Gon froze on the spot.
He suddenly felt like maybe… he didn't understand Ah Gong as well as he thought.
The two of them lay there like corpses, resting in place. Lu Ou felt that Gon's digestive ability could rival Monkey D. Luffy's—before long, Gon was back on his feet, hopping around again.
Gon really couldn't stay still. That much was true.
But Lu Ou felt deeply sorrowful—clearly, the amount of grilled fish he'd eaten was, at best, just Gon's appetizer.
After about another half hour, Gon suddenly looked off in one direction.
"Thud—thud—thud—"
Even the ground seemed to tremble. Lu Ou noticed it too—this had to be the Foxbear returning.
Sure enough, moments later, a massive brown figure appeared, charging toward them. Its arms swung as it ran, and in one paw it carried a conspicuous green bundle.
When it reached them, the Foxbear Ah Gong handed the green bundle—wrapped carefully in large leaves—to Lu Ou.
It was obvious the Foxbear had been quite meticulous. The bundle was wrapped in two layers of leaves.
Lu Ou opened it.
Inside were six longan-sized fruits, purple with streaks of white mixed in.
They looked plump, translucent, and incredibly appetizing. Once opened, a faint, elegant fragrance drifted out, soothing the senses.
"Wait—this is a Phoenix Eye Fruit!"
Gon's voice rose in shock as he recognized it.
"I've only seen it once before."
At Gon's machine-gun speaking speed, Lu Ou quickly learned that no one knew exactly how Phoenix Eye Fruits grew—but they were extremely rare and possessed exceptional healing properties.
Lu Ou finally understood how precious these fruits were.
They were essentially miracle healing medicine.
These didn't appear in the anime, but Lu Ou had expected something like this.
After all, Hunter × Hunter opened with words like monsters, rare beasts, treasures, secret hoards, demon realms, forbidden lands, and the unknown—concepts that attracted countless powerful individuals.
So plants that surpassed Earth's understanding were completely normal.
And according to Gon's description, Phoenix Eye Fruits weren't even that strong compared to many precious medicinal ingredients on Earth.
Whale Island was simply too small.
It couldn't contain Gon—
And it couldn't contain Lu Ou's Face Fruit either.
After saying goodbye to the Foxbear Ah Gong, Lu Ou and Gon returned to Aunt Mito's inn.
Time flowed like water, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
With the Hunter Exam approaching, Lu Ou conducted an even more thorough analysis of his Nen ability.
First, he confirmed something he'd suspected all along:
The more valuable the ingredient, the greater the "face" it could obtain.
Likewise, proper cooking and processing could further increase the amount of face gained.
For example:
A cucumber given to Gon raw might only earn one point of face.
But if that cucumber were prepared properly—say, smashed cucumber salad—it could earn two points of face instead.
Once Lu Ou realized this, he volunteered to help Aunt Mito in the kitchen.
After a few sessions, he'd learned several dishes.
Another important discovery about the Face Fruit:
The food did not have to be personally cooked.
As long as the food belonged to him, the exchange still counted.
In simple terms—if Lu Ou paid for the meal, it still worked.
The fourth morning arrived—the day Gon set out in the original story.
Lu Ou and Gon bid farewell to Aunt Mito and the Foxbear who caught fish at lightning speed, then began their journey to the Hunter Exam.
Unlike the original, Gon carried a huge bag of supplies on his back.
After several hours of travel, they finally arrived at Whale Island's harbor.
It was around three in the afternoon.
Lu Ou knew the Sea God ship would depart at six. There was still time.
Leorio and Kurapika were both on the island at this point.
This was a perfect opportunity to stockpile some face.
"Gon, let's split up and ask around where to board the ship. You go that way, I'll go this way. We'll meet back here."
"Okay! See you later!"
Gon headed off in the direction Lu Ou pointed.
"Wait—give me an apple."
Lu Ou suddenly called out.
One of Gon's best qualities was that he never asked unnecessary questions.
He pulled an apple out of his oversized backpack, handed it over, and continued on his way.
Watching Gon's back, Lu Ou thought for a moment.
The Sea God should be in that direction.
Now he needed to find the fake Hunter.
Following the scenes from the original story, Lu Ou found a hastily constructed, shabby arena where a man claiming to be a Hunter was bullying others.
Leorio had no travel money and challenged the man for the prize—but because he was starving, he lost.
In the original story, Gon heard Leorio's stomach growl, gave him an apple, and that was how they met.
Now that Gon had gone the other way, Leorio had no apple.
He lay collapsed on the ground, clutching his stomach.
"You lost because you were hungry."
A male voice suddenly reached Leorio's ears.
That was exactly the case, so Leorio looked up—only to see a red apple in front of him.
"Have an apple," Lu Ou said.
Leorio froze briefly, then grabbed it and devoured it in a few bites.
He didn't even say thanks—just turned around and left.
"Just like the original—sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. He ate Gon's apple and later helped him."
Lu Ou mentally noted:
Face stored: +1.
Almost forgetting the main objective, Lu Ou scanned his surroundings.
Inside the restaurant next to the arena, he spotted his next target—
The fake Hunter, who had scammed some money and was currently enjoying a meal.
"Hunter sir, I truly admire you. Would you allow me the honor of treating you to this meal?"
Lu Ou felt the Oscars owed him a Best Actor award.
This fake Hunter's appearance was… offensively awkward—especially with the blond hair and green cap combo. But Lu Ou's expression was pure admiration.
Blond hair was sacred.
Just think of Kurapika.
Think of Minato Namikaze.
Blond hair had to come with good looks.
"I'll give you that chance. Work hard, kid—maybe you'll become a Hunter too someday."
The fake Hunter puffed up proudly and even pretended to encourage him.
The restaurant owner took Lu Ou's card and settled the bill.
"Real Hunters are rare to see. You should all be more like this kid—respectful, like him."
Bathed in the surrounding gazes of admiration, the fake Hunter's sense of superiority grew even stronger. He boasted loudly for a while before leaving.
Whale Island's harbor, as a trade hub, was bustling.
It lacked the calm serenity near Aunt Mito's inn, but the liveliness had its own charm.
The constant cries of vendors made Lu Ou feel truly immersed in the noisy atmosphere.
He took a deep breath of air tinged with the smell of seawater.
Only then did Lu Ou truly feel it—
He was undeniably, unquestionably in the world of Hunters.
Golden hair that gleamed brightly.
Emerald-green eyes.
Distinctive ethnic clothing.
Delicate features.
A figure so iconic—
Finally appeared.
"Sir—don't move! That's a poisonous spider. If you stay still, it'll leave on its own!"
A chubby shopkeeper cried out in terror.
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