Chapter 852
"Captain!"
"Big brother!"
The moment they landed, Misty and the others jogged toward Ron. Even though they'd used Accompany to appear right in front of him, they still rushed closer.
A massive harbor stretched out around them, and in the distance, a ship even larger than the port itself floated on the sea. Boarding directly from the port wasn't possible. Passengers first had to take a smaller boat, which would ferry them to the Black Whale. Alternatively, as Nasubi had done, one could use a private airship.
Crowds gathered along the dock.
Ron took out his ticket.
"Machi, Misty, Ponzu—one ticket each. We're heading to the second level of the Black Whale."
A young man nearby noticed the ticket in Ron's hand and his eyes lit up. He began walking toward Ron, but after hearing Ron mention the second level, his expression immediately darkened and he turned away, approaching someone else.
"Give me your ticket. I'll pay you one million Jenny," he said.
The person he spoke to gave him a flat glance. "Idiot."
The young man seemed provoked and raised a hand to strike. But before he could act, several figures appeared behind the one he'd threatened. No one said a word. The pressure alone froze the young man in place.
"Get lost."
He fled immediately.
Ron looked in that direction and saw who they were—at the same time, the other party glanced over. They nodded faintly at each other.
Machi's expression was complicated. The ones standing across from them were members of the Phantom Troupe—Phinks, Feitan, Chrollo, and Pakunoda.
Machi had once been part of the Troupe. Now, she was with Ron. When she left, she'd only said goodbye to a few members. Many hadn't agreed with her decision.
"Machi, it's been a while." Chrollo looked over at her.
"Boss. It has," she replied.
Ron glanced at her. "Want to catch up with them?"
"No." Machi shook her head. "Captain, let's board."
"Alright."
As they walked off, Phinks snorted. "Leaving our team just to join someone else's—what the hell is that?"
At that moment, Nobunaga and a few others arrived.
"Phinks, who are you talking about?" Franklin asked.
"Who else? Obviously, Machi, who abandoned us." Phinks shifted his gaze slightly toward Nobunaga.
Nobunaga narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. Machi left the Troupe and joined Ron's team. I don't like it. Don't tell me you do?"
Nobunaga's face darkened.
Bang!
The two clashed in an instant. A wave of aura exploded outward.
"Stop." Chrollo's voice rang out.
Reluctantly, they separated and backed off.
"Machi didn't leave because of Ron. She joined him because of us. If not for that, during the Yorknew incident, Ron wouldn't have stepped in. And if he hadn't, far more of us would've died."
Pakunoda's expression shifted. "You've confirmed this?"
There had been rumors before, but no solid evidence.
Chrollo nodded. Then he turned to Kurapika, who had just arrived. "You know Ron, don't you?"
Kurapika nodded. "More or less. We're friends, I suppose. We met during the Hunter Exam. Even then, his strength was on a whole other level—comparable to Hisoka and Illumi."
"I only learned later that he was part of the Zoldyck family."
"Ron's personality is... very stable."
Feitan frowned. "Stable?"
"I can't think of a better word," Kurapika replied. "He's a killer—not a good person, but not exactly evil either. If he's in a good mood, he doesn't mind helping people. For his friends, if it's within reach, he'll help. But more often than not, Ron prefers deals—especially when it comes to killing."
"Even if someone offends him, he usually won't kill them outright."
"There's one thing he said that stuck with me."
Everyone looked over.
"What was it?" someone asked.
"I kill—but only if I'm paid."
Kurapika paused. "So even if he and Machi are close, even if they're friends, he wouldn't help for free. A deal is the only way he operates."
Phinks fell silent.
"Ron-senpai is a good person," Hooker said. "Maybe saving me was just something he did without much thought, but he's the one who saved my life nonetheless."
"Let's board," Chrollo said, ending the conversation.
Everyone followed him. Many eyes turned their way. While ordinary people might not know the Phantom Troupe, those in the Nen-user world certainly did.
The Troupe was infamous—a vicious criminal group. Especially after Yorknew.
The ones who killed the Ten Dons were Ron and Illumi. But as assassins, they were just tools. The majority of blame for the Yorknew massacre and the auction attack fell on the Troupe. Wealthy merchants and public figures had taken notice.
"If people like them are on the Black Whale, doesn't that make this voyage incredibly dangerous?"
"Why would Kakin even allow it?"
"We'd better be careful once we're on board....In fact, I think I might stay behind."
"Are they after the treasures of the Dark Continent too?"
What they didn't know was that on the Black Whale, the Phantom Troupe weren't even close to being the most dangerous group. Far worse threats were already on board.
.........
.....
.
The yacht pulled away from the dock and headed for the massive Black Whale. As they stood on the deck, a massive staircase extended downward from the side of the main ship.
Ron noticed there were five entry points—one for each level of the Black Whale. This was deliberate. The ship was designed to separate people by class. On land, these divisions already existed, but once aboard, the separation became institutional.
Each level meant a different life. In a voyage this long, with limited resources, conflict was inevitable. Disputes over food and space alone would spark plenty of trouble.
A Black Whale staff member checked Ron's ticket and bowed respectfully.
"Sir, your room is this way."