"I wonder what kind of creatures could be created by integrating the traits of the Hunter Exam..."
Kaizen mused to himself.
"Maybe, when the time comes, fusing Raiken and Sasuke Beast will be the best choice."
His gaze shifted toward Kurapika.
They were the same age.
But Kaizen was taller.
His youthful aura was more subdued, while Kurapika's was sharper, carrying an air of quiet intensity.
Kurapika also noticed Kaizen but paid him no mind.
His only goal in taking the Hunter Exam was to become a Hunter.
And there were two reasons for that.
First, to gather information about the Phantom Troupe through the Hunter network, find an opportunity to get close to them, and exact his revenge.
Second, because becoming a Hunter was his dream.
Ever since Sheila had given him the Dino Hunter Book, Kurapika had longed for the Hunter profession, weaving fantasies of what it would be like.
But what he didn't know was that Sheila was directly responsible for the Kurta Clan massacre.
And he also didn't know that Kaizen had witnessed the genocide firsthand.
Kaizen had acquired Sumas.
Sheila was now trapped within Sumas.
What's more, back then, he had nearly been targeted by Nen users and would have lost his life—if not for Kaizen secretly saving him.
The ship came to a halt.
Whale Island.
A spiky-haired boy rushed onto the ship, waving enthusiastically at the port.
Mito and several fishermen stood there, bidding him farewell.
"Goodbye, Aunt Mito!"
There was no hesitation or fear in Gon's eyes.
Only excitement for the journey ahead.
He was determined to follow the path that led to his father.
"It's nice to be young."
Kaizen watched Gon walk past and couldn't help but think back to the day he had first stepped out of the Zoldyck estate.
His emotions back then had been similar to Gon's now.
Though, of course, Kaizen himself wasn't much older.
"Killua should be around the same height as Gon now."
"I haven't seen that little cousin of mine in a while."
The Zoldyck family valued blood ties—but personal independence was paramount.
Kaizen knew Maha Zoldyck well.
He was also familiar with Zeno and Silva.
He had collaborated with Milluki a few times.
And Kalluto, he had encountered multiple times.
Alluka, though… he had barely seen her.
She was locked away in the estate's depths.
And he had little interest in her.
At least, for now.
Even Maha Zoldyck was wary of the immense power within Alluka.
But as long as the events of the original timeline played out as they should, Alluka posed no threat to Kaizen.
After setting foot in the Dark Continent, he had no plans to interact with her.
Seeing Gon again, Kaizen's thoughts drifted to another memory.
Back then, in Meteor City…
Ging Freecss had wiped out the Kute Gang of Thieves alone.
Two of their members had fallen to him with ease.
A feat even Zeno and Silva would have found challenging.
In the world of assassins, there was a concept of "bloodline talent."
And in some ways, the Freecss bloodline was even more formidable than the Zoldyck lineage.
This was evident from the achievements of Netero's longtime rival, Don Freecss.
He was one of the few Nen users who regularly ventured into the Dark Continent.
And Ging Freecss, at his current age, was already among the top five Nen users in the human world—alongside Maha Zoldyck.
"Gon's potential is terrifying."
"He didn't receive as much rigorous training as Killua did."
"And yet, soon after learning Nen, he had nearly closed the gap between them."
"The gap between them keeps shrinking."
"This is different from Leorio and Kurapika."
"Leorio and Kurapika are older."
"And Leorio's rate of improvement isn't nearly as fast as Gon's."
"Kurapika, on the other hand, had a foundation before learning Nen."
"But Gon? He started from scratch, the same as Killua."
If one measured power in numbers:
Before learning Nen, Gon's strength could be rated at 10.
Killua's? 30.
But after learning advanced Nen techniques, both had reached levels close to 80 or 90.
The gap had become almost negligible.
Kaizen's mind then turned to another figure.
Hisoka.
"Hisoka has his sights set on Gon in this Hunter Exam."
"But Gon isn't the only one he's interested in."
"Kurapika, Killua... they also intrigue him."
"However, because of Illumi, Hisoka won't target Killua."
"And because of Chrollo, he won't target Kurapika either. In fact, Hisoka is more likely to cooperate with Kurapika if it means getting a fight with Chrollo."
Simply put—
Hisoka's interest in Kurapika was about a 5.
His interest in Chrollo? A solid 10.
"Luckily, Hisoka only shows interest in Gon."
"And not outright killing intent."
"Otherwise, he might not leave this exam alive."
Hisoka might not understand Gon's origins.
But Kaizen did.
The only son of Ging Freecss.
For all his detachment, Ging wasn't completely indifferent to his son.
Greed Island? Partly a game for himself, partly a gift for Gon.
Even Netero's presence in the Hunter Exam was likely because of Gon.
Normally, Netero didn't oversee the early phases of the exam himself.
He only showed up at the final stage.
And afterward, Wing had just happened to be at Heavens Arena to teach Gon Nen.
Not a coincidence.
That was orchestrated by the Hunter Association.
They wanted Gon to follow the orthodox Shingen-ryu path.
Even Biscuit's presence in Greed Island had likely been for the same reason.
Otherwise, with her ability, she wouldn't have needed to enter the game at all.
With Kaizen's connections, he could obtain Greed Island cards easily.
And Biscuit's network? It was undoubtedly stronger than his own.
Kaizen speculated on the Freecss family's dynamics based on what he knew of the Zoldycks.
The Zoldycks valued family bonds despite their brutal upbringing.
And the Freecss family, being much smaller, likely cherished those bonds even more.
...
The sky darkened.
Suddenly—
The ship shook violently.
"Storm!"
"Hold on tight!"
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