Uta stared blankly into the distance, a trace of regret in her eyes, but she held no resentment toward Shanks and the others.
She knew Shanks was fighting an unimaginably powerful enemy so Lime Jones and Hongou could come here.
It was so Hongou could check Yelena for any lingering issues, and Lime Jones could come on behalf of the others to see her.
Lime Jones's heart sank at the sight.
Then he bent down, patted Uta on the shoulder, and smiled. "Uta, Shanks and the others can't come here for now. Can you forgive them?"
Uta looked up and beamed at Lime Jones. "But I'm not mad at them!"
Lime Jones smiled with relief. Only now did he truly realize how much Uta had changed.
Soon, Hongou finished his examination, put away his equipment, and stood up with a smile for everyone present.
"Yelena's made a full recovery!"
"She's completely fine now!"
Hongou hurried over to Uta, who stared up at him wide-eyed. He crouched down, gently stroked her silky hair, and said softly,
"Uta, we have to go back to the fight."
"The longer we stay here, the more danger Shanks and the others will be in. Can you stay with Louis and the others a little longer?"
"We'll come back for you once we've completely shaken off Garp!"
Uta glanced at Louis and Yelena, then replied with a dazzling, carefree smile, "Hey, Hongou, I've already decided to leave with Louis and the others!"
Hongou and Lime Jones froze, then glanced at Louis.
The next moment, both of them smiled faintly. "All right. Shanks and we will respect your decision!"
"Yeah, I know!" Uta tried hard to make her voice sound nonchalant.
Nearby, Louis glanced at Uta, then turned to look out at the distant sea, taking in