Time flew by. Hera had been at the dojo for two and a half years, and through continuous training, her swordsmanship was steadily improving.
During her time of constant training, she always felt that she was missing something. She was just one step away from awakening, but that small step was always difficult to take, so she kept increasing her practice.
Genzo noticed her impatience during training and asked, "Young lady, I sense that your heart has fallen into restlessness. What are you so anxious about?"
Hera said, "I feel like my ability is just a bit away from changing, but no matter how hard I try, I can't break through."
Genzo then asked, "Since it concerns your ability, why don't you practice after putting on your spirit dress? Doesn't your spirit dress increase your physical strength?"
Hearing this, Hera suddenly realized that this might be what she was lacking. She suddenly remembered another form of Zafkiel, the white inverted form.
Hera suddenly shouted, "ability!" In an instant, a huge white clock face appeared behind her at her call. A white military uniform covered Hera's body, and the long gun among her dual pistols turned into a military saber. Her left eye, which should have been gold, turned blue. What appeared on Hera was indeed the inversion of Zafkiel, the ability.
Hera channeled the power of space, which was inverted from the power of time, into her military saber. The name of the move, "Cancer Sword," immediately came to mind. With a single swing, a pitch-black scar appeared in the air, and space itself was severed by this strike.
Hera felt weak after unleashing that strike. The energy consumed by this single slash was too great, directly exhausting the energy she had absorbed after killing Brujam.
At the same time, she felt a space-tearing power within the short gun provided by the ability. Lions Bullet failed to condense due to a lack of energy, but Hera could already feel that she could control the trajectory of this bullet, tearing through the space along its path.
After testing her ability, Kuina, who had seen the giant clock in the courtyard from afar, rushed over. Seeing Hera's outfit change from a black and red dress to a white military uniform, she pounced over excitedly.
"Hehehe, there's actually a new form? Quick, let me touch your new clothes." Hera quickly pulled the perverted-acting Kuina off her and pointed to the side. "Your father, Genzo, is still right there."
Only then did Kuina notice Genzo watching them from the side. She immediately coughed twice and prepared to leave as if she hadn't noticed anything. As she left, she gave Hera a fierce glare, as if condemning her for not speaking up sooner, and mouthed the words, "Wait for me in the dormitory tonight."
After two and a half years together, Kuina and Hera had become very close friends. The two would often play around before bed. For Hera, who was a little virgin boy in her past life, this was a bit hard to handle. Seeing how shy Hera was, Kuina couldn't help but tease her on purpose.
After awakening the ability, Hera, feeling that her reserves of time power were insufficient, immediately became serious. She took Kuina to find Zoro, and the three of them formed a Pirate Hunter team, specifically targeting pirates near Shimotsuki Village. They quickly gained quite a reputation.
"How majestic, Bloody Loli," Kuina said to Hera. Hearing this, Hera went a bit crazy. "Don't let me find out who gave me that code name. Once I do, I'll definitely skin them alive."
Zoro said, "Doesn't it suit you? You're so short and always carry that black and red domain. I think the title is pretty good."
Hera protested, "It's not fair! Why is it that you two are also kids, but one is called the Ghost Swordsman and the other the Sword Princess, while I'm the only one called some kind of loli? It doesn't sound imposing at all!"
Hera's pouting face made Kuina find it very amusing. She couldn't help but poke her puffed-up cheeks, which made the angry Hera feel like her dignity was completely gone.
In this world where being under two meters tall was practically considered a second-degree disability, Zoro and Kuina were growing exceptionally fast. At only thirteen, they were already nearly 170 centimeters tall. This made Hera, standing in the middle at only 140 centimeters, look tiny and very cute.
Kuina grabbed Hera's small hand and said enviously, "It's so nice. Even though we both practice swordsmanship, my hands have become much rougher, while yours seem unaffected and are still very smooth. Is this also a Devil Fruit ability?"
Feeling a bit creeped out by the touch, Hera pulled her hand away and replied, "I don't know why either. It's probably the power of the Devil Fruit. You don't need to be envious. Once you master the Six Powers to the extreme, you can comprehend Life Return. At that time, healing the scars on your hands will be a piece of cake."
During these three years of living together, Kuina had gradually let go of her concerns about her gender and began to care about things that girls usually cared about.
Just then, Genzo's voice came from afar: "Kuina, Hera, both of you come back quickly. Garp is coming."