Fujitora was stunned. The young man before him embraced the world without fear of wind or rain… how audacious.
I came… I saw… Do I conquer?
He kept chewing on those words. His blind eyes shimmered with a brightness that belied their emptiness.
"That's right… Life is meaningless if you don't live it for yourself."
Fujitora looked at Roy with solemn approval.
"Boy, tell me your name. A man who dares to conquer the world shouldn't be nameless. If possible, I want to witness the day you ascend to the top."
Roy stood tall and declared clearly,
"Don't change the name, don't change the surname… Roy Zoldyck. My name is Roy Zoldyck!"
Then he added word by word:
"Mr. Fujitora, you will see. One day, I will definitely surpass you."
Fujitora paused for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter—unrestrained and joyful.
"If that day comes, I'll make it my wish!"
A letter had once arrived from Dolly Island… and today, it felt like destiny had responded.
"I'm truly looking forward to that day."
Fujitora's smile faded. He raised a finger and lightly tapped between Roy's eyebrows.
"This is my accumulated experience over the years… and a collection of things I've gathered from the Navy. I now pass them on to you."
"I hope it will help you."
Roy opened his mind and calmly accepted the knowledge and experiences being passed on.
But he didn't check them immediately…
Instead, he smiled lightly and said:
"If my teacher really looks forward to that day, you don't need to wait too long—"
"You can see it now."
"Oh?" Fujitora stroked the short beard on his chin and glanced sideways at Roy.
"My child~ It's not that I underestimate you… but if you think you can surpass me now, I'm afraid you still can't."
Roy, of course, knew that inheriting 50% of Fujitora's strength was only half the story.
But in recent days—especially during those quiet fishing moments—he'd had some new ideas.
He didn't refute Fujitora directly. Instead, he slowly pulled out his stick-sword and saluted him with both hands.
"Teacher, I have a move—Gravity Blade: Rising Dragon. Please… taste it."
Rising Dragon? Fujitora's blind eyes flickered slightly. This was interesting.
Then, he heard Roy softly call out:
"Gravity, heed my command—Set!"
—Words are power. Power obeys the word.
Following his command, a purple gravitational halo bloomed from the void, instantly enveloping the "Sea God" and the surrounding 500-meter radius of ocean.
"Buzz~"
The tsunami stopped mid-surge.
The falling rain froze in mid-air.
Even the toy roller Gon was playing with stopped rolling.
In that instant—it was as if heaven and earth had been captured by a camera infused with divine power.
Time stood still.
On the deck, Leorio had just been about to call Gon back inside to avoid the storm. He stopped in his tracks—
An apple floated up in front of him, defying the laws of physics.
"What the hell? How is this apple floating?"
He reached out and poked it. The apple drifted sideways—and bonked Gon on the forehead.
"Ow!" Gon clutched his head and glared at Leorio.
"Why'd you sneak-attack me again?"
Still surrounded by suspended raindrops, Leorio snapped:
"Idiot! Look around you!"
"Huh?" Gon blinked and turned to look.
Rain. Debris. Sea foam. All suspended in the air—frozen—as if clutched by an invisible giant hand.
"Whoaaa~" The spiky-haired idiot was stunned. He couldn't even find the words to be properly amazed.
He just stood there with his mouth wide open.
"Thank you… I was just getting bored."
Kurapika suddenly stood up against the mast, his eyes locked onto Roy through the wall of frozen rain.
Roy stood like a god—barefoot on the deck, a gourd of wine hanging from his waist, holding a blade-cane. The sea, sky, storm, and ship… all obeyed his will.
What kind of power is this?
"Could he be… the God of the Sea?" Kurapika's clear brown eyes rippled in disbelief.
His heart was in turmoil—an almost unprecedented lapse for someone known for unwavering calm and wisdom.
"That's… Nen!"
Captain Hayden Maxey stepped onto the deck, puffing on his pipe, his red nose twitching.
He looked around solemnly. "Only Nen could do this."
"But even with Nen, I've escorted countless applicants over the years… and I've never seen anything remotely close to this."
He glanced sharply at Roy—and a name surfaced in his mind.
Maybe… only a certain relic hunter, one who deserves a Three-Star license but holds Two, might have been capable of something like this.
But even that—
"It doesn't make sense," Fujitora muttered.
The people on deck couldn't see his expression, but his senses—sharper than anyone's—had caught every word.
Although he didn't fully understand what "Nen" was, he guessed it was similar to Haki or Devil Fruit powers—or maybe something else entirely.
Still…
"The student surpasses the master…"
Fujitora turned his head back toward Roy with admiration.
"You managed to think of gravity reversal… Then perhaps your next step will truly defy the heavens."
Roy grinned.
"As expected of my teacher."
Old ginger is always the spiciest…
"The first time I saw you use your Gravity Blade: Tiger—"
"I thought to myself, if gravity can cut horizontally, then why not vertically, in reverse?"
"I figured… why not try it today? Maybe today, I'll take my first step past the teacher."
"Hahaha!" Fujitora laughed loudly. His blind eyes flashed as he stood with his blade.
"I will wait and see!"
A young man should have the madness to measure sun and moon.
Whether Roy failed or succeeded didn't matter. In Fujitora's heart—Roy was already his disciple.
And that would never change.
"Boom!"
The storm outside intensified—as if nature itself had become enraged by Roy's defiance.
A tornado twisted from the sea, carrying monstrous waves to crush the ship!
How dare a mortal challenge nature?!
But in the face of such chaos—Roy did not retreat.
He stood firm.
He closed his eyes and held his breath. Though his figure seemed small in front of the massive storm, the aura rising from his body was earth-shattering.
Gravity Blade: Rising Dragon!
At the peak of his breath, Roy opened his eyes and roared:
"OPEN!!!"