Author's note: This chapter mainly follows the older anime version, though the newer version will be taken into account as well.
Inside the cabin, the Red-Nose Captain clenched his pipe between his teeth and stared out the window at Roy and Android 18, as if weighing something in his mind.
"Looks like it won't be boring anymore until we reach the end this year."
Where people gather, trouble naturally follows.
With a whole crowd packed together, there were bound to be plenty looking for fights—especially a bunch of Hunter Exam applicants, each one convinced they were the greatest thing alive and itching to prove it.
But after the ship left Peanutton, the Red-Nose Captain had forcefully suppressed everyone once, and they'd all quieted down—at least keeping up a surface-level peace.
And now, after Roy made his move, the restless sparks that had been about to flare up again on board were snuffed out in an instant.
As for the first mate, the sailors, and the rest of the crew, they were all shaken by Roy's strength and fell silent as well.
For a while, the Ship: Sea God sank into an eerie hush, gliding forward through that atmosphere as it headed for the final stop—Whale Island.
Several days later, Whale Island dock.
All the Whale Island applicants registering for the Hunter Exam were waiting quietly at the dock for the Ship: Sea God to arrive.
Among them was a young examinee with dazzling blond hair, emerald-green eyes, distinctive traditional clothing, and delicately refined features. He stood there in silence, waiting.
"It's here!"
Someone shouted from the crowd. Including the blond youth, everyone turned their eyes toward the horizon.
A passenger ship gradually emerged across the sea, sliding into view.
All the applicants rose to their feet and waited for the Ship: Sea God to come in.
But the instant the ship docked—right when the gangway opened—the Whale Island applicants, who had been about to board, froze in shock.
A huge mass of examinees came pouring down from the Ship: Sea God, rushing off in a dark wave.
Every one of them wore a terrified expression. Some even had bruises and dark welts on their faces.
What the hell happened?!
The Whale Island applicants were completely dumbfounded.
One bald, burly man looked especially miserable—his mouth full of bloody scabs, his face swollen like he'd been stung by an entire swarm.
"Hey, isn't that Billy, the famous boxer from Peanutton? What did he go through to end up like that?!"
Someone at the Whale Island dock clearly recognized the bald man's identity.
Because of that, the Whale Island applicants were even more stunned.
What exactly had they experienced on the Ship: Sea God?
The blond youth furrowed his brow as well, staring at the ship in thought.
"Could there have been some kind of incident on board? Or did the Hunter Exam already begin the moment they boarded… and these people were eliminated?"
After thinking it over, he stopped dwelling on it and fixed his gaze on the ship with determination.
"No matter what happened on board, I will pass the Hunter Exam and become a Hunter!"
In the small town by Whale Island dock, a middle-aged man with upswept hair, round glasses, and a briefcase stared at the crowd sprinting through the streets—faces bruised and battered—his head full of question marks.
And right behind him, a boy around twelve or thirteen, wearing green and holding a fishing rod, with spiky hair and big eyes, looked just as curious.
…
Back on the Ship: Sea God, Roy lay with his head on Android 18's lap, basking in the pleasantly warm sunlight.
"Everyone already left the ship. Now the only examinees still on board are the two of us."
"Whale Island applicants should board later… Should we—forget it. Leave them a way out and let it go."
Mainly because these examinees didn't have anything valuable on them. There wasn't much profit to squeeze out.
And Whale Island was the last stop for picking up examinees. Keeping it up would be pointless.
The Whale Island applicants boarded with a mix of nerves and caution, only to find that aside from what looked like a young couple sunbathing, there was nothing worth worrying about.
And judging by appearances, the couple looked slim and not particularly threatening. So the others stopped paying attention and instead began observing the first mate and sailors on board.
Only the blond youth carefully glanced at Roy and Android 18 a few times, then chose a seat far away from them.
"Kurapika, huh? That sharp intuition and wariness really stand out."
Even with his eyes closed, Roy could sense every movement of everyone on the ship.
The perception and application of aura—endlessly useful.
After quite a while, the Ship: Sea God let out a long horn blast and slowly started moving, pulling away from Whale Island dock.
"Moving out already? Then that spiky-haired Gon, and that 'teenage uncle' Leorio should be about to—"
Bang!
Spiky-haired Gon dropped from the sky and landed safely.
Meanwhile, "teenage uncle" Leorio smashed down face-first like a total wipeout.
"Yeah! Safe landing!"
Perfect. The Hunter world's main trio was assembled.
The plot had officially returned to the proper track.
(End of Chapter)
If I see that this fanfic has support, I will upload 20+ chapters to Patreon!!
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]