At exactly 8 a.m., the phone rang inside the Twelfth Prince's quarters. A signal soldier from the Royal Army informed Joey—who answered the call—that it was a line from the Fourth Prince's district.
"Please connect us. Thank you."
All calls aboard the ship were monitored by the Royal Army, and lower-ranked princes weren't even allowed to initiate contact with higher ones.
The Kakin hierarchy and convoluted systems were something Joey had never quite seen before.
"Hello, I'm Danking. On behalf of His Highness the Fourth Prince, I'm extending an invitation to Dio and Kurapika to have lunch together. I hope to receive a prompt response."
Joey recognized the caller—he saw Danking every morning during Nen training.
"This is Dio. It's our honor to receive His Highness's invitation."
"Understood. After your lesson concludes at noon, I'll accompany you both to Area Four."
"Appreciate it."
The exchange was brief, polite, and to the point.
But after the call ended, Joey's brows lifted slightly.
"Why did he say my name first?"
From every angle, Kurapika should've been the official representative of the Twelfth Prince. Joey had always played the role of the unremarkable bodyguard.
He'd never spoken to Danking directly, only displayed his En in passing.
So was Danking's choice of name order deliberate? If so—why?
Joey couldn't pin it down. But he suspected only one possibility: the First Prince.
Since Shulricov had begun engaging with him, Joey had sensed he was now a high-priority target in the First Prince's files. Perhaps some of that information had been fed to the Fourth Prince.
That would explain why Danking instinctively prioritized him over Kurapika.
Or maybe it was just a subconscious choice.
Still, Joey trusted his gut: the First Prince had made sure to spotlight him.
He unconsciously raised his thumb to his lips, deep in thought.
"Shulricov deliberately fed me Morena's info. The First Prince likely knows my alias—Dio Brando—is fake. He must have arranged it so that I would deliver the intel and get the Fourth Prince's buy-in. That'd only work if he framed me as someone with trade ties to Morena."
Joey glanced over at Kurapika.
"What exactly did you do in Kakin? Is there a risk they've exposed your real identity?"
Kurapika glanced at the clock. Training was starting in about 30 minutes. Soon, other guards would arrive—and Satobbi would seek him out. Also, today he was finally going to officially awaken Nen in his students.
"You mean my identity as Joey?" Joey replied. "Before heading to the Association HQ after Mizai called me, I made sure to stop off at the Bartochia Republic to leave behind a doppelgänger. That way, if Kakin's spies were tracking me, they'd see a consistent alibi."
Kurapika nodded. "Then it's unlikely your cover was blown."
"In that case, the First Prince can only manipulate my 'Dio' identity. Morena's betrayal of the Fourth Prince plus my association with her would be more than enough justification for the Fourth Prince to treat me with hostility."
"With his personality, there's definitely a risk," Kurapika agreed. "Could even lead to a fight."
They both knew how chaotic the underworld beneath Kakin really was. Most of their intel was just surface-level. The mafia employed Nen users. Many were lunatics, hardened criminals, or both. Getting information out of them came with serious risk—even Joey's few months of contact had only scratched the surface.
The group he'd dealt with most? The Ei Ei Family—Morena's syndicate. After all, they'd once tried to assassinate him.
He'd also dabbled in intel on the Shyu Family, especially its leader—Onior, who was said to be the King's brother and the father of the Third Prince.
"I'm always ready for a fight," Joey said. "But what about you? Will you use this meeting to act? Or wait and build a better opportunity?"
"Let's move. I can persuade him," Kurapika said, without hesitation.
Joey saw the confidence in his eyes and nodded.
"Then I know my role—get you alone time with him. That means neutralizing his guardian beast."
"Not neutralize—just stall," Kurapika corrected.
Joey nodded again. They'd already discussed the beast's partial abilities. A direct kill wasn't necessary—just time and space.
After agreeing, Joey moved to speak with Hisoka.
If they were right, then once Joey and Kurapika left the 12th District, Shulricov would make his move against Hisoka.
Joey trusted Hisoka's strength—but a little prep never hurt. Judging from Hisoka's excited grin, he was more than ready.
By 9 a.m., the other princes' guards had arrived.
Kurapika stepped forward and addressed the group:
"Several of you have progressed enough in your training to undergo the Water Divination.
However, the next step involves certain secrets.
If I call your name, you'll accompany Dio and me to a private room.
I won't explain why. You're free to refuse. But I promise: we mean no harm.
If you go through with it, you'll unlock Nen."
Murmurs spread through the room. Most looked uneasy.
Being alone with Kurapika and Dio could mean danger.
Then Kurapika called the first name:
"Danking."
Silence.
The others didn't understand why he was chosen first.
But what shocked them more—Danking stepped forward without hesitation.
"Everything we discuss will remain confidential. Can you agree?"
"Yes. But I reserve the right to withdraw if I sense any danger."
"Naturally," Kurapika said, gesturing toward the room.
They entered the Twelfth Prince's chamber.
Momoze was on her bed, still knitting something. Probably not another sweater—she'd already finished two in the past week.
The Seventh Queen was absent. Apparently, she and her entourage were now holed up in Area 13, avoiding contact with outsiders.
Kurapika approached the table, where a glass of water with a seed at the bottom waited.
"Everything I say from here on is true. But whether you believe it—that's your call."
"I choose to believe."
That alone spoke volumes—it meant the Fourth Prince had already endorsed this meeting.
"Traditionally, Water Divination is used by awakened Nen users to identify their category.
But today, we'll use it to trigger your awakening.
The seed at the bottom is unusual. Normally, the glass holds only water."
Danking listened intently. Kurapika continued.
"As I explained before, anyone can learn Nen. But the rate differs greatly.
And in rare cases, Nen can be awakened forcibly—via a Nen attack."
Danking stiffened. The mention of "attack" unsettled him.
Kurapika ignored it.
"It's a taboo method. But it works.
Technically, the 'attack' can also include healing or borrowing—so the term's misleading."
He turned to Joey.
Joey entered Ren, placed his hands around the cup, and began injecting aura.
The seed began to swell.
Moments later—a lily blossomed on the surface.
Danking's eyes nearly popped from his skull.
He hadn't blinked once—and now, a lily stood where a mere seed had been.
"That's incredible!" Danking gasped. "You're telling me… all it takes is one 'attack' and I could gain such power?!"
"No," Joey shook his head. "It's highly inefficient.
It wouldn't let us fulfill the two-week deadline to awaken everyone."
"But I can borrow Dio's ability," Kurapika explained. "And then lend it to you.
It's called an indirect attack, but technically, it's a specialist-type lending ability—nonviolent."
He raised his index finger, wrapped in chains.
Chain Jail – Steal Chain.
It was one of Kurapika's five abilities.
By stabbing the chain into a target, he could extract and store their aura ability. Continuous extraction could even force a Zetsu-like state.
In Emperor Time, his scarlet eyes and specialist aura allowed him to analyze the ability.
"There's a side effect," Kurapika warned. "It forcibly awakens Nen in non-users."
Joey had already known this. When they'd discussed spreading Nen, Kurapika had shared this secret willingly.
Joey and Juan were the only ones whose abilities Kurapika could safely borrow.
And Juan—well, Joey didn't want Stretchy Love to get out.
So Joey had volunteered.
Golden Experience was easier to activate—and easier to retrieve.
Plus, he always switched into Golden Experience Mode during these moments, so nobody would see his true ability—Weather Report.
To outsiders, it just looked like Joey could make plants grow.
Even if Danking told others, it didn't matter.
"That's the plan. But if you can't accept it, just walk out and say, 'I'm out.'
We won't force anything."
The choice was Danking's.
But he didn't even blink.
He was here on orders—and ready to see it through.
Kurapika extracted Golden Experience from Joey and transferred it into Danking.
Danking then held the second cup with a new seed—and triggered Nen.
Another lily blossomed.
The borrowed ability returned to Joey.
Danking had successfully awakened Nen.
He couldn't yet control the leak of aura, but that would come with time.
As Danking left the room, he faced his first hurdle—not the crowd, but Shulricov's scrutiny.
"He wasn't manipulated," Shulricov said after careful observation.
While Kurapika was busy inside, Shulricov and the others had been preparing contingencies.
Joey guessed—if Shulricov had sensed any control or possession—he'd have used royal defense rights to arrest both of them.
Even without arrest, Kurapika's ability was now partially exposed.
Shulricov mentally tallied the powers he now knew:
Ability to read nen beasts.
Ability to provoke nen beast aggression.
Ability to create communication earpieces.
Ability to help others awaken nen.
Almost all were support-type.
The fifth one—likely something to ensure his own survival—maybe a nen vow-based ability, possibly tied to his chains.
A hidden enemy is the most dangerous.
Unlike Juan—whose unknowns made him a nightmare—Kurapika and Dio were almost cracked open.
Then it came again.
"Still busy? If not, I could show you a treasure~"
Shulricov gritted his teeth. He clenched his mind against the whisper.
"It's a really special treasure~ you'll love it~"
"I…"
Kurapika turned to him. "Hm?"
"Nothing," Shulricov said, brushing it off.
But then—he saw it.
Inside the open door, behind Momoze, her nen beast turned toward him.
Its bear-like paw dipped into its pocket—where a faint glow began to pulse.
"Still no time? That's too bad. You'd really enjoy it…"
And then—
"Actually... I have time."