At this time, Netero was still on the ship, and judging by the sea route, he was still quite a distance from the island.
Technically, it would take three to four days to meet up with Law and the others, but Netero's answer had been two days.
Although it is an estimate, it is a rather conservative one.
It is impossible to increase speed at sea, but on land, that was a whole different story.
According to Netero's own calculations, once he was off the ship, he could go full throttle!
There were too many things that couldn't be explained properly over the phone, so after Linne confirmed the general time of Netero's arrival, she ended the call.
Putting the phone back in her pocket, Linne turned her head and looked at Law quietly.
In the depths of her cloudy and lifeless old eyes, there was a hint of expectation that no one would ever notice.
Expectation for what? And what did it have to do with Law?
"What do you think that thing is?" Linne looked at Law and suddenly asked.
By 'that thing', she meant the humanoid wrapped in bandages, which is neither a living being, nor something imbued with Nen, nor even Post-Mortem Nen.
Law was silent for a moment, then said: "I know what that is."
Linne's eyelids, which had been half-lifted with pressure against the top of her eye sockets, sank slightly.
"Dark Continent." Law said, clearly and slowly.
"What's the basis?" Linne asked.
"None." Law answered bluntly. There was no way he could reveal the existence of the White Smoke Font.
Linne was silent for a while, then shifted the conversation without warning and said, "I've been to the Dark Continent."
She had no solid basis for her own conclusion either, and it was just her gut. But that no longer mattered.
When she said 'I've been to the Dark Continent', that hidden glimmer of expectation in her eyes flared hotter, as if something long buried was starting to burn again.
When Law heard this, his expression changed. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but he didn't know where to start.
"Heh."
Linne suddenly let out a low chuckle, as if she'd seen right through the curiosity now stirring inside Law. In her old, cloudy eyes, a sharp light broke through, like the sun piercing mist.
"That's not a place humans should tread lightly. It is very, very..." Linne restrained the smile on the corner of her mouth and thought about which word to use to describe that place. "Extraordinary!"
"For any Hunter with adventurous blood flowing in their veins, that place is also a place worth their crazy pursuit."
Law stared at Linne closely, waiting for what to come.
Looking at Law's eyes, Linne's tone turned low and heavy as she said, "No matter how much you warn people about the risks… no matter how much information you give them, how high you rank the threat level… all it does is fuel the curiosity of a true thrill-seeker. The Dark Continent feeds off that kind of madness."
"So… are you interested?"
Her voice now sounded like the wicked old witch tempting Snow White with a poisoned apple.
'Interested?'
Law asked himself this question in his heart and remained silent.
Perhaps because there was too little known information, his blood did not boil yet, but he did want to see the World Tree that was rooted in mountains, drinking from magma, stretching through the atmosphere itself!
Not only did he want to see it, he also wanted to climb to the top of that tree!
"…Yeah."
After a long silence, Law finally gave a short response.
"I can share everything I know with you, but you have to agree to one condition of mine." The lifeless Aura in Linne's body suddenly burst into life.
Law's eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked, "What are the conditions?"
"You'll know… just not now. Wait until all of this is over." Linne closed her eyes contentedly.
Satisfied with what? Maybe Netero would know.
Law looked at the now-silent Linne. Her closed eyes were clearly a sign that the conversation had ended.
After staying a moment longer, Law stood up, leapt off the boulder, and made his way toward the fire in the distance.
Sanbica had already treated everyone's injuries. Machi and the others were healing well, but Buhara's left arm was gone and it's completely unsalvageable.
Still, he remained surprisingly calm about it.
As Law returned to the fire, he realized no one had eaten yet. He let them know, then turned and walked into the forest beyond the firelight.
There are very few food sources on Alcatraz Island, but in Law's eyes, almost anything can be eaten, whether it is a plant or creature.
As he walked towards the woods, Kuro, who was on guard nearby, spotted him and quickly came over.
When he saw that Law was going into the woods to find food, he immediately reminded Law to get some more, otherwise, there would not be enough to eat.
Law glanced at him, nodded slightly, and then disappeared into the woods.
Not long after, Law returned to the campfire carrying a large pile of highly poisonous ingredients. He had used God Hand to completely separate the poisons, then extracted a small portion and mixed them together, put them in a small glass bottle, and kept it on his body.
He set the ingredients down, went back to the giant boulder, and broke off a slab of stone to use as a cooking surface. Then, using nothing but God Hand, he swiftly processed the ingredients… no water, no knives, no cutting boards needed.
Linne pulled out two small clay jars and handed them to Law, which contained her treasured spices. Then, she stood quietly and watched from the side.
Machi and the others didn't recognize those ingredients, but Linne could recognize some of them, and she could also judge that the ingredients were highly toxic based on their characteristics.
To transform something poisonous into a delicious, safe-to-eat dish… that was a dream come true for Gourmet Hunters!
Light flickered in Linne's eyes. The decision she made during their earlier conversation… that had to be honored. She mustn't give up now!
Law started to get busy. Using Linne's spices, he grilled up dish after dish on the heated stone slab.
Soon, the air was thick with a mouth-watering aroma, and everyone was eating heartily. Of course, Buhara was the happiest of the bunch, as he'd joined Law's crew in pursuit of just this kind of culinary adventure.
Since Linne is old, her appetite has been getting smaller in recent years, which is why the delicacies she prepares are usually in small plates, but tonight, she ate a lot.
It wasn't that the dishes prepared by Law were so delicious that she couldn't control her stomach, but that the food on the stone slabs that came with a strong aroma was the most poisonous thing she had ever eaten.
As night deepened and Kuro kept watch, everyone could finally sleep in peace.
Law called Buhara out with the lame excuse of going to see the stars, and the two of them made their way to the lone boulder at the edge of the woods.
"Boss."
Buhara seemed to understand why Law had brought him out. He wanted to take the chance to reassure Law not to feel guilty about the lost arm.
"Listen to me first."
Law directly interrupted what Buhara was about to say.
"Uh…" Buhara was instantly silenced.
"I have a way to restore your arm to its original state, but it'll take time. Maybe ten years, maybe longer. Can you wait?" Law looked at the stump on Buhara's left shoulder with a serious expression.
"Yeah."
Buhara grinned and answered without hesitation. He didn't even question if it was possible, as he just believed in Law.
His arm had been eaten by an artificial creature. How could it possibly be restored?
But Law had already made up his mind. He thought of Killua and of something in the Zoldyck Family that hadn't yet come into existence.
He has to go to Zoldyck Family again to see if Killua is born, and since the borrowed dragon is dead, he also owed them an explanation.
…
At the same time, deep in the forests of the island…
The seven Voids moved slowly through the trees, their forms like astronauts walking across the moon. Their strange gait blurred the line between walking and floating, as they made their way toward the forest's edge.
The once-dense green mist that had filled the forest was nearly gone now, leaving behind a lifeless, barren zone that sent a chill down anyone's spine.
All the green smoke had been completely absorbed by these seven Voids.