There were many preparations to be made… waiting for Ellie to finish building the ship, gathering necessary supplies, and increasing the number of pages in the book as much as possible.
Before the ship was completed, Law needed to maximize his time and energy to prepare as thoroughly as possible.
Coincidentally, the next Hunter Exam would begin in two months. He hoped to collect at least a thousand pages by then.
At a conservative estimate, before heading to the Dark Continent, the number of book pages needed to reach at least ten thousand. By that point, it would also mean achieving the accomplishment of saving ten thousand lives.
Two days later, Law and Biscuit traveled together on an airship headed to Spice City.
After arriving at Spice City, they went straight to Ellie's house.
When Ellie saw Biscuit, who looked as delicate as a doll, she felt a hint of hostility, as she had never seen Biscuit in her original form before, but she didn't show it outwardly.
After settling Biscuit in, Law went to Ellie's study and summoned Kuro, ordering him to spit out Stargie's coffin.
When the lid was opened, Stargie's breathtakingly beautiful face came into view, still pale and bloodless, but her body was perfectly preserved.
When Law first encountered Stargie, her corpse had been shrouded in Post-Mortem Nen, and due to the effects of the Sonata of Darkness, her body had remained uncorrupted for years.
However, after Law absorbed the Post-Mortem Nen, the corpse would naturally have difficulty remaining intact. Back then, on a whim, Law had infused the coffin with Nen, preventing microorganisms from eroding Stargie's body… a decision that now proved useful.
If the corpse had decayed, Ellie's [Soul Mimic] would have been rendered meaningless.
'Perhaps you'll get a second chance at life.'
Law gazed at Stargie lying silently in the coffin, a pang of pity rising in his heart.
He had once witnessed Stargie's life as an observer, so he hoped Ellie's [Soul Mimic] would succeed, allowing Stargie to truly live for herself again. All she had to do was stay by Ellie's side.
"So beautiful..."
Ellie finally got a clear look at Stargie's face. Even as another woman, she felt slightly breathless at Stargie's beauty.
"Let's begin." Law said to Ellie.
"Mm."
Ellie nodded, raising her hands slightly as Aura surged around her. She conjured a notepad and a pen, then tore off the last page of the notepad, wrote the word [Soul] on it, and stuck it to Stargie's forehead.
A faint white light glowed around Stargie's body, gradually enveloping her delicate figure.
An invisible thread seemed to connect Ellie and Stargie.
Nen, following an unseen path, continuously flowed from Ellie's body into Stargie's.
Within just a minute, Ellie was already breathing heavily, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
The rapid depletion of Aura also affected her physical stamina. If all her Aura was drained, she might faint on the spot.
Seeing that Ellie seemed to be struggling, Law asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
Ellie didn't speak, only nodding slightly.
Five minutes later, the light of Nen around Stargie's body gradually receded into her, and the notepad stuck to her forehead vanished without a trace, as if absorbed into her mind.
Once the ritual was complete, Ellie's legs gave out, but Law caught her before she could collapse.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just a little tired." Ellie replied.
Injecting so much Nen into Stargie at once was naturally exhausting.
Kuro jumped onto the edge of the coffin and peered inside at Stargie. Suddenly, her eyes opened, a faint glimmer of Nen-like light flashing through them.
"Tch."
Kuro wasn't frightened by this 'resurrection' at all… instead, he seemed intrigued.
Law and Ellie also saw Stargie open her eyes and exchanged glances.
As for whether this would succeed, even Ellie wasn't sure.
After opening her eyes, Stargie remained motionless for over ten seconds, simply staring at the ceiling. But her eyes now carried a glimmer of life, no longer hollow like a corpse's, nor did they seem stiff.
The room fell silent as Law and Ellie held their breaths, watching Stargie.
Ellie could already sense a faint, tenuous connection with Stargie, confirming that her Nen Ability had indeed taken effect.
However, it was unclear how much longer Stargie would need to be nourished with Nen before her soul could fully return.
At this moment, Stargie slowly sat up, ignoring Law and the others. She stepped out of the coffin, stood to the side, and remained silent.
Her movements carried the distinct characteristics of a puppet, but her gaze shifted slightly, as if observing the room's surroundings… a behavior that went far beyond that of a mere puppet.
This alone was enough to prove that Stargie had transcended the identity of a puppet, which is a promising start.
"I'm not sure how long the nourishment process will take." Ellie said, gazing at Stargie, whose beauty resembled a work of art.
"It's fine. Take your time. Let me know when it's about ready." Law replied, also studying Stargie. Even after seeing her multiple times, he couldn't help but marvel at her beauty.
"Mm." Ellie nodded.
"You're tired, rest for a bit."
After saying that, Law turned to Kuro and said, "Put the coffin away."
Kuro complied, storing the coffin back into his space, then remarked, "That little girl's Nen Ability is quite interesting."
Ellie glanced at Kuro but didn't respond.
Soon after, Ellie settled Stargie in place. Exhausted, she fell asleep shortly after lying down.
Law and Kuro left, returning to their own room.
This trip had mainly been about delivering Stargie. Now that it was done, Law didn't plan to stay long. Once Ellie woke up, he told her he was leaving.
Though reluctant, Ellie could only see him off.
Law and Biscuit boarded a car arranged by Kenda and drove down the mountain road.
Before parting, Law didn't notice the envy in Ellie's eyes… but Biscuit did.
…
Three months later.
There is a large, open clearing in the middle of a forest. From above, it looked like a bald patch in a thick head of hair.
This was the first stage location for this year's Hunter Exam. Despite it being deep winter, the sun blazed mercilessly here, with temperatures soaring past 40°C.
A crowd of about a thousand examinees had gathered, enduring the scorching heat. Some, resourceful, built makeshift shelters from nearby materials. Others, unbothered by poisonous insects, took refuge in the trees at the clearing's edge.
Among the examinees, Tonpa tirelessly handed out drinks to fresh faces. A closer look would reveal tiny beads of condensation on the cans… apparently, they were chilled.
This year, Law wasn't wearing a mask. Upon arriving, he quickly spotted Tonpa in the crowd and quietly approached from behind, watching as Tonpa distributed the ice-cold drinks to newcomers.
Seeing that the drinks were actually chilled, Law could only sigh in admiration, 'Tonpa really was a talent in his own way. This guy put in serious effort just to screw people over.'
"Hey, give me one."
Law patted Tonpa's shoulder, altering his voice.
Hearing this, Tonpa's heart leaped with joy. After researching the first stage's location, he'd gone out of his way to chill the drinks… and sure enough, the effect was explosive.
Now, instead of having to distribute them, people were coming to him.
'Heh, perfect timing. Before that nightmare Law shows up, I'll finish handing these out.'
'You're walking right into this one…'
A kindly smile spread across Tonpa's face as he slowly turned around.
'Hell's gate is wide open, and you're… you're… you're… you're-?!!!!!'
Tonpa's mouth fell open in an 'O' shape as he froze solid, staring at Law.
"Hey, why do you always look so nervous when you see me? Relax, I'm not going to do anything to you. Actually, I came to find you this year because I've got something good to share."
Law grinned at Tonpa, whose blood seemed to have turned to ice.
"…Something good?" Tonpa forced a smile that looked more like crying.
"Guess." Law winked.
'Guess my ass!'
Tonpa screamed internally, 'This is definitely not a good thing!'
The truth was, Law had come this time to teach Tonpa Nen… to help him awaken his own ability.
As for why he wanted to teach Tonpa…
Guess.