On the 18th day of the voyage, the weather outside the Black Whale grew even gloomier.
According to the route, they were gradually approaching uncharted waters. The next banquet was scheduled for Day 22 of the voyage—coinciding with the Black Whale's final inspection checkpoint.
Once that was complete, they would officially cross into the unknown—where brutal climate and unpredictable creatures would pose the greatest test of the journey.
Joey, hiding in the VVIP zone, was calmly calculating everything.
Since returning to Tier 1, he'd already learned the current situation of the Hunter Association members on the upper decks.
Although the King's Army targeting all Hunters was beyond Joey's expectations, there was one silver lining: King Nasubi himself wasn't directly involved.
The interrogations were being handled by elite Royal Army personnel.
They were experienced and skilled, sure—but prying useful information from seasoned Hunters wasn't easy.
So Joey remained patient, waiting for the army's next move and watching the princes' reactions.
He paid special attention to the First Prince.
The Ninth Prince's attack hadn't harmed him at all—on the contrary, it exposed even more of Harkenburg's abilities.
The First Prince had already filed a formal lawsuit, and the court had accepted it.
The trial would take place in two days. If the Ninth Prince was found guilty, his comeback would be near impossible.
But oddly, Harkenburg's side didn't seem worried. It was as if they still held a trump card.
Joey wasn't concerned either. He'd already guessed the arrest was partially intentional on Harkenburg's part.
The real mystery was what his endgame was.
Even after probing District 9, Joey still couldn't piece it together.
Meanwhile, a major incident occurred in District 5: a private soldier of the First Prince died unexpectedly, along with several guards from the Fifth Prince's faction.
According to the Fifth Prince, the First Prince's man went berserk and attacked her men, only to be gunned down in retaliation.
But even in his frenzy, he still took several others down with him.
Furious, the Fifth Prince filed charges—accusing the First Prince of inciting an assassination attempt.
The court accepted this case as well. She'd even submitted video evidence showing the soldier's rampage.
With that kind of proof, things didn't look great for the First Prince.
Still, Joey knew this alone wouldn't bring Benjamin down. Even if the Fifth Prince won, the most it would do was prolong Benjamin's confinement in the VVIP zone.
But what really mattered was that she had managed to take out one of Benjamin's men—a big deal.
The Fifth Prince had a close relationship with Kurapika. Much of her Nen knowledge came from him. In fact, the Nen users in her service were all awakened by Kurapika.
That made Joey wonder whether Kurapika himself had helped eliminate Benjamin's soldier.
Either way, with the surveillance gone, the Fifth Prince's movements would become far more flexible.
She had probably also come to understand her Guardian Beast's ability by now.
Joey remembered hers—it leaned toward Conjuration, something related to concocting potions.
What kind of effects those potions had was likely her most closely guarded secret.
She hadn't learned Nen herself—understandable, given Benjamin's men were always watching. Kurapika couldn't awaken her publicly, so she had to study it bit by bit on her own.
Aside from the prince drama, Joey finally managed to contact Basho, who had been pulled out of District 7.
But Basho's intel was painfully limited.
There was no mention of any link between District 7 and the Gashya Family, nor between the Seventh Prince and the Second Queen.
All Basho had were lofty descriptions of the Seventh Prince's "noble ideals," mundane daily routines, and superficial notes on his guards.
From Joey's perspective, Basho had failed his mission in District 7.
He hadn't gained the prince's trust, and all the intel he gathered was utterly useless.
He was basically being played like a fool.
Joey sent a coded message disguised as a bug to Basho. Whether he believed it or not was up to him.
It was all Joey could do. He didn't know much about District 7 himself.
And since it supposedly had more Nen users than any zone except Districts 1 and 2, Joey didn't want Basho to push too hard and risk death.
All he could do was give him a quiet warning.
After that, Joey tried reaching out to Izunavi, but all his insect probes were mysteriously intercepted. Not wanting to expose himself, Joey gave up.
Luckily, Kurapika had already spoken with Izunavi, so it wasn't a huge concern.
Time passed slowly as Joey gathered intelligence.
By the next morning, Hunters who'd been interrogated began returning to their respective stations.
It seemed the Royal Army hadn't extracted anything useful from them.
Once Basho and the others returned, Joey—still hidden in the VVIP zone—finally relaxed a little.
The investigation had hit a wall. Though security in the Prince and VVIP zones had tightened, no further action was taken.
It felt like the Royal Army had given up on finding him and Kurapika.
But in the afternoon, something changed—and Joey frowned.
Wanted posters were released.
Not only were he and Kurapika listed—but also the three princes who had escaped with them, Melody, and even Hisoka, who had breached the Royal District.
It seemed King Nasubi had finally torn away the veil.
Up to this point, dead or missing princes were explained away with vague excuses—"unwell," "unable to appear publicly."
But these wanted notices made the truth plain: something was wrong in the upper decks.
Still, Joey didn't find the warrants all that threatening.
The princes were well-protected by Knov. Even if someone suspected they were linked to the Hunter Association, tying it to Knov would be nearly impossible—let alone getting through him to abduct a prince.
As far as Joey was concerned, few people aboard could even threaten Knov.
He wasn't alone. As a key player in the Association's expedition to the Dark Continent, Knov was usually surrounded by Zodiacs or other elite Hunters.
So the wanted posters only really mattered for Joey and Kurapika.
But with Nasubi staying passive, Joey wasn't too worried.
There was one complication, though—especially for Kurapika.
The wanted notice explicitly named him as Joey's ally.
That would put Kurapika in the Phantom Troupe's crosshairs.
Joey remembered that Pakunoda or Chrollo had seen Kurapika's face before. The moment they saw this poster, they'd know he was the Chain Killer.
He clearly recalled Pakunoda had stored her memories in the minds of the surviving Troupe members before she died.
Now that Kurapika was outed as Joey's partner, and confirmed as the Chain Killer, the Troupe would be merciless.
And it wouldn't stop there.
The mafias below deck would also target him.
The warrant stated that the Twelfth Prince was abducted by Kurapika.
The Xi-Yuu Family's response was uncertain, but the Ayii Family would definitely act—they treated princes like walking Level 50 bosses.
As for the Gashya Family, backed by the Seventh Prince, they wouldn't want any prince surviving to return to the upper decks—wanted or not.
Bottom line: the bounty on Kurapika's head was ten times worse than Joey's.
The Royal Army and the mafias were way too enthusiastic about him.
Still, Joey wasn't too concerned. Kurapika wasn't just strong—his mind and abilities were on another level.
In fact, Joey figured Kurapika was probably even more comfortable navigating the underworld than he was.
Day 19 of the voyage, 2:00 PM. Joey received a message from Hisoka.
"Wanna meet?"
Short and simple, but Joey understood the subtext.
Knowing Hisoka's style, he'd probably found his next target—and was ready to strike. But before that, he had some loose ends, and Joey was the perfect errand boy.
"Where?" Joey replied.
If it meant weakening the Troupe, Joey didn't mind helping.
"5 PM. Tier 3. Cinema."
Time and place came quickly. Joey replied with a single word: "Got it." Then split off a clone of himself.
The clone dropped down through a tunnel and made its way to Tier 3.
Joey wasn't going himself—not until he was sure this wasn't a trap.
After all, cooperation took effort. Betrayal only needed a half-hearted apology.
By 3 PM, Joey noticed people gathering near the theater. They looked like moviegoers, but most were subtly watching the area.
His clone, holding a purchased ticket, slipped into the cinema without issue.
The spies were probably mafia scouts.
But not Ayii Family. Which made things... interesting.
Had Hisoka made contact with one of the other two?
With a bucket of popcorn in hand, a tall figure suddenly sat beside Joey.
He turned. Under black hair and handsome features sat Hisoka.
"You just showed up like that?" Joey asked.
"Didn't you?" Hisoka shot back.
"Fair enough. With both of us here, your target should show up soon, right? Who is it?" Joey pushed the popcorn toward him.
Hisoka took a handful. "Phinks. He was closest to Feitan. If you're here as bait, he'll come—clone or not."
"Machi and Franklin should be with him." Joey didn't mind being bait. Hisoka in front of him was also a clone.
"Exactly. Our goal is to intercept them both," Hisoka said, as if it were just a casual task.
"They're not idiots. They shouldn't be splitting up anymore." Joey sighed.
After Nobunaga and Feitan, the Troupe should've learned. Separating now was risky.
Hisoka pulled out a map of Tier 3.
"That depends on whether the Ayii Family's intel is reliable."
Joey looked at the marked locations and chuckled.
"You're clever, I'll give you that. If Morena takes a hit from this, I'll be thrilled."
Hisoka shook his head.
"Not that simple. The Ayii have weird abilities. Breaking in won't be easy."
Joey raised an eyebrow. "That's the Troupe's problem, not mine."
"Just a warning." Hisoka's eyes narrowed, glowing with danger. "I'd hate to lose you. That would ruin my fun."
"Let's go. The stars of the show just arrived."
Joey leapt up.
BOOM!
The seat he had just vacated was shredded by machine gun fire.
Franklin.
Joey ducked back, but felt a chill at his waist—his retreat halted abruptly.
He spotted it: a fine, nearly invisible Nen thread had dug into his back.
Had he moved too late, it would've sliced him clean in half.
Machi.
BANG!
Another explosion from the opposite side—Hisoka's clone was punched across the theater, crashing into the center screen.
(End of Chapter)