With his attributes surging, Chrollo's terrifying aura capacity had reached a staggering units—an amount even more immense than Gon's "Adult" transformation.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Chrollo rocketed into the sky, using Moonwalk to close the distance. He reached the falling island at incredible speed. With a flick of his wrist and the support of his massive aura, a colossal white cloth manifested, stretching wide enough to blot out the sun. It wrapped entirely around the plummeting meteorite-island.
A second later, the gargantuan rock that could have wiped out every living thing on the archipelago... vanished completely.
Bonney, watching from below, dropped her jaw so low it nearly hit the deck. "What the...?"
"He just... handled a whole island like he was folding laundry?" Toddler Bonney felt her brain going numb.
Pakunoda, who had already returned with the treasure and charts, patted Bonney's shoulder with a gentle, reassuring smile. "Just watch. As long as the Leader is here, we are perfectly safe."
Bonney turned slowly to look at Pakunoda, then at the rest of the Spiders behind her. None of them showed a hint of panic. Their calm was eerie. She pointed a small, shaking finger toward the Golden Lion floating high in the distance.
"Don't you guys know who that is?! Don't you know how to be afraid?!"
"We know exactly who he is," Pakunoda said. Having touched Dr. Indigo's memories, she knew exactly how terrifying Shiki was. Yet, she just shrugged, looking entirely unbothered.
"But so what?"
Bonney saw the absolute, almost blind trust in Pakunoda's eyes. She looked back at Chrollo, who was now hovering in the sky, facing down the Golden Lion as an equal. "Why do you trust him so much?"
"Why?" Pakunoda's lips curled into a smile. "I suppose it's because... under his leadership... we have never lost a single time."
When did it start? Pakunoda wondered. When did our trust in Chrollo become this absolute?
Maybe it was back under the cherry blossoms when Chrollo first declared the formation of the Phantom Troupe. Maybe it was when he decimated the Ten Dons and the Mafia who dared to touch Meteor City. Maybe it was when he crushed the Chimera Ants, restored Meteor City's status as a true city, and gave the residents back their dignity. Or maybe it was when he turned the Black Whale into a slaughterhouse, ensuring the Troupe emerged as the ultimate winners before stepping into this world.
Somewhere along the way, the Troupe had simply gotten used to winning as long as Chrollo was in charge. It felt as though no matter how strong the enemy was, they couldn't move the mountain that was their Leader.
Having spent so many years by his side and possessing the [Memory Search] ability, could Pakunoda really not have noticed the subtle changes in Chrollo? The answer was, of course, impossible.
But... so what if she knew? She was certain the other members had sensed it, too. And yet, there was a reason they all shared a tacit understanding never to bring it up. Because from the very beginning, the person who had led them step by step to this very moment was the man standing right there.
So... who cares?
She only knew that he was their Leader—the miracle-worker who brought them from nothing to the peak of the world. She trusted him more than she trusted herself.
"Giggle..." Pakunoda couldn't help but laugh into her hand.
"What's so funny?" Bonney asked, looking lost.
"Nothing," Pakunoda waved it off. "I just thought of something amusing. Chrollo..." She looked up at the sky with a fond gaze. "He probably thinks it's vital that he never shows us his 'other side.' He doesn't realize that the rest of us... totally... don't... care."
Bonney looked at the faces of the Troupe members and saw that they all shared the same knowing, heartfelt smile.
They're all crazy... Bonney thought, her spirit sinking. This whole crew is insane! There's a legend right in front of them and they're laughing! Chrollo must have brainwashed them into oblivion!
She shook her head, looking at them with pity. Then, she reached out and grabbed Nami's arm. "Nami-oneesan, you're new here too. You have to agree with me, right? Let's run away together!"
"Run? Run where?" Nami's eyes were swirling with dollar signs as she stared at the mountain of gold Pakunoda had brought back. She was wearing a dazed, greedy grin. "Money... hehehe... so much money!!"
Is Bonney sick? Run away? All the money is right here! Besides, they were on a floating cliff. Without Chrollo, they weren't going anywhere.
Nami patted Bonney's head gently. "He's the man who saved Cocoyasi Village. I'm never abandoning a comrade again."
(Internal Monologue: Besides, this gold is worth way more than my life!!)
"What—even Nami-oneesan?! Brainwashed in such a short amount of time?!" Bonney collapsed onto her butt, looking up at Chrollo in the sky. "That man... is terrifying!"
---
Chrollo had no idea what they were discussing below. If he did, he would have screamed: Dammit—all that acting for nothing!!
His focus was entirely on Shiki. Since his "Ultimate Move" had been swallowed by the cloth, the Golden Lion had switched to close-quarters combat. Using the two legendary blades, Oto and Kogarasu, attached to his legs, Shiki began raining down slashes.
"Zanpa (Slicing Wave)!"
Shiki's right leg, Kogarasu, traced a golden arc through the air, sending a massive blade of energy toward Chrollo!
[Flying Slash]
It was the hallmark of a master swordsman. Even if Shiki wasn't primarily known for his blade-work, a legend of his status was still a formidable fencer. The slash didn't split the ocean like Mihawk's, but it ripped a terrifying trench into the floating island beneath them.
"Your cloth can't wrap up a wave of energy! Let's see you dodge this—Jahahaha!" Shiki laughed triumphantly.
Chrollo's lips curved into a smirk. "A slash only works if it actually hits someone."
"Instant Displacement—"
Flicker.
Chrollo's body vanished. In his place, a small pebble fell to the ground.
Chrollo himself reappeared standing on the soil. Before the fight started, he had touched the ground, leaving stones behind to act as anchors for his swap.
"That's one..."
Shiki's pupils shrank. Confusion flickered in his eyes. But before he could process it, Chrollo vanished from the ground again. A stone shot toward Shiki's face at high speed.
"That's two..."
"Where did he go?!" Shiki leaned his head to avoid the stone, looking left and right.
The next second, Chrollo materialized exactly where the stone had been—right in Shiki's personal space.
"That's three!!"
Chrollo's right arm coiled like a spring. Veins bulged and muscles tightened as he channeled his S-rank strength and massive aura into a single point. He aimed straight for Shiki's chest and swung with all his might—
BOOM—!
---