Molena Brut, a "Double-Lined One" of the Kakin Empire, was the head of the Ai Ai family, one of the three major crime families in the empire. Being so young and in such a high position, she was disliked by the leaders of the other two families, especially since they were the half-brothers of Emperor Nasubi Hui Guorou.
Originally, the head of the Ai Ai family had been one of Nasubi's brothers, but after an assassination, Molena took his place.
At first, Daniel didn't pay much attention to her, but to his surprise, Molena's Nen ability allowed her to create new Nen users.
"Hiding on the second level, are you?" Using his Observation Haki, Daniel quickly located Molena in a luxurious suite on the second level.
"Goodbye." After finding Molena, Daniel had no further use for Ruini, the space manipulator he had captured earlier. Without hesitation, Daniel disposed of him and teleported to Molena's location, subduing her before she could react.
"Her strength isn't bad—on par with the likes of Chrollo and Hisoka," Daniel mused. Despite being caught off guard, Molena managed to unleash a powerful burst of Nen at the last second. However, the difference in their abilities, coupled with her lack of combat experience, made it easy for Daniel to overpower her.
"Love Serenade, huh? This ability is somewhat similar to the 'Love Slave' ability with a perfect score of 180." Daniel quickly extracted the details of Molena's Nen ability.
Her ability worked through kissing. By transferring her Nen via saliva, she could turn people into "Enhanced Patients." Including herself, she could control up to 23 people at a time.
These 22 individuals were under her absolute control and could kill to level up. Killing an ordinary person raised their level by one, while killing a Nen user raised it by ten. Killing one of the Kakin princes would raise their level by fifty.
In theory, killing just two princes could elevate one of her patients to level 100. At that level, they would gain a Nen ability similar to Molena's, enabling them to create 20 more Enhanced Patients of their own. This chain reaction could potentially create a large organization of Nen users under Molena's control.
While the ability sounded terrifying, a closer analysis revealed that the resulting organization would be weak. The artificially created Nen users had a low ceiling. If one of them had a unique ability, like the space manipulator Ruini, they might pose a challenge. However, the average Nen user could easily be overwhelmed by a skilled hunter. Someone like Chrollo or Hisoka could wipe them out effortlessly.
The most fascinating aspect of this ability, at least for Daniel, was the potential to manufacture Nen users. Given enough of them, some extraordinary abilities were bound to emerge.
Take Ruini, for example. His ability was useless to Daniel, but within the broader spectrum of Nen abilities, space manipulation was among the most powerful. "Space is king, after all," Daniel thought.
"Even though I might not need it, I should still analyze this ability. I've got time during this journey." With this in mind, Daniel began to study Molena's Nen ability, ordering her to summon all the Enhanced Patients she had created so far.
Given the mass killings they had committed, all of Molena's Enhanced Patients had already awakened their Nen abilities. Killing just 20 ordinary people was enough to gain Nen powers.
The dense population aboard the Black Whale, combined with the coordinated actions of the 22 Enhanced Patients, had made them conspicuous. In a city or a country, they might have leveled up to 100 without being detected, especially in chaotic regions.
"Looks like Ruini was the luckiest one." Though the gathered patients all had unique Nen abilities, none of them were of any interest to Daniel.
"So this ability works by absorbing the life force and souls of others to evolve into a Nen user," Daniel concluded after thoroughly analyzing Molena's ability.
"Mizaistom, you've been busy for nothing," Daniel muttered. After fully understanding Molena's ability, he killed all her Enhanced Patients and ordered her to have the Ai Ai family abandon their current plans and withdraw their forces.
Molena had no revolutionary ambitions; that role belonged to the ninth prince. Her goal was pure destruction. Her desire to release the Enhanced Patients was solely to cause chaos and incite a riot on the Black Whale. If her plan failed, so be it.
After learning about her past and the inner workings of the Kakin Empire, Daniel wasn't surprised by her destructive tendencies. The Kakin Empire reminded him of the Republic of East Gorteau during the Chimera Ant incident—the two nations were eerily similar.
One word constantly echoed among Kakin's upper echelons: balance. The royal succession war was bizarre, and so were the rules governing the underworld.
In most countries, underground organizations could fight each other freely. But in Kakin, if one gang wanted to attack another, they first had to report to their leader and get approval before proceeding. It was almost like scheduling a duel.
The reason for this odd rule was that Kakin's underworld was controlled by the royal family's illegitimate children.
Anyone who upset the balance was deemed a severe threat. This system was a means for the ruling class to protect their interests. The elites enjoyed vast privileges, while the majority were cannon fodder. In Kakin, Nen was tightly controlled, and the country was one of the few without a Hunter Association.
The leader of Kakin's Shuu family often said, "We must never let the proletariat gain power." In Kakin, power was the quickest way to wealth, and the upper class ensured it stayed that way.
The strange rules of the underworld severely restricted those who wanted to rise. Anyone who attempted to break the rules would be crushed by the three great families and the kingdom's upper echelons.
Another bizarre rule stemmed from this system: one could never openly harm civilians. While actions taken in secret were allowed, publicly attacking commoners was strictly forbidden.
These strange rules ensured that the elite stayed in power, while the lower classes remained oppressed.
Molena wasn't interested in revolution. The ninth prince was the one with revolutionary ideals. Molena's desire was purely to destroy. Had the Chimera Ants invaded her country, she would have been the first to pledge allegiance to them.
"In a twisted way, if everyone from Kakin's expedition to the hypothetical continent died, it might actually be a blessing for the empire." Kakin's entire leadership—both in the open and in the shadows—was aboard the Black Whale. Emperor Nasubi Hui Guorou had taken a huge risk by bringing all his key people with him.
By contrast, the leaders of the other V6 nations had stayed behind, not risking their lives.
If Nasubi successfully conquered the new continent, his name would go down in history, like the explorers who discovered the New World. But if he failed, the consequences would be dire.
With the Ai Ai family's forces retreating, the Gasha and Shuu families, who had been preparing for war, also pulled back. If a full-scale battle erupted on the Black Whale, the royal guards on the first level would not sit idly by.
After several days of relative calm, Mizaistom noticed that the killings had stopped, and the royal guards relaxed their patrols. Order soon returned to the Black Whale.
At that moment, a grand banquet was being prepared on the first level, a weekly event. Many of the princes would perform at the banquet. Despite the decadent lifestyles of some princes, their elite education had made them quite talented in various arts.
During this banquet, Melody, Tina, and other members of the Hunter Association had devised a plan. Using the banquet as a distraction, they intended to help the tenth and eleventh princes—two sisters—escape the Black Whale and the bloody succession war.
Among the 14 Kakin princes, excluding the infant 14th prince, the kindest were undoubtedly these two sisters. Melody, being compassionate herself, couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
As a Music Hunter, Melody had the unique ability to hear people's true feelings. It was nearly impossible to deceive her. If she believed someone was good, then they truly were.
"Your Highnesses, during the banquet, I will create a distraction. Don't worry about anything else—just head straight for the lifeboats and escape this cursed ship," Melody said.
"Understood. Thank you so much," replied the tenth and eleventh princes, genuine sisters by blood.
"Melody, your plan is well-intentioned, but it will only get them killed." Though Melody was a good person, Daniel didn't want her good intentions to backfire. He quietly entered the tenth prince's room on the first level.
His sudden appearance startled Tina and Ginny, the two bodyguards present. If not for Melody calming them down, they might have attacked him.
After the fourth prince's early demise, Tina, who had been embedded in his guard, had joined Melody and the others as bodyguards for the tenth prince.
"Relax, he's a friend," Melody quickly introduced Daniel and asked, "What's wrong with the plan?"
"The problem lies with their Nen beasts. If my guess is right, once they leave the Black Whale's vicinity, their Nen beasts will stop protecting them and may even turn on them," Daniel explained, sharing some of the information he had gathered. At the same time, he cast a curious glance at the tenth prince, Kacho. She was the only prince whose Nen beast had yet to appear.
This suggested that Kacho's Nen beast was an extremely rare type, possibly a Specialization ability within Specialization itself. The Hunter Association had records of such occurrences,
where a Nen beast wouldn't manifest until certain conditions were met. Without fulfilling those conditions, the beast might never awaken.
As for what those conditions were, no one knew. They varied wildly, making them impossible to predict. For example, Neon's Nen ability had awakened after witnessing her mother's death.
"So does that mean the succession war can't be stopped?" Melody's voice faltered, saddened by the realization. The succession war would only end when one prince remained alive. Even if the tenth and eleventh princes survived to the end, it would mean killing each other.
"Alright, I'll give you a hand," Daniel said after a moment of thought. He admired both Kurapika and Melody, and since he had the power to help, he didn't mind doing so. Besides, letting these two sisters die in the succession war seemed too tragic.
"Let's talk privately." Daniel gestured for Melody to follow him into the guards' room outside the prince's quarters.
"A true picture of fatherly love," Daniel remarked sarcastically as the banquet began. The elites from the first and second levels gathered, and the princes exchanged pleasantries with smiles, calling each other brother and sister as if they were one big, happy family.
At the head of the banquet sat Nasubi Hui Guorou, watching his children with a broad grin, delighted by their apparent camaraderie.
"Next up, we have a flute performance by the tenth prince's bodyguard, Melody." The host's announcement was met with applause, and Melody stepped onto the stage with her flute. Having mastered the dark sonata, Melody was a virtuoso with the flute, her greatest instrument.
As the soothing sounds of Melody's flute filled the banquet hall, a sense of euphoria washed over the guests, as if they were lost in a sea of flowers. This was Melody's full power as a Music Hunter. Her music had reached an otherworldly level of mastery.
In her original plan, Melody had intended to use her performance to lull everyone into a trance for three minutes, giving the two princes enough time to escape.
"Pretty good defenses, but..." While Melody played her flute, Daniel made his move, infiltrating Nasubi Hui Guorou's private suite. He found himself in a room filled with 13 coffins—there should have been 14, but Daniel had already dealt with the fourth prince.
"Who are you?" A small, fairy-like girl suddenly emerged from a jade urn as Daniel approached. Dressed in something resembling a qipao, her appearance startled Daniel for a moment before he regained his composure. With his vibranium gauntlet, he reached for the urn.
"You dare?" The girl's voice turned cold as a surge of dark, malevolent Nen erupted from the urn. It formed a massive hand, which shot toward Daniel.
"You're the one who should watch out." Daniel threw a punch, shattering the Nen hand and sending a shockwave that cracked the wall beside him.
"That was a bit too loud." The sudden commotion alerted the guards outside. Realizing he had attracted attention, Daniel swiftly opened a mirror dimension and pulled the urn inside.
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