Now, for verification...
Are you Pakunoda, from the Troupe?
Of course.
She's telling the truth.
I will present each of you with two conditions.
If you abide by them, I will release your leader.
Pay attention, Pakunoda.
He's more concerned about his friends than killing me for his vengeance.
That is the chain user's weakness!
Signal x To x Retreat
I'll begin with the leader.
First, you are forbidden to use Nen.
Second...
Am I certain about this?
If I eliminate the boss, the spider will fall apart.
That was the whole idea.
But...
I have no value as a hostage.
Everything he says is true.
But the spider can move, even without a head.
The leader isn't absolute...
If necessary, the group is willing to abandon its leader.
That is the nature of the Phantom Troupe.
I can disable their leader, but that won't cripple the Troupe!
However, is there any alternative?
Is there some kind of miracle
that can get me out of this bind?!
There isn't.
I can think of nothing...
Yes, this is right.
Right now, this is what I should do.
I must get them back.
That is my top priority!
I don't want to lose
any more friends!
Second, you may not contact any member of the Troupe.
Those are the two conditions.
And to make certain that you adhere to them,
I will use my Judgment Chain, the Arbiter Little Finger, on your leader.
You decide if this is acceptable, Pakunoda.
Okay.
You're next, Pakunoda.
First,
release Gon and Killua unharmed, before midnight, without any tricks.
Second, you may not speak a single word about me.
If you have no objections, I will use my chain on you.
Okay.
If Gon and Killua were being controlled by a Manipulator,
could you tell from their heartbeats?
It's certainly possible.
I've met Killua-kun, and I know how his normal heartbeat sounds.
So I could tell if anything had changed.
That's good enough.
I have something to say before the exchange.
Kurapika...
In the back of your mind, you sense that something is amiss.
Why did she come alone?
If the Troupe were as merciless as expected,
this deal would be impossible.
You people are the ones on the ropes.
Their rules are ironclad,
and their boss accepts them.
But what about the others?
This woman appears to be different.
This woman you despise with everything you have
is driven by the same motive that drives you.
She wishes
to save her companion, her boss.
You must have realized this.
Start by returning to your companions.
Inform them of the hostage exchange.
I want you to bring the hostages to Lingon Airport before midnight.
Bring no one else.
Tell no one where you're going.
Very well.
You have a deal.
Take me back to the airport.
Why haven't you asked any questions?
You know who I am, don't you?
You aren't worried?
You don't find this deal unreasonable?
Do you truly believe I'll return your leader?
Yes.
You wouldn't ask those questions
if you intended to deceive me.
Does he really expect us to accept those conditions?
Tell us where he is, Pakunoda.
We'll kill the kids, then deal with the chain user.
You're insisting?
I insist.
If you don't tell us, I won't let you leave.
I refuse to tell you where he is, and I am taking the kids alone.
Don't interfere.
Interfere?
Who's the one interfering with our plans?!
Go, Pakunoda.
We'll stop them.
Stop us?
Are you trying to insult us?
You're serious?
I don't get it.
Have you lost your minds?
I bet they were defeated by the chain user before we arrived.
They're probably under his control.
This is a waste of time.
I'll make them talk.
Is it really so hard to understand?
You don't understand why Pakunoda wants to leave without a word?
You don't understand why Machi is stopping you?
You honestly think they're being controlled?
They want to rescue your boss!
Is it so hard to understand the desire to save a friend?
Shut up, kid!
Are you that desperate to be spared?
I'm not doing this for my sake.
Take back those words!
Good grief.
I refuse. If you've a problem, come here.
The second you take a step, I'll rip your head off.
Then I won't budge an inch!
Kurapika isn't like you.
No matter how much he hates someone,
he wouldn't lose control and kill them without mercy.
If he makes a promise,
he will definitely keep his word!
After meeting him in person, Pakunoda knows this.
If you follow his conditions, he'll return your boss!
That's enough, kid...
Don't think you can say anything you want!
That's enough.
Let Pakunoda go.
You're siding with them?
Shal,
right now, what would our worst-case scenario be?
The boss is already dead,
Pakunoda and the others are being controlled,
we can't find the chain user,
and the two kids escape...
Then, you've got it wrong.
The worst-case scenario would be that we all die and the spider perishes.
By comparison, your scenario would be quite pleasant.
Am I wrong?
N-No, you're right.
I don't care about your reasons.
You're being too reliant on the boss.
If the Troupe falls apart as a result,
that's the greatest betrayal you could make toward the boss.
If we keep bickering, that could well happen.
Cool off.
Let them have their way...
Pakunoda can take the kids.
If the boss doesn't return,
we kill the members being controlled, and start to rebuild the spider.
It's extremely simple.
I'm fine with that.
If that's what it takes to satisfy you.
Well, I'm not being controlled, and it won't be easy to kill me.
Hello?
Put the hostages on the phone.
Don't break it!
Are you okay?
Are they there?
Yeah, they're all here.
Hey!
We're following your orders.
Aren't you going to follow them?
The chain user can't monitor our location now.
Shut up.
If I give chase, you'll all stop me.
For now, I'll just sit and wait.
If the boss fails to return, I'll kill you, too.
Go ahead.
Board the waiting airship.
The pilot already has his orders.
As promised, it's just the three of them.
We can't be sure until the airship takes off.
Stay alert.
There's someone over there.
That's
Hisoka!
Hi...
Why are you here?!
Did you sneak out?
No need for concern...
I left a dummy behind.
Hurry up.
Without needles, I can only change my face for four to five hours.
What are you up to?
Allow me on the airship with them.
If you refuse, I'll kill Gon and Killua.
Bastard...
Just kidding.
That would be such a waste.
My target is the boss.
Once he's released, I'll get off the airship.
I want to fight him.
That's all I want.
Killua, place the phone next to your heart.
It's fine, nothing's wrong with him.
Okay, let's begin the exchange!
If you talk to or make any contact with a Troupe member, you die.
Now you will get to experience the pain
of losing your home.
I've waited a long time for this moment.
Now...
Let's do this.
I no longer need this.
This won't be considered an internal spat now,
so you needn't hold back.
I see.
You aren't a Troupe member, so we can talk.
I can't fight you.
Rather, I'm not worth fighting.
He used his Judgment Chain on my heart.
I can no longer use my Nen.
We can leave.
Oh...
Hisoka returned to the airship without fighting.
The leader realized that Hisoka wasn't a Troupe member,
so he explained about my chains.
I'm not surprised that Hisoka wasn't interested
in fighting someone without Nen.
He wasn't a Troupe member?
No.
How did you sneak out?
I have a friend who's good with disguises.
Don't worry.
I no longer have any reason to kill Chrollo.
I'm not interested in broken toys.
"You can slip out now..." There.
That's right.
My real fortune mentioned
I would have a date with the boss on Tuesday.
And when I left,
the Troupe was supposed to be down to half its members.
Fate appears to be changing, bit by bit.
I'm sorry for putting you in danger.
Nah...
You used your chains on the boss, right?
Yeah, but...
This isn't the end.
Meow.
Where's the boss?
He won't be coming here.
Don't mess with me. Explain yourself!
Depending on your response...
Don't worry.
In return...
I can only shoot six bullets at once.
That's enough for the remaining founding members.
Feitan.
Phinks.
Machi.
Nobunaga.
Shalnark.
Franklin.
Do you trust me?
Paku, you can't mean to...
Hey, are you being controlled by—
Phinks!
Have some faith.
It's Paku.
My memories...
My feelings...
I pass them all to you.
Please...
Let all this
end with me...
Paku.
She's dead.
What's going on?
Let me explain.
I understand everything.
Pakunoda was...
I hope Kurapika's fever doesn't break.
Yeah...
Wait, did you just say what I think you said?
Kurapika shouldn't fight the Troupe anymore.
I thought of something when Kurapika told me about his powers.
If he'd just wanted revenge,
he would have chosen different abilities.
Really?
If he'd only wanted to kill them,
he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of chaining their hearts.
Maybe if he only had one target.
But Kurapika's dealing with the entire Troupe.
Even if he captures one, he can't kill them right away.
And he needs to extract information about the other members.
Oh...
Personally,
I think his powers were meant specifically for revenge.
Oh...
But that was his original objective.
Kurapika is different now.
I have good friends...
But you do have a point.
I'd prefer him to stay still for a while.
If their boss doesn't come back,
they'll be even more determined to find Kurapika.
Yeah.
We'll have to be extremely careful
when we go to the auction house.
So, do you really have a plan for obtaining a copy of Greed Island ?
Your plan is all we have to go on!
Y-Yeah, but it's a fifty-fifty deal.
Originally, didn't you say it had a seventy percent chance?
I get it... That's clever.
Actually, that may be our only shot.
Realistic and sound.
I think it has an eighty percent chance!
Really?
Yeah, we can make it work!
The auction is in Hall B.
That way. Over there.
Wow!
Huh?
Why are they here?
How would I know?!
Hey, that was cold.
No need to run away.
Why wouldn't we run away?
Don't worry.
We're not going to kill you.
Because we can't kill the chain user now.
Huh? What do you mean?
Huh?
Didn't he use his chains on the boss?
That means we can't kill him.
Why not?
Isn't it the other way around?
It's pretty useful to have someone who's willing to ask questions.
Nen doesn't necessarily disappear after death.
Nen that's driven by hatred and regret can persist a long time after death.
That Nen will direct itself toward the target of those emotions.
Since the boss can no longer use Nen,
he could be overwhelmed by that assault.
Residual Nen can be quite fearsome.
That's why we can't kill the chain user.
I'm talking too much?
I know.
I won't say another word.
There are Nen users
who can remove other people's Nen.
East, huh...
So, we're done with you kids.
We just came to enjoy the auction.
The other members wanted to go home.
Um, what happened to Pakunoda-san?
She died.
Huh?
Oh...
Why don't you run away?
Run away?
Given my injuries, you should be able to escape.
If you did, I would lose my leverage,
and the chain user could kill the boss.
So why don't you run away?
Aren't you on his side?
Because we're his friends.
Because we're his friends, we don't want him to kill.
So we'd prefer this to be settled with an exchange.
What's wrong?
Let's go.
Paku...
Paku wanted to thank you.
Next week, the story moves into the Greed Island arc.
Gon and Killua's Hunterpedia
Brush Your Teeth. Unripe Fruit
Coming up, we have Gon
and Killua's
Hunterpedia!
It's Gon
and Killua's
Hunterpedia!
Gon and Killua's Hunterpedia
Today, we introduce Chrollo.
Boss of the Phantom Troupe.
The Phantom Troupe's boss.
A Specialist.
He's a Specialist.
He can steal and use others' powers,
He can steal other people's powers for himself,
using his Skill Hunter!
an appropriate ability for a bandit.
But conditions have to be met.
East, huh...
Next time: Bid x And x Haste.
A bid in haste makes waste.
Hey!
That's no good...