Phinks had gotten his phone from the Mafia, so naturally the intel he received came from them as well.
They had long been aware of the special abilities set up nearby, so when someone triggered one—
and a horde of strange creatures suddenly appeared in the hallway—
it was easy to associate the incident with Joey.
They couldn't confirm if Joey himself had used the ability,
but it was clear that someone on his team could.
From the insects before, to the birds after, and now these beasts in the corridor—
they were all clearly part of the same ability system.
So the moment the beasts appeared, the three moved into action.
Unlike Machi and Franklin, who focused on eliminating the creatures,
Phinks saw this as an opportunity to quell the corridor's chaos.
On one hand, they were still officially cooperating with the Kakin Mafia.
On the other, Phinks needed to vent.
He and Feitan had been together since childhood—
their bond was no less than Nobunaga's with Uvogin.
Rage had been bottled in his chest ever since Feitan's death,
but with recent events, he couldn't break off from the group and hunt Joey on his own.
That fury had reached the boiling point.
If he didn't let it out, Phinks doubted he'd be able to think clearly anymore.
Now, gazing down the corridor he'd flattened with a single punch,
Phinks finally felt a sliver of relief.
But just remembering the creatures in that hallway made his fury flare up again.
"Chase them!" he barked.
He didn't question Machi's instincts for a second.
Even though his intel pointed to another direction,
Phinks was already striding toward Room 3107.
The storage area should be in the corridor behind that room.
Smashing through the wall was the quickest way there—
even if the corridor outside Room 3101 had already been cleared by him.
Machi and Franklin had no objections.
Hisoka was holed up in the Ayii Family's base,
and until the Mafia and Royal Army could properly investigate it,
the Troupe wouldn't use any teleportation-based abilities to enter.
After losing two members in quick succession,
the remaining Troupe would not risk being separated during transport again.
When they kicked open the door to Room 3107,
an eagle swooped at them—followed by a tiger that had apparently been waiting.
Before they could get close, Franklin raised his fingers—
Nen bullets tore both beasts apart midair.
But the eagle and tiger weren't just pierced—they were sliced cleanly too.
Clearly, Franklin wasn't the only one who struck.
Their eyes turned toward the busted bathroom wall.
The gap drew their attention at once.
Without hesitation, Phinks grabbed a Royal Army soldier they'd picked up en route
and tossed him through the breach, into the hidden chamber behind.
It was a precaution—checking for traps.
The soldier hit the ground with a groan,
but didn't dare complain.
He saw the three Phantom Troupe members step through right after,
into the hidden space.
Light from the bathroom spilled into the dark chamber,
revealing several holes already blasted open.
Two led toward the distant storage area.
One had been punched out in a wall facing Room 3101.
"Check each one," Machi said calmly.
She sensed lingering Nen only near the 3101-facing wall,
but that wasn't their target.
The other two were the ones to investigate.
Yet on those other two, she sensed no residual aura.
Franklin pulled a coin from his pocket.
"Heads, we go left. Tails, right."
He flipped it high.
Heads.
Without hesitation, the three dove into the left tunnel.
At the same time, Joey and Kurapika had already broken through multiple walls—
reaching the outer perimeter of the Black Whale.
Only a final layer of thick steel separated them from the outside world.
But as they arrived, both of their expressions turned grave.
"You feel that?" Joey asked, palm pressed to the wall.
The cold was immediate—but what followed was worse.
He felt a strange aura—filled with despair, hatred, rage.
It wasn't overwhelming yet, but with prolonged contact,
it stirred up irritation and a violent urge to vent.
Kurapika's hand touched the wall too.
His face was darker than ever before.
He nodded slowly.
Clearly, he felt it too—
that infectious, ominous Nen.
"I didn't believe it before... but now, it looks like you were actually being conservative."
Kurapika let go of the wall and looked at Joey.
He was referring to Joey's earlier theory,
when they'd escorted the Tenth and Eleventh Princes:
that some malevolent aura was sealing off the ship's perimeter,
preventing the princes from escaping.
Now it was obvious—
Joey had underestimated it.
This wasn't just about the princes.
It affected everyone on board.
"It's the third week of the voyage.
The Black Whale's already far from the mainland.
In two days, we'll hit the final supply point.
After that, it enters uncharted waters.
If anything goes wrong then, no one can escape. Not even by jumping ship."
Kurapika's brow furrowed.
Even he felt a chill in his chest.
"This might have something to do with the coffin zone incident," Joey said.
"But even that didn't stop the Succession War."
He agreed with Kurapika's judgment—
yet his own thoughts added another layer.
If destroying the coffin zone had truly stopped the Succession War,
the princes should've been able to flee.
But judging by the wall's aura—
even regular passengers can't escape now.
As if to test that, Killer Queen obliterated the last steel barrier.
Howling winds blasted in.
Joey's hair whipped in the gale.
Through the gaping hole, he saw the dark, overcast sky.
Heavy clouds smothered the heavens—no rain yet,
but the pressure in the air screamed impending storm.
And through that pressure, tendrils of black mist began to seep through the breach—
slowly coalescing, blocking Joey's line of sight.
Joey flicked his finger. A coin appeared, then launched into the mist.
It pierced the fog and flew free of the ship.
As it flew, it twisted and warped—
becoming a swift, a small black bird.
The bird soared in the wind.
Even as tendrils of black mist clung to its wings,
it showed no signs of damage.
Joey frowned.
Then turned toward the two soldiers they had dragged from Room 3107.
He grabbed one.
With a glance at Kurapika's conflicted eyes,
he hurled the man off the ship.
But the soldier didn't fall into the sea—
he was caught midair by a violent updraft.
Weather Report had long extended Joey's control over the airspace
up to 50 meters outside the hull.
That wind was artificial.
The man drifted, carried about 20 meters away—
and then the black mist surged.
Faces formed—distorted, hollow, screaming—
and swarmed the floating soldier.
Joey and Kurapika locked eyes.
Both saw the same grim truth.
The man was instantly dead.
His aura vanished. His body went limp.
"The black mist is only going to get denser," Joey muttered.
"If it creeps into the ship,
even if it doesn't kill instantly,
just its ability to trigger deep negative emotions
will throw the whole vessel into chaos."
His voice carried real concern.
If that happened, the Black Whale might never reach the New Continent.
It would sink—lost to the abyss.
"What does Nasubi Hui Guo Rou really want?"
Kurapika's voice trembled.
Not from fear—but from barely restrained fury.
Because if their theory was right,
a few skilled Nen users might survive—
—but ordinary people?
They were doomed.
Even with the Association's members,
there were only about a hundred Nen users onboard.
But there were 200,000 civilians.
Was this really Nasubi's plan?
Joey shivered.
He'd suspected Nasubi might be using the passengers as sacrificial offerings.
But until now, he hadn't quite believed it.
Because he hadn't been able to imagine how Nasubi would massacre 200,000 people.
Now that the method was before him,
he felt fear.
How could anyone?
How could anyone dare?
Joey didn't know.
But he did know this:
Nasubi's plan was still in motion.
Destroying the coffin zone hadn't stopped it—
it might've even accelerated it.
"Let's get out of here," Joey sighed.
He could feel it—his Gold Experience creations were being picked off,
probably by the Phantom Troupe.
"They're coming."
"Outside?" Kurapika asked.
Seeking confirmation—but also offering a plan.
Joey frowned.
Did Kurapika not see how dangerous the outside was?
Then Kurapika picked up the other soldier
and gently pushed him toward the hole.
A minute passed.
The man didn't die.
He trembled—affected by the mist—but didn't collapse.
He looked like he might even wake up.
Joey nodded. "Wait."
It wasn't that he believed the outside was safe.
He just remembered someone.
Some people had stayed outside the ship for most of the voyage.
And one of them was someone Joey knew:
Sea Hunter Mo Lao Wu.
If they could reach Mo Lao Wu,
they might learn more.
But first, Joey had to confirm something.
He pulled out his phone and quickly texted Peiyon:
"1."
It was a code they'd established in advance—
each number representing a specific contact.
Peiyon replied almost immediately.
Not with "1", but with a four-digit number—a room code.
It was the room where he'd been staying with the princes.
Not secret, but meaningless to outsiders.
It confirmed the connection was real.
Joey exhaled, relieved.
Then sent a second message:
"Is Mo Lao Wu still outside the hull? Any anomalies? Respond ASAP!"
This time, Peiyon didn't text back—
he called.
Joey saw the call and felt a jolt of dread.
He answered.
Before he could say a word, Peiyon's voice shot through the phone:
"Did you find something?"
"No... but I'm about to go outside.
I need to ask Mo Lao Wu something.
Did something happen?"
There was a pause—
then Peiyon spoke in a low, serious tone:
"Mo Lao Wu's team lost contact with us.
Even the search squad we sent after them—
they disappeared shortly after reaching the outer hull.
Something's happening out there."
(End of Chapter)