The information Shalnark brought back from Southern Piece perfectly confirmed Chrollo's suspicions.
The pair of Scarlet Eyes that the Southern Piece Auction House was supposed to auction tomorrow had been withdrawn early. The buyer was none other than one of the Ten Community Leaders.
However, Chrollo, who was already aware of the actions taken by Luo Ning and Kurapika, naturally knew that the person who had obtained those eyes was Luo Ning, who had assumed the identity of a Ten Community Leader.
With that identity, the opponent could even easily take the remaining two pairs of Scarlet Eyes from the Mafia's auction items as well.
Chrollo was currently considering whether he could use Shalnark's ability to control a Ten Community Leader and then complete the manipulation of the target to assume their identity and status.
But the answer was: no.
He had already realized the key to Luo Ning and the other's impersonation of the Ten Community Leaders.
Luo Ning possessed the ability to create clones, and those clones could even disguise their appearance. This meant he could completely disguise himself as a Ten Community Leader.
At this thought, Chrollo's gaze fell upon Bonolenov Ndongo.
'There is room to maneuver.'
However, such an operation did not suit the methods of a thief. Furthermore, Bonolenov Ndongo was in such a poor state that it was a miracle he was even alive; they should focus on recovery first.
Moreover, actually controlling the Ten Community Leaders did not offer much benefit to the Phantom Troupe.
Money? They had it.
Channels for obtaining information? They had those too.
Status? The status of the Mafia was far less intimidating than their own identities as A-rank bounties.
Thus, the idea of impersonating the Ten Community Leaders was immediately dismissed from Chrollo's mind.
"We have fallen into a bit of a passive position," Chrollo mused.
Since arriving in Yorknew City, it felt as though all their actions were being led by the nose by the opponent.
Even the sudden attack this time was the result of the opponent's calculations.
Later, even though they had ambushed Luo Ning, the end result was that they were forced to retreat after a large number of mercenaries entered the scene.
The opponent was one step faster in their arrangements, seizing the initiative!
'Although Kurapika is quite naive, his planning and strategy are nothing Luo Ning can compare to.'
The one thing Chrollo still doubted was whether the key to the Scarlet Eyes transforming into eyes like Luo Ning's was the existence of a "divine tool" as he had thought, or if there was another reason.
After all, the suspicion of a divine tool was mainly because he had only recently come into contact with this special power, so his judgment might lack accuracy.
But if there was another reason, it should lie within Luo Ning himself.
Was it those eyes that had completely diverged from the scope of the Scarlet Eyes, giving off an even more ominous aura?
'If Luo Ning understands our abilities, it could be explained by him seeing us during the massacre of the Kurta Clan. However, he seems familiar with every one of us, even the Phantom Troupe's operational patterns. This is very strange.'
Chrollo noticed another inconsistency.
"I plan to return to Southern Tea City to investigate again." Chrollo decided to temporarily give up on chasing Luo Ning's footsteps.
He needed a deeper understanding of the Kurta Clan, and he also needed an ability that could counter Luo Ning's powers.
Since Luo Ning's power came from his eyes, an ability targeting eyes would be of vital importance.
It was a pity Omokage died while acting alone; otherwise, Omokage's ability would have been the best counter to Luo Ning!
"Are we not going to continue investigating the Scarlet Eyes?" Shalnark was surprised by Chrollo's decision.
Once Chrollo left, at least two people would accompany him.
With only seven people left and without Chrollo's command, they couldn't possibly rely on him to deal with Luo Ning, could they?
Shalnark felt his own analytical capacity was somewhat insufficient; the person planning alongside Luo Ning was more skilled than he was.
Only Chrollo could continuously see through the secrets of Luo Ning and find the key points.
Furthermore, to break the isolation ability Luo Ning had used in conjunction with others when killing Uvogin, Chrollo's presence was required.
"Yes," Chrollo nodded. "Except for those in Kakin, we can let Luo Ning have all sixteen pairs of Scarlet Eyes. We only need to hold onto the final eleven pairs. For the time being, we should worry about being ambushed by the opponent, rather than trying to ambush them ourselves. Everything will wait until I return!"
Chrollo sensed the danger of continuing to follow Luo Ning's actions.
Especially regarding the investigation of the remaining sixteen pairs of Scarlet Eyes, Luo Ning's side had long held the advantage. Therefore, it was better to change strategies, minimize losses, and wait for a chance to turn the tables.
That's right.
Turn the tables!
The Phantom Troupe was currently at a disadvantage.
Chrollo was certain of this, because as Luo Ning acquired more Scarlet Eyes, the gap in strength between the two sides would only grow wider.
Currently, Luo Ning might be able to defeat any single member of the Troupe in direct combat. If he continued to obtain two or three more pairs of Scarlet Eyes, Luo Ning might gain the strength to deal with two or even three Troupe members at the same time.
Once Luo Ning obtained all sixteen pairs, it would be impossible to calculate how terrifying his strength would become.
Without saying more, Chrollo knew that many in the Troupe did not agree with his decision, but he did not intend to persuade them further.
The Phantom Troupe was not a dictatorship.
The purpose of forming the Troupe was not to make him an autocrat. If the members truly wanted to take action, they should be prepared for the consequences!
Chrollo left with Pakunoda, Kortopi, and Franklin Bordeau.
After Chrollo and the others departed, the remaining Troupe members did not disperse.
"I still plan to collect a pair or two of Scarlet Eyes. Even if it only slightly restricts the growth of Luo Ning's strength, or if the Scarlet Eyes can be used as a bargaining chip against him, it would be beneficial," Machi Komacine said.
Her gaze fell upon Shalnark. "I need your ability. Only you can find the right Scarlet Eyes without leading us into an ambush."
Nobunaga Hazama silently stepped behind Machi Komacine.
Bonolenov Ndongo also spoke, "Shalnark, I need the intelligence you gathered earlier."
Shalnark first nodded to Machi Komacine. "I'll help. I have the same idea as you. As for Bonolenov Ndongo, the key to recovering from your injuries lies within Greed Island."
"I'll take you there," Feitan Portor spoke up voluntarily. "We'll just snatch the game from Southern Piece. Also, didn't the Leader mention before that Luo Ning might be interested in Greed Island? What's the situation now?"
"The judgment might have been wrong at the time, but we should still be careful," Shalnark reminded him.
"Don't worry," Phinks Magcub also stood forward. "I'll go with him."
And so, the remaining ten members of the Phantom Troupe quickly finalized their assignments.
As for the death of Isley, it had no impact on the Troupe.
However, Shalnark was still thinking about the person who had taken all the items from the vault of the Ten Community Leaders. There were so many vacancies in the Troupe now; if that person's strength was decent, perhaps they could be recommended to Chrollo to fill a gap.
And with their unique abilities, even if their raw power was slightly lacking, it wouldn't matter much.
At the very least, that person's ability could be added to Chrollo's library of skills.
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