Joey was a bit puzzled—why hadn't the man left this space? Why was he still here, begging for mercy?
Could it be that even the creator of this pocket dimension couldn't exit while outsiders were present?
His doubt was quickly resolved as the trembling man, struggling in the cold, began stammering out explanations—
insisting he could still be useful to them.
If not for the extreme cold, the guy would probably be snot-nosed and crying by now.
Joey glanced at Kurapika.
In that look, they both understood: this man might be worth keeping alive.
In the next moment, the Weather Beast at Joey's shoulder lifted a hand—
and a spacesuit rapidly formed around the man, enclosing him fully in seconds.
Shielded from the cold, he collapsed to the floor, gasping hard for breath.
Joey and Kurapika stepped in front of him.
The suit could insulate—but under the Weather Beast's control, it also served as a restraint.
The man was now a captive.
"Talk. Who do you work for?" Joey asked, though his eyes drifted to the frozen blood-caked door behind him.
There, he noticed something new—a handprint on the icy handle.
It matched the size of the man's hand.
So maybe Joey's earlier theory was wrong—maybe the guy hadn't chosen to stay, but simply couldn't open the door after it froze shut.
He looked at Kurapika, who nodded—
Joey figured it out.
The guy had been fighting Kurapika when the Weather Beast flash-froze the area.
By the time he noticed, the door was sealed shut.
Not that it mattered anymore.
When Joey asked, the man responded with a shocked look: "I'm with the Ayii Family, ah—!"
The first "ah" was casual.
The second was a scream of pain—Joey had broken his arm.
Joey wasn't the type to be merciful.
If you lied, he'd make you regret it.
"Ayii Family? Then I guess you're not worth keeping alive." Joey's tone was ice.
"But... I'll give you one more chance. Who are you really? Who do you serve?"
The man collapsed, trying to cradle his broken arm, but the suit's rigidity gave him no room to move.
Breathing hard, he glared up at Joey with hatred.
"Heh... you don't believe me? Then tell me—who do you think I work for?"
Joey looked at Kurapika. "This crap's not my thing. Want to handle it? Or should I just end him now?"
Kurapika replied calmly:
"I already got some answers. He's a private soldier working for one of the princes.
Which one is unclear—but most likely the First Prince.
None of the others have subordinates this skilled with Nen."
That was unexpected—even to Joey.
If true, this guy was useless now.
Joey had noticed it too—
The man's Nen control was far too refined to be someone newly gifted by Morena.
The suit Joey had created to "rescue" him… had also given him an opening.
The frozen blood pool beneath their feet began to tremble, like it was about to erupt.
So that was the real plan—feign weakness, lull them in, then launch an ambush.
Smart. But too simple.
Joey acted without hesitation.
The Weather Beast siphoned the air out of the man's suit instantly.
The man swelled grotesquely, his body bloating—
and then in mere seconds, before the blood pool could stir, he burst within the suit.
Neither Joey nor Kurapika spared him a glance.
They moved to the sealed door at the center of the blood pool.
The Weather Beast gripped the handle.
Crackling ice broke as the door was wrenched open.
Joey and Kurapika gave one final look at the world of frozen death behind them—
then stepped out.
The moment they passed through the threshold, they found themselves back in the secret corridor behind Room 3107.
Joey placed his hand on the wall.
No more suction.
With the user dead, the space had permanently closed.
This was Joey's first time dealing with a spatial ability user's death.
He hadn't expected the space to remain intact instead of collapsing.
How long it would stay that way—or whether someone could reopen it—was a mystery.
But Kurapika's judgment? Joey trusted it.
It wasn't just the Chain of Judgment that proved lies—
Kurapika's conclusion matched Joey's gut.
The guy had never felt like someone from Morena's group.
Besides Morena, everyone in Ayii's faction had recently acquired Nen—
powerful, maybe, but amateurs in control.
This guy was different.
Smooth, precise, and dangerous.
Kurapika had pegged him as one of the First Prince's soldiers.
Only the First or Second Prince's agents would have that level of mastery.
"Think it really was the First Prince?" Joey asked.
Kurapika's earlier statement had sounded like a probe.
Kurapika nodded. "Yes.
And not only that—he wasn't targeting the Ayii Family.
He was here for you and me."
Joey blinked. "Us?"
He found that hard to believe—this space was so close to the Ayii base.
Didn't add up.
Kurapika was about to explain when—BANG!—a noise echoed from outside.
"Someone entered!" Kurapika snapped.
Joey nodded.
The Weather Beast shimmered—bending the light, cloaking both of them, and hiding the gaping hole in the 3107 bathroom wall.
Now they could only pray the intruders didn't use En, or try to enter the secret chamber.
"Guard this room. Anyone breaks in—shoot to kill."
Voices from Room 3107 reached their ears.
Joey exhaled slightly.
No En was sweeping the space.
Soon, the door shut.
Joey and Kurapika both relaxed a bit.
They had no desire to fight a full-on battle in such tight quarters.
But staying here wasn't an option either.
They had to leave.
Only problem—how?
Joey's En extended outward.
From what he sensed, Room 3109 was now crowded with people.
Meanwhile, Room 3101 was a no-go—it held the Phantom Troupe members they wanted to avoid at all costs.
When Joey came in earlier, 3109 had been empty. Not anymore.
Going out the way he came meant high risk of exposure—
which would alert the Troupe.
So only a few options remained:
Create chaos and slip out in the confusion, or open a new path.
Joey had a simple preference.
With Killer Queen, he could make a "skylight" or a tunnel to another level.
Easy.
But just as he activated Killer Queen, he sensed a faint Nen signature in the floor.
It hit him—
Mizaisuton had mentioned it: the Royal Guard, Mafia, and the Hunter Association had teamed up to lock down major areas of Tier 3.
"They've already moved?" Joey frowned.
The Nen was weak—it wouldn't stop him.
But if he triggered it, who knows what would happen?
A signal? A sound alarm?
If so, that could be bad.
He halted Killer Queen's first bomb.
"No good. Can't change floors," he said, glancing at Kurapika.
Kurapika had noticed the same Nen aura.
Once Joey explained, Kurapika offered another idea—
different from Joey's plan to cause chaos with his clones.
"Break through the wall. Head outside the Black Whale."
Kurapika continued, "You once said anyone trying to leave might be attacked by the spirits.
Now might be a good time to test that."
"But we don't have a prince," Joey replied.
He wasn't against the idea, but they didn't have a royal to use as bait.
"We can grab someone," Kurapika offered.
"Maybe it's not just princes—anyone aboard might trigger them."
Joey was surprised.
Use people as canaries?
If Killua had said that, it'd be normal—
but from Kurapika?
It felt off.
Kurapika noticed the look.
"I'm no greenhouse flower," he said softly. "And this might already be a war."
He was right.
This was a war—chaotic, dangerous, capable of sinking the Black Whale entirely.
The Ayii Family wasn't some pushover.
They were a nail driven deep into the ship's frame.
And pulling out a nail always leaves a hole.
Sometimes too big to patch.
Joey didn't dwell on it.
He didn't care whether the ones dying were Mafia or soldiers.
To him, as long as it wasn't slaughter for sport, any method was acceptable.
Besides, Gold Experience could be a tool here—
better than sacrificing real people.
He turned the conversation back to escape.
"Side routes will trigger alarms too," he said.
"Mizaisuton said they can't cover the whole floor, only designated areas."
So they'd have to cause confusion—
enough to distract multiple factions.
Maybe even grab hostages.
Kurapika's eyes lit up.
He understood—Joey had a plan.
Kurapika's earlier comment wasn't just tactical—it was a signal.
He wanted Joey to know he wasn't a moral shackle.
Kurapika could see how Joey looked at him—
like how he himself had once looked at Gon.
But he was no Gon.
He had seen the dark.
And Joey did have a plan.
First, he subdued everyone inside Room 3107.
Then, using the secret chamber, he moved to several neighboring rooms.
He piled debris at entrances, blocking quick access.
Only once every piece was set—
did he return to Room 3107.
(End of Chapter)