Hisoka's move against Luo Ning was entirely a spur-of-the-moment decision. Even his participation in the team to crusade against the Phantom Troupe was only because he'd had the fortune of meeting Chrollo Lucilfer once, which sparked a deep curiosity about the leader's power.
However, Chrollo was always accompanied by at least two members. Finding an opportunity for a one-on-one battle was simply too difficult.
Hisoka had previously planned to join the Troupe himself. That way, if he could become one of the members responsible for protecting Chrollo, he would have the chance to restrain the other companion, thereby creating a window for a duel. The rules for joining the Troupe were simple: if you wanted in, you could kill an existing member and take their place.
Hisoka's original target had been Omokage, but before he could make his move, Omokage died at the hands of a man named Luo Ning. He had learned this news through an acquaintance within the Troupe. That person had also given him instructions: if he could leak information about Luo Ning during this operation or kill him outright, they would recommend him as a new member of the Troupe.
Unfortunately, Hisoka hadn't seen Luo Ning in the building. Instead, he had discovered a fruit that looked incredibly enticing. Unable to help himself, he launched an attack on the man Luo Ning was disguised as: Hatake Kakashi.
"Hatake Kakashi? I've remembered you. We will meet again." Hisoka licked his lips while taking out his phone.
The call was answered quickly. A low, feminine voice came through the receiver. "What is it? Did you find Luo Ning?"
"No," Hisoka replied as several armed mafia members appeared around the corner ahead of him.
The group's gaze merely swept over Hisoka before they tried to hurry past him. But as they brushed by, a playing card appeared in Hisoka's hand. With an elegant motion, the card easily sliced through the throats of the mafia members.
Blood sprayed across the corridor, and Hisoka's expression was one of pure delight.
"I've just experienced an exhilarating battle and I'm having a bit of trouble calming down. I'll use your lives to help me cool off." Hisoka's tone was filled with a certain playfulness.
"If you're calling just to show off your twisted hobbies, then I suggest you go die as soon as possible!" Machi Komacine's voice was as cold as ever.
"If there's no news on Luo Ning, does that mean I need to challenge a member? Do you think I should pick Phinks Magcub, Isley, or perhaps Feitan Portor? I think any of them would be quite good."
Since Omokage was already dead, he would just have to pick someone else! As for searching for Luo Ning, he wasn't particularly interested. It wasn't that he lacked interest in fighting Luo Ning—on the contrary, he felt that fighting him wouldn't be difficult to arrange. As long as the Phantom Troupe stopped hunting Luo Ning, Hisoka could simply go to the 200th floor of Heaven's Arena to find his chance for a duel.
He had seen the promotional materials for Luo Ning at Heaven's Arena; the guy clearly enjoyed the atmosphere of the arena and fighting under the spotlight. More importantly, in some of the photos and videos of Luo Ning's fight against Uvogin, Hisoka saw a shadow of himself.
This gave him an idea. Perhaps he didn't even need to actively challenge Luo Ning. He only needed to find the man and demonstrate enough strength in front of him, and the two of them would naturally come to blows.
Although the other man used Specialization-type abilities, in Hisoka's view, he acted more like an Enhancer—someone who excelled at combat, was simple-minded, and straightforward. That such a person could scheme against the Phantom Troupe was entirely due to the versatility of his abilities.
However, based on the information he'd gathered, Hisoka analyzed that the man's actions after leaving Heaven's Arena had become much more calculated. He likely had a teammate assisting him. If the Phantom Troupe truly wanted to deal with Luo Ning, they would be better off starting with the people around him. Once the strategist behind Luo Ning was gone, it wouldn't be hard for people with the intelligence of Chrollo Lucilfer and Shalnark to set a trap for him.
"You're looking for death!" Machi Komacine's reply was curt.
Hearing this, the expression on Hisoka's face became even more delighted.
"I heard Uvogin is dead too. With two vacant seats, I think I'm qualified enough to occupy one," Hisoka continued, his words practically designed to raise someone's blood pressure.
Just as he finished speaking, the line went dead.
Omokage's ability had some utility, but not much. Uvogin, on the other hand, was a pure combatant. Hisoka believed he could fulfill either role within the Troupe. He just hoped Machi wouldn't let personal feelings interfere with official business.
A notification chimed. Hisoka opened the text message; it was from Machi, and it contained only one question.
[Why do you want to join the Troupe?]
Hisoka hesitated for a moment before replying: [I want to challenge Chrollo Lucilfer.]
[Go die.] Machi replied with only two words.
Hisoka began scrolling through his phone. If he really couldn't join the Troupe, he had to consider whether he could cooperate with Luo Ning. If they could cut off all the remaining legs of the Spider, it would eventually create an opportunity for him to duel the Spider's head.
But how could he contact Luo Ning?
Hisoka quickly found a name: Illumi Zoldyck.
"I need the contact information for Milia, the gold-medal manager at Heaven's Arena," Hisoka said, getting straight to the point when the call connected.
"I can give it to you, but you need to come to the Azian Continent on the 17th. There's a mission," Illumi Zoldyck's voice was devoid of emotion.
Hisoka rubbed his brow. "That's so far... fine."
"Wait for it. Oh, and remember to transfer 500,000 Jenny to me. That's the information fee. No credit." Illumi hung up immediately after speaking.
Less than three minutes after Hisoka sent the payment, a number appeared on his phone.
...
After parting ways with Hisoka, Luo Ning took a different passage directly to the roof of the building.
During the fight with Hisoka earlier, he had noticed something unusual. At that time, it seemed more than one person had scanned him and Hisoka using [EN]. However, when he tried to trace that sensation, he could only detect Zeno Zoldyck's presence.
This left Luo Ning feeling a bit frustrated.
Standing on the roof, he checked the time. There were less than ten minutes left before tonight's auction was scheduled to begin. The Troupe should be making their move soon.
Luo Ning formed a cross-shaped seal with his hands and activated the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, producing four clones in rapid succession. After the clones used the Transformation Jutsu to take on the appearance of Hatake Kakashi, they left the roof and entered the building.
At that moment, Luo Ning's phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Milia.
Luo Ning answered. "Hello? Is there a reason you're calling me at this hour?"
"Yes, someone contacted me wanting to cooperate with you," Milia said briefly. "I'll give you the phone number, and you can decide whether to cooperate or not."
"The name?" Luo Ning asked.
"Hisoka Morow," Milia replied.
Luo Ning was a bit surprised. He had only just parted ways with Hisoka, and now this guy who wanted to join the Phantom Troupe was contacting him through Milia to talk about cooperation!
'Could he be trying to trick me out of my information just to turn around and sell it to the Phantom Troupe?'
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