Chapter 10: Heading to Whale Island
Hisoka, showing no intention of continuing, squinted at Gon. "That black fist of yours... That wasn't Nen, was it?"
Gon froze, blurting out, "How did you know?"
"Heh heh..." Hisoka's tongue darted out, as if tasting something delicious. "Pure Nen is a sweet, ripe fruit... But that blackness on your fist... that's a completely different flavor. Something... spicy." His gaze shot like an arrow across the stadium, landing on Kyle in the audience. "And the only one who could do something like that... is that little Specialist friend of yours."
Kyle's skin crawled as Hisoka's burning gaze locked onto him.
"My, my... my interest in him is growing..." Hisoka mused, pulling his gaze back to the ring.
Gon, feeling completely exposed, charged forward out of sheer frustration.
He had barely taken a step when a strange pulling sensation came from behind him. A piece of rubble, pulled by an invisible thread, swung in a vicious arc and slammed into the back of his head.
"A clean hit! Ten points for Hisoka! He's the winner!"
Rubbing the back of his head, Gon finally understood. Hisoka had been setting traps throughout the entire fight.
"You lost because you lack combat experience," Hisoka said, turning to leave. He waved a hand without looking back. "If you had a few more real fights under your belt, I might have actually lost."
The next time we fight, it won't be in an arena with rules... he added in his mind. Then, we will bet our lives.
Gon watched Hisoka's retreating back. He felt the gap between them, but it only ignited a stronger fighting spirit. It wasn't an impossible distance. He knew, one day, he would catch him.
[Inside their room]
"Hiss—Ow!" Killua slapped Gon on his bandaged shoulder, making him wince.
"You're lucky that pervert Hisoka likes to cultivate his opponents," Killua said, relieved. "If he didn't, you would've ended up way worse than Kastro."
Kyle nodded. "Killua's right. He'll wait and watch until we're 'ripe.' But once he decides to make his move, it will be a true death match."
"But... why is he like that?" Gon asked, confused.
Kyle shrugged. "Who knows? Everyone's different. For him, a life-or-death battle against a strong opponent is probably the greatest thrill there is."
Just then, both Kyle and Killua's expressions hardened. They sensed a familiar, dangerous Nen.
"Stay here," Kyle said, his face grim. He got up and pushed the door open.
He followed the aura to a half-open door down the hall. Taking a deep breath, he pushed it open.
In the darkness, Hisoka was lounging on a sofa, idly flicking a playing card. His sweet, dangerous Nen pressure filled the entire room.
"Heh heh heh..." he purred. "I'm finding myself... very interested in that 'black' power of yours."
[Several days later, on a train to Whale Island]
The rhythmic clack-clack of the wheels on the rails filled the car.
Gon was excitedly telling stories about growing up on Whale Island, making Kyle and Killua burst out laughing.
Although Wing was technically their teacher, Kyle had been the one to provide most of their systematic Nen education. After saying their goodbyes, they had all agreed to go with Gon.
They had a lot to do to form a proper pirate crew: they needed a flag, and most importantly, a navigator.
In Kyle's mind, Gon was the perfect candidate. His animalistic intuition and keen sense for the weather made him a natural, even if he still needed to learn the technical skills. As for a chef, Kyle thought of the Gourmet Hunter, Menchi. The bizarre and exotic foods of the One Piece world would be an irresistible lure for her. He could probably find her through the Hunter Association website.
"Kyle, when are we going back to the other world?" Killua asked, his eyes shining.
"Not just yet. We still need to prepare. And don't forget, we have that promise with Kurapika and Leorio."
"The next time we go, we're setting sail for real. We need supplies, a ship, and a clear role for everyone... and most importantly, we need to be stronger. We have to train our Haki, but we can't let our Nen training fall behind, either."
He looked at his two friends, his expression serious. "You've mastered the basics of Nen, but to face stronger enemies, you have to develop your own Hatsu—your ultimate move."
Killua smirked. "I've already got an idea."
"That fast? What is it? What is it?" Gon immediately leaned in, full of curiosity.
Killua held a finger to his lips and winked. "Se... cret."
Gon groaned in frustration, but no matter how much he pestered him, Killua wouldn't say another word. Defeated, Gon started to think about his own move, but his mind was a total blank.
Then, as if a lightbulb went off, he looked at Kyle. "Kyle, what kind of ability do you think I should train?"
Kyle thought back to Gon's ability from the original story... Jajanken. It was a mix of Enhancement, Transmutation, and Emission. But its charge time... it was just too long. A massive disadvantage in a one-on-one fight.
Still, it was his signature ability. He should start with it. Later, they could merge it with Armament Haki and other techniques from the Pirate World to create something truly powerful.
With that in mind, Kyle smiled. "Gon, you're an Enhancer. Try taking all the Nen principles you've learned... and focus all of it into a single point."
"All the principles... into one point..." Gon murmured, and immediately started to try.
The moment he activated his Ren, the air pressure in the train car plummeted. The normal passengers in the car suddenly found it hard to breathe, as if a heavy weight was pressing down on them.
Gon, lost in concentration, didn't notice. He tried to gather all his Ren into his fist. But halfway through, the aura became too wild. He lost control, and it dispersed.
Kyle nodded, satisfied. "That's it. That's the most basic, and most destructive, foundation for an Enhancer. When you have enough aura, you concentrate all of it... and release a single, devastating impact."
Kyle knew it, he thought to himself. Adult Gon's final punch against Pitou... it had the force of a small nuke. And from his appearance, Gon had only forcibly aged himself to... what? 18 or 19?