"What?"
"Where is he?!"
Nobunaga had originally planned to go after Kurapika, but Chrollo had instead assigned him to investigate the disappearance of Shuji's corpse. Just as he found a lead and gave chase, he realized it was a trap.
That alone had put him in an even worse mood.
Machi continued, "It wasn't just Shuji. Uvogin, Shalnark, and Kortopi's bodies were stolen too."
Nobunaga's expression changed instantly.
"What?"
His face darkened to an extre.
At that mont, he realized everything had been deliberate—the false lead, the trap. It was all a diversion. The real goal had been the corpses of Uvogin and the others.
"Unforgivable…"
Uvogin's death had already been a heavy blow. To have his body stolen afterward made it that much worse.
"Shaless."
"037" Machi said, reporting her location before ending the call.
Soon after, Nobunaga and his partner Bonolenov arrived.
"Machi, where is he?"
She pointed at Omokage, bound tightly on the ground and unable to move.
Nobunaga looked and his pupils shrank sharply. "Omokage?"
Bonolenov, seeing Kortopi's corpse on the ground, looked grim as well.
Machi explained, "We were on our way out of teor City when this guy ambushed us. His goal was probably to kill us too and turn our bodies into puppets."
"But we turned the tables and took him down."
Nobunaga raised a brow. "He really didn't know who to ss with, did he?"
He was well aware of Ron's strength—stronger than many in the Phantom Troupe. Even the whole Troupe couldn't guarantee they could take Ron down, and this guy who only knew how to steal corpses thought he could?
That was pure fantasy.
"Nobunaga, this guy's yours to deal with. Do whatever you want with him. As for the bodies of Uvogin and the others, I've stitched them up. You can take them back now," she said.
Nobunaga looked at the bodies of the three—Uvogin, Shalnark, and Kortopi—and nodded. "Alright."
Then Machi turned and walked toward Ron and the others.
The engines started.
Ron's group boarded the vehicles, and soon, both cars disappeared from Nobunaga and Bonolenov's sight.
"Machi… I wish you well. Maybe Uvogin was right—after leaving the Phantom Troupe, you might live a happier life."
"The Ten Dons are dead."
"Sarasa's death has been avenged."
"It's ti for all of us to let go."
"It's ti to live for ourselves."
Nobunaga withdrew his gaze.
"Omokage… I didn't expect you to still be alive. And to steal the corpses of forr comrades, turning them into puppets. Very good, Omokage. Just wait. I'll make you understand what it really ans to suffer a fate worse than death."
"When it cos to torture, I'm not quite at Feitan's level, but I'm not far off either."
With that, Nobunaga and Bonolenov dragged Omokage deeper into teor City.
Ron, anwhile, took an airship bound for Heaven's Arena. His next destination was Greed Island.
The second volu of the Dark Sonata was incredibly difficult to obtain. Cardinal Blackjamin wasn't just so nobody. Ron wasn't afraid of a challenge, but he knew it wouldn't be easy or fast. Because of the ti factor, he decided to prioritize Greed Island first.
Greed Island was ti-sensitive. The Dark Sonata was not. If Gon had already cleared the ga, Ron's chances of drawing value from it would be drastically reduced.
And it didn't matter where he entered Greed Island from. So Heaven's Arena was the most convenient location after Kukuroo Mountain.
"Captain!"
Ruco and Sally had co to pick him up. A long stretch limo was parked just outside the terminal.
"Sally, Ruco," Ron greeted.
Everyone boarded the vehicle.
Ruco drove them straight into the training hall, down a private tunnel that led to the inner courtyard. Only a handful of core mbers had access—and currently, there was only one.
"Angel, co here."
A small girl quickly approached.
"Teacher Ruco, Teacher Sally," she greeted.
Sally placed a hand on Angel's shoulder. "Captain, this is Angel. She hasn't learned Nen yet, but she can already see aura—just like Misty."
Angel curiously looked Misty over. In terms of age, Misty wasn't much older than Angel. But in terms of power, Misty was far ahead… though that was largely due to Misty starting Nen training earlier. Given Angel's potential, once she began, she'd likely progress very quickly.
Ron studied Angel carefully. She looked vaguely familiar. Long black hair, slender fra with clear physical potential, skin slightly tanned.
"She kind of reminds of Machi," Ron murmured inwardly.
Ruco and Sally both looked toward Machi—this was the first ti either of them had t her. The sa was true for Machi, who hadn't t them before.
Ron offered a simple explanation. "Ruco and Sally are running this dojo now. Part of it is because they enjoy that life more, and part of it is to help train new recruits for our team."
Machi nodded. She could clearly sense both their auras—and they weren't strong. Given the level of opponents Ron faced, neither of them would be of much help in direct battle. That was why they had stepped into support roles.
"Lunch is ready, Captain. Shall we head to the dining room?"
"Alright."
Ron nodded.
At the table, Sally and Ron briefly discussed how the dojo had grown since it was founded. From the start, they had a big advantage over other training halls—two Nen users. Within Ron's team, they weren't considered strong, but among average Nen users, they were already impressive.
Many of the Shadow Beasts, after all, were only C-rank Nen users.
Most floor masters at Heaven's Arena weren't even above C-rank.
Add to that their abundant funding, and they quickly attracted disciples. Their strength ant they didn't fear jealousy from other dojos. TST, thanks to Ron, offered them quiet support. Nina had also beco a floor master.
If Ruco and Sally hadn't been so picky with their recruits, the dojo would have grown much larger by now.
"Captain, what's your plan next?" Sally asked.
"Sally, is sothing on your mind?"
"If you have ti, I'd like to ask you to help design a training plan for Angel—just like you did for us back then."
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