Chapter 9: Offering to the Sea
Maintaining Nen to keep steady on the swaying deck was exhausting, but Osren had an idea—a one-time solution that might just work.
Whether it would actually succeed, though, was another matter.
Steadying himself with effort, Osren turned to ask, "Gon, does Whale Island have any traditions of offering sacrifices to the sea god?"
Gon's physical strength was truly remarkable—not only could he stand firm on the rocking ship, but he was also agile enough to leap around rescuing people.
As he used his fishing rod to pull another passenger out of the sea, he heard Osren's question and thought for a moment before replying, "Yes, Osren. I remember Aunt Mito told me that it's a common tradition on ships."
Perfect. A smile crept up the corner of Osren's lips.
"I've got a plan. Gon, help me bring over a table."
"Okay!" Gon replied without hesitation, hurrying down into the ship's cabin. Given how rough the seas were, there were probably only two people aboard who could manage to drag a table up from below: Gon and Kurapika.
"And bring two plates too!" Osren called after him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Leorio, who was currently clinging tightly to one of the wooden posts on deck, eyed him suspiciously. Though soaked and shaken, he still had the strength to question Osren's antics.
"I remember someone once said that when a ship encounters violent waves, it's because the sea god is hungry and angry," Osren declared, as if it were the most logical thing in the world. "So I'm going to offer a meal to calm the sea god's fury."
Leorio stared at him like he was an idiot. "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely. Just wait for the good news." As soon as Osren finished speaking, the ever-efficient Gon returned—carrying a table and two delicate plates.
"I've got some food with me, but Gon, go to the kitchen and grab some more," Osren said, using Nen to anchor himself and the table in place.
Gon, ever earnest, didn't waste a second. Not long after, he came back carrying an entire roasted suckling pig.
Nice. Osren nodded in satisfaction. With Gon's help, he set up the table on the swaying deck. Though the tiny plates were clearly too small for the pig, this would have to do.
To keep everything stable, Gon alone wasn't enough—he'd need one more person. Osren glanced around the deck.
Thanks to his earlier stunt with the "Saint Elmo's Fire," everyone on the ship now remembered the pompous little kid. So when he started acting strangely again, all eyes naturally turned toward him.
"Is that Nen?" muttered the red-nosed captain.
"What is he trying to pull now?" Kurapika frowned slightly. Intelligent as he was, even he couldn't figure it out this time.
Ever since Leorio had confirmed that Osren actually intended to perform a sea sacrifice, he had adopted a "I don't know this guy" attitude. In Leorio's opinion, what Osren was doing was beyond idiotic—completely useless and utterly embarrassing.
Osren turned to Leorio and said, "Leorio, do me a favor—help steady this table."
"I…" Leorio instinctively wanted to refuse. He didn't want to take part in something so ridiculous. But before he could voice his objection, a pang of guilt struck him. Wouldn't refusing make him seem heartless and petty? After all, Osren had helped him out many times before.
So he changed his tune: "Fine. Just this once. Don't expect me to do this again." With that, he and Gon started helping to stabilize the dining table.
"Hey, what are they doing over there?"
"Looks like... some sort of sea sacrifice?"
"Yup. Definitely a sea sacrifice."
Their strange actions didn't go unnoticed. The other passengers weren't dumb. It didn't take long before everyone began speculating about what they were witnessing.
And soon, the murmurs turned into a noisy debate.
"The ship runs into a storm, and they sacrifice to the sea? I mean, I guess it makes sense... but why do I feel like laughing?"
"This guy told us to read more books earlier. I think he read too many himself. Now he actually believes in sea sacrifices."
"Isn't sea sacrifice just a myth? Must be terrified of the storm to resort to something so ridiculous."
"With this kind of brain, and he still wants to be a Hunter? He should just go home."
…
Osren knew that in a moment like this, the cool thing would be to give an evil smirk. But that wasn't his style. So instead, he opted for a cold, aloof smile.
And then everyone saw it—Osren, expressionless, gave a chilling smile before calmly saying,
"Oh mighty Sea God, if you're not angry anymore, please accept this roast suckling pig as an offering."
With that, he tossed the entire roast pig into the sea. The waves crashed violently, but the moment the food touched the water, the ocean didn't even ripple.
"Sea God, do me a favor and calm the waves, alright?"
It was as if he had pressed a remote control.
The moment he spoke, the howling wind died down. The thunder and lightning vanished. The dark, oppressive clouds scattered. The silvery moonlight broke through the sky, bathing the sea in tranquility. The world instantly turned calm and peaceful.
Within mere seconds, everything was still.
The sea lay flat like glass.
The Kaijinmaru, the ship they were on, glided forward in peace.
It was as if the storm had been nothing but a bad dream—
Except for the broken mast, clearly struck by lightning, standing there as irrefutable evidence.
"???" Leorio stared, dumbfounded.
Kurapika felt like his brain had hit a wall.
Silence.
The deck was as quiet as a grave.
Everyone turned to stare at Osren, who simply brushed off their gazes and, like a gentleman, gave the ocean a graceful bow.
"Thank you, Sea God, for granting me this favor."
Then he turned and said,
"Gon, don't forget to clean up the table and dishes later. I'm going back to the cabin to rest for a while."
And with that, Osren, having quietly accomplished something miraculous, disappeared into the ship like nothing had happened.
During this bizarre "sea sacrifice," Osren had mastered using his Conjuration-type Nen ability with surprising finesse. Just as he had theorized, the power of the "Face Fruit" wasn't limited to people or living things—it could influence anything, even legends, so long as they were believable enough.
Of course, plausibility was key.
If the world of Hunters had no tradition of sea sacrifices, this wouldn't have worked.
It wasn't until Osren's figure disappeared from sight that everyone began to snap out of their shock.
"Wait… weren't we supposed to be hit by a massive storm?" the red-nosed captain muttered as he closed his slack jaw.
"So sea sacrifices do work! Aunt Mito didn't lie to me. But Osren is amazing—he actually thought of using this," Gon said excitedly, turning to Leorio.
"You helped because you believed in Osren, right? You knew it would work!"
Leorio, who had been mentally exhausted ever since he met Gon and Osren, sighed deeply.
"How… how the hell did he do that? That storm, those clouds... it couldn't have been coincidence. There's no way all of that just vanished without some kind of special technique," Kurapika muttered, desperately trying to find a logical explanation, but coming up short.
"Well then, next time we run into a storm, let's just do a sea sacrifice," the red-nosed captain mused, already planning to try it himself next time.
Though... if the captain tries it and nothing happens, the disappointment might just break him.
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