The wind outside the building gradually grew stronger, seeping inside and causing the candle flames to flicker unsteadily.
The uninvited guest made his entrance with a playing card before slowly stepping out from within the wall.
The dim candlelight illuminated his figure, drawing attention to his wildly spiked red hair.
This person was none other than Hisoka, whom Law hadn't seen in years. Now, his appearance was growing closer to how he looked in the original work, as it was only about five years before the plot began.
"This guy isn't simple."
Phinks narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Hisoka, who had suddenly appeared. Some people's strength could be discerned just from their Aura.
"Hisoka."
Nobunaga's eyelids drooped slightly as his thumb pushed the hilt of his sword, his gaze sharp as it locked onto Hisoka on the second-floor balcony.
Uvogin and Machi also recognized Hisoka, the pervert who had once caused trouble for Law at Heavens Arena and was thoroughly taught a lesson.
"You know him?" Phinks glanced at Nobunaga.
"I've seen him a few times. He's a pervert." Nobunaga replied.
"Such casual slander isn't a good habit, you know." Hisoka pressed the playing card in his fingers against his lips, his wolf-like eyes sweeping over Nobunaga as the Aura leaking from his body grew restless.
Nobunaga snorted coldly and said in a low voice, "Did you come here just to die?"
As soon as he finished speaking, his Aura burst forth, shifting into combat mode.
The other members of the Phantom Troupe also immediately released their Aura, covering their bodies.
The reason is that Hisoka was freely unleashing his aura, forming a Nen Field around himself, displaying a posture that suggested he was ready to attack at any moment.
Among everyone, only Chrollo, sitting on the stone, showed little reaction. With his hands clasped together, he calmly observed the ill-intentioned Hisoka.
"How scary."
Hisoka's lips curled slightly as he watched the Phantom Troupe's members release their Auras one after another. With a flick of his wrist, the playing card vanished, and he said indifferently, "Don't get worked up. I'm not here to cause trouble for you."
Despite Hisoka's words, the Troupe members didn't retract their auras.
At that moment, Feitan, the fastest among them, took action first. Transforming into a shadowy blur, he appeared in front of Hisoka and slashed swiftly at his neck with his sword.
Hisoka narrowed his eyes, leaning his upper body backward to evade Feitan's strike. At the same time, he stretched his hands behind him, shooting out two strands of Bungee Gum that adhered to the balcony railing.
Feitan's sword missed its mark. Quickly releasing the hilt, he reversed his grip and drove the tip of the sword downward, stabbing straight at Hisoka, whose body was bent in an 'L' shape.
In that position, there was no room to dodge.
"Die."
A cold glint flashed in Feitan's eyes.
At that instant, Hisoka's body was suddenly yanked backward as if pulled by a rope. Maintaining his posture, his feet slid across the ground, retreating and narrowly avoiding Feitan's descending sword.
Sshhk!
The sword, infused with dense Aura, easily pierced the ground, leaving Feitan unable to pull it out immediately.
Meanwhile, Hisoka, who had been pulled back, came to a stop. Like a stone on a slingshot's elastic band, he maintained his posture and slid toward Feitan at an even faster speed than before.
Mid-movement, Hisoka straightened his upper body and launched a spinning kick aimed at Feitan's face.
Feitan was slightly startled, hastily raising his left arm to block.
Bang!
The kick landed solidly, the impact forcing Feitan back two steps. He teetered dangerously close to the edge… one more step, and he would have fallen.
As he was pushed back, Feitan used the force from the blow to his arm to pull the sword from the ground. Regaining his balance, he swung a crescent-shaped arc of Aura toward Hisoka within his attack range.
Hisoka, seeing this, pressed a hand against the ground and pushed off, executing several backflips to evade Feitan's slash.
Like a gymnast, he leaped into the air and landed gracefully on the balcony railing.
A twisted smile spread across his face as he flicked his wrist, revealing six playing cards between his fingers.
Without any visible exertion, the six cards shot toward Feitan's arms.
At this moment, Feitan's momentum had waned. Rather than blocking the cards with his sword, he chose to leap backward from the second-floor platform's edge, descending to the first floor.
Yet, the cards, which had been flying straight, abruptly curved midair, continuing their pursuit of Feitan as he fell.
"Hmm?"
Feitan's thoughts flashed swiftly. Gathering Aura in his eyes, he instantly spotted the Nen Threads connecting his left arm to the playing cards.
In that split second, he made the correct judgment… instead of slashing the Nen Threads with his sword, he positioned his sword horizontally in front of his left arm.
Clang! Clang!
All six playing cards were deflected by Feitan's slender sword, sparks flying upon impact.
After blocking the cards, Feitan landed steadily and immediately severed the Nen Threads attached to his arm.
"You good?" Uvogin asked, seeing Feitan momentarily suppressed in the first exchange.
Feitan ignored Uvogin, raising his head to glare at Hisoka, who had leisurely stepped forward again, standing at the edge of the platform.
'Elastic-type Nen?'
He slowly raised his sword, holding it horizontally before him.
In the eyes of the Phantom Troupe, Hisoka was undoubtedly a skilled fighter, but far from the overwhelming pressure that Law had once imposed on them.
Thus, even though they could easily gang up and eliminate Hisoka, they didn't. Instead, they let Feitan face him alone. If Feitan deemed the fight unwinnable, others would step in.
"I'm not like those corpses on the ground. I have no interest in your heads." Hisoka looked down at Feitan and said, "If you can't calmly listen to my purpose here, then..."
Hisoka's eyes curved slightly, a cold glint of killing intent flashing within them as he added softly, "I'll have no choice but to kill you first."
Feitan's expression darkened. Just as he was about to attack again, Chrollo spoke up, "Feitan, stand down."
"Why?" Feitan turned to look at Chrollo.
"Let's hear what he has to say first."
Chrollo lifted his gaze, his calm eyes fixed on Hisoka.
"Now that's more like it~"
Hisoka casually sat down on the platform's edge, one knee bent, resting an arm atop it.
"Your purpose?" Chrollo asked.
Hisoka showed a devilish smile and said, "To join you."
The moment these words left his mouth, the entire Troupe froze for a second.
"Reason?" Chrollo's expression remained unmoved.
Hisoka's fingers, resting on his knee, flicked slightly, producing a playing card that he flipped back and forth.
After a brief silence, he uttered a single name.
"Law."
…
The night is dark.
Outside a heavily guarded mansion, a winding road stretched into the distance, flanked by lush trees with dense, verdant foliage.
Perched on a tree half a kilometer away, Law quietly observed the illuminated mansion.
From further away, the faint hum of engines suddenly reached his ears.
Law turned his gaze toward the sound. In the distance, a line of headlights appeared… a convoy of over twenty vehicles.
Watching the approaching convoy, Law hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided against taking action, allowing the convoy to drive unimpeded into the mansion grounds.