Next, an even more luxurious room came into view.
Hera introduced proudly, "This is the Luxury Bathroom. Normally, you can take a bath inside the cabin, but it can also be raised to the deck for swimsuit parties. Plus, it has a filtration system that can filter seawater directly into pure water. How about it? This bathroom was my idea. Isn't it great?"
Hearing that such a luxurious room was actually a bathroom, Kuina and Ain both shook their heads. But seeing Hera with stars in her eyes and 'praise me' written all over her face, they didn't have the heart to criticize her. Kuina patted Hera's head and said in a tone used for coaxing a child, "It's really wonderful. I was just afraid we wouldn't be able to bathe at sea."
Note:
Happy Lunar New Year, everyone!
I wish you all a year filled with blessings, success, good fortune, and happiness!
Important Announcement:
I will be on Lunar New Year holiday starting February 15th, 2026, and will return on February 23rd, 2026. During this time, I will focus on resting and spending time with my family.
During my break, I will prepare some new chapters, which I will post regularly after the holiday ends. Please stay tuned — the following parts are very interesting!
Thank you so much for your incredible support. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!