"Attention please, the boat to the Republic of Padokea will arrive in 10 minutes. I repeat, the boat..."
"Look, I can already see the coast!" Gon exclaimed, pointing at the horizon.
Leorio stepped closer, squinting his eyes, only to shake his head. "Are you some kind of hawk, Gon? I can't see anything that far away."
Nearby, Kurapika and Nicolas were both sitting, enjoying the breakfast brought by the crew. The sea breeze brushed against them while Leorio and Gon kept watching the horizon.
"By the way, Nicolas," Kurapika broke the silence while spreading butter on his toast, "what do you plan to do after we get Killua back? Do you already have plans?"
Turning his glass of orange juice in his hand, Nicolas watched a group of seagulls flying close to the ship, a clear sign they were nearing land.
"I don't really know yet. I'd like to make some money and travel using my Hunter privileges, but for now I'll give myself time to think. The priority is to get Killua back, after all," he explained. "And you? Do you have a plan for the future?"
Kurapika's expression darkened slightly as he forced a faint smile. "Yes, I plan to get closer to the underworld. My goal is to retrieve the eyes stolen from my clan and eliminate the Phantom Troupe."
Already aware of this thanks to the manga, Nicolas nodded while finishing his orange juice. "That's a good idea. It's probably the most effective way to get close to the Troupe. After all, their name is no lie, there's almost no information on them at all."
"I know," Kurapika said. "At first, I'll focus on retrieving my clan's eyes. From there, I can trace things back to the source."
"Hmm, I guess you should get closer to the mafia. They have a massive information network. If you climb the ranks, you'll gain greater access to it, and you could even actively search for the Troupe through their channels. Apparently, there are mafia recruitment zones in every major city. As a Hunter, you'd be greatly favored," Nicolas suggested.
*'Now that I think about it, Gon wants to find his father, Kurapika wants revenge for his clan and to recover their eyes, and Leorio wants to become a doctor… As for me, I don't really have a clear goal. Until now, I just wanted to survive and escape my family. But now that I have… I don't know what to do anymore…
In a way, I feel closer to Killua, who doesn't really have a goal either, other than following his friend Gon.'
Slightly discouraged by his thoughts, Nicolas picked up his bag and followed the group onto the deck.
The crew quickly docked the boat at the port and set up the gangway, allowing the captain to leave the ship first. Nicolas vaguely remembered reading long ago that in Padokea it was traditional for the captain to be the first to set foot on land upon arrival, it was seen as good luck for the ship's next voyage. In other regions, however, it was common for the captain to be the last to leave.
"Let's go~" Gon exclaimed, quickly followed by the trio.
As the four left the port heading toward the station, Nicolas suddenly noticed a strange bird perched on a power line. Its pupils resembled a compass.
The bird's feathers were pitch-black, and for a brief moment Nicolas had the unsettling impression it was staring right at him before flying away and vanishing behind a house.
'That was Nen,' he realized. 'Someone activated their ability here, in the middle of the city. Why? Could a fight be happening nearby? We need to get out of here quickly!'
"I have a bad feeling," Nicolas told the group. "Act natural and let's hurry."
Quick to respond, the three of them discreetly nodded and picked up their pace. They trusted Nicolas even without context.
As they walked, Nicolas tried to see if anyone was following them but found nothing. Even with Gyo active, he couldn't detect any aura.
'I don't sense anything anymore, but I'm sure that bird was made of Nen. What kind of ability was that…? At first glance, it didn't seem dangerous. And since it was so easy to notice, it probably wasn't meant for spying…'
'The only thing that stood out was its compass-shaped eyes. Maybe it was some kind of tracking ability… But basing a conclusion only on that isn't reliable enough.'
Without realizing it, the four had already moved far enough and were now entering the station bound for Kukuru City, at the foot of Kukuru Mountain.
Once inside, the three turned to Nicolas curiously.
Finally, Leorio was the first to ask. "Did you see something? I didn't feel like we were being followed. What about you two?" he asked Gon and Kurapika, who both shook their heads.
Nicolas stayed silent for a moment before sighing. "Maybe I was being too cautious. But I think we could have gotten mixed up in something dangerous if we'd stayed. Think of it as my instinct."
The three of them went quiet for a moment until Gon nodded. "I understand. I didn't feel anything unusual back there, but if you say so, it must be true."
Kurapika and Leorio also nodded, accepting Gon's judgment.
Still tense, Nicolas quickly bought four train tickets, and fifteen minutes later they boarded, heading toward Kukuru Mountain.
As the train pulled away from the city, Nicolas finally relaxed. 'I was worried we'd get caught up with that Nen user. With these three, it would have been difficult. In the end, I was worrying for nothing…'
The train carried on for the next six hours, until the four finally saw a massive mountain looming in the distance.
Leorio and Kurapika looked tense, imagining the family of assassins living at its peak. But true to himself, Gon was simply amazed by the sight of the mountain.
Once they arrived in Kukuru City, the four took a tourist bus to see the town and eventually the residence of the legendary Zoldyck family.
Half an hour later, the bus stopped in front of a gigantic gate, or rather, a massive wall adorned with two dragons.
In awe at the architectural feat of building such a heavy gate that could open automatically depending on the force applied, Nicolas tuned out the guide's speech. He was brought back to reality only when two thugs tried to steal the key from the guard.
The man looked weak and caught off guard, but Nicolas noticed that each of his steps raised a faint cloud of dust, as if he weighed several hundred kilos, or rather, as if his clothes did.
Eventually, the guard gave the key to the two intruders, who used the side door. Moments later, a gigantic arm reopened the gate, tossing out two skeletons stripped of all flesh.
Panic instantly spread among the tourists, and within a minute only the four of them remained.
Gon then approached the guard. "Hey, hello! We're Killua's friends. Can we go inside?"
Surprised, the guard turned to Gon. In his hands, he was holding the two skeletons, which he was about to throw into a trash bin without ceremony.
"You're friends of the young master? This is the first time we've had visitors since I started working here, ho ho! Come inside and talk with a lonely old man."
Surprisingly talkative, the guard invited them into his shack next to the massive gate. After some explanations, the four of them found themselves training with the Gatekeeper to prepare for opening the massive gate.
In truth, Nicolas could already open at least two levels of the gate. But Gon wanted to succeed with his own strength.
And so, days of training to open the gate went by. One week after their arrival, Nicolas left for Kukuru City to buy supplies.