Joey reviewed the compiled intelligence, noting the beetles that had been eliminated.
The first to be taken out was the one surveilling Prince Benjamin's quarters—clear proof that Benjamin had detected its presence and acted with precision. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to eliminate it.
After all, Joey had already compiled intelligence on the First Prince's room once before.
From the beetle's footage, Joey learned of the message delivered to Benjamin by Barbomaina, as well as how the First Prince had laid a trap.
More crucially, he picked up intel about a certain ability—"Bird Behind the Window."
It belonged to Muser, a private soldier of the Second Prince, and was being used to spy on her. A steady stream of intel had already been delivered to Benjamin.
Not that it mattered.
Joey had no intention of contacting the Second Prince.
In his personal threat ranking of the Kakin princes:
Fourth Prince
First Prince
Second Prince
The top five princes all had private military units loyal to them—due to both age and political influence.
Among them, the First and Second Princes' soldiers were by far the most dangerous.
Prince Benjamin, being a military man, had a unit composed of hardened battlefield veterans, all graduates of the Kakin Royal Military Academy.
And that—tied directly into Benjamin's Nen ability:
He Who Inherits the Stars
A power eerily similar in function to Chrollo Lucilfer's "Skill Hunter."
Whereas Chrollo steals abilities via a book, Benjamin inherits the Nen abilities of his fallen subordinates.
But there are strict conditions:
The soldier must die.
They must be absolutely loyal.
They must be a graduate of the military academy.
They must be part of Benjamin's personal unit.
Since the Succession War began, four of Benjamin's soldiers had already died.
Three of those deaths were linked to Joey:
Bicot, Vincent, and Lihan.
The fourth was a soldier assigned to the Fourth Prince's quarters, who died mysteriously before even entering the room.
Which meant—Benjamin now had at least four Nen abilities.
Of those, Joey could confirm only one: Lihan's "Foreign Invader."
If Benjamin ever learned the nature of Joey's own Hatsu, there was a very real risk it could be instantly devoured by "Foreign Invader."
Even without Weather Report, Joey still had Gold Experience and Killer Queen.
But he couldn't be sure whether defeating Benjamin would even allow Weather Report to return.
(Just a metaphor, of course. He wasn't planning on fighting Benjamin anytime soon.)
On the other hand, Joey wasn't too worried about Second Prince Camilla's subordinates.
Camilla herself, however, was different. She wasn't just dangerous—she was impossible to deal with.
Self-centered to a psychotic degree, her philosophy was simple:
If you're not serving her, you should obediently die.
Her idea of succession? Everyone else should kill themselves so she could ascend.
Even if Joey offered her useful intel, the only reply he'd get would be:
"Well done. That's what a guard is supposed to do."
Joey wasn't a simp.
He had no intention of handing over his hard-earned information to someone like her.
The beetle was eliminated by Benjamin's men, most likely because Barbomaina's report had mentioned the fly.
From the intel gathered before the beetle was destroyed, Joey saw that Benjamin had initially suspected Third Prince Zhang Lei of orchestrating the trap that killed Lihan.
After all, Zhang Lei's Guardian Beast still hadn't revealed its ability.
Thus, Benjamin and his captain had likely focused their suspicion on him.
But that raised a new question:
Even if they knew Zhang Lei's Guardian Beast's ability... how could Joey's group make it precisely target Lihan?
Was it a rule-based manipulation of the Guardian Beast?
Or did someone have an ability that could provoke Guardian Beasts into attacking?
Even possessing the ability to analyze Guardian Beast behavior would be enough to tempt Benjamin.
Would he try to open negotiations?
Joey had already thrown plenty of bait.
If Benjamin still refused to engage, then Joey would just write him off as a brain-dead meathead.
But if they could strike a deal?
That would be the best-case scenario.
Because allying with Benjamin would be the most efficient way to eliminate the Fourth Prince.
Joey didn't care who became king—Benjamin, Camilla, even Woble.
Just as long as it wasn't Tserriednich.
To kill Tserriednich, he needed proximity.
And the easiest way to get that was to ride the coattails of the strongest prince.
Well, not kill Tserriednich directly—deliver Kurapika to him.
Whether Kurapika could succeed... Joey didn't know.
But a job was a job.
Still, thinking about what Tserriednich's Nen ability might be once awakened made Joey uneasy.
He needed Benjamin to contact them.
Woble didn't care about the throne.
If Benjamin promised a royal pardon once he became king, she'd back him.
And alliances are everything in the Succession War.
Survival depends on choosing the right side.
Not all princes had to die—there were survivors from the previous Succession War.
But then again...
King Nasubi had prepared fourteen coffins.
Something didn't add up.
Whatever the case, Tserriednich had to go.
Everything else came later.
The beetle in Zhang Lei's quarters was also destroyed.
Joey deduced it had been Benjamin's soldier, Gobendeba, who killed it.
Interestingly, the beetle in Tubeppa's quarters was still active—suggesting Buchi, the spy placed there, wasn't proficient in En.
Same with Muser in Camilla's quarters—the beetle remained.
Maybe he was too afraid to use En with Camilla's own Nen users nearby.
The beetles in Tyson's and Luzurus's rooms had been destroyed.
Halkenburg's beetle was still functioning, but it showed the entire room was unconscious.
The lower-ranking princes hadn't yet been assigned private soldiers by Benjamin.
Which meant Joey's surveillance bugs were still operating freely.
Only the beetle in Sale-Sale's room was... strange.
Joey could sense it, but not control it.
Most likely the effect of Sale-Sale's Guardian Beast.
At 1:00 a.m., the beetle stationed in Marayam's quarters returned with disturbing intel:
Three people had been assassinated.
The Royal Military had already removed the corpses, but Bisky and the others had no clue who the killer was.
They did, however, receive one clue—a white snake had been seen beside the third victim.
Joey read the report and instantly understood:
Bisky was calling for help.
But Joey could do nothing.
He passed the intel to Kurapika and turned back toward the lounge.
Golden Experience couldn't share vision with him.
Even if he sent a beetle-cam, it might get destroyed, and he had only a few left—they were essential for reaching the Dark Continent.
And Marayam's room?
Too many unknowns.
Too many embedded soldiers from upper queens.
Too many chances of betrayal.
Besides, there was another clause in the Succession War:
"Any soldier who successfully assassinates a prince and leaves behind clear proof will be granted amnesty if their chosen prince becomes king."
Which meant traitors were inevitable.
Until he knew more, Joey wouldn't act.
But just as he turned to leave, Kurapika spoke:
"I have a theory."
Joey paused. "You want me to go help?"
"No. Listen."
Kurapika's eyes glinted.
"We know that all Guardian Beasts were birthed through the Ceremonial Urn, right? Parasite-type Nen Beasts visible only to Nen users."
"Correct," Joey nodded. "So the white snake is a Conjured Beast, not one of the parasite Guardians. That's why Bisky's concerned—it's proof a Nen user is acting independently."
"Exactly. That's the crux—the risk of restriction," Kurapika continued, eyes brightening.
Joey gave him a confused look.
But then it clicked.
Kurapika wasn't talking about the killer.
He was talking about how Guardian Beasts worked.
"Conjured beasts are visible to anyone—meaning their restrictions are less severe.
Parasite beasts must remain invisible to civilians. Maintaining that invisibility burns Nen.
And with fourteen hosts, the price is tremendous."
Joey finally understood.
"You want me to smuggle Woble off the ship?"
Kurapika nodded.
They had only been at sea for twelve hours.
If they contacted the Hunter Association now, it was possible to arrange a pick-up within hours.
"If I'm right," Kurapika said, "even a single prince escaping would cause the contract and restrictions binding the beasts to collapse."
Joey frowned. "You sure?"
He remembered the manga.
Prince Kacho and Prince Fugetsu had attempted to flee using a lifeboat.
Kacho had died.
Her Guardian Beast returned to the ship.
Even if Woble made it off safely, she might still die due to the contract.
"It's worth testing," Kurapika insisted. "Unless you have another idea?"
Joey shrugged.
"The Urn Ceremony isn't new.
If escape were so easy, the ritual would be meaningless.
And anyone who abandons the war loses their claim—why let them live?"
Kurapika scowled.
"Then what's the restriction?"
Joey spoke grimly:
"The Succession War is based on 'Gu'—the deadly ritual.
You gather venomous creatures—centipedes, spiders, scorpions—seal them in a jar with no food.
They devour each other until one remains: the strongest, most toxic one."
"This ship—the Black Whale—is the jar.
The lid is sealed by King Nasubi.
No one can leave."
Joey's voice turned cold.
"The princes are the venomous creatures.
Some are strong. Some just want to live.
But when the lid opens—only one survives."
"And what's outside that jar?"
"Is that world even what the winner truly wants?"
"The only way to break the jar?"
"Sink the Black Whale."
Kurapika didn't answer.
He wouldn't condemn 200,000 civilians.
And Joey couldn't either.
He needed the ship to reach the Dark Continent.
"Then kill the one holding the jar," Kurapika said softly.
Joey smirked.
"Assassinate King Nasubi, huh?
Now that would be a challenge."
Not even his beetles could approach the royal quarters.
Anything that got close was instantly obliterated.
By what?
He didn't know.
A human or a beast?
But one thing was clear:
King Nasubi, survivor of the last Succession War, wouldn't be easy to kill.