Hisoka had no intention of continuing his attack.
He looked at Gon and narrowed his eyes with interest.
“That black fist of yours… it isn’t Nen, is it?”
Gon’s heart jolted, and he instinctively blurted out, “How did you know?”
“Hehehe~”
Hisoka’s tongue slid across the corner of his mouth as though he were savoring something delicious.
“Pure Nen is like a sweet, luscious fruit…”
“But that black aura around your fist was something completely different—something much spicier~”
His gaze shot toward Kael in the audience like an arrow.
“The only person who could make something like this possible… is that little Specialist over there~”
Being locked onto by Hisoka’s burning gaze sent goose bumps across Kael’s skin.
“I’m becoming more and more interested in him…”
Hisoka withdrew his gaze and murmured almost to himself.
Gon felt as though he had no secrets at all before Hisoka.
His unwillingness to accept that drove him to charge forward again.
However, the moment he took his first step, a strange pulling sensation came from behind his head.
A broken piece of the stone floor, seemingly controlled by an invisible thread, traced a cunning arc through the air.
Bang!
It struck Gon directly in the back of the head.
“Clean hit!
Hisoka reaches ten points and wins the match!”
Gon rubbed the throbbing back of his head.
Only then did he understand that Hisoka had already planted a trap during their earlier exchanges.
“You lost because you lack combat experience.”
Hisoka turned and walked away, casually waving without looking back.
“If you fought a few more real battles, perhaps you might even defeat me someday.”
He silently added another thought.
The next time we fight, it won’t be inside an arena governed by rules…
When that day comes, we’ll wager our lives.
Gon stared at Hisoka’s departing back.
Although the battle had shown him the enormous difference between them, it also ignited an even stronger fighting spirit.
Hisoka was not impossibly far beyond his reach.
Gon believed that one day, he would catch up.
Inside their room
“Hiss—that hurts!”
Killua slapped Gon’s heavily bandaged shoulder, making him bare his teeth in pain.
“If that freak Hisoka didn’t enjoy letting his prey ripen, you wouldn’t have ended up much better than Kastro!”
Killua sounded genuinely relieved.
Kael nodded in agreement.
“Killua’s right.
Until we truly mature, Hisoka will remain patient and continue observing us.”
“Why does Hisoka… act like that?” Gon asked in confusion.
Kael shrugged.
“Who knows?
Everyone pursues something different.”
“For Hisoka, fighting powerful opponents with his life hanging by a thread is probably the greatest pleasure imaginable.”
At that moment, Kael and Killua’s expressions simultaneously tightened.
They sensed a familiar and dangerous aura.
“Stay here.”
Kael rose to his feet and left the room with a grave expression.
Following the aura, he arrived before a partially open door.
He took a deep breath and pushed it open.
Within the darkness, Hisoka reclined against a sofa, idly playing with a card between his fingers.
His sweet yet dangerous aura pressure filled the entire room.
“Hehehe…”
A delighted tremor colored his voice.
“I’m becoming increasingly interested in that ‘black’ power of yours.”
…
Several days later, aboard a train bound for Whale Island
The wheels struck the rails with a steady, rhythmic roar.
Inside the carriage, Gon enthusiastically shared amusing stories from his childhood on Whale Island, repeatedly making Kael and Killua burst into laughter.
Although Wing was technically their teacher, most of Gon and Killua’s knowledge about Nen had actually come from Kael’s systematic instruction.
After saying goodbye to Wing, they had joined Gon on his journey home.
There were still many things they needed to prepare before establishing a pirate crew.
They needed a Jolly Roger to represent the Hunter Pirates, as well as a capable navigator.
The candidate Kael had in mind for that position was Gon.
With his beastlike instincts and exceptional sensitivity to changes in the weather, Gon possessed the natural qualities of a navigator.
Of course, he would still need to systematically study navigation.
For the position of cook, Kael had thought of Menchi, the Gourmet Hunter.
The strange and exotic ingredients of the world of One Piece would undoubtedly hold an irresistible attraction for her.
They could locate her through the Hunter Association or its official website.
“Kael, when are we going back to the other world?”
Killua’s eyes shone with anticipation as he asked excitedly.
“There’s no need to rush.
We still need time to prepare.”
“Don’t forget that we also have an appointment with Kurapika and Leorio.”
“The next time we go, we’ll officially set sail.”
“We need supplies, a ship, and clearly assigned roles within the crew.”
“More importantly, we need to strengthen ourselves.
Kael looked seriously at his two companions.
“You’ve already mastered the fundamentals of Nen, but if you want to face stronger enemies, you must develop special techniques of your own.”
Killua’s lips curved into a confident smile.
“I already have an idea.”
“That fast?
What is it?
Tell me!”
Gon immediately leaned closer, his face filled with curiosity.
Killua raised his index finger to his lips and gave him a mysterious wink.
“It’s—a—secret.”
Killua’s answer made Gon incredibly anxious.
However, no matter how many times Gon questioned him, Killua refused to reveal even a single word.
Seeing Killua act that way made Gon think about his own special technique.
But no matter how hard he tried, he could not come up with any ideas.
Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he immediately turned toward Kael.
“Kael, what kind of ability do you think I should develop?”
Kael thought about the ability Gon had possessed in his previous life.
It was called Jajanken.
Although Jajanken incorporated aspects of Transmutation, Emission, and Enhancement, every version of the technique required far too much preparation time.
That was a severe disadvantage in a one-on-one battle.
Even so, it was Gon’s original signature ability.
He should develop it first.
Later, he could combine it with Armament Haki and other techniques from the world of One Piece, perhaps creating an exceptionally powerful ability unique to him.
After considering this, Kael smiled at Gon.
“Since you’re an Enhancer, try applying the aura-control methods you’ve learned and concentrating all your aura into a single point.”
“Take all the different applications of Nen you’ve learned and focus them together…”
Following Kael’s suggestion, Gon immediately began experimenting.
The moment he activated Ren, the atmosphere inside the train became oppressive.
The ordinary passengers nearby felt as though they were suffocating, as though an invisible presence were pressing down upon them.
Gon paid them no attention.
He tried gathering all the aura produced by his Ren into his hand.
However, when he had concentrated only about half of it, the aura became increasingly violent.
He lost control, and the gathered energy immediately dispersed.
Watching this, Kael nodded.
“This is the most fundamental—and most destructive—basic attack available to an Enhancer.”
“It is especially effective for someone of the Enhancement category.”
“Once you possess enough aura, you can gather it into your fist and unleash an attack with tremendous destructive force.”
Kael knew exactly how powerful such a technique could eventually become.
The final punch Adult Gon had used against Neferpitou had produced destruction comparable to a nuclear explosion.
Judging from his appearance at the time, Gon had likely forced his body to mature only to around eighteen or nineteen years old.
(End of Chapter)