Before they could even breathe a sigh of relief from the threat, the pressure Hera brought became even more powerful.
The City of Devouring Time coiled around Hera's skin, and her height increased quite a bit along with her aura: "Alright, I'm in a hurry. Once I've dealt with you all here, there are other areas waiting for me."
Time was short and the task was heavy; Hera had to clear out all the prisoners here amidst the chaos. If she missed this chance, there wouldn't be another.
As Hera swung her blade, the prisoners fell one by one. Even veteran powerhouses from the Sixth Level like Vasco Shot, Avalo Pizarro, and Sanjuan Wolf fell under her blade because their stamina hadn't fully recovered.
Not to mention World, who was pinned in mid-air by the 'Seventh Bullet'.
Looking at the Sixth Level where only Shiliew and the Prison Guards remained, Hera breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away non-existent sweat from her forehead: "Whew, that was actually a bit tiring."
Shiliew watched Hera go on a killing spree in the Sixth Level, sweat dripping from his own head. His mind was now filled with thoughts of whether he could still be saved if he claimed he hadn't seen clearly when he was cutting down the Prison Guards earlier.
Hera turned her head to look at Shiliew behind her. On 'saikū', which was covered in the blood of criminals, blood dripped onto the ground, making a 'drip-drop' sound.
As the four bodies were absorbed by the City of Devouring Time, the Paramecia Mo Mo no Mi, Paramecia Jiu Jiu no Mi, Paramecia Shima Shima no Mi, and Paramecia Deka Deka no Mi appeared in Hera's devil fruit collection warehouse.
Hera was also somewhat surprised to see her warehouse suddenly gain four top-tier devil fruits: "Oh, I thought Blackbeard found these devil fruits later. I didn't expect them to be here already."
"I'll ask the old man later if he's willing to eat the Mo Mo no Mi." An image of Old Man Garp throwing a punch appeared in Hera's mind; with the boost from the Mo Mo no Mi, he'd probably destroy an island with every punch.
Shiliew stood in place until the cigar in his mouth burned his lips. He subconsciously lowered his head, and it slowly slid off his neck. He had already died back when Redfield snatched 'raiu'.
Shiliew's body slowly sank into the City of Devouring Time, his eyes gradually becoming lifeless. This ill-natured opportunist had finally died before he could truly show his hand.
In the midst of the chaos, at the entrance to the Fifth Level, Magellan faced off against Ace, Jinbe, and Sir Crocodile.
Ace's Haki and flames forced Magellan into a difficult battle; his strength lay in his use of the Doku Doku no Mi and the enclosed environment of Impel Down.
The high temperature of the Mera Mera no Mi caused Magellan's toxins to dissolve before they could even get near Ace's body. Furthermore, because of the side effects, Magellan had no time to train his Haki, making him feel somewhat countered when facing Ace.
The ice of the Fifth Level melted during Ace's battle, and Ace unintentionally released the prisoners of the Fifth Level. After Hera climbed the stairs, she saw a scene of total chaos.
The City of Devouring Time disappeared from Hera's body and continued to manifest as a domain covering the entire Fifth Level. Seeing this, Ace, who was fighting Magellan, took the initiative to cover the retreat.
"You guys go quickly! I'll hold back Magellan and Hera."
Jinbe refused Ace's kindness, saying, "Brother Ace, let me hold them back. If you don't escape, you won't be able to stop Whitebeard's war."
Ace said with a bitter smile, "You don't understand Hera. With her mobility, distance is no issue as long as she wants it. Only I can stop her."
"And only by staying behind do I have a chance of stopping her. I'll try to persuade her to let you go. Jinbe, when you see Whitebeard, tell him not to come save me anymore."
With that, Ace's Mera Mera no Mi erupted with full power. The temperature in the freezing Fifth Level rose, and the ice here gradually melted from Ace's heat.
The rioting prisoners of the Fifth Level were devoured by the City of Devouring Time. Hera could already feel the 'VIII' on Zafkiel becoming increasingly brilliant.
After all the prisoners on the Fifth Level were absorbed, the 'VIII' on the ability finally shone brightly. After a flash of light, Zafkiel's core ability was finally unlocked.
In Hera's hand, a dazzling light appeared within the short gun 'hour hand'. With a shift in her thoughts, she poured the power of time into it, and the 'Eighth Bullet' gradually took shape within the 'hour hand'.
With a thought, Hera wanted to summon her past self from a second ago.
Zafkiel sensed Hera's intention, and the power of time was frantically devoured. Sensing danger, Hera quickly halted her thoughts.
"This shouldn't be right. Is the consumption this high? I feel like even if I put all my strength into it, I still couldn't satisfy the formation of the 'Eighth Bullet'."
Looking at the incomplete 'Eighth Bullet', Hera felt a bit distressed: "Then what should I do with this? Is this thing still useful?" Her intuition told her that this unformed bullet still had some use.
With that, Hera chose to trust her intuition. Closing her eyes, she fired the 'Eighth Bullet' into herself.
After being hit by the Eighth Bullet, Hera looked around and found no changes: "How is that possible? I clearly felt something."
Then, she felt someone tugging at her clothes. Looking down, she found a Hera who was much shorter than her and looked like her younger self.
At this moment, Hera couldn't care less about Ace and the others in the distance; she looked down at this Little Hera who was wearing Zafkiel.
Little Hera held mini versions of the dual guns in her hands, and even a small Zafkiel appeared behind her.
Hera felt that she could control Little Hera's body; she was like an extension of her own limbs.
"What's going on? Why did my 'Eighth Bullet' result in this?"
Looking at the little person before her, Hera's expression froze. This situation was completely unexpected. Although the nendoroid form was very cute, why did it turn out like this?
Behind Hera, an icicle melted by Ace's flames fell toward the dazed Hera.
A red light flashed in the little person's eyes. She leaped into the air, her feet coated in Armament Haki, and kicked the falling icicle to pieces.
Little Hera's eyes flickered, her gaze changing from stiff to lively. Using a familiar voice, she said, "Why are you spacing out on the battlefield? Do you still need me to protect you?"
Looking at Hera's expression, Little Hera said somewhat crossly, "It's all because of you. You gathered too little power, which is why I appeared in this form. Honestly."
Hera's eyes widened: "Are you the me from a second ago? You're not the me from years ago, are you?"
Little Hera said, "Of course not. The stronger the original body the 'Eighth Bullet' copies, the more time value it requires. This form balances strength and consumption."
"Any higher than this, and the cost-performance ratio of consumption versus improvement would be too low. This way, I have exactly half the strength and most of the permissions for the ability."
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