"Uncle, are you also going to take the Hunter Exam?"
'Seriously, can you not call me Uncle?'
Sean's bicycle wobbled, and he almost fell. He cursed "bad luck" under his breath. He gradually disappeared from Gon and Mito's sight.
It was midsummer, and the weather was terribly hot. Cycling around the island, passing through the market, Sean covered his body with a thin layer of ice. He was like a walking air conditioner, bringing a trace of coolness to the hot summer.
"The ability of the Ice-Ice Fruit?" A detestable "buzzing fly" sound came from behind.
Ging, with his arms crossed, followed like a shadow. "Heave-ho!" he said, jumping onto the back seat of the bike. Feeling the cold air radiating from Sean's body, he hummed comfortably, "That's not very kind, Sean. Goading my son to hit me, you're really something."
"You're just like a dog, latching on and not leaving?" Sean didn't bother to turn his head, not even gracing Ging with a look. He sneered, "Your son is about to be abducted by human traffickers, and you're still leisurely following me. To think a scumbag dad like you exists, I feel bad for Gon."
Not far from the high platform, three of the fated four youngsters had already appeared. Excluding the white-haired, stinky little brother Killua, who would only show up at the Hunter Exam venue, Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika had already crossed paths.
Now, the innocent Gon had faintly fallen into the human traffickers' trap.
Ging's eyes moved. Relying on his [En] to lock onto Gon's position, he naturally knew what was happening. He chuckled dismissively, "The path to becoming a Hunter is fraught with thorns. If he can't even get past the human traffickers, he might as well go back home and look after the tavern."
"Double standards!" Sean curled his lip in disdain. "That's why I despise people like you. You talk the talk but don't walk the walk. If you want him to live a normal life, stop enticing him."
'First the fishing rod, then the Greed Island game disc. To put it bluntly, isn't it just wanting your son to succeed?'
Ging just chuckled. "Say whatever you want."
"Mito was at the tavern, so it wasn't convenient to talk. Now, Sean, I am inviting you to form a team to explore the Dark Continent in the future. I hope you will consider it seriously."
'A team?'
'I knew you were up to no good.'
"Sorry, I'm just a manga artist. I'm not cut out for adventuring. You should find someone else."
Sean suddenly swerved the bike. Ging was thrown off, but he landed gracefully on the ground with a flip. He watched helplessly as Sean stomped on the pedals and sped away.
After a moment, Ging adjusted his hat and smiled.
"Who are you kidding? A manga artist? Sean, I have a hunch that you will go explore the Dark Continent one day."
"The offer still stands. When the time comes, I will share all the information I have about the Dark Continent with you, free of charge."
"No need. Keep your pitiful information and share it with your son," Sean's voice drifted back on the sea breeze. "Of course, that's if he's still alive by then."
'What does that mean?' Ging frowned. "Gon will die?"
'Losing one's Nen, for a Nen user, what's the difference between that and death?'
'Constraint and Vow, overdrawing Nen abilities, summoning "Gon-san"... the price is naturally not something a ten-year-old child can bear. What's more... the wish-granter isn't inside Alluka right now.'
A cold arc formed on Sean's lips. Leaving this cryptic remark hanging, he slipped away.
The bicycle zipped past Gon and Leorio. The two, one big and one small, only felt a gust of cold wind rush by and looked over curiously. They could vaguely only see the back wheel of the bicycle.
"Uh... did something just speed past?" Leorio, holding a briefcase, scratched the back of his head.
Gon stood beside him, his nose sharper than a dog's. He recognized the bicycle and said happily, "It's the Uncle! He's going to take the Hunter Exam, just like us!"
"Hey, Leorio, maybe we can follow the Uncle and find the exam ship heading to Dolle Island!"
"Follow my foot, you idiot!" Leorio threw a punch, hitting Gon on his small head. "There are still two days until boarding! Let's fill our stomachs first!"
'What good is one apple?' Leorio grumbled, eyeing the fish stall and drooling shamefully.
Just as he said, after experiencing the "fish stealing incident," the "fake hunter incident," and the "fox-bear incident," two days passed quickly.
A loud ship whistle sounded the call to board.
It also woke up Sean, who had slept beautifully, from the soft white bed in the hotel.
"Knock, knock." At that moment, a knock came at the door.
Sean called out, "Come in."
The waiter responsible for breakfast pushed a food cart in. He glanced at Sean and didn't forget to remind him, "Sir, the exam ship for the candidates is about to depart. You're still so relaxed, be careful not to miss it."
"No rush," Sean mumbled. "I'll eat breakfast first."
The waiter: "..."
He shrugged and lifted the platter cover.
Today's breakfast: Fried steak, buttered bread, paired with seasonal fruits grown locally on Whale Island. Although it couldn't compare to home, it was pretty good.
Sean forked a piece of steak into his mouth. While chewing, he glanced at the waiter and said casually, "You seem to know a lot about the Hunter Exam."
'He knows about the exam ship, and even the time. He doesn't seem like an ordinary waiter.'
As expected, Sean's guess was correct.
The waiter, named Tak, sighed when he heard Sean's words. "I wouldn't say I know a lot. I'm just a failure who couldn't even pass the first phase."
"Oh." Sean wolfed down his breakfast like a whirlwind. He patted Tak on the shoulder and comforted him, "You are indeed a failure."
Then, brushing past Tak's stiff body, he stretched lazily, left the hotel, and got on Kuzan's bicycle.
"Screech... screech." The wheels rubbed against the ground, moving forward slowly.
Within ten minutes, Sean could already see the exam ship packed with candidates—the Sea God!
"Wait!" Just like in the original story, thanks to that "fake hunter," Gon and Leorio, despite rushing, still failed to catch the Sea God.
The two shouted for the ship to stop, but they were met with the red-nosed captain's heartless refusal. "Once the ship has sailed, it won't stop. You'd better come back next year."
Unfortunately, the red-nosed captain underestimated the "daddy-complex" obsession with finding his father. Gon swung his fishing rod, hooked it onto a protruding rock, and flew across the coastline with Leorio, successfully landing on the deck.
Before he even had a chance to flash a 'V' sign, he suddenly heard an uproar break out on the deck!
"Hey, look! What is that guy doing?!"
"Holy shit! Am I seeing things? How can he ride a bicycle on the sea?!"