"The Phantom Troupe..."
Killua's expression darkened at the name. The playful smirk vanished, replaced by the cold seriousness of a Zoldyck.
"Are they really that strong?" Gon asked, sensing the shift in his friend's mood.
"Yeah," Killua nodded grimly. "My dad killed one of their members once. It was a job. When he came back, he said it wasn't worth the pay. He warned me: 'Don't touch the Spiders.'"
Gon's eyes widened. "Your dad... warned you?"
Gon knew Silva Zoldyck was a monster among monsters. If he advised caution, the Spiders were in a league of their own.
"They've mastered their Hatsu to perfection," Kyle added, leaning against the wall. "If we want to stand a chance, we need two things: our own lethal Special Moves, and Haki strong enough to pierce their defenses."
"We don't have much time," Gon stood up, his face set. "Let's train."
For the next two days, the forest of Whale Island echoed with the sounds of destruction.
Killua pulled a high-voltage taser from his bag. He cranked the dial to maximum without hesitation and jammed it against his left arm.
ZZZ-CRACK!
Blue sparks arced over his skin. The sound was sickening, like frying bacon.
Most people would be screaming. Killua didn't even flinch. He just watched the electricity, memorizing the sensation, forcing his aura to mimic the erratic, stinging frequency of the current.
After a few minutes, he pulled the taser away. He held up two fingers.
Snap.
A genuine spark of blue lightning jumped between his fingertips.
"Heh."
Gon watched this from a distance, awestruck but motivated. He turned away, finding a quiet clearing. He closed his eyes and began to focus everything—his anger, his resolve, his aura—into his right fist.
Kyle, meanwhile, sat in deep meditation. He dove into the mental landscape of the Book of Resonance, searching for a specific mechanism.
Time.
If he wanted to prepare them for Yorknew, he needed more than just a portal. He needed a hyperbolic time chamber.
He pushed his aura into the book's core, wrestling with the abstract concepts of dimension and flow. It was mentally exhausting, like trying to solve a puzzle while running a marathon.
BOOM!
A massive explosion shook the island.
Kyle and Killua sprinted toward the source. In a clearing, Gon stood panting, his fist smoking. In front of him was a crater three meters wide, the earth pulverized as if a meteor had struck.
"Gon!" Killua whistled. "You did that?"
"Yeah," Gon grinned, wiping soot from his face. "I'm calling it... Jajanken."
He turned to Kyle, eyes shining. "We're ready. Can we go back now?"
Kyle stood up, wiping a trickle of blood from his nose. "We can. And I've unlocked a new feature."
"A new feature?"
"Time Dilation," Kyle announced. He summoned the book. Above the shimmering gate, a new dial appeared with numbers: 2x, 3x, 4x... up to 10x.
"I can control the time flow between worlds," Kyle explained. "For now, I can manage 2x. That means for every day that passes here, two days pass in the One Piece world."
"Two times?!" Gon did the math. "So our 45 days... becomes 90 days?"
"Exactly," Kyle nodded. "But there's a cost. Maintaining this field restricts my total aura capacity to 90%. If I push the ratio higher, my aura drops further. To unlock higher speeds without penalty, I need a base capacity of 200,000 aura units."
"Two hundred thousand..." Killua muttered. "That's monster territory."
"Well, 90% is enough for the East Blue," Kyle said. "Let's go."
The gate opened. They stepped through.
The World of One Piece. Shells Town Outskirts.
As soon as they materialized, Kyle collapsed, gasping for air. The strain of anchoring the time dilation hit him like a physical weight.
"Kyle!" Killua grabbed a water bottle from his bag and tossed it.
Kyle downed it in one go. "I'm... fine. Just need a minute."
Thirty minutes later, the color returned to his face. He stood up, looking at the familiar harbor town.
"Alright," Kyle dusted himself off. "We need a ship."
"Are we buying one?" Gon asked.
"Buying is a hassle," Killua grinned, a devilish look returning to his face. "Why buy when we can just take one?"
"Killua's right," Kyle agreed. "The sea is full of pirates. Scum of the earth. Robbing them isn't a crime; it's community service. Plus, their ships are already outfitted with cannons and supplies."
Gon thought about it for a second. "Okay! If they're bad guys, let's do it!"
The trio walked down to the harbor. It was bustling, but no pirate flags were flying.
"Kyle, I don't see any pirates," Gon said, scanning the masts.
"Pirates aren't stupid enough to fly the Jolly Roger in a Marine base town," Kyle pointed. "Look there."
He indicated a group of rough-looking men carrying crates of supplies toward a sleek, double-masted caravel. They walked with the swagger of men who didn't fear the law, weapons openly displayed on their hips.
"See the way they walk? The scars? That's a raiding party resupplying," Kyle whispered.
"Jackpot," Killua cracked his knuckles.
"Let's follow them," Kyle ordered. "We wait until they leave port... then we strike."