The Poseidon shook slightly. A crowd surged, sweeping Kurapika to the ship's rail. The boy with the beautiful golden hair had been resting against the mast, but he was suddenly jostled by the crowd and became very annoyed. He turned his head to look and his eyes suddenly widened!
He saw a thin white line surging from the shore. At the end of the white line was an ordinary bicycle. A tall figure sat on the bike seat, slowly pedaling, riding on the surface of the sea.
'What the hell is this!'
"Who is that? How is he riding a bicycle on the sea as if it's solid ground?"
A faint red glow flashed in the depths of their eyes. Kurapika, along with the other exam candidates, started discussing animatedly.
The commotion was loud enough to alert the Red-nosed Captain.
Chewing on a pipe, he ordered his first mate, Gus, to take the helm. The Red-nosed Captain, with his large belly, walked out of the captain's room and squeezed into the crowd to look. His mouth fell open in shock, and he nearly dropped his pipe into the sea!
After a moment, he chuckled. "Hmph. Looks like it won't be boring before we reach the destination this year."
"To be able to ride so calmly on the sea... only a Nen user who has opened their aura nodes could do such a thing."
Ssh... Ssh... The sound of the bicycle wheels grinding on the ice surface was quieter than it would be on land. As he got closer, Sean's appearance gradually became clear.
He looked tall from a distance, and even taller up close. Paired with that devastatingly handsome face... A excited shout suddenly erupted from the crowd: "It's Teacher Ben An!"
The deck fell silent for a moment.
A few seconds later, an even louder uproar exploded!
"Fuck! I knew he looked familiar!"
"That face, that height... it's gotta be Teacher Ben An!"
"Holy shit, can someone slap me? Am I dreaming? Teacher Ben An is taking the Hunter Exam? This is too fake!"
"Fake? Someone with yellow pee, wake this guy up! I can guarantee that the person on the bike is definitely Teacher Ben An!"
"And how can you guarantee that?!"
"I have a photo with Teacher Ben An! I was at the third-anniversary festival for the finale of Pot Shadow Ninja!"
"..."
"Ho. Looks like he's not just a Nen user, but a celebrity too." The Red-nosed Captain raised an eyebrow. In his inattention, a green "mouse" slipped out from under his nose. This "mouse" had spiky hair, carried a fishing rod, and was jumping and waving at Sean. "Mister!"
Sean's vision went dark. He stopped riding the bike and, stepping on the air, flashed onto the Poseidon's deck. He immediately grabbed Gon's ear. "How many times have I told you? Call me 'Big Bro'!"
"I know, Mister."
Sean: "..."
'I really want to slap this little punk to death.'
But, to maintain a bright and proper image in front of his lovely readers...
Sean changed the ear-pulling to a head-rub. He ruffled Gon's hair and let it go.
Gon rubbed the back of his head, laughing sheepishly. Suddenly, he was bumped by someone. Before he could react, the crowd surged in like crazy, completely submerging him.
"Teacher Ben An! I'm a huge fan, can I have your autograph?"
"Autograph my ass! What kind of fan are you? A ten-year veteran fan of Teacher Ben An, right here!"
"Veteran? You're older than me? I fucking watched Teacher Ben An pop out of the womb!"
"Don't listen to their nonsense... hey... hey... look at me. Yes, smile. Ehehehehe... I got Teacher Ben An's first blood! Who wants the photo? One hundred thousand Jenny! I'm selling."
"Ugh... help, Leorio! Help me, I'm being crushed to death..."
He hadn't died at Sean's hands, but he was about to die at the hands of his fans. Gon was sandwiched, his head feeling like it was deforming. He desperately reached out to Leorio for help.
Who knew? "Move!"
Leorio, holding his briefcase, slapped his hand away. Not only did he not avoid the crowd, he rolled up his sleeves and pushed his way in. "Idiot! You're blocking my photo with Teacher Ben An!"
'Such a fragile friendship.'
Kurapika, along with the other candidates who hadn't read Pot Shadow Ninja or One Piece, watched dumbfounded as Sean's fans madly squeezed into a ball, surrounding him for autographs and photos. They couldn't help but be amazed.
"This is ridiculous. The kid's overdoing it. Don't forget, he's also a candidate for this Hunter Exam!"
"In other words, everyone here is a potential competitor. Getting too caught up will get you eliminated easily."
The Red-nosed Captain couldn't watch anymore and spoke up to remind him.
Sean, who was surrounded, nodded in deep agreement. He immediately called out Number Two, while his own body quietly turned into frost, spread across the deck, and slipped out of the crowd. He placed a hand on the Red-nosed Captain's shoulder.
"The Captain is absolutely right. Excessive enthusiasm can be a burden for me as well."
The Red-nosed Captain's body stiffened. He looked at Number Two, who was surrounded by the crowd, smiling and signing autographs for fans. Then, he turned his stiff neck to look up at Sean. The pipe in his mouth finally succumbed to its fate. Splat. It fell onto the deck!
"T... Two of you?"
"That's right. Two of me."
Sean smiled at the Red-nosed Captain, his gaze sweeping over to the golden-haired boy leaning against the rail.
The "Scarlet Eyes," one of the Seven Great Beauties of the world. In the end, they couldn't escape disaster. His entire clan was massacred, leaving only the boy to embark on a journey of revenge. This was also the only reason Kurapika was taking the Hunter Exam.
"Hm?"
Noticing Sean's sudden glance, Kurapika's fine eyebrows rose. At the same time, he discovered the anomaly.
On the same deck, two Ben Ans had appeared.
This was even more ridiculous than Sean riding a bicycle on the sea!
"Hey, hey... is this for real? Two Teacher Ben Ans... Don't tell me this is the 'Shadow Clone Jutsu'?!"
Gradually, it dawned on them. A fan saw the situation and blurted it out. Those surrounding Number Two for autographs, those who hadn't gotten one yet, and all the candidates who weren't Sean's fans, all froze.
On the vast Poseidon, the only sound was the blowing of the sea breeze.
It was eerily terrifying.
"Whew... whew... saved at last."
While everyone was stunned, Gon finally managed to crawl out. He looked up and met Sean's smiling eyes. He yelped, "Eh?"
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. One Sean had become two.
He rubbed his eyes again. Two Seans became four.
After that, four became eight... eight became sixteen...
In an instant, hundreds of Seans appeared on the deck.
He smiled at everyone and said, "Don't crowd. There's enough for everyone."