Ronin stepped closer. The flashy blond kid lost every ounce of fight left in him.
Once Ronin had stripped every card from his book, the kid finally gave up his name—Zachary. He really was one of Battera's hired players, but the handful of cards in his specified pocket made it obvious he was bottom-tier trash. No wonder he'd gone after fresh meat the second he spotted them.
Killing him would've been the fastest way to free up a slot. Ronin wasn't that kind of monster, though. Not unless he had to be.
He kept it simple. "You know where the port is?"
If Zachary said no, Ronin would've ended him right there. The kid had come at them first. Dead men didn't get to complain about fairness.
Zachary's face went pale. He could feel the killing intent rolling off Ronin in waves. "I know. It's about fifty kilometers from Masadora. I've got it marked on my map."
The bloodlust faded the moment he answered.
"Keep him alive for now," Ronin said to Neon. "He can work as bait until we reach the port and grab a Leave card. Then we hand him off to Kurapika."
Zachary was smart enough to read the room. Even if he was being used as bait, he started guiding without another word.
"Head straight north and you hit Andoniba," he said quickly. "Biggest player hub near the start. Bounty boards everywhere, easiest place to stock up on supplies. Keep going another eighty kilometers past Andoniba and you reach a big lake. Masadora's northwest of it. The port's due west of Masadora."
He hesitated, glancing at Ronin like he was testing how much leash he had.
"Spit it out," Ronin said.
"If you can get your hands on an Accompany card, I can take all of us straight to the port in one jump."
Accompany was a solid spell. One hundred thirty copies existed in the game. Zachary didn't have a single one.
"I sold mine," he admitted, voice small. "They go for good money—usually double or more. For a solo player like me, cashing out was the smarter play."
Ronin didn't push the issue. Instead he threaded a thin line of chakra into Zachary's body, anchoring him so he couldn't bolt. Then he started asking the real questions.
"How's the clear rate looking right now?"
Zachary relaxed a fraction once he realized Ronin actually wanted information. "Not sure on exact numbers, but people are already forming raid groups to hunt cards together. I got invited to one. Turned it down. Those crews always end up eating each other alive. I know my limits. No point jumping into that mess."
Ronin nodded. Made sense. Even with Battera's bounty sitting at thirty billion Jenny, that kind of money attracted sharks. The bomb devil crew had started laying groundwork five years before Gon even entered. Their organization had probably been active for at least two.
Ronin wasn't worried about running into Genthru's group. He already knew every detail of Sound of Life. He was more interested in testing himself against Razor, the final gatekeeper. Not in a fight—dodgeball. If he could beat the guy at his own game, he'd walk out with three cards and zero regrets.
First, though, he needed to know if any Phantom Troupe members were still inside.
Feitan had taken a direct hit from Amaterasu. The fact that he was probably still breathing meant the Troupe had figured out how to strip aura the same way chakra cloaks countered black flames back home. Ten, pushed to the limit.
To heal him they needed Angel's Breath. And Angel's Breath only dropped after you collected all forty spell cards.
No one had triggered it before Gon's crew arrived. If the Troupe was stuck on the collection phase or still didn't know the trigger condition, they were likely still trapped on the island.
Ronin looked straight at Zachary. "You know how to get Angel's Breath?"
Zachary shook his head fast. "That's the one Battera wants more than anything. We all know what the card does, but nobody's figured out the actual method yet."
Ronin wasn't surprised. Angel's Breath was probably sitting in the same locked state as One Square Yard of Beach—nothing triggered until the prerequisite was met. And the source of every spell card in the game was Masadora.
If the Troupe had picked up even a whisper of the condition, they'd be heading there in force.
Which meant Masadora was exactly where Ronin needed to be.