"I don't know," Nobunaga muttered, eyelids heavy. "But the one who attacked the Kashai Family earlier—it was probably him."
"So he's that hide-and-seek bastard, huh?" Phinks eyed him. "Then what's this? You showing up now—done playing?"
"No," Luini grinned wide. "This is where the real fun begins. You're looking for Hisoka, right? I know where he is."
He was supremely confident. His ability made him feel untouchable.
Luini's power required a completely sealed room with only one door—once activated, so long as the door remained shut and the room undisturbed, he could open spatial portals at will through any surface—walls, floors—leading to any place he'd visited before.
And he could return to the marked room anytime.
Right now, his hideout was intact. As long as he chose, he could slip into the portal and vanish—no matter how strong the Spiders were, they couldn't touch him.
He had no intention of leaving the portal entirely either.
That's why he dared to appear directly above the two Troupe members. He wanted to make things more exciting—not just watch them run circles around the Kashai thugs.
As for exposing his ability by showing himself—that didn't concern him. He'd already seen that the Troupe had more or less figured it out.
So hiding it further was a waste.
But he was being naive.
Because the moment he finished talking, Nobunaga vanished.
Pure instinct made Luini retreat—and that hesitation saved his life.
But not unscathed. As he slipped back into the ceiling crevice, a long gash bloomed across his chest.
Shaken, Luini retreated deeper into his dimensional hideaway, staring as the ceiling where Nobunaga had stood split into neat cubes like tofu under a blade.
"Hm?" Nobunaga grunted. "Nice reaction. So, care to negotiate now?"
Only those who survive a strike get the right to speak.
Since his attack didn't kill, Nobunaga figured Luini earned a word.
Adrenaline flooded Luini's body. His heart thundered. He barely felt the pain. Flushed and furious, he glared down.
Had he moved half a second slower, he'd be dead.
So this is the Phantom Troupe…
Breathing heavily, the pain now creeping in, Luini gritted his teeth. "Ten Kashai grunts and one officer's corpse—I'll tell you where Hisoka is.
Twenty bodies and two officers—I'll tell you who Hisoka's companion is.
Thirty and three? I'll even tell you what Hisoka's companion can do."
"Lame bargaining," Phinks said flatly.
Nobunaga was equally uninterested. Neither gave his offer any weight.
"How about this instead—one Ai Ai Family officer's corpse, and we get some intel on Hisoka. Maybe more." Nobunaga offered his own trade.
"You threatening me?" Luini's face darkened.
"No. Just letting you know." Nobunaga smirked.
Luini paused, then grinned back. "So, no deal? Fine—then let's play slow. I'll pay you back for that slash."
And with that, he turned and slipped through the portal into his dimensional tear.
"This little shit faked evidence at the Kashai base to frame us for an attack," Phinks muttered, watching the rift close. "Now he flaunts his power in our face? His ability's clear enough now.
Spatial traversal—linked to a 'marked' room. He can only access places he's visited."
"If he's seen Hisoka and knows where he is, then he must have been to that place before," he concluded.
"Totally pointless deduction," Nobunaga shrugged. "This brat's aim is obvious: get us to go to war with the Kashai. Good luck tracing where he's been."
"That kind of ability… not bad for a boat like this," Phinks murmured.
"Slippery types are a pain," Nobunaga agreed. If the boss had this skill, maneuvering through the ship would be way easier.
But how do you catch a bastard who never leaves his dimension?
"Ask Kortopi. He's with the boss, right?" Phinks suddenly called out Nobunaga. "I saw you stick a slip of paper on him earlier. That was Kortopi's, wasn't it?"
"Sharp eyes. That idiot didn't even notice." Nobunaga sneered.
"Guy's got power, but zero Nen control. Real amateur," Phinks said.
"Like a nouveau riche," Nobunaga added.
Phinks looked off at the Kashai soldiers who had regrouped and were now approaching, led by one of their officers.
"Should we deal with them?" he asked casually, Nen beginning to rise. "You or me?"
"You," Nobunaga replied. "They're small fry. Not worth my blade."
"What the hell?" Phinks barked. "I'm the muscle now? Why should I waste energy on this trash?"
"You just said you'd handle it. I'm letting you. What's your problem?"
"You think I need your permission?" Phinks dropped his aura. "These goons aren't worth the effort."
"…You're nuts," Nobunaga rolled his eyes. "Fine, let them follow. Whatever."
"You started it—now I'm the crazy one?" Phinks growled, swinging a fist at him.
But before the punch landed, Nobunaga's sheathed blade snapped up to block.
"Talk all you want—but lay hands on me, I won't hold back."
"Who needs you to?" Phinks snapped.
Meanwhile, the Kashai goons—ready to attack—froze, watching the Spiders suddenly start brawling with each other. None of them had any idea what was happening.
As the scuffle rolled into the nearby warehouse, no one noticed a cockroach—its belly metallic—skittering through a corridor corner, following the Spiders' path.
Far away, in a regular Fifth Floor room, Joey updated his notebook.
He hadn't expected one of his surveillance cockroaches to stumble upon the Phantom Troupe—let alone find them heading to the very place he wanted to investigate.
He also noticed a member of the Ai Ai Family meeting the Troupe.
Joey knew him.
He'd shown up in the manga—a killer with space-warping powers.
The ability was solid, but clearly solo-oriented. Not something Joey could use. If they clashed, Joey would aim to eliminate him immediately.
Besides, from the bug's intel, it looked like the Troupe planned to hand him over to Chrollo.
With Chrollo's ability, stealing that power would make him extremely dangerous on this ship.
That made getting rid of the spatial user a priority.
But tracking him would be a pain.
No one could predict where he'd pop up next.
Still—Nobunaga had left Kortopi's paper slip on him. If Joey could find Kortopi, maybe he could trace the guy's location.
He drummed his fingers. According to earlier intel from Mizaisstorm, Illumi had been spotted with Kortopi.
But when Joey met Illumi himself, Kortopi was gone.
Which meant Kortopi had likely left the Third Floor—to regroup with the Troupe.
Would Illumi still be able to contact him? As an outsider, Joey knew buying info from a Troupe member like Kortopi wouldn't be easy.
He scratched out contact Kortopi from his list. He'd have to hunt the target down personally.
He probably first appeared on the Third Floor…
Joey recalled Mizaisstorm's investigation. If he wanted to trace the guy, he might need to contact Mizaisstorm himself to verify the last known location.
He remembered the requirement: a sealed space to activate the ability.
And the best sealed spaces on this ship?
The bathrooms in regular cabins.
These rooms, built inside the ship, were surrounded by walls on every side—only one door.
So if Joey could figure out which floor he was on, he could comb the rooms one by one, look for unoccupied ones, and possibly find the marked space.
But he couldn't open the doors. It would take time. Tedious.
He jotted calculations. Weighed pros and cons. Risk vs. reward.
After writing 20 at the bottom of the page, he made up his mind.
He had about 20 hours to do this. And he also needed to monitor Nobunaga and Phinks, since they were heading where he wanted to go.
The guards stationed there weren't from the Kashai Family—they were Royal Army.
If it were just mafia, maybe some deal could be struck. But the Royal Army? They wouldn't compromise with the Troupe.
Could he trigger a clash between them?
Maybe. The Army hated Hisoka too. But Joey wasn't sure if the Troupe knew that.
If they didn't, maybe their usual reckless style would lead to a fight. But odds were slim.
Joey closed his notebook, pocketed his phone, and left the room.
He didn't have much time.
Even if the Troupe and Royal Army wouldn't start trouble, he would.
He needed them to test that area's defenses for him.
Angering the Troupe didn't bother him.
He'd already made enemies of them when he handed over Shalnark and Kortopi's corpses to Mizaisstorm.
Avoiding conflict was impossible—unless he disguised himself.
But Joey had no intention of being merciful to enemies.
He liked the Troupe while reading the manga—but only as well-crafted villains.
Togashi's villains had a strange charisma.
It was now Day 13, just after 9am.
The Fifth Floor—used for supply storage—was busy with laborers. Few civilians.
Joey, walking confidently, looked like a mid-tier Kashai lieutenant.
His pace, his posture, the open display of Nen—some of the Kashai grunts thought he was one of their new execs.
Of course, not everyone was fooled.
Real Nen users among the officers instantly saw through his aura. He wasn't one of theirs.
"Hey."
A voice called from behind. Along with the sound of a rifle chambering a round.
"Stop. Or I'll shoot."
The speaker wasn't holding a gun—but the goons behind him were.
Joey turned.
A man in glasses, sharp suit, hands in pockets, hair slicked immaculately—Ken'i, scion of the Kashai Family.
Joey blinked.
He recognized him.
"I'm heading to the warehouse," Joey said.
"State your name and your business." Ken'i hadn't expected such a calm reply.
"Dio Brando," Joey replied.
"…I know you," Ken'i smiled. "I'm Ken'i, heir to the Kashai Family. Welcome aboard. Care to talk?"
"I prefer deals." Joey smiled back.