Knowing the enemy had already started taking action, Joey didn't panic.
After all, the parrots weren't his true method for retrieving the surveillance device.
A parrot-sized object flying into Prince Sale-Sale's suite?
Even an idiot would find that suspicious—especially if there were still people present.
From the beginning, Joey had another plan.
In the corner of the room, a book on a shelf suddenly warped, reshaping into a large green frog.
Its tongue shot out like a rubber bullet, slurping the hidden camera into its mouth.
The frog shivered, its form twisting once more…
and turned back into a book.
In the corridor outside, First Prince's private soldier Orahu, tasked with monitoring Prince Tyson, narrowed his eyes.
He had already destroyed one parrot.
But just now, within the En field he'd spread across the suite, he had sensed a flicker of aura—a presence that vanished instantly.
"Target's ability is not only capable of remote cancellation," Orahu whispered into his earpiece,
"It can be preloaded onto objects and triggered remotely.
Suspect has likely already retrieved the camera."
"Understood," Baluthamilco replied without missing a beat.
"Remain hidden. Gather every item near the camera's location. Bag and retrieve them all."
They understood now—Dio had planned this far in advance, likely before Prince Sale-Sale even returned to his room.
He'd had plenty of time.
"But could Dio really have anticipated that much in advance…?"
Would Dio destroy the camera? Or recover it?
When a Golden Experience creation consumes an object, what happens?
Simple:
The object disappears.
But not permanently.
If the creature is killed, the consumed object reappears alongside its corpse.
However, there's another scenario:
If Joey touches the creature after it eats something…
The item vanishes—not into thin air,
but into a space within the creature.
Even if it's later killed, the item won't return.
Only a second activation of Golden Experience can retrieve it.
In other words:
A perfect way to hide something.
Only Joey—or maybe a powerful Exorcist—could undo it.
But would the First Prince have an Exorcist on hand?
And even if they did… if they deactivated the effect, the camera might still be functioning and recording.
Which means:
"Either way, I win."
This was Joey's last remaining camera, and yes, it hurt to use.
But if he could preserve it, even better.
The only issue?
Battery life.
If they waited too long, the device would die within hours.
Joey had already tested this.
Golden Experience doesn't freeze time—it stores things in a dimensional pocket, where batteries keep ticking.
That's why he hadn't used the frog to destroy the camera—only to hide it.
Now that the enemy was aware of his tricks, would Shurikenf get new orders?
Joey wondered how the First Prince would react.
Would he demand the footage? Offer a trade? Or play the long game?
Surely, Benjamin could guess what Joey planned to do with the footage—
Present it to Tserriednich as a "gift".
Even if it wouldn't directly incriminate Benjamin, it would damage him.
Which is exactly what Tserriednich would want.
Which meant…
"Benjamin will move."
Right on cue, Shurikenf turned to him.
"Dio. The First Prince says you're impressive.
The operation has begun. Wait a few days—by the end of the next banquet, you'll get what you want."
No threats.
No requests for the footage.
Just… acknowledgment.
Clearly, Benjamin still had some trust in Kurapika.
Joey gave a small nod.
And Shurikenf, in turn, began evaluating Dio.
When Dio used Ren, its color subtly deepened. A slight detail—but enough for Shurikenf to conclude Dio was a Emitter type.
But his ability—to give life to objects—leaned more toward Transmutation or Specialization.
Still… Dio's En was unnervingly calm.
Like a still ocean—deep, vast, and unreadable.
Shurikenf theorized Dio was a Specialist, with a solid grasp of En, and a hint of Manipulation.
But Dio's strength wasn't in combat—it was espionage.
And if it came to a close fight, no matter how skilled Dio was, Shurikenf had full confidence:
"He would die. I would survive."
That was his conviction.
Meanwhile, Joey thought:
"If I wanted to, I could make him vanish without a trace."
But he wouldn't.
He wasn't here to start a war with the First Prince.
Even if he did act, he could always blame it on Nen Beasts.
After all, Woble's room had already seen that trick.
But Benjamin might have seen through the coin ruse.
And once other princes' Nen Beasts were exposed, such a lie wouldn't hold water.
Still—maybe this could preserve Kurapika's fake power: triggering enemy beasts.
One concern lingered for Joey:
Would the user of Silent Majority act again?
If so, his earlier deduction might be wrong.
Prince Sale-Sale was dead.
Why keep attacking?
Unless… the target had shifted—perhaps now it was Satojubi, Second Queen's personal bodyguard?
But nothing happened on Day Three.
No assassinations. No incidents.
"The calm before the storm," Joey thought.
Which only increased the odds that the assassin had been Kinoshita, Sale-Sale's guard.
But Joey had a nagging feeling he was missing something.
On Day Four, Joey received a message from Melody.
She had been preparing her move since boarding—after all, she was Kurapika's key to Tserriednich.
A masterful musician and Emitter-type, Melody had a unique power:
She could read people's heartbeats—their mood, mental state, and lies.
She wasn't a fighter, but…
Her ultimate move:
A song played with sincerity would immerse listeners completely for three minutes.
Those three minutes would be Kurapika's window to reach Tserriednich.
Joey's idea was more blunt:
"Just abduct him during the song.
Three minutes becomes endless.
And I could even detonate my First Bomb if he escapes."
He never told Kurapika about the First Bomb.
That was deliberate—he needed it armed without Kurapika knowing.
Melody had fully cooperated, trusting Kurapika, revealing her powers to their team.
And now—she had a new request:
"I want to smuggle Princes Kacho and Fugetsu off the B.W."
Joey replied flatly:
"Leaving the ship equals death.
Keep them onboard, it's their only chance."
She replied instantly.
"Kacho and Fugetsu are good children.
They don't deserve to die in this meaningless war."
Joey sighed.
"None of them do, after the upper princes."
He promised her:
"Stay calm. Don't give the assassin any opening.
Once the mission is done—I'll help you."
It wasn't about who became king.
After Tserriednich died, Joey planned to assassinate King Nasubi, ending the succession war altogether.
He just wanted to reach the Dark Continent safely.
With Melody's music the centerpiece, the banquet became his stage.
He would strike Nasubi from afar, using Weather Report.
Even if it failed, he would escape safely.
And no one could blame Melody.
He needed to map out the banquet hall carefully.
Using roaches, Joey probed the venue during security shift rotations.
Only once he confirmed they wouldn't be instantly vaporized would he plant equipment.
Day Five arrived.
And with it—Queen Sevika returned.
Though she sat in a wheelchair, she didn't return to her deceased son's room.
Instead, she came to the 12th Prince's suite—her only child left.
Sevika had always favored Marayam.
But with him dead, she reluctantly gave Woble some affection.
Woble remained calm, even as his mother sobbed and reminisced about Marayam.
She even blamed Joey and Kurapika, saying if they'd protected Marayam, he'd be alive.
Joey raised an eyebrow.
"This woman's brain is broken," he thought.
If they'd left Woble, she'd be dead instead.
And yet… Woble didn't even flinch.
She'd probably heard worse.
"Your fault," Biscuit muttered beside Joey.
"Why, Lady Biscuit, radiant as ever," Joey replied with a grin.
"Flattery won't save you, idiot."
He flashed Kurapika a look—mission complete.
Now, the assassin struck again.
The user of Silent Majority returned.
Yet… Kinoshita, Sale-Sale's guard, hadn't returned.
Which meant—it wasn't him.
Satojubi's suspicion skyrocketed.
But another theory arose:
"What if the killer was never in the room to begin with?"
Joey had assumed the culprit was present, based on Shurikenf's past line:
"I already figured them out."
Implying he'd seen the killer.
But… the 14th Prince's suite had also suffered an assassination.
And the only survivors were Hanzo, Bill, and servant Shimono.
None had gone to Marayam or Woble's rooms.
So if the killer didn't need to be present, things got a lot more complicated.
Because now—they had no idea who it was.
Joey was being forced to act.
Only by saving the next victim and forcing the assassin to suffer backlash could they expose them.
But…
"Who's next?" Joey wondered.