Just as they were chatting excitedly, a crisp knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
Gon almost jumped to open the door, his face still flushed with unwaning excitement.
As the door opened, Wing was seen standing outside with Zushi.
"Mr. Wing, Zushi, you're here!" Gon exclaimed in surprise, stepping aside to let them in.
Wing didn't enter immediately; his gaze, like a searchlight, meticulously swept over Gon. Seeing him full of vigor and with clear eyes, his tensed shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.
He was well aware of the potential risks of Kyle's ability, and a stone had been weighing on his heart. Now, it finally eased a little.
"Mr. Wing." Killua and Kyle also rose from their seats to greet the newcomers.
Wing nodded in response, bringing the somewhat reserved Zushi into the room.
As Zushi entered, his gaze couldn't help but curiously dart towards Kyle, his hands nervously clutching the hem of his clothes.
Wing didn't engage in much small talk, looking directly at Kyle with a serious expression: "Kyle, can you tell me in detail about the other world?"
Kyle seemed to have anticipated this; he didn't hide anything, recounting the landscapes, power system, and brutality of the One Piece World.
As he spoke, Killua leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his eyes flickering as if imagining that vast ocean; Gon listened intently, his fists unconsciously clenching, both yearning and nervous.
After listening to Kyle's narration, Wing fell into a long silence, his fingers unconsciously stroking his chin.
After a long while, he looked up, his gaze sharply fixed on Kyle: "Can I ask you to promise me one thing?"
"What is it?" Kyle felt the weight in Wing's tone and couldn't help but sit up straighter.
"Do not contract with people from other worlds." Wing's voice was low and firm.
Upon hearing this, Kyle immediately understood Mr. Wing's concerns.
He nodded solemnly and promised, "Yes, I understand your worries, and I promise you."
Hearing this definite answer, Wing let out a long sigh, and most of the solemnity on his brow dissipated.
The unknown is the most terrifying; if human desires lose their shackles, they can easily lead to disaster.
This promise, at least, added a layer of insurance.
"Then we'll head back now; you all should get some rest early, too." Wing finished, then turned his gaze to Zushi.
But Zushi's feet seemed to be nailed to the ground. He looked at Kyle, then at Gon and Killua, his lips mumbling a few times, his face filled with longing and hesitation.
"Master..." Zushi's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, tinged with a plea.
Wing looked at his disciple's appearance and understood.
He sighed, no longer insisting, only adding an extra admonition, "Don't be too late," before turning and leaving alone.
The moment the door closed, the calmness on Wing's face vanished, replaced by an even deeper solemnity.
Kyle's ability was like a double-edged sword, containing infinite possibilities but also accompanied by immense uncertainty.
Should such power truly be allowed to exist? The more he thought, the more his emotions churned.
He couldn't help but smile wryly, wondering what kind of luck he had to encounter three incredibly potential "monsters" all at once.
In the room, Zushi, seeing his master leave, seemed to gather immense courage and walked up to Kyle, looking up with a final glimmer of hope in his eyes: "Kyle, I... can I also...?"
Kyle looked at Zushi, unsurprised.
He patted Zushi's shoulder, his tone gentle but firm: "Zushi, my contract slots are limited."
"Moreover, if a contractor dies in another world, I will not only lose the cultivation results I gained from him, but I will also suffer a backlash myself... the consequences are unpredictable."
The light in Zushi's eyes instantly dimmed.
He lowered his head, blinked hard, and when he looked up again, a somewhat forced smile was already squeezed onto his face:
"I, I understand! Actually, I didn't really want to go that much anyway, such a dangerous place... I need to focus on cultivating my Nen Ability now. My goal is to become a Floor Master of Heaven's Arena!"
He spoke quickly, as if afraid that slowing down would reveal his true emotions.
"It's already very late, you all should get some rest early, I should go back to sleep too!"
After saying that, he almost fled from the room, his hand even trembling slightly as he closed the door.
Gon watched Zushi's disappearing back, his extraordinary intuition clearly sensing the suppressed disappointment.
He turned to Kyle, his brows furrowed, his tone expressing both confusion and a hint of dissatisfaction: "Kyle, can't we really take Zushi? We can protect him!"
Kyle sighed, placing his hands on Gon's shoulders, making him face him:
"Gon, listen, that's not a game. The brutality of the One Piece World far exceeds your imagination. The path to becoming stronger is fraught with thorns, requiring extreme talent and survival skills."
"Zushi works hard, but he may not have the aptitude to grow quickly and survive in such an environment. Forcing him to come along isn't helping him; it might actually harm him."
Killua also walked over, lazily resting his hand on Gon's other shoulder, his tone uncharacteristically serious: "Idiot, Kyle is right. For him, perhaps the best gift is for us to come back and tell him our adventure stories from over there."
Gon looked at his two partners' serious expressions, then thought of Zushi's forced smile earlier. Although his heart still felt a bit heavy, he finally nodded solemnly.
"...Yeah."
"Alright," Kyle clapped his hands, drawing their attention back, "Now we have only one primary task—Gon's fight with Hisoka. There are only fourteen days left; you don't have time to worry about others."
Gon took a deep breath, his eyes once again becoming focused and firm. "Yeah!"
"For the remaining time, we must concentrate on strengthening the foundations of Nen, especially the application of 'Gyo'.
Hisoka's Bungee Gum has perfect 'In', so you must constantly maintain the 'Gyo' state during combat; otherwise, you won't even know how you lost."
"Understood!" Gon and Killua said in unison.
"Then, the special training starts now." Kyle raised his index finger, his gaze sweeping over the two.
"Listen, from now on, as soon as my finger points to the ceiling, you must activate 'Gyo' at the fastest speed and accurately state the number I write with Nen on my fingertip. We need to make activating 'Gyo' a combat instinct, ingrained in your bones!"
"Yes!" No sooner had Kyle finished speaking than his finger suddenly pointed upwards!
Killua's reaction was as fast as lightning; almost the instant Kyle completed the action, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and 'Gyo' was already activated.
Gon, however, was clearly half a beat slower. He first 'stunned' for a moment, as if just remembering the rules, then hastily concentrated his spirit to gather aura in his eyes.
"7!" Killua quickly reported the number.
"...7!" Gon followed closely, his voice tinged with haste.
Kyle looked at Gon, shaking his head helplessly.
This was still with Killua as a comparison and reminder; if he were to face an opponent like Hisoka, who is good at creating chaos, the consequences would be unimaginable.