"Here it cos! It's the Hunter Association's ship."
At that mont, a large ship approached from across the distant sea. The candidates who had been waiting at the port for a long ti imdiately spotted it. When they saw the Hunter Association symbol hanging from the vessel, they were instantly excited.
Once the ship docked and the inspection was complete, the candidates began to board.
So imdiately found a spot to rest on the deck, while others headed inside to the cabins.
Just as he had with Gon, Zane didn't take much initiative to strike up a conversation with Kurapika.
After boarding with Leorio, he found a clean spot in a corner of the deck and sat down casually.
"Zane, you want to see this?"
Leorio, who had sat down beside him, pulled out a few magazines he had bought at so point and offered one with great enthusiasm.
"No thanks, you read it yourself," Zane said with a wave of his hand.
"Fine then!" Seeing Zane decline, Leorio shrugged and began flipping through the magazine with interest.
He had spent his ager allowance on these just to kill ti during the journey.
While Leorio read his magazine, Zane closed his eyes to rest his mind.
After an unknown amount of ti, a burst of lively farewell cheers caused Zane to slowly open his eyes.
It was Gon, who had successfully boarded and was shouting back to the residents of Whale Island that he would return once he beca the world's best Hunter.
"Hahaha... the world's best Hunter!"
"Kid, you're underestimating Hunters way too much."
"That's right. Every year, millions of experts from all over the world gather for the Hunter Exam, but only a handful are actually chosen."
"Don't just talk big, little brother!!"
"Hahaha..."
The candidates on the deck naturally heard Gon's declaration, which drew a fair amount of ridicule from many of them.
"Zane, isn't that the kid who caught the giant fish yesterday? He's so young and he's taking the Hunter Exam too!"
Leorio, who had been reading his magazine, looked up and bumped Zane with his elbow when he saw Gon.
"Haven't you heard that the most dangerous people to ss with are won, children, and the elderly? Don't say I didn't warn you—if that kid picks a fight with you, he'll probably knock your teeth out," Zane said coolly.
"Am I really that weak in your eyes?" Leorio asked, speechless. "I admit the kid has so skill, but saying he'd knock my teeth out is a bit much."
"Actions speak louder than words. If you've got the guts, go have a scrap with him," Zane joked.
Leorio shook his head repeatedly. Looking at Gon across the deck, he said, "I'm not falling for that. Besides, I don't want to get a reputation for bullying kids."
The two bantered for a while until the ship set sail and gradually moved away from Whale Island.
"A storm is coming! Everyone, get inside the cabin imdiately!"
"What bad luck, running into a storm at a ti like this."
"Stop complaining. It'll be even worse if you end up overboard later."
"...."
After the ship set out, Zane went back to resting his eyes, but it was only half a day before trouble arrived.
Despite the bright sunshine just a short while ago, dark clouds suddenly blotted out the sun.
Accompanied by thunder and lightning, fierce winds swept across the sea, kicking up massive waves.
On the deck, the sailors scrambled to keep the ship under control while shouting for the candidates to take cover in the cabin.
"What a pain!"
Zane's lip curled as he watched the storm approach.
This scene made it hard not to think back to the shipwreck he had experienced.
While it hadn't left him traumatized, it still made him feel sowhat uneasy.
Without hesitation, Zane stood up and signaled for Leorio to follow him into the cabin.
The heavy rain began to fall.
Aside from the thunderous sound of rain battering the hull, the entire ship began to rock violently, like a roller coaster.
This motion naturally caused chaos inside the cabin.
The candidates tumbled around in the heaving ship, desperately trying to grab onto anything fixed. So began to vomit, unable to handle the motion.
Soon, a foul stench filled the cabin.
"I'm going back out."
Zane looked at the people vomiting nearby and stood up, heading for the exit with a sigh.
It might be storming outside, but it wasn't much better in here.
Zane would rather get soaked in the rain than be surrounded by vomit.
"Huh? It's too dangerous out there! You might fall overboard if you aren't careful," Leorio warned as he saw Zane leaving.
"I'll be fine. Just look after yourself."
Zane waved his hand without looking back and stepped out of the room.
The corridor outside the room.
As soon as Zane stepped out, he encountered a captain with a bulbous red nose and a pipe in his mouth, walking toward him with his hands in his pockets.
"Yo, why are you out here instead of staying in your room?" The captain asked, looking surprised to see Zane walking steadily despite the heavy rocking.
"Nothing much. Just stepping out for so fresh air. The sll in there is a bit too much to handle," Zane replied with a smile, gesturing behind him with his thumb.
The captain understood imdiately and laughed. "You're all candidates for the Hunter Exam. You can't let a little sll get to you."
"Well, it's good to have other options," Zane shrugged and walked past him.
"Wait, what's your na?"
The captain turned and called out to Zane's retreating back.
"Zane!" Zane called back, waving without turning around.
'Zane... looks like this year's batch has a promising one.' The captain took a puff of his pipe and mused as Zane disappeared from sight.
With that, he looked away, walked to the cabin door, and opened it to look inside.
What t his eyes was a total ss, with groaning candidates scattered everywhere.
The captain clicked his tongue several tis.
As expected, Zane was an exception; most of the candidates were just making up the numbers.
"Oh? It seems there's more than one good prospect."
Suddenly, as the captain scanned the cabin, he felt a surge of satisfaction upon seeing Leorio flipping through a magazine, Kurapika quietly reading a book in a hammock, and Gon actively tending to the seasick candidates.
...
Outside the cabin, though it remained dark, the wind and waves had subsided slightly compared to the start of the storm.
Rain lashed against him, and Zane was quickly soaked to the skin.
But compared to the stench and humidity of the cabin, he didn't mind the rain at all.
He hadn't been out for long before a sailor ca looking for him to lead him to the captain's quarters.
"Alright, first tell your nas. Oh, that's right, not you, Zane. We've already t."
With his hands in his pockets, the captain looked at the four people standing before him with interest.
Mid-sentence, he jerked his chin toward Zane.
At those words, except for Leorio who already knew him, Gon and Kurapika both looked toward Zane, who was standing with his arms crossed.
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