With everyone's support clear, Larry continued forward, accompanied by the smiling Menchi and the curious Meowth, ready to take the next step toward becoming the new president.
"They all respect my master, meow."
Meowth couldn't help but smile, feeling happy as he watched everyone show such respect to his master.
A pair of cat-like eyes curved into a smile, clearly pleased to see its master so warmly welcomed.
After all, to it, its master was the best person in the world.
Meanwhile, Gon and Killua stood in front, eyeing Meowth with curiosity.
Larry, on the other hand, already knew who everyone would vote for without needing to ask.
After passing countless acquaintances and strangers, someone unexpected but fitting appeared before Larry.
"Hohohohoho, future president, the Hunter Association will be in your hands from now on," President Netero said with a smile, standing at the front of the group as if he had anticipated this moment all along.
And indeed, he had.
The reason he had shown Larry in detail how to open the darkroom before was because he already knew Larry was to become the new guild leader.
Larry might not fully realize it yet, but as president, Netero was well aware of Larry's current influence and reputation.
His appointment as president was practically guaranteed.
Looking across the entire Hunter Association, there was simply no one more fitting for the role.
Larry was a powerhouse not only in combat but also in fame and achievements.
His contributions to the Sky Arena, creating the "Strongest Host" and organizing the "Martial Arts Tournament", had greatly expanded his reputation.
Even Pariston, the vice-president, didn't come close to matching Larry's popularity and influence at his peak.
"Old man? Why are you here?" Larry asked, surprised to see Netero at the front and part of the voting team.
Usually, the top leaders of the association didn't join the voting teams but voted privately, like the twelve zodiacs.
In the original story, Netero was already deceased by this point.
During the vote for the new president, there were only photos of him and a bouquet of flowers on the ceremonial stage.
"This time, we're electing a new president. As the old president, I'm here as a symbol," Netero explained. "But I'm not the first. That honor belongs to you."
He looked at the young man before him with a hint of nostalgia shining in his eyes.
He was so young back then, but it's a shame that time waits for no one.
After finishing his words, Netero turned aside and willingly gave up his spot, just like everyone else before him.
"Alright, let's have our future president cast the first vote," he said.
As the clear sound of bells rang out, ding-ling-ling, the whole team suddenly felt energized.
It was midnight!
Larry stood before the wide door, his eyes filled with determination.
He pushed it open gently, revealing the vast auditorium inside.
The room was enormous, packed with countless seats, capable of holding a large crowd.
At the front stood a platform where Rabbit Piyon, Tiger Kanzai, and Sheep Ginta were waiting.
In front of them sat an iron box, the ballot box.
Step by step, Larry walked steadily toward it, with Netero, Menchi, Meowth, and the others following behind in an orderly line.
He led the group confidently, like a leader guiding his team forward.
In no time, Larry reached the ballot box.
The others were calm, but Piyon kept his eyes fixed on Larry.
Just as Larry was about to cast his vote, Piyon leaned in close to whisper in his ear, "Me, Gel, Ging, and Cluck all voted for you."
Larry nodded quietly, feeling a newfound calm settle over him.
If anyone had claimed they hadn't voted for him, he might have reacted, but thinking it through, it was honestly a bit intimidating, so many hunters had voted for him.
Ironically, he hadn't even voted for himself because he never expected to become president in the first place.
He had assumed things would play out roughly as the original plan suggested, with Pariston and Cheadle getting the most votes.
But not only did Larry receive a surprising number of votes, it also seemed many people had come out to vote this time around.
That meant the 95% voter turnout rule might actually be met, making this election real and valid.
Because of that, he wasn't too concerned about the results.
He just happened to be there to meet Beyond and decided to vote.
He even voted for Ging, which was basically a wasted vote, but it was like choosing a less popular classmate during a school election, just a casual choice.
Still, here he was, possibly ending up as president.
After Larry cast his vote, President Netero stepped forward.
One by one, the large group voted until everyone had finished.
Though most voters arrived at midnight, the twelve zodiacs waited patiently until the deadline before beginning the count.
The final results caught everyone off guard.
"Bean-faced man, are you sure this is correct?" someone asked, disbelief clear in his voice.
"Is this data exaggerated?"
Kanzai swallowed hard, staring at the statistics on the sheet in front of him, echoing the doubts in the room.
"This... is the official count," he finally said, "and though it's surprising, it's true."
The bean-faced man wiped sweat from his brow with a small handkerchief, equally stunned by the outcome.
Each person held a paper showing the voting results, including turnout and absences.
The most striking detail was at the very top: First place went to Larry, with 489 votes, that's 73.9% of the entire Hunter Association, which only has 661 members.
Nearly three-quarters of all hunters had voted for Larry, an overwhelming margin compared to second place Pariston.
"Wow, this is the highest turnout I've ever seen," Netero said, stroking his beard with a smile.
"I remember Larry only got just over 60% at the start."
"Kanzai added, "After excluding absences and invalid ballots, the turnout hit 96%, well within the rules."
"That means the new president is Mr. Larry," the bean-faced man confirmed, his mind drifting back to the first time he met Larry, when Larry had casually called him "Bean," just like Netero did.
Pariston looked down at the voting sheet in his hand, his trademark fake smile barely hiding his disappointment.
'Too bad I couldn't make a bigger impact before stepping down, but I'll focus on the Dark Continent next.'
"So, no objections?" Netero asked, glancing at Pariston briefly before announcing loudly, "Larry is officially the 13th president!"
After the meeting ended, Netero assigned the bean-faced man to handle the public announcement.
Over the next two days, the election results would be shared across all six continents.
"So, you're the president now," Pyon said softly, her pink eyes fixed on Larry's figure. "It feels like we all knew this before the vote, doesn't it?"
Larry shrugged helplessly.
After the results were announced, Pyon had immediately called him, and they ended up having a face-to-face chat.
After a brief pause, Larry continued, "Maybe next we'll be Electing a vice president."
"Really? Why's that?" Pyon asked, puzzled.
Larry planned to keep it simple.
"Because Pariston is heading to the Dark Continent soon, so he'll be stepping down as vice president.And now his team has basically become my team?"
Pyon's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait, Pariston's going to the Dark Continent? And it's your team? Are you going with him?"
She covered her mouth lightly, still in disbelief.