Chapter 188: First Meeting with Ging x Fierce Battle with the Zodiacs
"Roy Zoldyck, twelve years old. Skilled with the blade, possesses extraordinary swordsmanship talent. Suspected 'Enhancer'..."
"Eye-catching performance on the Sea God. Once trained his sword against a storm, later repelled a Conjurer named Pariston. Ranked first in the point battle..."
"Encountered a Kiriko family after Quiz Town. Conjured a crow-shaped Nen beast and burned down a mountain forest. Suspected 'Emitter'..."
"Formal venue, encountered illusions. Data missing, unable to determine specific actions. Next... the battle with Botobai Gigante... recorded footage shows... he displayed an ability similar to 'imitation,' transforming into others upon contact. Suspected 'Transmuter'..."
"Based on the above, I have reason to suspect he is fundamentally a 'Specialist' who, for some reason, can utilize at least 'Enhancement,' 'Conjuration,' and 'Transmutation' at 100% efficiency, or... more..."
Yorbian Continent, West Coast, the seaside city of Vebis. On a cliff overlooking the sea.
Elena, with her blonde hair in twin tails, stared at the screen in front of her, summarizing the gathered intelligence. Not far in front of her, a man wearing a worn-out hood, with stubble on his chin, was fishing by the sea. The fishing rod in his hand was inlaid with a special red bead. He listened silently to the woman's analysis without saying a word.
"Am I wrong?" Elena pushed up the blue-light glasses on her nose. She knew Ging. He wasn't the type to be direct. He preferred being evasive. If he disagreed or didn't fully approve of a statement, he usually chose silence, not direct rejection, likely thinking about how to phrase it.
"Everything else is fine, just one premise..."
The float bobbed, pulling the red bead down. At that moment, the man jerked the rod upward. A massive flying fish struggled as it was flung into the sky. It landed squarely on a large rock on the cliff, its eyes rolling back, fainting on the spot.
Ging was satisfied with the size of the flying fish, thinking about making fish soup for Vivian later. A sudden gust of sea wind lifted his hood, which he quickly pressed down. He shushed her and said, "All categories ultimately point to 'Specialization'."
Meaning...
Elena pondered, "Roy Zoldyck isn't a 'Specialist,' but one of 'Enhancer,' 'Conjurer,' or 'Transmuter'?"
"I didn't say he isn't a 'Specialist'." Ging made a beautiful cast, sending the float and red bead back into the sea. He said softly, "Elena, I just want to tell you..."
"It's not the category that is powerful, but the person."
Ging's gaze was profound as he looked at the sunlight glistening on the sea. "You, me, Roy Zoldyck... everyone is an individual, unique. Strictly speaking, because we are 'different,' we are 'special,' so we are all 'Specialists'..."
"We just manifest the aspect we are better at externally, differentiating into various categories..."
"Interesting theory. Where did you read that?"
"Can't I have come up with it myself?"
Ging turned his head to meet Elena's skeptical "Do you think I believe you?" look. He sighed, looking "hurt." "Fine, my ancestor said it."
"Don Freecss?"
"Mm."
Ging looked away, clearly unwilling to say more.
Involving Don Freecss... the Journey to the New World and the legendary unknown land—the Dark Continent. Even if Elena was curious, she stopped asking, playing thoughtfully with a lock of hair by her ear, until...
10:00 AM. A yellow taxi stopped punctually on a bumpy road near the cliff.
Two people got out.
The two on the cliff turned to look. A boy with shoulder-length black hair, a snow-white slender katana at his waist, and a cane in his hand walked in front. Though only twelve or thirteen, his build rivaled a seventeen or eighteen-year-old. Behind him... followed a butler with a beard and gold-rimmed glasses, looking slightly melancholic but with sharp eyes...
Elena looked up at the "fat chicken" nesting on the boy's head... This person, this butler, plus a fat crow. They were exactly whom they were expecting!
Caw~ A crow's cry broke the seaside silence...
As Roy's physique strengthened step by step, Goldie's body also became noticeably rounder. Parting its dense feathers, one could even see its third leg protruding more than before.
[Goldie: Three-Legged Golden Crow]
[State: Juvenile (15000/100,000)]
[Rank: S+]
[Aura Output: C (9640/100,000)]
[Potential Aura: ?]
[Racial Talents: Sun Chasing (Inactive)... Sun Flame Control: Lv2 (5410/10000)... Chariot Driving (Inactive)]
[Evaluation: Growth-type Nen Beast, infinite potential]
"Roy Zoldyck."
"Ging Freecss."
Before they even got close... separated by the cliff edge, the boy and the young man looked at each other and called out each other's names.
Gotoh, carrying the luggage, narrowed his eyes at Ging and whispered to Roy, "Young Master, this guy... seems formidable."
Since the butler's physique increased from D to C, his eyesight had sharpened. Just from the intangible aura or presence a person emitted, he could judge certain things. This indirectly proved... Gotoh was no longer the weakling easily toyed with and killed by Hisoka in the original story, but had truly transformed into... a powerhouse with one foot in the C-Rank tier!
"Don't be nervous." Cane sword in hand, Snow-Walker at his side, the boy with the Golden Crow on his head strolled over...
Elena pushed up her glasses and stepped aside, standing with Gotoh on either side behind Roy and Ging, five or six steps back.
"Finally waited for you." Ging stood up, planting his fishing rod into the ground like a spear. It stood firm in the rock crevice, demonstrating extraordinary strength.
"Actually, you didn't have to wait." Roy pretended not to see Ging's display of strength. Brushing past the man's shoulder, he came to the cliff edge and sat cross-legged. He flicked the Cane Sword, using it as a fishing rod. A milky-white Nen thread extended from the tip, acting as a fishing line, instantly spanning nearly a hundred meters to probe the water... This control and application of "Nen" had clearly reached a proficient, even... slightly "effortless" level.
[Notification: Host's current "Nen Shape Transformation" level: Lv2 (584/1000)]
[Note: Small success achieved]
However... compared to his Swordsmanship, which had one foot in the "Bankai" domain at Lv4, it was still lacking... Roy said to Ging without turning back, "To deal with Razor, given your level, you don't need anyone's help."
Ging sat down beside the boy, laughing. "Hookless fishing? A good way to temper Nen ability."
He pulled down his hood, glancing at the boy out of the corner of his eye. Pulling up his rod, he sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Roy, speaking with a trace of melancholy and reminiscence. "You don't understand. Me... I've never liked being alone from the start."
"Humans are social animals, not magical beasts. Acting alone... is boring."
"Your son Gon doesn't think so." Roy's sudden words hit Ging like a hammer.
The man looked at the boy in surprise. After a second of self-reflection, his eyes sparkled, looking at Roy with appreciation. "What sharp En. I thought you were just using it to find fish, didn't expect you to have 'mind-reading' skills. Zoldyck... lives up to the reputation."
Mind reading... this person can capture thoughts through En? Behind Ging, Elena keenly sensed something wrong. Immersing her consciousness, she used "Nen" to block the wisp of aura sweeping over her. Looking at Roy again, her gaze was grave... She even gave Gotoh a few more glances, noticing his expressionless face, standing quietly behind the boy like a rock, seemingly knowing nothing yet knowing everything. She quietly raised her assessment of him.
"My old man told me not to use the Zoldyck name when I'm out... He won't be happy if you say that..."
"Heh heh heh..." Ging pulled down his brim, chuckling low. "Which one? The 'One Kill a Day' Zeno or the other one?"
Roy didn't answer. With a backhand flick, he pulled up a fathead fish the size of a small boat out of the sea. It looked... much bigger than the flying fish Ging just caught!
"It's a 'Gluttonous Whale'. This guy isn't easy to find in shallow waters," Ging said.
The fathead fish flew out of the water, its massive body blocking the sunlight, casting large shadows...
Just then, the boy asked, "Is it edible?"
Ging shook his head. "No."
"Meat's too tough, hard on the teeth."
Roy gave a hum, released his hand, and let it fall back into the sea, splashing huge waves. Without looking back at the fleeing fish, he said calmly, "My brother is about to be born. Before I left... Father specifically told me to come home quickly. So... please hurry up."
Ging: "Have you picked a name?"
"Killua."
"Killua... same age as Gon." The man smiled. "Maybe they'll become good friends in the future."
Become good friends, and then? Go play the 'Little Tadpole Looking for Daddy' game with Gon?
Roy recalled the original story where Killua and Gon went through hardships to find Ging. While Ging intended to train Gon, it also satisfied his bad taste.
He cast a faint sideways glance...
Ging felt inexplicable, scratching his face. "Is there a problem?"
Roy withdrew his gaze and changed the subject. "Tell me about the prison break. What do I need to do?"
"Elena."
Her twin blonde ponytails swaying, Elena received Ging's signal and immediately laid out the pre-planned operation, explaining everything to Roy and Gotoh.
In summary...
"You just need to hold off Ginta and buy me time to defeat Razor."
Ging stood up, shouldering his fishing rod. The man looked at the boy with burning eyes. "No problem, right?"
Roy leaned on his Cane Sword, standing up as well. "You handle the aftermath of the prison break."
He extended a hand. Smack. He shook hands with Ging.
"Happy cooperation."
"Happy cooperation."
Whoosh~ A sea breeze blew, fluttering the hood and the Hanafuda earrings...
6:47 PM that day.
A van marked with the Divine Script for "Custody," driving from Vebis to the Tbilisi Maximum Security Prison in the suburbs, suddenly braked, leaving two long skid marks on the uneven road.
A man, shackled hand and foot, chest and back bound by chains, sat quietly in the carriage with his eyes closed. Opposite him, a man even larger than him, with a fluffy afro and a naive face, was dozing off. Suddenly startled awake...
Just as he poked his head out the window, he heard gunshots and a shout exploding in the sky!
"Watch the prisoner! Someone's breaking him out!"
Clatter~ Two more doors slid open. On the road, two other vans flanking the prisoner transport emptied. A small squad of heavily armed guards poured out... Razor and Ginta, guarding him, heard the commotion. Razor suddenly vanished, then opened his eyes abruptly... His narrow eyes slit into a line, keenly capturing a trace of unusual Nen.
[Dream Parasitism]: Forcibly hypnotizing others through "gaze" or "words." Roy and his group blocked the road. A wisp of gray mist crept into his eyes... Under the suspicious gazes of Ging and Elena, without any movement, the boy simply said, "Sleep."
Thump... thump... The guards surrounding them with guns, meeting Roy's gaze and hearing his murmur, felt "drowsiness" surge like a monstrous wave, dragging them into a boundless sea of sleep. One by one, eyes rolling back...
They fell to the ground like dumplings!
Dream or hypnotic suggestion... this method of forcibly hypnotizing others... doesn't look like En!
Ging's eyes moved. He took his hand out of his pocket. "Let's start. There are three more!"
Razor... Ginta... and one other... As Ging spoke, a black curtain suddenly rose into the sky, then descended, instantly forming a black dome over the ground, enclosing Ging, Roy, their group, and the three vans...
Clearly, this was the Nen ability of the third person!
"Young Master." Gotoh, beside Roy, immediately drew the "Infinite Pistol" and cocked it with a click. He said deeply, "The opponent seems to be a 'Controller' type!"
"Leave him to you." Roy noticed two figures appearing, one large and one small, with a squinty-eyed prisoner sitting vaguely behind them.
The boy drew his dual blades with a clang. Instantly turning red and igniting, two streams of flame surged forth as he slashed at the largest, burly figure...
The burly man with the naive face didn't retreat but advanced, punching forward. His fist instantly enlarged...
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