Kortopi chose to leave without a word—
but the paper doll he left behind began to move slowly through the air.
Its motions were stiff, mechanical,
but it was clearly heading toward a specific direction on the ship.
Joey blinked in surprise.
He's helping me?
He'd considered many possibilities, but this one had seemed incredibly unlikely.
From the manga, Kortopi, though a newer member, seemed to get along well with the Troupe.
He had no real reason to betray them.
But calling this a trap?
It didn't feel like one either.
Still—ally or not, not becoming enemies was a net win for Joey.
He hesitated only briefly before raising a hand.
Flames surged.
The paper doll burned to ashes in an instant.
Whatever Kortopi's intentions,
Joey had no interest in carrying around something so obviously manipulable.
He didn't even touch it.
After all, Kortopi's power revolved around controlling objects like this.
Who knew if it was a tracker? Or just a guide?
Rather than waste mental energy over it,
destroying it immediately felt like the smartest move.
As for what Kortopi would think about that—
Joey didn't care.
He just didn't want Kortopi as an enemy.
Not because he feared him.
When it came to tracking,
Joey was just as much a professional.
After his clone confirmed no one else was in the hallway,
his real body stepped out from the cold zone,
dozens of golden flies fluttering forward in all directions.
Even if the Spiders knew he could animate objects and command them,
killing every bug on this massive ship was impossible.
Even for a powerful Emitter like Franklin.
Which was why Joey felt no need to hold back with Gold Experience.
These flies had one job: find Kurapika.
Even if some died, they would alert Joey before doing so.
And summoning them cost Joey virtually nothing.
As the flies scattered,
Joey determined his direction
and began heading toward the spot where he and Kurapika had last separated.
But his clone led the way.
If danger appeared,
the clone would be the one attacked—
while Joey hid himself in the refracted light created by Weather Report.
His earlier clash with Machi had led him outside the ship for a bit,
but thankfully he hadn't climbed too high.
Otherwise, he'd have to breach a wall just to descend again.
Even now, though the King's Army had started attacking the Ai family on the lower decks,
the second level had far more soldiers stationed.
And when it came to ability users,
the disparity between the second and third decks was enormous.
Most of the King's powerful men guarded the upper levels.
It was almost as if Nasubi Hui Guo Rou had already written off the bottom three decks.
And ironically,
that's where the most people were—a sea of chaos.
As Joey pressed forward,
a loud TOOOT blared throughout the entire ship.
BW's foghorn.
Joey stopped.
Unless something abnormal happened—
or unless they'd reached some destination—
the ship should not have sounded its horn.
Based on his calculations,
BW shouldn't even have left the explored seas yet.
He tried to recall all available intel,
but couldn't think of anything that might justify this horn blast.
Certainly not the weather—
Joey had studied sea conditions thoroughly.
Even with storm clouds overhead,
no natural storm could shake the BW.
Only one possibility remained:
The ship was approaching land.
But how?
According to all plans,
BW still needed over a day's travel to reach the next supply point.
These weren't rough estimates—
they were based on precise navigation data.
With a jolt, Joey changed course.
He stopped searching for Kurapika
and walked to the nearest outer hull,
instructing Killer Queen to detonate a hole.
Once outside,
he looked up at the stormy sky—
rain now falling steadily—
then turned his eyes forward.
The rain blurred his vision.
But even through the haze,
he saw it.
A strange island drifting alone at sea.
It was small—
even smaller than the BW itself—
floating like a solitary leaf in this vast ocean.
It was green,
but mixed with all kinds of colors,
as if painted randomly.
Its jagged, mountainous terrain resembled a field of blades.
It didn't look like it could hold any real supplies.
Joey frowned.
He compared it with the official supply points in his data.
Something didn't add up.
This island wasn't listed.
It didn't exist on any chart.
It was like it had appeared out of nowhere.
Unless the ship had veered off course—
which was impossible—
then the island was the anomaly.
Joey pulled a telescope from his pack,
and peered through the rain toward the floating landmass.
Then his eyes widened.
He hadn't been imagining it.
It was drifting.
Not due to ocean current.
It was moving on its own.
This wasn't an island.
It was a monster.
Huge beyond comprehension.
The BW's incessant foghorn seemed to have woken it up.
Its green parts were seaweed.
The colorful segments? Coral.
It twitched slightly—
and sent ripples radiating across the ocean.
The waves looked small from far away—
but by comparison,
each one was several meters tall.
And this was just it… stirring.
If it charged the ship?
Joey shivered.
Before transmigrating, the largest creature he'd ever known was the blue whale—
around 30 meters long.
Tall as an 8-story building.
Compared to this monster?
That was like a mouse before a human.
And Joey?
He felt like an ant facing an elephant.
Was Killer Queen's First Bomb even capable of harming this thing?
He doubted it.
The shock, the awe—
it left him breathless.
But then… relief.
The beast didn't charge.
It slowly submerged,
swimming away.
Joey exhaled.
"Sea Kings, huh… Feels like I switched anime," he muttered.
His voice trembled.
It wasn't just the size that unnerved him—
but the immense life force radiating from the creature.
Even unchanneled, it overwhelmed anyone who sensed it.
So many secrets in this world…
What's the point of fighting people in a boat?
He stared at the dark sea, the brooding sky—
then grinned.
He was more excited than ever for the Dark Continent.
If this kind of horror existed before they even left the Mobius Lake,
what else waited beyond?
He suddenly wondered—
did the BW's crew even see it?
What were their faces like right now?
Curious, Joey took out a camera,
snapped a picture of the vanishing beast,
and—out of habit—sent it to Sambika.
"A mysterious sea monster. Absolutely breathtaking!"
Then he blinked.
Oh right.
He smiled and put the phone away.
To his surprise, Sambika replied almost instantly.
"Enormous. Deep sea stuff's terrifying. Makes you wonder—if coral on a whale hurts it, would it hurt this thing too?"
Joey chuckled.
The tension drained from his chest.
"Maybe. If we get the chance, we should go find it," he muttered.
A creature so big—
you feared it at first,
but think about it—
If it wasn't diving deep,
would it even notice a person climbing aboard?
Probably not.
As for whether he'd ever see it again—
that would depend on luck.
Still…
The BW crew had guts.
Blasting horns that might provoke a beast like that?
Or maybe the Kakin royal family already had intel on it?
Joey felt the second option was far more likely.
Sambika didn't message again,
and Joey returned to the interior of the ship.
Soon he reached the area where he'd separated from Kurapika.
It was now sealed off by soldiers.
Fully armed King's Army troops guarded a hole in the hull
while workers reinforced the breach.
Joey watched from afar.
The workers wore full protective suits—
odd, considering this was just structural damage.
There wasn't supposed to be any biohazard or virus outbreak.
Unless…
They were protecting against the black aura
that drifted occasionally from the hole.
Joey sensed no Nen in the suits—
but that didn't mean they weren't made with conjured materials.
If so,
it would suggest the King's Army had anticipated this situation.
Joey turned his focus from the breach
and began studying the surrounding battle marks.
But with so many soldiers around,
his observation was limited.
Were any of them Nen users?
Possibly not.
His En was already deployed,
yet no one reacted.
That made sense.
Room 3101's fight had been out in the open.
No one strong had stayed behind.
No valuables left either.
If any Enhancers had been sent here,
they'd have followed the fight—or gone outside.
Convinced of this,
Joey used his flies' feedback to lock onto a new trail
and followed it deeper into the ship.
But as he moved,
he spotted something carved into a corner of the wall.
Numbers. Hidden.
Joey instantly understood.
Hunter code.
Numerical shorthand used for silent communication.
Only those with association clearance could decipher it.
The moment he saw it,
a sense of relief filled his heart.
He didn't even need to decode the full message—
he already knew who left it.
Mizaistom.
This was proof that Joey wasn't alone in trying to rescue Kurapika.
(End of Chapter)