Both of Ponzu's fists were clenched tightly.
A bead of cold sweat appeared.
Not only her voice but even her entire body had started trembling.
"So, how about we play a little game? If you win, I'll hand over my tag. But if you lose, you'll have to agree to one condition of mine."
Ponzu asked instinctively.
"You'll find out once we're on the island."
Ron stood and walked toward another corner.
Ponzu watched Ron's back, biting her lip.
"Ponzu, this is just pathetic. Why did I have to get so nervous?"
"And I practically admitted everything right away."
Ponzu berated herself inwardly, upset over how she had just acted.
Most of the examinees on the boat were sitting alone. Only a few were gathered in small groups, apparently discussing their strategies for when they landed on Zevil Island.
Leorio and Kurapika sat side by side.
As for the Amori Brothers, they were a team from the start.
Imori looked toward Killua.
"Imori, is that white-haired brat your target?"
Amori noticed Imori's gaze and asked.
Imori gave a faint nod.
Umori patted Imori's shoulder. "We'll help you. That white-haired kid might look like he's got some skill, but there's no way he can beat us."
"Your target will be easy to handle. Once we take him out for you, you'd better work even harder to repay us."
Imori forced a smile.
They might be called "brothers," but Imori was always the one who got pushed around. Whenever there was dirty or tiring work, he was stuck doing it. Compared to Amori and Umori, Imori's personality was less harsh.
The Amori Brothers brimmed with confidence right now.
They had no idea that they were not on Killua's level at all.
Killua was far stronger than they realized.
Ron glanced over and noticed that Kurapika and Leorio had joined Killua and Gon, the four of them sitting together. After a moment's hesitation, Ron walked over.
Seeing this, the Amori Brother's faces clouded.
"Are they teaming up?"
"That could be trouble. There are three of us, but five of them."
"Then again, they're not real siblings. Can they fully trust each other? Time's limited, and everyone needs to chase their own targets—they won't stay together the whole time."
"Let's just watch for now. If they really do group up, we'll need more allies."
"Ron, who's your target?"
"Great, that means none of us drew each other's numbers."
Leorio heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm after Number 103, but I don't remember which examinee that is. Once we reach the island, I'll have to look around."
"My target is Number 16," Kurapika said.
"Number 16… wasn't that the kind older guy who gave us soda?" Gon thought for a moment. "I remember when he came over on the first day, the tag on his chest was 16."
Kurapika glanced over at Tonpa, then quickly looked away. Tonpa hadn't noticed.
"I see. Thanks, Gon."
"No problem, I just happened to remember." Gon scratched the back of his head.
"My target is one of those three." Killua looked toward the Amori Brothers.
Leorio frowned slightly. "They're moving as a trio, Killua. You'd better be careful. Don't rush in. Maybe you can find someone else who's targeting them to team up with."
"It won't be an issue," Killua replied, shaking his head. "The real concern is Gon."
Killua continued, "Gon's target is that guy, Number 44."
They followed Killua's gaze to a red-haired figure dressed almost like a clown. Noticing their stares, he looked over and flashed a grin. It sent a chill up Leorio's spine.
Killua felt a slight jolt of unease.
Kurapika's expression turned grave.
"Hisoka… I never thought he'd end up being your target, Gon. You should probably give up. He's no ordinary examinee."
"At least not someone we can take on now," Kurapika added.
Gon held up a fist and stared at it for a moment.
"I know he's strong."
"I know it's dangerous."
"But I've come all this way, and I refuse to back down. If this were a fight to the death, I'd have no chance. But if it's just about snatching his tag, I think I can at least give it a shot."
He placed his palm against his chest.
"I'm a little scared, but I'm excited too."
"I know exactly what I'm going for."
Seeing Gon's resolve, Leorio and Kurapika couldn't add more. After all, they were only his friends; it was Gon's decision to make.
"Ron, do you know how powerful Hisoka really is?"
Killua turned to Ron.
"You're the strongest among us. You've seen Hisoka fight a few times, right? Do we stand any chance against him?"
After his earlier talk with Ron, Killua had pegged Ron as a fellow member of an assassin family, someone with ties to the Zoldyck family, and had grown to trust him more.
"How does Hisoka measure up to you?"
"If the few of us joined forces, would we stand a chance against him?"
Everyone's gaze fell on Ron, including Kurapika's. Earlier, Kurapika had heard Hisoka describe Ron's strength, but that was only a rough impression; even Hisoka didn't know Ron's full capabilities. Kurapika wanted to hear Ron's assessment of Hisoka.
"Hisoka's very strong. Normally, I wouldn't provoke someone like that unless I had to. It's hard to say exactly how strong."
"I haven't actually fought him at full strength, so I can't gauge it."
Ron shook his head. "Even if all of us teamed up, it wouldn't make much of a difference to Hisoka. It still wouldn't really tell us how we measure up."
Everyone grasped what Ron meant by that final remark.
Killua, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio all attacking together wouldn't boost Ron's chances; nor would it weaken Hisoka's position. The gap in power was simply too wide—on a completely different level.
They wouldn't even count as a bonus.
Just then, the whistle of the boat's horn sounded.
They had arrived at Zevil Island.
The small boat moored at the pier.
"All examinees, we've reached Zevil Island. Please head ashore. Good luck passing the exam, everyone. We'll be taking our leave now."
The examinees disembarked and headed onto the island.
The ship's engine revved up as it departed from Zevil Island.
Following the order in which they had passed the previous exam, the examinees entered the forest one by one, spaced out.
For one thing, it gave those with higher ranks from before a bit of an advantage.
For another, separating the examinees reduced the odds of a large-scale battle erupting right away.
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