Chapter 110 110 Tonpa? Who's That!
To gain a significant amount of experience, one could only rely on repeatedly seeking out opponents of equal or even greater strength to do battle.
Hisoka was exactly such a case.
Although his strength was respectable, the gap between him and Zane was substantial.
This was evidenced by the fact that Zane had only utilized his Nen aura from start to finish during their encounter.
Consequently, even though he had won the fight, he hadn't gained much experience from his opponent.
Of course, while [KING OF FIGHTERS] carried considerable restrictions, this Nen ability was still exceptionally well-suited for combat.
Given Zane's current stats, he might struggle to find many worthy opponents in the Hunter world—excluding the Dark Continent—but the One Piece world was another story entirely.
With the combat-heavy style of the One Piece world,
Zane would never find himself lacking for challengers.
Pulling his phone from his pocket,
Zane skillfully uploaded the photos he had taken of his prey to the internal network of the Hunter Association, awaiting official verification.
Beep, beep, beep!
Having finished the upload, Zane was just about to put the phone back when it suddenly let out a call alert.
Retrieving the phone, Zane gave the screen a casual glance.
"Tonpa? Who's that?"
Looking at the caller ID displayed on the screen, Zane tilted his head, his eyes clouding with confusion.
Why would an unfamiliar name appear in his contact list?
Wait.
If it truly were a stranger, how could he have possibly recorded the name?
Zane's expression shifted rapidly from confusion to solemnity.
After a moment of deliberation, he finally answered the call.
"It's me, Tonpa, Boss!!"
As Zane held the phone to his ear, intending to remain silent to test the person on the other end, a loud, blustering voice immediately rang out.
Tonpa?!
A single "It's me, Tonpa."
Those words hit Zane's ears like the classic "There is only one truth" from Detective Conan, flashing through his mind like a bolt of lightning.
Various memories associated with Tonpa surged to the surface, making him realize exactly what was going on.
Zane let out a breath.
"Tonpa, I have to say, you're quite the character. Every time I experience your Nen ability, I gain a new level of respect for you," Zane remarked into the phone with genuine admiration.
"Hehe, I was completely forced into this. If it weren't for this move, the Phantom Troupe might have tracked me down back then," Tonpa replied with a boastful laugh.
[SAFE HOUSE]:
A specific building can be designated as one's safe house. As long as one remains inside, their existence will fade from the memories and impressions of others.
This was the Nen ability Tonpa had developed.
Originally, after Zane had taken out Feitan and Phinks, he had told Tonpa to hide temporarily to avoid being traced by the Phantom Troupe.
It had to be said.
The Rookie Crusher from the Hunter Exam really knew his stuff.
Under the heavy pressure of an A-rank criminal organization like the Phantom Troupe, he had actually managed to develop [SAFE HOUSE] just to save his skin.
Thanks to this Nen ability, he had consistently avoided detection.
It was worth noting that the way to deactivate [SAFE HOUSE] was the very phrase Tonpa had just used: "It's me, Tonpa."
When he introduced himself, the presence blocked by [SAFE HOUSE] would temporarily be restored for the person listening.
To this end, Zane and Tonpa had established a specific method of contact.
Every time Zane uploaded new prey data, Tonpa would see it and take the initiative to call, thereby rebuilding Zane's recognition of him.
After chatting for a bit, just as Tonpa was about to share some newly discovered target intel, Zane briefly mentioned the matter with Hisoka.
Essentially, he needed Tonpa to look for twenty criminals of at least B-rank so that Hisoka could capture them later.
Tonpa was naturally astounded that Hisoka had lost to Zane.
During the Hunter Exam, he had categorized Hisoka as a super-dangerous individual who was never to be provoked.
He hadn't expected that in just a few months, someone like Hisoka would actually lose to Zane.
After his initial amazement, Tonpa naturally began to shower Zane with a smooth stream of flattery.
Zane laughed and threw back a few light-hearted insults before ending the call.
'Killua and Gon probably aren't asleep yet.'
Putting his phone back in his pocket, Zane looked up at the night sky and started back toward the city along the route he had come.
Knowing Zane was coming, Gon and Killua were clearly still awake.
When Zane reached the residence according to the location Killua had provided, the door was pulled open almost as soon as he knocked.
"Sorry, I'm a bit late."
Seeing Gon and Killua inside, Zane greeted them with a smile and a wave.
"Zane!!" Gon called out happily as he saw him at the door.
"You're way too late," Killua complained. "I almost fell asleep."
Zane shrugged. "Couldn't help it. I got pulled into a fight with Hisoka on the way here, so it took up quite a bit of time."
"Hisoka?!"
"A fight?!"
Startled, Gon and Killua instinctively scanned Zane's body, looking for any signs of injury.
"Gon, Killua, why are you standing at the door? Invite the guest in," Wing's chiding voice came from the living room.
Snapping back to reality, Gon and Killua quickly moved aside to lead Zane inside.
"Hello, I'm Zane. I'm a friend of Gon and Killua's."
Walking into the living room with them, Zane smiled and greeted Wing and Zushi as they rose from the sofa.
"Hello, I'm Wing."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Zushi!"
Seeing how friendly Zane was, Wing and Zushi both smiled and introduced themselves.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they all sat down.
"Zane, what exactly happened with that fight against Hisoka?" Killua couldn't help but ask.
He clearly hadn't expected Zane to run into Hisoka so soon after they had parted ways.
"You guys know what Hisoka is like..." Zane casually recounted the story of how Hisoka had followed and challenged him.
"So, that means you won, right Zane?" Gon asked with a serious face.
Zane looked at him and laughed. "Do I look like the type who lost?"
There wasn't a single injury on his body—not even a speck of dirt.
If Zane hadn't brought it up, no one would have been able to tell he had just been in a fight.
And the opponent was someone as dangerous as Hisoka.
Seeing Zane admit it, Gon and Killua both had expressions that said 'as expected.'
But this "as expected" was only because Zane's performance matched their expectations; it didn't mean they weren't affected by the fact that he had beaten Hisoka.
"You really are something!" Killua gave Zane a thumbs up.
Gon also looked at Zane with envy in his eyes.
If he had Zane's strength, he would have been able to return that tag to Hisoka long ago.
No, that's not right.
If he truly had Zane's strength, he wouldn't have been 'gifted' that tag in the first place; he would have taken it by force.