Three days passed in the blink of an eye as they continued their training.
Once Kael’s ability became available again, the three of them traveled to the world of One Piece.
Training Haki was impossible in the Hunter world.
They could only accomplish it by entering the world of One Piece.
That meant every time they wanted to strengthen their Haki, they would have to cross into this world.
“So this is another world?”
Killua inhaled a deep breath of air unpolluted by exhaust fumes.
Gazing at the boundless blue sea and the rugged architecture before him, he spoke with unmistakable excitement.
“Yeah.
But our first priority is exchanging something for this world’s currency.”
As Kael spoke, he removed several imitation antique porcelain vases from his backpack—objects that were completely ordinary in the Hunter world.
“How much could these possibly sell for?”
Killua picked up one of the vases and lightly flicked it with a fingertip, producing a crisp ringing sound.
“The craftsmanship isn’t bad, but where we come from, this is just cheap street-market junk.”
“Rarity creates value.”
Kael smiled confidently.
“Look at the glaze.
It’s as smooth as a mirror.
And the artwork—the bold colors and free-flowing lines make it look as though someone splashed a dream across the surface.”
“In a world dominated by sailing ships and cannons, something like this is unquestionably unique.”
The three of them headed toward the docks of Shells Town.
The area was bustling with noise as workers hurriedly unloaded all kinds of merchandise from cargo ships.
Kael swept his gaze across the crowd and quickly selected a target.
A middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache was reclining in a rocking chair with his eyes closed.
He was dressed respectably, and a young attendant beside him was negotiating with a shipping merchant while the man himself appeared completely relaxed and unconcerned.
“We’ll choose him,” Kael whispered.
“Tch.
One look at him and you can tell he’s an old fox,” Killua remarked, curling his lip.
“The more cunning someone is, the more easily they can be defeated by an information gap.”
A crafty smile appeared on Kael’s face.
He leaned closer and whispered a few instructions to Gon and Killua, explaining the “script” they would follow.
Once their plan was settled, Kael led the way.
He approached the man with a timid yet expectant expression.
“U-Uncle, we have something really nice.
Would you like to take a look?”
The mustached man lazily opened one eye.
When he saw that they were merely three children, he impatiently waved them away.
“Go on, get lost.
What kind of valuable item could a bunch of brats possibly have?
Don’t disturb my rest.”
Kael did not become discouraged.
Calmly, he removed one of the porcelain vases from his backpack.
The midday sunlight happened to fall across it.
The flowing cobalt-blue glaze and strikingly modern abstract pattern immediately reflected an unusual brilliance.
A merchant inspecting goods nearby caught sight of it by chance.
His hand trembled, and the expensive cigar between his fingers nearly fell to the ground.
“Th-This craftsmanship!
Which kingdom produced this porcelain?!”
His exclamation fell like a stone into still water, immediately drawing the attention of the surrounding merchants.
The mustached man fully opened his eyes as well.
The instant his gaze landed on the vase, his pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively sat upright in his rocking chair.
However, he was an experienced merchant.
He swiftly suppressed his astonishment and replaced it with a critical expression tinged with condescension.
“Hmm…”
“The quality of the vase itself is rather ordinary.
The painting, however, is somewhat interesting.
It looks like the random scribbling of a child, but I suppose it has a certain novelty.”
He stroked his chin and pretended to contemplate the matter.
“Fine.
Since you little fellows seem to be having a hard time, I’ll offer you three hundred Berries as an act of kindness.”
Several suppressed snickers and quiet whispers immediately sounded nearby.
Clearly, everyone thought the price was shamelessly low.
Gon understood nothing about commerce, but his rudimentary Observation Haki allowed him to clearly perceive the complicated emotions surging through the crowd.
Greed.
Contempt.
And eager anticipation.
Those reactions alone were enough to prove that the vase could not possibly be worth as little as the mustached man claimed.
Gon’s eyes widened as though he were observing a real-life lesson about society.
Killua, meanwhile, kept both hands in his pockets.
A knowing sneer curled across his lips as he waited for the performance to begin.
“Three hundred Berries?”
Kael blinked his seemingly innocent eyes and began clumsily counting on his fingers.
“That can buy so many ice pops!
Thank you, Uncle!”
As he spoke, he made a show of handing over the vase.
“Wait!”
At last, a slightly plump merchant could no longer restrain himself.
He squeezed through the crowd and shouted, “Little brother, don’t be so hasty!
He’s deceiving you!
That thing is worth far more than that!
I’ll offer two thousand Berries!”
Kael’s hand recoiled as though he had been startled.
His eyes widened into circles.
“T-Two thousand?
How many ice pops can that buy?”
He deliberately put on a confused expression, as though the number was too large for him to calculate.
That was like lighting a fuse.
The entire section of the docks instantly erupted.
“I’ll offer twenty-five hundred!”
“Three thousand!
Sell it to me!”
“Stop fighting over it!
I’ll pay five thousand Berries and include an accurate map of the East Blue!”
The price soared like a rocket.
Merchants crowded around them, arguing until their faces turned red.
The middle-aged man’s mustache nearly stood on end with fury, and his face changed from red to blue.
He sprang from his rocking chair and pointed angrily at the merchants who had interfered.
“Bastards!
I negotiated this deal first!
Don’t any of you understand the rules?!
I’ll offer ten thousand Berries!”
Kael watched the chaotic auction he had personally orchestrated with secret delight.
On the surface, however, he displayed an increasingly helpless and confused expression.
Even so, the look on his face clearly asked whether anyone present was willing to bid higher.
Killua finally failed to hold himself back and burst out laughing.
Gon became even more focused, carefully studying the fascinating changes in everyone’s expressions.
The bids continued to rise.
Before long, the price reached one million Berries.
Gon’s eyes widened.
He had never imagined that the street-market vase Kael had purchased for only one hundred Jenny could sell for one million Berries in another world.
Using this method, could they not also bring objects from this world back to their original world and sell them for astronomical prices?
Killua naturally reached the same conclusion.
If that were truly possible, would they not have more money than they could ever spend?
As Killua imagined all the finest chocolates he could buy, drool began leaking from the corner of his mouth.
Eventually, the mustached man raised his offer to 1.1 million Berries.
After that, none of the other merchants continued competing with him.
He could originally have purchased the vase for only three hundred Berries, yet he had ultimately spent more than a million.
When he handed the money to Kael, he felt as though every piece of flesh on his body was aching.
Several sword-carrying pirates had witnessed the commotion.
Seeing that Kael and the others were merely three children, they exchanged glances and revealed excited expressions.
Kael and his companions left the docks with their enormous fortune and headed toward the town.
Killua immediately sensed that they were being followed.
“We’ve picked up a few tails,” he said with a smile.
“They’re nothing but small-time grunts, but they can still be useful.”
Kael removed ten thousand Berries from the bag and handed them to Gon.
“Gon, take this money to the market district and buy plenty of food.
We’ll meet at Akimine Mountain.”
Gon accepted the money and nodded before heading toward the market district.
Killua and Kael turned right and made their way directly toward Akimine Mountain.
The pirates following behind watched the three boys separate.
They showed no interest in pursuing Gon.
Instead, they all followed Killua and Kael.
(End of Chapter)