Heaven's Arena. June 23, 1999. Six o'clock in the morning.
Dawn was just breaking, but the atmosphere in the room was heavy—a tangible, physical presence.
Three days ago, Gon officially challenged the formidable Hisoka. Now, only 17 days remained until that seemingly unwinnable duel.
"Kyle, I'm ready."
Gon's eyes were clear and resolute, completely ignoring Killua's worried gaze beside him, which was almost solidifying into ice shards.
"Gon!" Killua couldn't help but step forward, his ice-blue pupils sharp as knives—the look of a Zoldyck assessing its prey, fixed firmly on Kyle.
"Are you sure you want to do this? This ability, involving souls and unknown worlds, is too risky!"
"I trust Kyle." Gon's answer was simple and direct, yet it carried immense weight.
This trust stemmed from their shared life-and-death friendship during the Hunter Exam.
Kyle said nothing more, only nodding solemnly. He took a deep breath, focusing his intent intensely on his palm.
As 'Ren' was activated, a visible aura began to swirl, eventually manifesting as an ancient bronze book with a cover intricately carved with strange patterns—the Book of Resonance.
As his fingertips touched the cold bronze cover, two brief yet brutal memory fragments flashed through his mind like needle pricks—the intense aura of Haki and cold glint of a blade in the One Piece World, and the whistling kunai from the night of the clan's annihilation in the Naruto World.
The chill of death made his fingertips tremble, but it also solidified his resolve.
In this Hunter World, even more bizarre and dangerous than the previous two, he had to seize every opportunity to become stronger.
"Gon Freecss," Kyle's voice carried a ceremonial solemnity, and the pages of the book turned without a whisper of wind, "do you wish to establish a resonance contract with me, to jointly explore unknown worlds, and to share a certain portion of your training achievements and risks?"
"I do!" Gon responded without hesitation, simultaneously activating his Nen with full power.
A pure aura, full of vitality, like a vigorously burning golden flame, was summoned by the ancient contract, transforming into a dazzling thread that flowed slowly into the Book of Resonance.
Buzz—! The pages suddenly glowed with a gentle yet brilliant light.
On the first page, golden light, like living brushstrokes, powerfully outlined the name "Gon Freecss."
The moment the name formed, Gon and Kyle's bodies trembled slightly, and a wondrous telepathic connection was established between them, like an invisible bond, causing their auras to faintly resonate with each other.
"It succeeded..." Kyle's heart settled, but the contract was only the first step.
He immediately immersed his mind deep within the Book of Resonance, guiding his aura to activate the soul imprint representing the Pirate World.
"Ugh ah—!" The next moment, Kyle grunted, his body convulsing violently!
He felt like a forcibly opened dam; his vast Nen, accumulated through five years of day and night arduous training, was being frantically drawn out at an unprecedented speed, gushing towards the illuminated imprint.
A tearing pain shot through his meridians, his face quickly turned pale, and sweat instantly soaked his clothes.
Under Killua and Gon's shocked gazes, the air in front of Kyle began to violently distort, and streams of light appeared out of nowhere, converging and weaving.
They finally formed a glowing portal whose edges rippled like water.
The scene inside the portal was blurry, but the damp, salty sea breeze already assailed them, and faint sounds of waves reached their ears.
"This... is the gate to another world?" Killua's ice-blue eyes were filled with unprecedented shock.
He subconsciously took half a step forward, shielding Gon in a semi-defensive posture, both drawn by this miraculous sight and maintaining the extreme vigilance of a killer's instinct.
Kyle was almost completely drained, gasping for breath, feeling utterly hollowed out.
He struggled to explain, "The... passage won't last long... We have to go in now!"
Gon nodded, looked at Killua, gave him a resolute glance, then without any hesitation, stepped into the flowing light curtain, his figure instantly disappearing.
"Killua," Kyle looked at the silver-haired young man, assuring him with all his strength, "we will definitely be back in three days!"
With that, he also staggered into the light curtain.
The moment Kyle's figure disappeared, the teleportation light curtain began to violently fluctuate and rapidly shrink.
An idea flashed in Killua's mind, and he lunged towards the fading light gate, attempting to force his way in.
However, the instant his body touched the edge of the light curtain, a soft yet irresistible immense force instantly pushed him back.
Killua gracefully flipped in the air and landed, staring at the spot where the light curtain had completely vanished, a flicker of understanding and complexity in his ice-blue eyes.
"As I thought... this is another world that only those who have made a contract with Kyle can enter."
---
One Piece World, Shells Town Port.
Gon and Kyle, upon entering the light curtain, were swept up by an immense force, experiencing a brief but dizzying sensation of the world spinning, as if they had been thrown into a kaleidoscopic vortex.
When the sensation of solid ground returned, the two were in an unfamiliar port filled with the salty sea breeze.
"Woah ah ah! They appeared! People came out of the light!" A highly penetrating voice rang out.
A black-haired young man with a straw hat, his eyes wide and his mouth agape in an "O" shape, was seen.
He pointed at them, excitedly jumping and bouncing, his rubber-like body jiggling with his movements, showing no fear whatsoever.
In contrast, the green-haired swordsman beside him instantly pressed his right hand to his sword hilt, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, muscles tensed, entering a combat-ready state.
"Luffy, get back!" he growled, slightly shielding his idiotic Captain behind him, warily observing the two unfamiliar youths who had tumbled out of the light.
"Who are you?"
"Kyle, is this another world?" Gon curiously observed the marine-style architecture and the people in strange clothes, maintaining vigilance towards Zoro's hostility.
"That's right, a world made of seas and islands." Kyle leaned against a large wooden crate, his face pale and gasping for breath.
He felt a debilitating weakness throughout his limbs, and even maintaining the most basic 'Ten' became exceptionally difficult; he was now barely stronger than an ordinary person.
He took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the straw-hatted rubber boy, and quickly whispered to Gon.
"Gon, pay attention to the one with the straw hat. He is a Devil Fruit user with the ability of rubber; his body can stretch and contract freely like rubber. His fighting style is completely different from any enemy we've encountered before."
"His attack trajectories are difficult to predict with common sense. Fighting him is the best opportunity to hone your combat intuition and your ability to react to unknown powers."
"Hisoka's ability has a fundamental similarity to his, and fighting him can provide you with valuable experience."
"Eh? Are we going to fight?" The young man named Luffy, upon hearing this, immediately cast his curiosity aside, his rubber arm stretched out with a "thwack," and his fists cracked.
A bright, battle-ready smile appeared on his face, "I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King! Bring it on!"