The original five included,
First, Isaac Netero himself, the current chairman of the Hunter Association, once known as the "Strongest Nen User Alive."
Second, the infamous "prodigal son" and two-star Ruins Hunter, Ging Freecss, who also served as one of the Zodiac.
Third, Botobai Gigante, a three-star Terrorist Hunter and also part of the Zodiacs.
Fourth, Linne, the oldest active hunter in the Association and a legend among Gourmet Hunters.
And finally, Zeno Zoldyck, a terrifying assassin from the world's most infamous killer family.
However, very few people actually knew the truth: Zeno wasn't the true member of the Top Five. That title actually belonged to someone else, his grandfather, Maha Zoldyck, the eldest and most dangerous of them all.
Among the five, Linne was the only one currently in poor health. The rest were all classified as S-rank powerhouses.
Hearing all this, Larry and Menchi finally started to understand why they were called here, and just how serious this "main character" role might be.
The title of the world's top five Nen users wasn't just for show, it was a mark of power and recognition earned through real strength. Today's gathering had a clear purpose: to announce the new top five Nen users.
At first, no one really knew the details, but judging from what Larry had just said, Gel quickly pieced it together. It seemed pretty clear, Larry was going to replace someone on that list.
With his current strength, Larry wasn't just qualified to be among the top five. Honestly, he was already in a league of his own. Many even believed he had quietly become the strongest Nen user alive.
"So... you're saying I'm supposed to be one of the new top five?"
Larry finally understood why President Netero had called him the 'main character' this time around.
To outsiders, this title might have sounded like a huge honor, something to brag about. But for Larry, it didn't hold much meaning. It was just a label.
As for whose spot he was taking? He had a good guess, probably Linne. After all, even though Linne's illness had been treated, the aftereffects still lingered. He likely wasn't in the right condition to continue holding the position.
Plus, if Linne had made the decision himself, it might've been his way of repaying Larry for helping save his life.
On the way to the meeting room, Larry ran into Biscuit, who was also headed there. It had only been a few days since they'd last met, yet here they were again.
"Oh? Biscuit!" Menchi lit up when she saw her. "Did you end up getting the gem you were talking about?"
She was referring to what Biscuit had mentioned back on Greed Island, how she absolutely had to obtain the Blue Planet.
"Of course I did," Biscuit replied with a proud grin and whipped out the gem for everyone to admire.
It truly lived up to its name. The Blue Planet was a radiant, perfectly round gemstone that shimmered with a cool, ice-blue glow.
According to rumors, it was completely one-of-a-kind, made from a rare element found only in the far reaches of space.
Larry couldn't help but think of liquid Titanium ore, one of the "seven beauties of the world." It was another ultra-rare material with the same ice-blue color. Maybe when they designed the Earth card, the creators had drawn inspiration from the look of that mineral.
"Looks like the quality's the real deal if even Biscuit is impressed," Larry said with a chuckle.
Just then, Ging wandered over and joined the group, clearly in the mood to chat.
"You just said the word old, didn't you?" Biscuit's eyes narrowed into slits as she glared at him. If looks could kill, Ging would've been skewered by a dozen invisible swords.
"Haha, nope, not me! Must've heard wrong," Ging said quickly, laughing nervously and waving his hands to deflect the death stare.
Gel raised an eyebrow. "It's kind of weird seeing you at a formal meeting like this," she said, surprised. "Did the sun rise in the west or something?"
She wasn't joking, despite being colleagues in the Zodiac, it had been ages since she'd seen Ging. He was always off somewhere doing his own thing.
"Well, I happened to be free today," Ging replied casually. "And since the main star this time is Larry, I figured I had to at least show up for him."
He patted Larry on the shoulder with a rare bit of sincerity. But right after saying that, his expression shifted. A memory popped into his head, specifically, what Larry had told Gon not long ago.
"Larry, you really planned to let Gon meet me back then?" Ging muttered, his tone darkening. "Man, I was seriously panicking. Ickshonpe wasn't gonna let me off easy if that happened."
"I was just messing with you," Larry said, smirking.
The group laughed and kept chatting as they walked on, their voices growing quieter as they moved farther down the hall.
Back at the corner where they had been standing, a gangster in a black suit and oversized sunglasses leaned silently against the wall, typing something quickly on his phone. His expression was a mix of anxiety and hesitation.
The message he sent was addressed to none other than the man now known as "Pride," once a member of the Seven Deadly Sins and currently one of the Ten Don.
Thinking back to how casually Larry had been joking around with Ging, Gel, and the other elite members of the association, the gangster's fingers trembled.
'Can our boss… really go up against someone like that?'
***
A little later, once the group had walked some distance from the hall, Ging suddenly turned to Larry with a strange look.
"Seems like some little rats have started keeping tabs on you," he said calmly. "What do you think? Should we just take care of them now?"
His words were vague on the surface, but everyone present understood what he meant.
The group was made up of elite Nen users, there was no hiding from their perception. The spies thought they were being sneaky, but they were practically waving red flags in front of seasoned hunters.
Larry simply shook his head. "No rush. It won't be long before we round them all up anyway."
There was a faint excitement in his voice, like he was looking forward to it.
He was especially curious, how much experience would Pride be worth now that he was one of the Ten Don?
At this point, Larry couldn't even be bothered to call them by name anymore. To him, they were just walking bundles of experience points waiting to be collected.
A few days earlier, just after President Netero's message, he'd received another call, From Earthworm.
Ever since Pride became one of the Ten Don, his power and influence had only grown stronger by the day. His personal Nen abilities had improved significantly, and his subordinates had expanded into a formidable force.
With his confidence rekindled, Pride had started planning a second round of revenge, this time, aimed squarely at Larry.