After the four left the secret base, Dadan departed. Shanks said to Hera and Luffy, "Then let's go to the seaside to start training. Once Ace has settled down, he'll definitely come."
Luffy was still in a daze and hadn't quite figured out the situation: "What were you guys talking about just now? Something about Pirate King Roger or whatever."
He suddenly woke up: "That guy Ace is actually the child of the Pirate King?"
Then he added: "Then I can't lose either. I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!"
Hera complained from the side: "What are you so surprised about? In terms of background, your grandfather is the hero of the marines Garp, and your father is Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army. Now you want to be the Pirate King. I really don't know why."
Luffy said: "Because Shanks said the Pirate King is the freest man in the world, so I must become the Pirate King!"
Hera complained: "It's only been a few days and you've already corrupted him, Shanks. Aren't you afraid Garp will chase you down every day once he finds out you're the one who led Luffy astray?"
Shanks said: "The grandson of the hero of the marines wanting to be the Pirate King—now that's interesting. You can't become strong if you're always worrying about consequences. What about you, little girl? What do you want to do in the future?"
Luffy said: "Does that even need to be said? Hera is definitely going to sea with me. When the time comes, she'll be my Sniper and First Mate, just like you and Beckman."
Hera didn't respond to Luffy; she was thinking about something.
When Hera first arrived here, she was really excited to see Luffy and the others and thought about joining the Straw Hat Pirates for an adventure. But as she spent more time here, her thoughts began to change.
At first, she thought about adventuring with the protagonist's group and piggybacking off Luffy's luck as the Child of Destiny. But thinking about it now, having come to this world, wouldn't it be a waste of her foresight regarding the plot if she just followed the protagonist everywhere?
Moreover, after arriving here, Hera discovered that the commoners in the world of One Piece lived truly miserable lives. Their living conditions were only slightly better than the bloodthirsty commoners in Sea Tiger. On one hand, they had to endure the oppression of the nobles and pay massive taxes as Heavenly Tribute to the Celestial Dragons. On the other hand, they were frequently harassed by pirates. The place friendliest to commoners was actually Big Mom's territory, where they had to regularly surrender their lifespan. It was truly unsettling.
And while the Great Pirate Era started by Roger might have been to oppose the Celestial Dragons, not all pirates would be like Shanks or the future Straw Hat Pirates. They call themselves pirates, but they're more like adventure groups. Most pirates are just scum who bully the weak and fear the strong.
Hera then thought of Garp's kind eyes every time he visited and his loneliness when he finally saw Ace being captured. She eventually made up her mind and murmured to herself, "Old man Garp shouldn't be all alone, right?"
After some thought, Hera made her decision and said to Shanks and Luffy, "I've decided. I want to be a Marine in the future."
Hearing that Hera not only didn't want to go to sea with him but also wanted to be a Marine, Luffy immediately said, "No, Hera! And if you become a Marine, won't we be enemies? Just come to sea with me."
Then, as if making a huge decision, he added: "At worst, I'll let you be the Captain, but the Pirate King must be me! That's the one thing I'll never give in on!"
Hera was amused by Luffy's reaction: "Who cares about the position of Captain? I just thought that since both you and Ace are going to be pirates, I should keep an eye on Garp for you, so you don't get dragged back by him one by one."
"And who says becoming a Marine means I have to catch all pirates? I want to eliminate all the bad Pirate Crews that harass people, like the Brujam Pirate Crew, as well as the oppressive nobles and the undisciplined Marines. Those are my targets. As long as you don't do evil, why would I catch you?"
Hearing Hera's words, Shanks said no more, only sighing with emotion: "So you want to join the Marines to realize your own justice? Well, the Marines might disappoint you. I hope the darkness within the Marines won't corrupt your justice."
But then he thought that with Garp backing her, probably not many people would give this girl a hard time: "In this world, having one more just Marine is a stroke of luck."
Shanks said: "Alright, let's go. Now that you have dreams, you must train hard. Whether you're a pirate or a Marine in the future, you two lucky kids still have a lot to learn."
Shanks didn't treat Hera differently just because she wanted to be a Marine; such a petty act wasn't something a hero would do.
He continued: "Tell me your thoughts. Although I've already prepared a training plan, you can also speak up if there's anything specific you want to learn."
Luffy was the first to speak: "I want to learn that ability of yours that can hurt me, and the one that lets you see where Hera is."
Hera hesitated for a moment and said: "I want to prioritize learning Observation Haki. Also, besides improving my sniping skills, I want to practice Swordsmanship."
Shanks was a bit surprised: "Isn't your gun part of your devil fruit ability? Why learn Swordsmanship? A person's energy is limited; learning too many things might be worse than specializing in one area."
Hera said: "I plan to join the Marine Training Camp. I heard that the Six Powers taught there can help awaken Armament Haki. Also, I feel that my ability seems to have another form that requires a certain level of Swordsmanship to awaken."
Shanks said: "Alright, I'll respect your wishes. I see Ace's weapon is a dagger; he should also have a talent for Swordsmanship. You can train with him when the time comes."