"Leorio sure is busy, but for someone aspiring to be a doctor, this is a good thing." On the fourth and fifth levels of the Black Whale, many passengers fell ill within just two hours after setting sail due to the poor environment. As a result, Leorio and other medical personnel from the Hunter Association were quickly put to work.
The chaos on the fourth and fifth levels hadn't spiraled out of control yet, thanks to the Hunter Association members maintaining order. Kite and the majority of the Twelve Zodiac members, along with most of the Hunter Association's hunters, were stationed on the third level.
The Hunter Association also provided free medical treatment. While neither the Kakin Empire nor the V6 cared about the lives of the people on these lower levels, the Hunter Association did.
Among them, Leorio was the busiest, so much so that he didn't even have time to coordinate with Kurapika. But for Leorio, this was a good thing, as experience is crucial in the medical profession.
Leorio's Nen ability was a perfect match for his career as a doctor. Kite had high hopes for him and often gave him pointers. Kite was one of the few Three-Star Hunters in the Hunter Association and a specialist in treating rare and difficult diseases. Under her personal guidance, if Leorio returned from this Dark Continent expedition, his medical skills would surely improve greatly.
This time, the Hunter Association had gathered many top-tier talents. There were several space-ability Nen users, virus hunters, and more.
"I'd really love to meet this author. I wonder if his next book is finished?" In a luxurious room on the second level, Robin sighed after rereading A Chronicle of the New World.
For anyone planning to venture into the Dark Continent, A Chronicle of the New World was an essential reference, filled with records that were critical to remember.
"With the ultimate longevity item, Nitrolomy, he should still be alive. Maybe he's working hard on his third or fourth book now," Daniel replied. He had read the book multiple times as well and had his own theories about it.
The Chronicle of the New World was divided into east, south, west, and north. The current edition that had been widely circulated only covered the east.
"Come to think of it, this level we're on is the most peaceful," Ada suddenly remarked with a smile.
The Black Whale had five levels. The first level was the most luxurious, with all kinds of entertainment facilities. However, due to the royal succession war, no members of the Kakin royal family were in the mood to enjoy themselves, leaving the first level occupied only by V6 dignitaries.
Below the third level, silent battles raged over survival space and the weakening of rivals. The second level, however, which housed underworld families like the Ten Dons, remained in an uneasy balance due to mutual fear.
"True. The fourteenth prince, though—it's hard to say if he's lucky or unlucky." Though Daniel was on the second level, he could perceive the entire Black Whale with his Observation Haki.
Within just an hour after setting sail, all the bodyguards hired by the fourteenth prince had been wiped out, except for Kurapika and a servant from the Hunter Association. Had Kurapika not been present, the fourteenth prince would have been the first casualty.
Kurapika had revealed his right-hand chain ability, specifically the power of his index finger. This ability allowed him to steal the Nen abilities of others by piercing them with his chain, forcing them into a state of Zetsu (a state where Nen is completely suppressed). This was an ability that could target any Nen user.
Although the stolen Nen abilities could only be used once, it was still incredibly powerful. Moreover, Kurapika could even give the stolen ability to others, allowing even non-Nen users to utilize it.
If used well, this ability could be a trump card. Of course, such a powerful ability had a significant drawback—it consumed his life force.
Kurapika's kindness was undeniable. Even for someone he had just met, he didn't mind sacrificing his life force. Although Nen had a life-extending effect, this kind of consumption was unsustainable. It remained to be seen whether Kurapika could obtain the ultimate longevity item, Nitrolomy.
Seated comfortably on the second level, Daniel had already figured out the truth behind the Kakin Empire's royal succession war. It was a ritual where the princes devoured each other to allow the victor to claim all the spoils.
Emperor Nasubi Hui Guorou of the Kakin Empire, despite his unremarkable and obese appearance, was incredibly powerful in terms of Nen ability—on par with Netero. With this immense power, even someone like Hisoka or the Phantom Troupe's leader wouldn't stand a chance against him.
Given his indulgent lifestyle and lack of training, it was clear he had won the previous succession war, absorbing the Nen abilities of the other participants.
Although this war was ostensibly about selecting the next king of Kakin, Emperor Nasubi was also a participant.
"It seems the reason none of the princes were taught Nen is because of this ritual." None of the fourteen legitimate princes of the Kakin royal family knew Nen, despite having bodyguards skilled in it.
When Kurapika revealed his Nen ability, all the princes were astonished, not understanding why someone would possess a power akin to superhuman abilities. Following Kurapika's suggestion, he began teaching Nen to the princes' bodyguards.
Some princes believed in Nen, while others dismissed it as merely a form of superpower that couldn't be learned.
Among the princes, only the first prince, due to his age, already had a deep understanding of Nen. His trusted subordinates had already informed him of its existence. If not for the king's strict prohibition against learning Nen, the first prince would likely have become a Nen user long ago.
"A way to buy time, I see." Kurapika's offer to teach the princes' bodyguards Nen was part of his strategy. The situation surrounding the fourteenth prince was too dangerous, and Kurapika needed to buy time to think of a solution. Training Nen was the perfect way to do that since mastering Nen took time.
However, the fourteen princes—now thirteen—were not part of this conventional training process. From the moment the Black Whale set sail, the princes had each spawned their own Nen beasts, violating the fundamental rules of Nen training.
The fourteenth prince's bodyguards were all killed not by another prince but by the prince's own Nen beast. In a subconscious act of self-preservation, the prince's Nen beast eliminated them because they were all spies sent by other factions.
Kurapika and the Hunter Association members survived because they weren't spies, so the Nen beast didn't target them.
Nen truly was mysterious. Even though the fourteenth prince was just a baby, his Nen beast could still sense malice.
The rapid emergence of Nen beasts intrigued Daniel. Normally, developing a Nen beast was a slow process. In the Hunter Association, very few hunters possessed a Nen beast; even Ada didn't have one yet.
However, Ada had already decided on what kind of Nen beast she wanted. She was working on combining her Thunder Fruit ability with Nen to create a lightning beast, which she was currently striving toward.
For Nen users, a powerful Nen beast was crucial. It was almost like having a self-acting clone. Take the fourteenth prince, for example—despite being a baby, his Nen beast had already defended him from enemies.
Daniel naturally wanted to learn how to quickly create such Nen beasts, but after seeing the hideous forms of the thirteen princes' beasts and the emperor's, he quickly abandoned the idea. The grotesque nature of the beasts made Daniel unwilling to even look at them, let alone keep one by his side.
Emperor Nasubi Hui Guorou's Nen beast had two legs, six arms, twelve breasts on each side of its body, and a human head in the middle with only eyes and a mouth. The mouth was split wide open, with a long tongue hanging out, and there were even additional arms beneath the head.
The other princes' beasts were equally grotesque. Only the second prince's Nen beast, a giant black cat called "Million Reincarnation Cat," looked somewhat normal.
Though their Nen beasts were hideous, their Nen abilities were genuine. As these beasts manifested, the princes simultaneously awakened their own Nen abilities. This method of gaining Nen without any training was certainly enviable.
Just look at Gon and his friends—they had to train extensively to acquire their abilities.
Each prince's Nen ability was unique. The first prince's ability, "Inheritor of the Stars," allowed him to acquire the Nen abilities of those who swore loyalty to him after their death. This was even stronger than the Phantom Troupe leader's ability, "Skill Hunter."
With this ability, the first prince could train a group of loyal Nen users and acquire all their abilities.
The second prince's ability, "Million Reincarnation Cat," was less useful in combat as it only activated upon his death, allowing him to reincarnate by consuming the life force of his killer. In some ways, this made him immune to assassination.
The other princes' abilities spanned the entire spectrum of Nen types: conjuration, manipulation, enhancement, collaboration, and emission.
One prince's ability allowed him to create various drugs inside his Nen beast. These drugs could give people Nen abilities upon consumption.
This reminded Daniel of the drugs found on Greed Island, which may have been obtained through a similar method. However, compared to the Nen beasts of Kakin, the ones on Greed Island were far more powerful—and much better looking.
The Angel's Breath from Greed Island was technically a type of Nen beast, as was Biscuit's magical girl transformation ability.
Even
the double created by Castro from the Heaven's Arena could be considered a type of Nen beast.
Despite the uniqueness of the princes' abilities, none of them interested Daniel. Their powers weren't truly their own but were bestowed by their Nen beasts. Such precarious and dependent strength didn't appeal to him.
What intrigued Daniel the most was the vessel that Nasubi Hui Guorou guarded—the one that had given the princes their powers. All the princes had gained their abilities by offering their blood to this vessel. It was the foundation of everything.
Based on the intelligence Daniel had gathered, he speculated that the vessel was a conjured object left behind by a powerful Nen user after their death, enhanced by their lingering resentment.
These objects, created by the death of Nen users and imbued with supernatural power, were often stronger than traditional artifacts.
"It's amusing to see a group of Nen users pretending to be novices while learning from Kurapika." Kurapika's Nen training class was progressing smoothly. Even the first prince had sent people to study under him. The most stubborn of them all, the thirteenth prince's head bodyguard, had even been persuaded by Biscuit.
For the first time, Biscuit's transformation into her muscular form was appreciated, as the bodyguard turned out to be a rare "muscle fanatic," finding her transformed state beautiful.
Kurapika had indeed managed to buy some time, but without addressing the root cause—the vessel—all his efforts would be in vain. The succession ritual would not end until a final victor was determined.
Daniel could easily resolve the situation, but doing so on the Black Whale was problematic. To destroy the vessel, Nasubi Hui Guorou had to be dealt with, but doing so might expose Daniel.
Currently, four Nen users of the Five Great Hope level were aboard the Black Whale: Netero, Ging, Beyond Netero, and another under the V6. This expedition to the Dark Continent was a formidable one.
The current V6's exploration of the Dark Continent was even stronger than Beyond Netero's faction. Daniel had now witnessed the true strength of the V6, with its military-trained Nen users.
The V6 had two main objectives: first, to obtain the longevity item, Nitrolomy, and second, to acquire the herb that could cure all diseases. The remaining three hopes were secondary and would be considered based on the situation.
To deal with the calamities surrounding these hopes, the V6 had not only brought Nen users but also a large amount of specialized technological equipment.
"This is getting boring. Send us back," Ada and Robin complained after a few days aboard the Black Whale. Daniel used a secret method to transport them back to their villa in Saba City, planning to retrieve them later once they neared the hypothetical continent.
As for their role as bodyguards, that was merely a cover. Daniel and his group had no intention of taking on the job seriously, unlike Kurapika.
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