Chapter 6: Are You Tired?
To these pirates, the Beri that Gon had taken was a drop in the bucket compared to what was left in Kyle's backpack.
Kyle and Killua headed right. Just as they left the town limits, the dozen or so pirates who had been lying in wait decided their moment had come.
The leader, a man with a long scar across his face, gave a subtle look to three of his subordinates. They immediately understood, breaking off to circle around and cut off Kyle's escape route. It was their standard tactic.
Seeing that his men were in position, the scar-faced man no longer bothered with stealth and stepped out with the rest of his crew.
"Where do you think you're going, kids?"
Kyle and Killua turned at the sound, seeing seven or eight pirates armed with swords, all wearing malicious grins, closing in on them.
The leader had expected the kids to panic and run the moment they saw them. He was surprised when they just stood there.
Kyle tilted his head, feigning confusion. "Mister, are you robbing us?"
The scar-faced man was taken aback by Kyle's lack of fear, but he didn't overthink it. How could two 12-year-old kids possibly stand up to them, a crew of battle-hardened pirates? Besides, he was a "great pirate" with a 500,000 Beri bounty.
"No, no, don't say it so harshly," the scar-faced man said, deciding to play with his food. "We just need to... borrow some money."
The pirates behind him laughed accordingly.
"Kyle, should I kill them all?" Killua asked, his eyes turning cold, unleashing a frigid killing intent.
That wave of bloodlust hit the scar-faced man like a physical blow. The joke died in his throat. He felt an icy chill shoot from the base of his spine to the top of his skull, and the very air around him seemed to solid_fy.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably, overcome by a deep, primal fear.
How can a kid have this kind of terrifying aura?!
"I-Is it just me, or did it suddenly get cold?" one of the other pirates whispered, his voice trembling as he rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.
"C-Captain... why are you shaking?" another asked, confused by the sudden oppressive atmosphere.
The scar-faced man now fully understood the gap in their power. His voice was shaking so badly he could barely speak. "P-Please... please don't kill us! This is our first time, we swear! We'll never do it again!"
"Killua, stop scaring them," Kyle said with a smile.
Killua, hearing this, withdrew his aura with a bored tch. "How lame. I was actually looking forward to it."
Kyle just smiled. This was all too normal for the East Blue.
The scar-faced man felt the bone-chilling presence disappear. He frantically wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his eyes wide with terror. "W-We'll go turn ourselves in right now!"
He turned, ready to flee with his crew.
"You think you can just leave?" Kyle's voice rang out.
The man froze, turning back to Kyle with a look of pure desperation. In his mind, Kyle was the merciful one.
"Relax, I'm not going to kill you," Kyle said, his tone serious. "But I do need a small favor."
"Anything! We'll do anything!" The scar-faced man wasn't in a position to refuse.
"Kyle, including the three that tried to flank us, there are eleven of them. Do we really need that many?" Killua asked, confused.
"Absolutely," Kyle's eyes gleamed. "We're going to be doing ten days of hard training. More people means better support. It'll be a great help."
Killua looked at Kyle's excited expression and a deep, dark sense of foreboding washed over him—especially when he remembered the bumps all over Gon's head.
Just then, the three pirates who had circled around saw their boss and crewmates standing there timidly, like quails. Thinking something had gone wrong, they exchanged a look, drew their swords, and charged at Killua.
But as they closed in, Killua's form flickered like a phantom and vanished.
The next second, he was standing behind them.
Two of the pirates didn't even make a sound. They just crumpled to the ground, out cold.
This sight left the scar-faced man completely stunned. He finally understood why he had been so terrified—his body had been screaming a warning at him. He instantly abandoned all thoughts of escape.
"Bring those two," Kyle ordered.
"Yes! Yes!" The scar-faced man swallowed hard and frantically ordered his men to comply.
The entire group headed for the highlands outside of town.
Kyle pointed to a cluster of trees. "You guys," he ordered the pirates, "go cut down those trees—all of them—and bring them to this clearing."
"Right, we'll get on it!" The scar-faced man was about to lead his men to work.
"Remember," Kyle's voice cut through the air again, as cold as ice water, "don't even think about running. If a single person is missing... all the rest of you... will die."
The pirates looked at each other in terror, instantly understanding the implications: they were now each other's most ruthless guards.
"But don't worry," Kyle's tone softened. "I won't keep you long. Just ten days. After ten days, you're free to go."
Hearing this, the pirates, whose faces had been ashen, suddenly saw a ray of hope. With a clear end in sight, their motivation surged, and they began to work with surprising enthusiasm.
Kyle watched them, a satisfied smile on his face. He knew that a clear, concrete hope was far more effective at squeezing potential out of these "tools" than pure terror.
Just then, Gon's figure appeared at the end of the mountain path.
He was carrying a massive backpack that was several times taller than he was, leaving deep footprints with every steady step he took.
One of the pirates saw him and his jaw dropped. That pack... it's gotta be at least 500 pounds!
Seeing this, a mischievous grin spread across Killua's face. He moved into Gon's blind spot and, with a light hop, landed on top of the giant pack.
At first, Gon didn't even notice the added weight.
But as Killua's grin widened, the weight on the pack began to quietly, but steadily, increase...
Gon felt the change in weight. How could he not know what was happening? It was definitely Killua's doing.
But Gon wasn't one to back down from a challenge. He just kept walking toward their destination, now carrying Killua as well.
With every step, his footprints got deeper. Killua himself wasn't heavy, but he was using his muscle control to steadily increase his own weight. By the time Gon reached Kyle, he was covered in sweat, but he had made it—all without using his Nen.
Kyle watched Gon, who hadn't even activated his Aura, carry Killua all that way. He smiled.
"Gon... are you tired?"