Chaen was an Enhancer.
But he excelled at seizing battle opportunities.
That was how he managed to capitalize on the tiny opening Kalluto revealed while clearing the human puppets, delivering a heavy blow.
Even if this strike didn't achieve significant results, in Chaen's view, it could create an opportunity to kill another Zoldyck brat first.
Chaen believed that compared to frontal assaults, this kind of judgment that adjusted decisions in real-time according to battle changes was his strongest combat trait.
Yet when his body was struck by a Nen bullet descending from the sky, he never could have imagined... his once proud judgment-based combat trait was utterly useless in the face of life and death.
Before his consciousness vanished into darkness, Chaen's pupils froze on Morrow's Index Finger pointing toward the sky.
This guy... after appearing, he deliberately displayed a powerful aura to prevent Chaen from having enough mental capacity to notice the attack from above.
But how exactly did he do it? To predictively adjust the attack's landing point in advance.
Chaen's shock and confusion could obviously only be buried in the darkness along with his life.
Boom!
Violent energy erupted in all directions.
When the dazzling Nen light faded, a mangled corpse lay on the ground.
Not far away.
The freckled youth's pupils sharply contracted.
Witnessing this scene from a bystander's perspective made him feel Morrow's terror even more intensely.
How could he describe this feeling?
It was as if... from the moment Morrow descended from the sky, everything Chaen subsequently endured was like a predetermined script, with no possibility of alteration, only following the established trajectory.
A death trap.
The freckled youth hadn't anticipated the variable of the "heavenly descent."
But despite the violent shock in his heart, he forcefully suppressed his turmoil, controlling the surrounding zombie residents to cover his retreat while he turned and fled like mad.
However, his momentary distraction caused by the shooting star from the sky had completely extinguished his last shred of escape possibility.
Swish.
Tsubone's burly figure appeared like a ghost before the freckled youth's eyes.
With no intention of taking prisoners for interrogation, Tsubone's cold gaze fell upon the freckled youth's face, accompanied by a powerful fist.
Bang!
The fist reinforced by aura was like a death scythe, severing the freckled youth's vitality in a single strike.
His face instantly caved in, yet with precisely controlled force, his head didn't explode, simply becoming a corpse that heavily collapsed to the ground.
Tsubone retracted her fist, her peripheral glance sweeping over the mangled corpse before Morrow.
This should have been her duty as a Zoldyck butler, yet Morrow who suddenly appeared had taken the initiative.
Perhaps because of this, she instantly killed the other enemy with even more ruthless means.
But the powerful aura Morrow displayed, along with his ability to instantly kill Chaen, greatly surprised Tsubone.
Especially that confident posture of having everything under control... it made her take notice.
Morrow, however, didn't care at all about Tsubone's inner thoughts. After killing Chaen, he only had one thought in mind.
The level is too low.
Opponents of this caliber can't even provide experience points. Given his current strength, only Nen users above level 50 could provide him with minimal gains under the experience decay mechanism.
In other words, those below level 50 weren't even worth Morrow's effort to engage.
"Morrow, what are you doing here?!"
With the crisis resolved and Killua guarded by Tsubone, Kalluto's tense nerves finally relaxed. Clattering forward in his wooden sandals, he rushed toward Morrow with undisguised delight.
Morrow first glanced at Tsubone before meeting Kalluto's gaze. "I'm heading to Whale Island too," he explained. "I thought I'd pick you up if you hadn't boarded yet."
Truthfully, had he not noticed the Nen trail left by Tsubone's aircraft, he would already be on his way to Whale Island with Chimera.
Kalluto completely believed this explanation, his deep purple eyes lighting up at the news. "That's wonderful! Gon said Whale Island has so many fun things..."
Clack, clack!
Deliberately heavy footsteps interrupted Kalluto's excited chatter.
Tsubone approached with measured steps, her mission being to bring both Kalluto and Killua home. She wouldn't indulge such naive fantasies.
"Little Kalluto."
She positioned herself perfectly, her shadow completely enveloping Kalluto's small frame. "It's time to go home," she stated calmly. "This is Silva's order."
The moment sunlight was blocked out, the joy froze on Kalluto's face.
In his excitement at seeing Morrow, he'd forgotten why Tsubone would be here.
Had it been his mother's order, Kalluto might have felt emboldened to resist with Killua's support.
But his father's command? That required immediate obedience.
Morrow wasn't surprised in the least.
Retrieving Killua and Kalluto had originally been Illumi's mission.
But Illumi was already dead.
With the Zoldyck Family receiving no updates from Illumi, they'd logically dispatched their fastest member, Tsubone.
Judging by the two corpses on site... Tsubone's urgent arrival likely served dual purposes: not just retrieving the children, but also protecting them if they came under attack.
Coincidentally, when Tsubone arrived, she witnessed Killua, under the Nen needle's influence, succumbing to cowardice, his fighting spirit broken as he fled.
Thus, from Tsubone's perspective, Killua remained under the Nen needle's control, making it natural she wouldn't suspect Illumi's demise.
Realization would only come if the Zoldyck Family actively removed the Nen needle from Killua's head.
Having reasoned this far, Morrow saw no reason to interfere with Tsubone's retrieval mission.
Moreover, this was Silva's direct command.
Even the most rebellious Killua would have to obediently follow Tsubone back.
Let alone the usually compliant Kalluto.
So when Tsubone invoked Silva's name, Kalluto didn't even consider asking Morrow for help.
"Morrow, I should go back now..."
Kalluto took two steps forward, emerging from Tsubone's shadow, his small face filled with disappointment.
Morrow nodded. "Alright. I'll visit when I have time."
"Mm, it's a promise then!"
This simple agreement immediately brightened Kalluto's mood considerably.
Tsubone could easily sense the shift in Kalluto's emotions and couldn't help but cast a deep glance at Morrow.
—--
Meanwhile.
Freed from the pressure of danger, Killua's mind gradually calmed down.
But what had already happened wouldn't simply vanish because of it.
In that moment, he had genuinely considered abandoning Gon and Kalluto, and had acted on that impulse.
If Tsubone hadn't arrived unexpectedly, he might have already put considerable distance between them.
I... even thought of leaving Kalluto behind... Someone like me doesn't deserve to be Gon's friend.
Killua hung his head, his entire being seemingly crushed by an invisible weight.
Even when Gon approached and called his name softly, he remained unresponsive, his gaze fixed rigidly on the ground.
Gon watched Killua with concern.
Though he himself was still shaken, he was more worried about Killua's state at this moment.
"Killua, Killua, it's alright now."
Gon reached out and gently shook Killua's shoulder.
Killua slowly raised his head but couldn't bring himself to meet Gon's eyes.
"I... have to go home."
"Yeah, when you have time, come visit me on Whale Island!"
Gon had overheard Tsubone's words earlier and, though reluctant, could only accept it.
Killua's hand suddenly lifted, coldly pushing Gon away.
"I won't be going."
His voice was like ice, carrying an aloofness that kept others at bay.
"We... won't be seeing each other again."
With that, Killua walked toward Tsubone without looking back, leaving Gon standing there in stunned silence, his face full of bewilderment.
At that moment, Amane also arrived on the scene.
She glanced subtly at Morrow, concealing a flicker of strangeness, then walked directly toward Tsubone.
Tsubone was already channeling her aura output, indicating she was about to use her ability to transform.
As the pilot, Amane naturally needed to be in position immediately.
They acted swiftly, soon departing with Killua and Kalluto.
On the ravaged street, only Morrow and Gon remained.
Even after the aircraft formed by Tsubone's transformation disappeared from view, Gon stood there in dazed confusion, unable to comprehend why Killua had suddenly changed so drastically.
Morrow, who had witnessed the entire scene from the side, said nothing.
About a minute later.
As if seeking answers from Morrow, Gon suddenly turned to look at him, his eyes filled with confusion, and asked, "What's... wrong with Killua?"
Morrow paused briefly, then replied indifferently as an outsider, "Probably tired of playing the 'friendship game.'"
"That's not it at all!"
Gon immediately retorted, his expression unusually earnest.
Morrow wasn't surprised by this reaction; he had only said it offhandedly.
Gon continued with unwavering certainty, "I don't know why Killua said those things, but that definitely wasn't how he truly feels. He was so looking forward to visiting Whale Island!"
"And so?"
Morrow watched Gon, already anticipating the answer the moment the question left his lips.
Just as he expected, Gon declared without hesitation, "I'm going to find Killua and ask him directly!"
"Oh."
Morrow countered, "Do you even know where Killua's home is?"
"No."
Gon answered with unshakable confidence.
Morrow: "..."
Gon lifted his head earnestly and said, "But you must know, right, Morrow?"
"I do know."
Morrow nodded calmly and said, "But even if I tell you the address, you might not be able to get past the main gate. Also... don't expect me to go with you."
"Ah..."
Gon felt disappointed.
But that feeling came and went quickly.
He soon perked up and said seriously, "It's fine. Please tell me Killua's home address."
"Alright. You should know Killua comes from a family of assassins, right?"
Morrow looked at Gon.
Gon nodded, "I know."
"His family is called Zoldyck, a very famous family of assassins located at Kukuroo Mountain in the Dentora Region."
As he spoke, Morrow observed Gon's reaction. "Once you get there, you can ask anyone for the specific address."
"Kukuroo Mountain in the Dentora Region..."
Gon murmured quietly, then smiled at Morrow. "Thank you, Morrow."
"..."
Morrow felt Gon was still being overly optimistic.
With the influence he had brought, if Gon went to Kukuroo Mountain alone to find Killua, not only might he not get past the main gate, but he could even be in mortal danger.
Yet Gon's reaction and behavior were no different from the original storyline.
He genuinely wanted to protect this friendship and was determined to find Killua and ask him face-to-face.
Thinking this, Morrow made a decision.
"Gon, I won't accompany you to Kukuroo Mountain, but I can help you awaken your Nen."
"Awaken Nen?"
Gon looked puzzled.
"It's a way to awaken powerful abilities within you."
Morrow explained calmly, "Actually, every qualified Hunter exam passer eventually goes through this process. Normally, the Association would send a teacher to do it, but if I help you awaken your Nen, the process and result will be the same."
Hearing this, a curious light appeared in Gon's eyes, and many things flashed through his mind.
There was Barbara's conjured illustrated book, the scenes of Morrow and Hisoka's fierce battle, and just now, Tsubone transforming into a flying vehicle.
He already understood what awakening Nen and unlocking power meant.
—--
Three days later.
With Morrow's help, Gon successfully awakened his Nen power and could already maintain the Ten state.
Only by personally teaching him could one truly appreciate Gon's talent.
From Nen awakening to mastering Ten circulation, there was no difficulty whatsoever for Gon.
Morrow even intentionally guided Gon to master the Zetsu technique, which he learned in a short time as well, though not yet proficiently.
Even so, this level of talent was truly astonishing.
No wonder he could forcibly grow strong enough to defeat Neferpitou during the Chimera Ant arc through the Vow and Limitation mechanism.
After mastering Ten, Gon bid farewell to Morrow and immediately set off for the Dentora Region.
Morrow didn't change his mind and let Gon go to the Zoldyck family alone.
Additionally, during the three days helping Gon awaken his Nen, he had also obtained from Netero the task of being responsible for guiding Gon's Nen ability.
Gon, I hope you can help Killua gain his freedom just like in the 'original world,' and let this precious friendship continue...
Morrow watched Gon's departing figure and silently thought to himself.
Still feeling somewhat uneasy, he sent Kalluto a message to take good care of Gon.
After completing these tasks, Morrow prepared to head directly to Whale Island.
He traversed a forest and arrived at a steep cliff edge.
Ahead lay the boundless blue sea.
Standing at the cliff's edge, Morrow shot a Shooting Star into the sky to summon Chimera.
A moment later.
Chimera's figure appeared over the distant sea.
But besides Chimera, there was also a ship cutting through the waves.
The vessel seemed to be pursuing Chimera.
Morrow concentrated flame-like aura in his eyes, focusing intently on the ship.
On the deck, he spotted soldiers formed from white smoke and a tall, burly man shouldering a giant smoking pipe.
"Hmm?"
Morrow raised an eyebrow.
Morel?