The information Shalnark brought back from Numpis perfectly confirmed Chrollo's suspicion.
The Scarlet Eyes that were supposed to be auctioned at Numpis tomorrow had been pulled at the last minute—and the buyer was one of the Ten Dons.
But Chrollo, already aware of Ronin and Kurapika's operation, naturally understood that the person who got that pair was Ronin, using the Ten Don identity he'd stolen.
With that Ten Don status, Ronin could also easily take the remaining two pairs of Scarlet Eyes from the mafia's auction inventory as well.
Chrollo even considered whether Shalnark's ability could be used to control a Ten Don after locating one, thereby gaining their identity and position.
But the answer was no.
Because he had already figured out the key to how Ronin and Kurapika were playing "Ten Don."
Ronin could create clones, and those clones could disguise their appearance—meaning he could simply impersonate a Ten Don directly.
As Chrollo thought about this, his gaze drifted toward Bonolenov.
There was room to maneuver… but it wasn't a thief's style. And Bonolenov was already in such a miserable state that surviving at all was a blessing. Healing him came first.
Besides, even if they impersonated a Ten Don, the payoff to the Troupe wasn't that great.
Money? They had it.
Information channels? They had those too.
Status? Mafia status was arguably less frightening than being an A-rank wanted criminal.
So Chrollo discarded the "Ten Don impersonation" idea entirely.
"We've fallen into a passive position," Chrollo said, thinking hard.
Ever since arriving in Yorknew, everything they did felt like they were being led by the nose.
Even their "sudden attack" had been the result of being outplayed.
Later, even when they managed to get a trap around Ronin, they still had to retreat once mercenaries flooded in.
Ronin's side had moved faster, seized initiative, and stayed a step ahead.
Kurapika might be childish, but in planning and layout, he was far beyond what Ronin could do.
One point still troubled Chrollo: was the key to Scarlet Eyes transforming into Ronin's strange eyes really an "artifact" as he suspected, or something else?
The "artifact" hypothesis was influenced by the fact that he'd only recently learned about such special powers—his judgment might be biased.
If it was another reason, then the key likely lay within Ronin himself.
Was it those eyes—no longer within Scarlet Eyes' category at all, with a far more ominous aura?
"If Ronin knows our abilities, we can explain it as being seen during the Kurta massacre," Chrollo continued. "But he seems familiar with each of us personally—even our operating patterns. That's not right."
Chrollo had noticed a second, deeper inconsistency.
"I'm going back to Nancha to investigate," Chrollo decided, temporarily abandoning the direct chase.
He needed deeper understanding of the Kurta—and he needed a capability that could restrain Ronin's power.
If Ronin's power came from his eyes, then an eye-targeting ability was crucial.
It was a shame Omokage died while acting alone. Omokage's ability would have been the perfect counter to Ronin.
"You're not continuing Scarlet Eyes collection?" Shalnark was surprised by the decision.
If Chrollo left, at least two members would go with him.
With only seven left, without Chrollo's command, were they supposed to rely on Shalnark to deal with Ronin?
Shalnark felt his mental bandwidth wasn't enough—the strategist at Ronin's side was sharper than he was.
Only Chrollo could continuously see through Ronin's secrets and identify the core.
And breaking Ronin's battlefield-separation trick—the one he used to kill Uvogin—also required Chrollo.
"Yes." Chrollo nodded. "We can let Ronin take all sixteen pairs outside Kakin. We only need to hold the final eleven.
From here on, we must be wary of being ambushed—not trying to ambush him. Everything waits until I return."
Chrollo had sensed the danger of continuing to follow Ronin's tempo.
Especially when it came to those remaining sixteen pairs—Ronin already held an advantage. So it was better to change strategy: minimize losses and look for a chance to flip the board.
Yes.
Flip the board.
Right now, the ones at a disadvantage were the Phantom Troupe.
Chrollo was certain of it—because the more Scarlet Eyes Ronin acquired, the larger the power gap would become.
At present, Ronin might be able to defeat any single Troupe member head-on. If he gained two or three more pairs, he might gain the ability to fight two—maybe even three—members at once.
If Ronin truly collected all sixteen pairs, the resulting strength was impossible to calculate.
Chrollo didn't say more. He knew several members didn't agree with his decision, but he wasn't going to argue.
The Troupe was not his personal dictatorship.
They formed for a purpose, not to make him a tyrant. If members insisted on acting, then they needed to be prepared for the consequences.
Chrollo left with Pakunoda, Kortopi, and Franklin.
After they departed, the remaining Troupe members didn't immediately disperse.
"I still want to collect one or two pairs of Scarlet Eyes," Machi said. "Even if it only slightly slows Ronin's growth—or gives us leverage to threaten him—it's worth it."
Her eyes shifted to Shalnark. "I need your ability. Only you can locate suitable Scarlet Eyes without walking us into an ambush."
Nobunaga silently stepped behind Machi.
Bonolenov spoke up too. "Shalnark, I need the intel you found earlier."
Shalnark nodded to Machi. "I'll help. I think the same way you do. And for Bonolenov—the key to recovering is in Greed Island."
"I'll take you," Feitan volunteered. "We'll just rob the game straight from Numpis. Also—didn't the boss say Ronin might be interested in Greed Island? What now?"
"Probably a wrong read at the time," Shalnark warned. "But we still need to be cautious."
"Relax." Phinks stepped up. "I'll go with him."
And just like that, the remaining ten members rapidly divided tasks.
As for Isri's death, it didn't affect the Troupe at all.
Shalnark, however, still remembered the person who had carried everything out of the mafia vault. With so many empty "seats" now, if that person's strength was decent, Shalnark could recommend them to Chrollo to fill the vacancies.
And even if their combat strength was slightly lacking, it wouldn't matter much.
At worst, their ability could still be added to Chrollo's ability library.