Hunter x Hunter: The Strongest Zoldyck

"What was that just now?"

"The murderer? Or something else?"

Standing on the second-floor deck, Roy pondered the red phantom that had just flashed past the corner of his eye.

He had a strange intuition that the thing was definitely related to the deaths of the captain and crew of the Ogley.

But it wasn't until Wright and those who looked like nobles left the deck that the crowd dispersed.

He couldn't come up with any clues.

"Big brother, they've all left... let's go too."

Fica's deep voice rang in his ears, and Roy turned to look at him.

"Go? Go where?"

"Have you bought your ticket?"

The three soul-searching questions struck Fica squarely at his heart, leaving him momentarily speechless.

"What should we do then?"

After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence, as if he were constipated.

"What to do? It's simple, we'll just do what they do."

Roy looked with interest at the few people still remaining on the deck.

What a coincidence.....

He couldn't help but sigh to himself.

Of those who remain, several are people he knows well.

A weathered, middle-aged poet from the Mediterranean, a Kurta girl in a sailor's uniform...

Did you think of the same thing?

"What? How do I do it?"

The red-haired boy, Fika, pressed for an answer.

"How could I have taken in such an idiot like you?"

Roy covered his face with his right hand, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"idiot!"

The girl in the sailor uniform delivered the finishing blow at just the right moment.

Upon hearing the girl's rebuke, Fica immediately bristled and retorted:

"Little bean!"

bass!

In an instant, the sailor-uniformed girl drew her short sword once again.

"Shut up!

Roy covered Fica's mouth and kept nodding in apology:

"Sorry, sorry, he's a complete idiot. I'll teach him a lesson when he gets down here."

"Let's discuss how to divide it!"

As he spoke, Roy glanced back at the few unusual rooms on the second deck.

"I want the captain's cabin!"

Click.....

The girl in the sailor uniform sheathed her dagger and spoke first.

Upon hearing this, Roy did not answer immediately. He first glanced at the corpses that Wright and the others had decided to leave for disposal the next day. After confirming that the captain and the person who looked like the first mate were dead, he turned his gaze to the seemingly harmless Mediterranean poet.

The weathered, middle-aged man with the features of the Mediterranean smiled kindly:

"I'm fine with either."

"Yeah?"

Roy tapped his face with his right index finger, his mind racing.

It didn't matter that the captain's cabin was given to the Kuruta girl; ladies first, after all.

But this Mediterranean poet...

I can't quite see through it.

He seemed harmless, but my intuition kept reminding me that he was dangerous.

Lost in thought, Roy unconsciously glanced at the Mediterranean poet again.

He smiled back at Roy, seemingly without any problem.

But the biggest problem is that there are no problems.

I don't even know when he appeared. Like the girl from the Kuruta tribe, he noticed her as soon as she appeared.

And this uncle... he was already here when I found him.

That's a bit scary...

You have to understand that he trained at the Zoldyck family for more than a decade, and his keen intuition was already extraordinary.

Even Illumi couldn't possibly appear around him so quietly.

Unless... he's stronger than Illumi?

A terrifying and impossible guess popped into Roy's mind.

When this thought arose, he felt no doubt whatsoever; it was as if he was subconsciously certain of it.

Really? I see.

Is that why I didn't notice him? He's stronger than Illumi.

Having confirmed his intuition and thoughts, Roy suddenly realized the truth.

Now I know why I feel dangerous towards Mediterranean men.

Hmm... then I can't be his neighbor, he's too dangerous...

Roy murmured his decision.

"Alright, the captain's cabin is yours..."

"The right side of the captain's cabin is for me and Fica, and the left side is for the old man."

At this point, Roy pointed back and forth across the room above with his right hand:

"Is everything alright?"

The girl in the sailor uniform and the weathered, Mediterranean-looking man nodded to each other.

"Can..."

"I'm fine with it too."

"Alright, see you tomorrow, everyone..."

Roy smiled at the Kurta girl and the Mediterranean poet, then took the red-haired boy's hand and left.

......

Soon after, Roy and Fica arrived at an arched iron gate.

The iron gate was about half a person's height, and its surface was not smooth, covered with light gray paint.

Unlike ordinary room door handles, this one is a round handle resembling a porthole, with small iron filings scattered around it.

Iron filings?

Why are there iron filings?

Did someone scrape it with a knife?

Who would be so bored?

Looking at the tiny iron filings scattered around the round handle, Roy felt somewhat puzzled.

Who would come to the crew quarters to scrape iron in the middle of the night?

Just bored? Have a particular hobby?

Holy crap, could it be the killer?

Suddenly, an abrupt idea popped into Roy's mind.

No way?

Without realizing it, he leaned down halfway and got closer to observe carefully.

On the old, brown, round handle, besides scattered small iron filings, there were dozens of fingerprints of varying sizes, indicating that it had been turned at least several times.

The fingerprints were mixed and varied in shape, but judging from some slightly recessed areas, they did not appear to be human.

Roy placed his fingers on the marks to compare; each fingerprint was as thick as three of his fingers, but the tips were as thin as needles.

It looks very strange and awkward.

In short... it's a bit inhuman.

Luo Yi thought to himself.

To verify his hypothesis, Roy shifted his gaze to the right, focusing on the location of the lock.

The cast steel latch is firmly nailed to the door frame by four large screws. The square edges have been worn smooth by time and have a brassy luster.

However, the cast steel lock, which should have been properly hanging on the door frame, was half-exposed outside the frame, as if it had been forcefully pulled out by something.

Someone forced the door open.

And it's done with hands!

After glancing at the cast steel latch and the round door handle covered in fingerprints, Roy confirmed one fact.

"Fica..."

"Yes, boss."

"Go check if the door next to it looks similar to this."

Roy pointed with his right index finger at the fingerprint on the handle, gesturing for Fica to check out the other rooms.

Without hesitation, Fica immediately ran to check on the other crew member's room.

A short while later, he ran back.

"Boss, I've checked several rooms, and they're basically the same as this one. There are fingerprints on the round handles, and the cast steel locks are deformed to varying degrees."

Fica looked at Roy, her emotions fluctuating, and asked:

"Was that left by the murderer, boss?"

"Who knows? Anyway, let's be careful. Nobody knows if he'll come tonight."

With that, Roy pushed open the iron gate and stepped inside.

"You're not going to sleep with me anymore. Let's just find a room nearby."

His calm and indifferent voice only came out when Roy stepped into the crew room.