"I'd rather not get involved either—whether it's the Kakin princes or the Phantom Troupe on this ship. If I could, I'd avoid them all," Joey said, grabbing a fishing rod, hooking a piece of worm from the bait bucket, and casting alongside Jaguar.
"Then don't get involved. We'll all reach the Dark Continent eventually," Jaguar glanced at him.
Joey paused. "But I've got intel—Nasubi might be planning to sacrifice everyone on board."
"He won't manage that," Jaguar replied with disdain. "At most, he could sacrifice some ordinary folks. But the lower-tier passengers will die in droves once we hit the Continent anyway. If some die now, what's the difference?"
"So you do know he's going to target people on the ship?" Joey had half-expected this, testing the waters more than hoping for results.
But it seemed he'd underestimated the Zoldyck family's intelligence network.
"If you count the years, the Kakin succession war's been going on for a thousand years. The accumulated hatred, frustration, and curses are beyond counting. It's time they were dealt with," Jaguar's gaze turned deep. "The succession war chooses more than just the next king—it decides Kakin's future."
Hearing that, Joey recalled what Nasubi once told the Ninth Prince: Only those who bear sin can become king.
And the train track theory Nasubi had mentioned...
Maybe the ends of the track weren't what mattered—because the nation wasn't even on the rails. The nation was the train.
Whoever controlled the train, whoever made the choice, became king.
And the ends of the track—what did they represent?
A thought began to form in Joey's mind, but it stayed just out of reach.
Then he felt a tug on his line. A fish.
He reeled it in gently—an ugly, long, thin ribbonfish had bitten the hook.
After that, Jaguar stopped offering useful information. Mostly silent.
Joey waited a bit longer, then took his ugly catch and said goodbye.
The exploration that followed didn't yield anything useful either.
Deck 3 wasn't chaotic overall, but most of it was guarded by the Kakin Royal Army. To explore these areas, Joey had to use Weather Report.
Still, some soldiers among the royal guards were Hunters—trained in Nen.
Even with Weather Report, Joey had to move carefully.
He didn't want to cause large-scale disruption on Deck 3.
The areas that housed Nen users—those drew Joey's attention most.
Besides the royal guards, he also sensed several hidden Nen users scattered among civilians. If not for his En brushing against a few, he wouldn't have noticed them.
But his En was soft and momentary—non-hostile. So no one retaliated.
At 8 PM, a curfew fell over the deck.
Because murders were still happening on the ship. Joey had already come across several crime scenes.
In two cases, the suspects fled quickly. In one, the attacker came for him.
But before they got close, Joey knocked them out effortlessly—with Nen bullets and lightning.
The attacker had Nen, yes—but their aura, their control—it was clumsy, weak.
A newbie. Probably one of Morena's creations.
If Joey couldn't reach Hisoka, maybe using one of Morena's spawned abilities could lead him to her.
That was if they knew her location. Or if they'd even talk.
If only he could openly trade with Linch...
Joey shook off the fantasy and returned to his room with the captive.
For Joey, the simplest way to interrogate was via Killer Queen's ability—erasing the body bit by bit.
By the time the man woke up, Killer Queen had already touched him once.
"Do you know where Morena is?" Joey sat across from him.
"Nope." The man wasn't scared. In fact, there was mockery on his lips.
"Ever heard the name Yoshikage Kira?" Joey asked slowly.
A flicker crossed the man's eyes.
"So you have heard it. Seen him? Or just the name?" Joey smiled.
That Fourth Prince's claim that Joey could become the Ai-Ii family's boss? Nonsense. The bosses of the three Kakin mafias were all "Second-liners."
That wasn't a compliment.
"Second-liners" were bastard children—those born of the King and mistresses. Not recognized heirs. Hidden from the public.
O'niol was from the previous generation. Morena, too, was a second-liner—child of Nasubi and a concubine.
They bore twin scars on their cheeks—cut at birth. Marks that kept them alive instead of disposed.
Joey wasn't a second-liner. That alone disqualified him from leading any Kakin mafia. At best, he could be a successor like Hinrigh.
But the Fourth Prince had no intention of offering him even that—he'd planned to get rid of Joey from the start.
"You're not telling me you're Kira?" the captive said, incredulous.
"I am," Joey said, snapping his fingers.
Behind him, Killer Queen pressed its thumb down.
The captive's arm swelled, then exploded into ash.
He didn't even realize what had happened until it was gone.
"Believe me now?" Joey asked, watching him blankly.
The man's mouth opened in a silent scream—but the sound never came. The Weather Beast muted all air vibrations.
Thirty seconds passed. Joey raised his hand impatiently.
The man's sweat-slicked face froze. He shut his mouth.
"Not bad." Joey nodded. "So, can you contact Morena?"
"No. Kill me," the captive growled through clenched teeth.
"I can't do that." Killer Queen stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder.
The man trembled.
"So I'll ask again. Can you contact Morena?"
"No—"
The sound died—and with it, his leg vanished into dust.
"What about now?"
Ten minutes later, Joey waved his hand, dispersing the ash left on the chair.
Then he picked up his phone and dialed.
One ring. Then:
"Who are you?"
"Yoshikage Kira," Joey said plainly.
A pause. Then the woman on the other end sounded surprised. "Yoshikage Kira? You really dared to appear on the BW?"
"I want to meet," Joey said bluntly.
"Still not giving up, huh?" Morena's voice was teasing.
Joey blinked. Then frowned. "It's serious. About the Fourth Prince."
"He's dead," Morena replied instantly.
"And the Third Prince? His deal with the Xi-Yu family?"
She hesitated. "Location?"
"The viewing deck on Deck 3," Joey suggested. Not his room—too risky. A public spot.
"Alright. Midnight." Her tone turned sultry. "My hands are dry lately. Bring me some hand cream?"
"…." Joey hung up.
Something definitely happened between Kira and Morena.
With time to spare, Joey visited the princes' room.
He'd promised to escort the Xi-Yu team to Deck 1—he wouldn't back out.
But since Prince Fugetsu was guarding the door, he figured he should notify her first.
Fugetsu didn't object. Her and Kacho's survival now fully depended on Joey. As long as the situation remained safe, she'd agree to most things.
"Joey… is there really no way to leave the BW?" Kacho asked again.
Not the first time. She had no interest in the new continent. Just wanted to live peacefully with Fugetsu.
Joey thought. "Wanna try?"
"Joey," Piyon suddenly spoke up. "It's too dangerous."
"Then never mind. We'll wait." Kacho backed off. "But Joey, will you stay with us?"
"No. I'm busy." Joey declined flatly. "Piyon will be here most of the time."
"Krook and I are switching off," Piyon added, annoyed. "And Joey, don't think you can dump everything on us. Chito's preparing a secret safe room. Once the princes are moved, you'll be responsible. Krook and I have our missions too."
"Alright, alright." Joey sighed.
He had brought the princes down here. And he could use their abilities. So it made sense.
Besides, he doubted Piyon would abandon him in a real crisis.
"Watch them tonight. I've got things to do. And let Mizai know I'll be in the viewing deck tonight. Tell him to reduce personnel there—I don't want collateral."
"Be careful. Call if anything happens," Piyon said, understanding what Joey was implying.
"Got it. Relax."
He told her not just to relay the message—but to hint that backup might be needed.
Otherwise, he could've just texted Mizai himself.
Morena was a mafia boss. A Nen user. Joey wasn't taking her lightly.
As Joey made his way toward the viewing deck, on Deck 1, Sector 3, the Third Prince appeared to be reading—but his thoughts were on his Nen beast, and how to deal with the First Prince's soldier, Gobendeba.
He had no elite guards of his own.
That afternoon, he'd met Kurapika—and confirmed both Hisoka and the Troupe were active. It pushed him to contact O'niol again.
Their connection wasn't secret. But meeting again so soon after yesterday could raise suspicion from the First and Second Princes.
He didn't care about the lower princes.
But the First and Second? He had to be careful.
Especially the First. Gobendeba had been around long enough to likely suspect the prince's abilities.
If his guess aligned with reality, an assassination attempt wasn't far off.
In the prince's pocket sat a coin—produced today by his Nen beast.
The only one he'd kept.
He'd studied the coin production closely. One per day.
But so far, the coins hadn't shown any actual use.
The prince frowned. He sensed that the final stage would affect all of Kakin. But for now, the impact was minor. Possibly even useless.
Then again—it suited his personality.
He wasn't king yet, but he was already burdened by kingly concerns. Maybe only he could make full use of the guardian beast's ability.
But how to win the war without that protection?
On the flip side—if he could win under such dire conditions, his rule would be unshakable.
If the guardian beast symbolized a bright future—
Then surviving the war required him to master the darkness beneath it.
Only one who could wield both light and dark could lead Kakin.
The prince tossed the coin to Gobendeba behind him. "Didn't you like these? Keep it."
Gobendeba caught the coin calmly. Now he had three.
As the prince pondered when the "darkness" would answer his call—
In the VVIP zone, O'niol was on the phone with Hinrigh.
"Can we trust Dio? Can't we just capture and control him?" O'niol was eating greasy chicken, surrounded by gold ornaments and priceless art.
"His aura says he's strong. Without knowing his exact ability, capturing him is risky," Hinrigh answered.
He'd felt it up close. If he'd moved then, only one of them would've walked out of that room.
And it might not have been him.
It wasn't worth the gamble.
"Then are the personnel and destination decided?" O'niol asked.
He trusted Hinrigh's judgment. This was the Xi-Yu heir, after all.
"Linch, Zakuro, and I can't leave. The fight with Ai-Ii could escalate at any time. Even if I've cleaned out some trash, Morena's got lackeys not listed on any mafia records.
And with Hisoka and the Troupe muddying things—and now Dio—leaving the lower decks would be costly."
But there was more—Hinrigh still didn't trust Dio.
"These newbies really are reckless," O'niol snapped. Morena's chaos pissed him off. "Make sure the mission succeeds. If it does, keep good relations. And make damn sure he doesn't contact the other two families."
If Dio could get them to Deck 1, security had to be airtight.
Morena must not reach the upper levels.
That would break the succession war.
"Understood."
"Can we monitor him?"
"Trying."
"Make it quick." O'niol didn't like the answer.
But Hinrigh was helpless. Dio's En was always active. Cameras, pigeons, blood—none could get close.
Anything entering his En was instantly obliterated.
Still, Hinrigh understood O'niol's concern. The disappearance of the Fourth, Tenth, and Eleventh Princes could all tie back to Dio.
The Fourth was dead, but the others might still be in the lower decks.
If they could find and eliminate them down there—it would be a huge gain.
But that kind of plan wasn't safe for phone talk.
The Royal Army tapped all mafia calls. For turf wars, they turned a blind eye. But if it touched Deck 1 access—or prince assassinations—it became high treason.
After hanging up, Hinrigh looked at the three people before him.
These were the ones he'd send to Deck 1 tomorrow.
Their first task: eliminate Gobendeba as soon as they arrived.