Chapter 96: Razor and the Fourteen Pirates
Pirate Bay Tavern.
Creak—
The tavern's wooden door was pushed open.
"Who are you? We've booked this place for today! Get back to wherever you came from!" A dead-fat man built like a Japanese sumo wrestler, wearing a pirate hat on his head, looked up at the unexpected guests who had suddenly appeared in the tavern, his expression unfriendly.
The newcomers were none other than Mord's group, who had come here after receiving the NPC's mission hint.
Tsezguerra stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "We have something to discuss with you. Could you please leave this city?"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
As soon as the words fell, uproarious laughter immediately erupted in the tavern.
The pirates were laughing so hard they were practically falling over, as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world.
"It's been a long time since I've heard that line!" one tall, thin pirate said, taking a swig from his bottle and laughing heartily. "The last person who said that has long since turned into a pile of bones by the seaside!"
No one on the opposite side laughed.
The tall, thin pirate looked at Tsezguerra and the others, the smile fading from his face as he said in a low voice,
"Bopobo."
"Got it." The sumo wrestler, a large, fat pirate, showed an impatient expression, grabbed a bottle of strong liquor, stood up, and looked down at Tsezguerra and his group.
"I really want to crush you right now, but..."
"All decisions lie with the captain!"
Bopobo took a few steps back, moving to the open space in the center of the tavern. He used the strong liquor in his hand to draw a large circle around himself, then took out a lighter and set it on fire.
Standing in the center of the fiery circle, Bopobo crouched down, assuming the standard sumo wrestler's starting stance, and provocatively looked at Mord and the group.
"If any of you can push me out of this circle, I'll take you to see the captain."
"Even if several of you come at me together, I don't mind."
In Bopobo's eyes, the group opposite him included three children and one young man who looked weak and listless. How strong could a team like that possibly be?
Only the middle-aged man leading them seemed to have some substance.
It was no wonder he thought so; to the average person, Tsezguerra clearly looked more like the boss.
"I'll do it!" Gon volunteered.
Tsezguerra glanced at Mord and, seeing no objection, said, "Alright, it's up to you."
Seeing that his opponent was actually a child, Pobopo felt insulted and revealed a ferocious grin: "I won't go easy on you just because you're a kid. On the contrary, I'll crush every bone in your body."
"If you want to blame anyone, blame your companions—they're the ones who sent you straight to hell."
Gon seemed not to hear Bopobo's words and walked into the fiery circle on his own, assuming his stance before asking, "Can we start now?"
"Kid, you've got guts!"
"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!" Bopobo sneered.
But the next second, he could no longer laugh.
From the moment Gon entered the fiery circle, he had maintained this posture, ready to throw a punch.
Hatsu continuously gathered in Gon's right fist, and eventually, the amount of Hatsu became so dense that it was visible to the naked eye and had begun to glow...
"Hey, you've got to be kidding me!"
"That amount of Hatsu is terrifying—how can a child possibly do that?"
...
Behind Bopobo, the other pirates stared at Gon's fist with expressions of disbelief.
Not only them, but Tsezguerra's group felt the same way.
Tsezguerra had seen this killing move of Gon's during the previous qualification review, but compared to before, the amount of Hatsu had grown significantly.
Generally speaking, the amount of Aura a Nen user possesses requires accumulation through years of dedicated training—a gradual process that cannot be achieved overnight.
Yet, the Aura within Gon seemed to have no limits, constantly growing at every moment.
Mord narrowed his eyes slightly. This kid before him was truly not human.
In his collection book, he had a card for a designated pocket.
Card number 007, rank S—Pregnancy Stone.
Carrying this 3kg stone for one month, followed by a week, guarantees pregnancy regardless of gender. The stone comes in two types, male and female, allowing the choice of the desired offspring's gender.
There are two stones, each with bizarre appearances corresponding to the most primitive features of males and females.
Mord still remembered that there was once a theory online suggesting Gon was born to Ging using the Pregnancy Stone.
This would perfectly explain Gon's lack of a mother, as well as his visit to Greed Island during his childhood, among other questions.
However, now Mord was more inclined to believe that Gon was a non-human being from the Dark Continent. His growth rate was simply too terrifying, and his moral compass, devoid of any human foundation, was akin to that of a beast.
Even though he was raised by humans from a young age, and his upbringing was nothing like Killua's from an assassin family—everyone else on Whale Island was perfectly normal.
In the midst of the scene, Bopobo watched as the Aura gathering on Gon's fist grew increasingly violent, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
His massive body now dared not move an inch forward.
"Putting on an act? Die, you brat!"
Bopobo roared, unable to tolerate his own fear in front of a child. The shout eased the terror in his heart.
Bopobo stomped his right foot hard on the ground, causing the entire tavern floor to tremble. The next moment, his enormous body lunged toward Gon like a tank.
Gon's right fist shot out in response, striking squarely into Bopobo's belly. The fatty abdomen rippled with shockwaves before deforming.
Bopobo was sent flying backward.
He crashed directly into the wine racks at the back of the tavern, and a series of crisp sounds echoed as hundreds of bottles of imported liquor shattered, filling the tavern with the rich aroma of fine alcohol.
One-punch KO!
The group of pirates stood frozen in shock. These fourteen individuals weren't ordinary NPCs—they were all real people hired by creators like Ging, and every one of them was a hardened criminal from prison.
Their combat abilities were generally comparable, which made their astonishment even greater. None of them had expected Bopobo to lose to a child.
"Now can you take us to see your captain?" Mord ignored the look Gon was giving him and spoke with a light laugh.
The tall, thin pirate appeared to be the leader of the group. He first instructed his companions to help the severely injured and unconscious Bopobo, then turned to face Mord and the others. "Follow me," he said.
Mord and his group trailed behind the pirates until they reached the seaside, where a massive lighthouse stood.
Clearly, this was their destination.
"This is our fortress, converted from a lighthouse. From here, we can observe if there are any stowaway ships," the tall, thin pirate explained as he stood before the lighthouse fortress, then pushed open the main door.
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