The black shadow, following Hera's touch, crept towards Shanks's arm but was blocked outside by his Haoshoku.
Hera glared at Shanks and said, "Retract your Haoshoku. Let me try to see if I can absorb your mark."
Shanks nodded and withdrew the Haoshoku that was attached to his arm.
The black shadow of the City of Devouring Time immediately began to boil, as if something sensed a threat and wanted to break free from Shanks's arm.
Sensing the activity of the Shallow Sea Mark, Hera attached her own Haoshoku to the City of Devouring Time, suppressing the mark. "This might hurt a bit," she said.
Shanks nodded and was about to say, "I am one of the Four Emperors of the Sea. Why would I be afraid of a little pain?"
But then he felt an intense pain shoot from his arm, forcing him to swallow his words. He let out a sharp hiss, sucking in a cold breath.
While removing the mark from Shanks's arm, Hera remarked, "Really? The mighty Emperor of the Sea can't handle a little pain?"
It wasn't that Shanks couldn't handle it; the sudden pain had caught him off guard. He had thought Hera would at least let him finish speaking before starting.
Seeing Shanks's expression gradually return to calm, and noticing he was about to speak again, Hera gave a sly smile and increased the speed of the mark's removal.
The abrupt intensification of the pain made Shanks cry out. Hearing the noise, the Crew members poked their heads out to look. Seeing Hera holding onto Shanks, they turned away in silent understanding.
Seeing Shanks grimacing in pain, they all turned their heads and laughed.
Hera's slightly dissatisfied voice echoed across Shanks's ship: "This is the price for losing Uta and not telling me where she is. Hmph."
Upon hearing this, the others quickly closed their windows. After all, they had also been involved in the Uta incident.
Shanks slapped his thigh hard with his free arm, finally managing to endure the pain. Drenched in sweat, he said to Hera, "Uta is in a place where her dreams can come true."
Hera wanted to speed up the process, but the Shallow Sea Mark had been almost completely removed, so she had to give up.
Then, the black shadow of the City of Devouring Time receded from Shanks's arm. Shanks instinctively tried to wrap Haoshoku around it but was stopped by Hera.
Hera shot Shanks a look of exasperation. "Don't you trust me at all? Look at your arm."
Only then did Shanks notice that the mark that had troubled him for so long had actually been removed by Hera. In disbelief, he carefully scanned his arm with Observation Haki and realized he was finally free.
Shanks felt an unprecedented sense of relief, as if the shackles on his body had been removed in an instant. He experienced a long-lost feeling of freedom.
Watching Shanks's excitement, Hera placed her hands on her hips and raised her head proudly. "Hmph, you're just lucky you met me. Not long ago, I absorbed the Dark-Dark Fruit. Otherwise..."
Shanks laughed at Hera's smug expression, then said solemnly, "Thank you for today. Tell us what you need. I owe you a favor."
Hera casually patted Shanks's arm, putting on a very chivalrous air. "What are we, strangers? Besides, there's Uta's connection. Your business is my business."
At that moment, Shanks thought of the few girls around Hera and the familiar aura on Kuina, similar to Hera's. He couldn't help but become alert.
Although he thought highly of Hera, that didn't mean he would let his daughter be led astray by such an unreliable person. A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at Hera.
Seeing the look in Shanks's eyes, Hera shuddered and looked around in confusion for the source of the chill. She thought to herself, "What's wrong with him? Is he being controlled again?"
Red Hair then remembered Uta playing with Hera when they were children and the events on that island. He sighed. At this point, what right did he have to call himself Uta's father?
Watching Shanks's face shift from anger to conflict to melancholy, a huge question mark appeared on Hera's forehead. She quickly maxed out her Observation Haki, carefully probing the surroundings.
She muttered to herself, "I've never heard of this kind of side effect. Did I accidentally make Shanks stupid?"
Seeing Hera's increasingly suspicious gaze, Shanks quickly waved his hands to indicate he was fine. He then said, "Alright, I won't hide it from you. Uta is on a small island."
"The demon king of song exists on that island. Your Marine archives should have records of it. What you do next is up to you."
Hera pouted in dissatisfaction. "Tch, acting all nonchalant. Telling me this means you want me to go, right? Don't worry, I'll take good care of Uta."
Shanks scratched his head in distress and sighed. He was deeply conflicted. He wanted Hera to take good care of Uta, but a father's intuition told him...
That Hera's idea of 'taking care' was probably different from the mutual care among Crew members, though he couldn't quite pinpoint how.
Finally learning Uta's whereabouts, Hera happily patted the sitting Shanks twice. "Old man, you can rest assured leaving your daughter to me."
Shanks shook his head, unsure if his decision was right or wrong.
However, if Shanks knew how Hera acted around others, his worry might not be for his daughter, but for Hera herself.
Then, Hera turned her gaze to Buggy, who was on Red Hair's ship, looking utterly shocked. She said, "You're always blaming Shanks for making you eat that Devil Fruit, right? Now I can give you a chance."
"I can take the Bara Bara no Mi away from you. Do you need my help?"
Hearing this, Buggy, forgetting his confusion about Shanks and Hera's relationship, immediately lunged at Hera, tears of emotion streaming down his face. "Really? I won't have to be a landlubber anymore?"
Hera, with a look of disgust, stepped on Buggy's head, which was covered in snot and tears. "Don't come closer! Don't wipe that stuff from your face on my clothes, you idiot! Stand there and don't move!"
Hearing this, Buggy quickly stood up, looking at Hera with hopeful anticipation, afraid she might be lying to him.
The shadow of the City of Devouring Time enveloped Buggy. Amid his screams, the Bara Bara no Mi was extracted by Hera.
"I didn't expect your fruit development to be quite advanced. I'll leave this fruit with you. If you regret it, you can eat it again anytime."
Buggy held the fruit at arm's length with a look of disgust. Then, remembering it was worth at least 100 million Berries, he hugged it tightly to his chest.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"