Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

"Zane, Killua..."

As Killua walked away, Leorio couldn't help but want to step forward and stop him, but Zane raised his arm to block his path.

"It's all right. He's just going home. We'll go look for him once Gon wakes up," Zane said in a low, steady voice.

"Killua's expression was clearly off when he left. It's highly likely he was being controlled by something like hypnosis," Kurapika analyzed calmly.

"Dammit!" Leorio grew even more furious upon hearing this, shooting a vicious glare at Illumi nearby.

...

Killua's withdrawal undoubtedly brought the Hunter Exam to an early conclusion.

Having successfully passed the final test, Zane and the other candidates were sent to rest while they waited for the final paperwork to be processed.

Leorio and Kurapika immediately went to visit Gon.

As for Zane.

He headed toward his assigned room.

'It's time for a trip back.'

With the Hunter Exam successfully passed, he had also achieved a preliminary mastery of Nen.

Zane planned to return to the Pirate world first to settle matters there before coming back to systematically study his Nen abilities.

Swish!

After carefully checking the room to ensure there were no issues, Zane opened the Bronze Gate.

A flash of light appeared before his eyes.

In an instant, Zane found himself once again inside the familiar, dim cabin and the iron cage.

Glancing around, the scene inside the cabin hadn't changed; everything was exactly as it had been when he left.

Without hesitation, Zane stepped forward.

Boom!

With a powerful kick, the iron bars—each as thick as an arm—were snapped apart instantly.

"What happened?!"

At the exit, Sarkies and two other pirates were startled by the sudden noise and jumped up to see where it had come from.

"You..."

Stepping into their sight was Zane, who had just broken out of his cage and was walking toward them.

Astonishment flooded Sarkies' face.

He was shocked first by Zane's escape, and second by the change in the boy's clothing.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak in his shock, his vision blurred. He felt a sharp pain in his neck and immediately lost consciousness.

Thud!

It wasn't just Sarkies; the other two pirates suffered the same fate.

Zane had somehow vanished and reappeared behind the three of them, effortlessly knocking them out with precise strikes from the edge of his hand.

He didn't kill the three pirates because he was a man of his word.

Regardless of the circumstances, these people had technically saved him in the beginning, so he was willing to give them a choice rather than simply ending their lives.

"Wait a minute!"

Just as Zane was about to exit after knocking out the trio, a shout rang out.

Stopping in his tracks, Zane turned his head toward the source of the sound.

In his line of sight was an exceptionally large cage.

Inside was a massive figure bound tightly in chains.

"A Fishman?" Zane's excellent vision allowed him to see the figure clearly even in the dim light, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Indeed.

The massive figure wrapped in chains was a Fishman with sharp, jagged teeth, gills on his neck, and dark brown skin.

Though the figure was lying down, Zane estimated his massive frame to be nearly six meters tall.

Furthermore, in addition to the chains wrapped around his body, two enormous iron balls were locked to his feet.

This kind of treatment was clearly intended for strict containment.

"Um... I would like to ask you to save me as well. In return, if you don't mind, I can work for you from now on."

The Fishman struggled to lift his head, looking at Zane with a gaze full of expectation.

Zane studied him for a moment before walking over.

With a single roundhouse kick, the iron bars were instantly destroyed.

"What's your name?" Zane asked as he leaned down to grab the chains connecting the heavy iron balls to the man's feet, tearing them apart.

"Manlong. Also, I'm actually just a half-Fishman," Manlong replied, his heart surging with excitement as he saw Zane actually coming to his rescue.

"I really couldn't tell. With your looks and size, you look more like a Fishman than many of the pure-blooded ones."

Without stopping, Zane proceeded to tear through the chains wrapped around the giant's body.

Once all the restraints were dealt with, Zane clapped his hands and made a casual joke.

"Fishman status is based on bloodline. My father was human, so in the eyes of other Fishmen, I'm just a half-breed," Manlong said as he struggled to stand up.

It was clear he had been heavily drugged, and the dosage was much larger than what Zane had received.

But considering Manlong's identity as a half-Fishman, it was entirely understandable.

Fishmen are born with ten times the physical strength of a human.

Despite being a half-breed, someone of Manlong's size could likely pin many pure-blooded Fishmen to the ground and pummel them.

If Zane had been drugged because of the rarity of the Three-Eye Tribe, Manlong was likely sedated because of how dangerous he was.

"Talk about a miracle of cross-breeding. Looking at you, I bet most pure-blooded Fishmen can't even compare!" Zane laughed and patted the giant.

Well... because of the height difference, the nearly two-meter-tall Zane could only reach high enough to pat Manlong on the waist.

Manlong remained silent.

Zane didn't mind the lack of response.

"Are you staying here to wait for me, or are you coming up with me?" Zane pointed toward the ceiling.

There were bound to be many pirates on the ship, and there would definitely be a fight once they went out.

It didn't matter to Zane, but the drugs in Manlong's system clearly hadn't worn off yet.

"I'm coming with you, Boss!" Manlong said without the slightest hesitation.

Clearly, he intended to keep his word completely.

Since Zane had saved him, Manlong had already accepted his role as Zane's subordinate.

"Boss, huh? Sounds good to me!"

Zane smiled and waved his hand, heading toward the exit.

Although Manlong felt unwell, his constitution was clearly extraordinary; he was still able to move freely and immediately followed behind Zane.

"Wait! Could you save us too!"

Seeing Zane and Manlong about to leave, the people in the other cages in the hold could no longer contain themselves and began shouting for help.

Zane swept a glance over them. "Give it a rest. With your flimsy frames, you're much safer staying in there than coming out."

Not everyone was like Manlong.

Zane had released Manlong partly because he admired the giant's initiative and frankness, and partly because he could see that Manlong was no ordinary person.

As for the people in the other cages, with his keen eyes, he didn't see anyone else who looked particularly capable.

Leaving them with those words, Zane and Manlong quickly departed.

The area where Zane and the others had been held was the bottom of the hold, with a wooden ladder at the exit leading to the deck above.

The ship's interior was divided into two levels.

The lower level was the hold, while the upper level served as the storage room.

When sailing at sea, supplies were undoubtedly of the utmost importance.

Thus, as soon as Zane and Manlong reached the upper level, they immediately encountered several pirates responsible for guarding the storage room.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

There was no need for Zane to act; the moment Manlong saw the pirates, he charged forward without hesitation.

Manlong in a full sprint was like a heavy armored tank.

Before the pirates could even react, Manlong's fists, each the size of a millstone, slammed into them.

In an instant, the pirates were sent flying like tattered sacks, coughing up blood as they crashed through walls or were driven straight through the ceiling onto the upper deck.

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