After dropping that final piece of intel, Ed left without resistance.
Joey didn't try to stop him—he had a feeling Ed hadn't lied.
And if Ed had tried manipulating him... well, hadn't he done the same in return?
When Killer Queen touched the treadmill's handle, Joey hadn't just created that serpent-like creature.
At that exact moment, another creature—a ladybug coin, made with Gold Experience—slipped quietly into Ed's pocket.
Even after Ed disembarked from the airship, Joey could still sense the coin's aura on his person.
How long it would stay there, he didn't know.
But as a quick improvisation, it worked—as both a temporary tracking method and a potential seed for future manipulation.
If it helped, great. If not, Joey wouldn't lose sleep.
As for Ed saying he "didn't lose," Joey understood why.
To Ed, learning that Killer Queen's transformation effect triggers upon touch was already worth the trouble.
Whether Ed would report that intel back to Gerrard didn't bother Joey much. His abilities had already been partially revealed in the previous fight. If he really wanted to prevent that info from spreading, he should've stopped Ed back then.
Now, Joey had more important questions—like who exactly saved Ed during the earlier operation.
Because whoever rescued Ed was also the one tracking him.
That person was the real threat.
Still, Joey wasn't surprised about being followed. As Ed had pointed out, he'd been waiting—waiting for the enemy to make their move.
The only surprise was that it turned out to be Ed, still bound to the Debt Collector Curse.
Joey had no current plan to squeeze more intel out of Ed. At least, not through threats—he doubted Ed would crack under pressure.
When the airship docked at the next sightseeing stop, Joey watched Ed and his two companions disembark.
And just like that, his journey regained a sense of peace and rhythm.
A few days later, Joey disembarked and followed the address toward the agreed-upon mining site.
Upon arriving, he was surprised to find Gon had already arrived.
Before Joey even had a chance to rest, Shiping dragged him straight toward the nearby wetlands.
It was evening—sunset blazed across the clouds, painting the sky crimson.
Thousands upon thousands of Lesser-Billed Swans soared overhead, returning from their feeding grounds.
Joey was so entranced, he forgot to even press the shutter on his camera.
Words couldn't capture the feeling—it was awe, raw and silent.
And in that moment, Joey finally understood why Shiping and Stic had gone into debt to purchase the land.
This scene alone was worth every cent.
Back at their lodgings, Joey was still bubbling with excitement, chatting with Shiping about the swans' habits.
Even by 10 p.m., the excitement hadn't faded. He could barely sleep just thinking about the sunrise flight the next morning.
With everyone else busy, Joey lay in bed, holding his orange tabby, and couldn't help but send some photos to Sanbika.
Though they hadn't interacted much in person, their texts had brought them closer.
Not long after, she replied:
"Beautiful. Are those Lesser-Billed Swans? There's a strain of virus associated with them—Swan Virus-13. It drastically reduces rare elements in the infected host's body, leading to systemic complications.
Fortunately, in 1936, virologist Jason Jones discovered a viable treatment…"
Joey stared at the message, blinking.
"Sanbika might not be the best person for small talk…"
Still, her messages always helped him clear his head.
And if Swan Virus-13 was real, he'd need to be careful.
Could I incorporate that virus into a Gold Experience creation?
If he could observe an infected swan and recreate its symptoms accurately, perhaps…
Joey wasn't sure if it was possible, but he started texting Sanbika with a barrage of questions:
How did the virus spread? What were its symptoms? Incubation time? Conditions for human transmission?
Sanbika replied rapidly, showcasing her Virus Hunter expertise with a flurry of scientific jargon that left Joey scrambling to look things up mid-conversation.
By the time Shiping came knocking at 3 a.m., Joey looked like death—massive dark circles under his eyes—but he joined them anyway.
Despite the sleepless night, the sheer volume of information he'd absorbed gave him a huge edge.
He even managed to impress Shiping during their walk with his fluency on Swan Virus-13.
Shiping's reaction—visibly alarmed—proved how dangerous the virus really was.
Fortunately, none of the swans here were infected.
Shiping had treated the wetland's water sources with a special antiviral agent that neutralized the virus without harming the environment.
Joey had been a bit disappointed he wouldn't get to observe the infected ones—until he understood just how devastating an outbreak could be.
After that, Joey focused on asking about the swans' breeding and migration.
At dawn, right on cue, the sun rose—and so did the swans.
Tens of thousands of them burst into the sky in synchronized flight.
It was... sublime.
Joey spent the next few days exploring the mining zone.
It was full of rare fauna:
Trap Frogs, camouflaged in wetland soil
Strawberry-patterned herbivorous dinosaurs
Flower-mimicking lizards
None of it surprised Joey.
In this world, dinosaurs still roamed—and this one tasted incredible.
The Strawberry Dino's meat was so tender and juicy it beat even premium beef.
It had a subtle vanilla flavor—easily the best meat Joey had ever eaten.
But they were rare, so hunting them was tightly regulated.
Shiping had graciously offered one up for a celebratory meal, and Joey savored every bite.
With a market value of 200,000 Jenny per kilo, it was a luxury beyond compare.
The Lesser-Billed Swans were also edible—another key source of income for the mining operation.
Though Shiping aimed to protect the species, she wasn't naïve.
After mining revenue dried up, they turned to eco-tourism and cuisine.
Even Stic, who cooked for Kite's team, was originally the mine's head chef.
As long as the population of swans remained stable, they culled only what they could afford.
After all, she wasn't running a charity—her dream was to protect the scenery, yes, but also to make a living.
Joey respected that deeply.
By mid-September, Gon said his goodbyes—heading home to visit Aunt Mito.
Three days later, Joey approached Kite.
"I've decided to leave."
Kite didn't blink.
"Have you steeled your resolve?"
Clearly, he'd expected it.
Whether it was instinct or observation, Joey didn't know—but he nodded firmly.
"I'm ready."
Kite gave him a single nod.
"I've taught you what I can. From here, you walk your own path.
But remember—no matter where life takes us, we'll always be comrades."
Joey nodded hard.
He'd loved traveling with Kite, but they were going in different directions.
He once thought he wanted a quiet life, like Kira Yoshikage.
But he didn't.
He loved the thrill, the unknown, the enemies with strange abilities.
And deep down, he knew—to uncover the truth behind 鸣—he'd have to go to the Dark Continent.
Gerrard and Ed had merely accelerated that realization.
Joey was a fighter. A dreamer. A strategist.
He wouldn't wait two months.
He'd go to Heaven's Arena himself—and get his answers.
Carrying his orange tabby, Joey took one last look at the swans.
What a sight…
Then he smiled, turned into the sunrise, and vanished into a crowd of tourists.
Heaven's Arena stood in the Republic of Bartocia—also home to the Zoldyck Family.
Joey had asked Gon about the arena beforehand.
After all, Gon was his senior—not just in fighting, but in Nen as well.
Even with training and the aid of his wallet artifact, Joey hadn't caught up in aura capacity.
When Gon entered East Gorteau, his aura was nearly 30,000.
By the time he reached the mines, that number had climbed to 35,000.
Joey? 17,000—not even close to 20k yet.
But Joey had discovered a useful way to measure aura:
His En radius matched his aura divided by 100.
So 17,000 aura = 1.7 meters of En.
This ratio wouldn't last forever, but for now, it worked.
Kite had said both he and Gon were in their prime years for rapid growth.
Even if Joey's soul was older, his body was still 15.
He'd almost protested—but technically, five years of stasis made him older than he looked.
Still, aura wasn't everything.
Joey had three powers backing him up.
In sparring, Killer Queen helped him match Gon blow for blow.
Though Gon was physically stronger, Joey's two-on-one tactics often put him ahead.
But Gon wasn't some pushover.
With his pure strength and Nen mastery, if he could hit Joey before Killer Queen intervened, he usually won.
That dynamic began to shift once Joey started mastering Weather Report.
He used air friction to generate fire, lightning to stun Gon mid-fight, even manipulated wind resistance to block punches.
Each advantage mattered.
He could even fly using wind pressure—creating space when needed.
But all of this came at a cost—Nen drain.
His powers were short-burst. If fights dragged out, he'd run dry.
Plus, limiting his Nen to his En radius nerfed his range.
Only Gold Experience creations could leave his radius freely.
Second Bomb (Sheer Heart Attack) remained leashed—it was too clunky to control.
Still, Killer Queen's First Bomb was more than enough.
As his Weather Report control improved, Joey and Gon entered a win–loss equilibrium.
Joey was content.
Gon, however, was not.
He'd watched Joey go from zero to rival in just three months.
That speed stung.
But only Joey knew the truth:
Killer Queen came from Kira.
Gold Experience came from his wallet.
Weather Report? He'd copied it from JoJo.
He wasn't a genius—he was cheating with elegance.
Without those tools, he'd never catch up.
Joey arrived at Heaven's Arena with his identity masked.
His new alias—Foxwood, a bank clerk from Yorknew City.
Kite had prepared it long ago.
Though Joey had originally traded that identity for 10 million Jenny, Kite had quietly restored the offer.
Now Joey wore a blonde wig, custom-tailored suit, and expensive-looking mechanical watch.
He radiated professionalism.
He suppressed his aura completely and arrived via taxi—just another tourist.
Heaven's Arena: the fighter's paradise.
251 floors, 991 meters tall—the fourth tallest building in the world.
Below the 200th floor, anyone with skill could climb.
Above 200? That's Nen user territory.
From there, every 10 floors had Floor Masters.
230–250? One Floor Master per floor.
Only by winning 10 matches—without losing four—could you progress.
Win enough, and you challenge the Floor Master.
Win again? You enter the biennial Grand Tournament.
And the winner?
251st Floor. The peak.
Joey was here to compete.
Maybe even become a Floor Master.
But before that, he'd study Gerrard—and maybe witness a fight between Hisoka and Chrollo.
As he entered, he was immediately hit by the arena's unique heat and energy.
Crowds packed the hall.
Screens everywhere played fight clips.
Hundreds lined up to register.
He squeezed through the chaos, found a service desk, and after some processing—received his room key.
Below the 100th floor, rooms were available—for a steep price.
Now standing in the arena itself, Joey finally felt the scale.
This wasn't just a building—it was a city.
Shops. Game centers. Hot springs. Restaurants.
Three million visitors daily.
"Gerrard… You really don't do things small, do you?" Joey muttered.
As Heaven's Arena's overseer, Gerrard's wealth…
This wasn't even the tip of the iceberg.
And to think… Joey had made an enemy of such a man.
"No wonder I can't sleep well at night…"