Hunter x Hunter: The Strongest Zoldyck

"Are they alright...?"

As they walked, Bolt casually inquired.

"It's alright, sir, I just knocked them out."

The blond, muscular man silently turned around and answered Bolt's tall, slender back.

Bolt nodded slightly, but didn't stop walking.

He first went to Fika, looked him over, and seeing that he was alright, then turned his gaze to the direction of the Kurta girl.

"And what's wrong with her?"

The Kuluta girl lay flat on the deck, her hands hanging limply at her sides, her breathing shallow and rapid.

His face was also very pale, and there were dried bloodstains on his forehead.

Below her forehead, on the side of her chest, there was a tear in her clothes, revealing a wound wrapped in a simple cloth.

The cloth was wrapped very roughly and crudely, and dark red blood had begun to seep from its edges.

...........

Bolt's voice was devoid of emotion, but to the blond, muscular man Zetter, it sounded like the heavens.

"She... was the one I chased and injured before."

"But at the time... I didn't know she had anything to do with the Zoldycks."

boom!

As he spoke, Zett's forehead slammed heavily against the ground.

He explained nervously, afraid that Bolt would misunderstand and think that his statement that he had only knocked them out was a lie.

In the Seven Seas Alliance... lying to the gatekeeper is more unforgivable than murder.

"Um."

Bolt gave a casual reply, raised his right hand, and waved it lightly.

Seeing that Bolt didn't show any particular reaction, Zetter and the red-haired woman both breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the adults didn't care...

Zet exchanged a quick glance with the red-haired woman, then bowed and retreated step by step.

Only after they had emerged from the shadows of the deck did the two straighten up and silently disappear into the darkness.

A few breaths later, only Bolt and two unconscious teenagers remained on the deck.

Waaah...

The night wind rose again, making the flags on the mast flutter loudly.

The moonlight spilled onto the deck, flickering on and off.

In the interplay of light and shadow, Bolt's calm gaze swept over the Kurta girl, finally settling on Fika's face.

*Thud...*

With a soft click, Bolt sat down in front of them.

"We really are destined to meet..."

His voice was soft and slow, as if he were recalling something.

He never thought he would see them again.

Just like he never imagined he would meet him.....

Kane...

As his gaze fell on Fica's youthful yet resolute face, Bolt recalled a figure buried deep in his memory.

That was also a young face, with the same stubbornness and determination, and the same arrogance and ignorance.

Especially that head of messy red hair....

"They look so alike..."

Bolt unconsciously focused his gaze on Fica's red hair and let out a sigh.

He remembered the first time he met Kane, who was only ten years old, as thin as a bamboo pole, yet dared not back down an inch in front of a man two heads taller than him.

"You're blocking my way."

Just this one sentence.

He was neither humble nor arrogant, and even seemed to take it for granted.

And standing in front of Kane at that time were him and Saan.

Two monsters who have survived on the edge of the Dark Continent.

Saan smiled and said, "This kid's interesting."

But he didn't laugh.

He simply looked into Kane's eyes.

Those eyes were confident... assertive... and a little arrogant...

But... there was no fear or awe.

..........

He later learned that Kane genuinely didn't know if he could beat them.

He just felt... there was nothing to be afraid of.

"You and that Kane kid are really alike."

Bolt's gaze passed over Fica and landed in the darkness further away, as if someone who was no longer there stood there.

Close your eyes.

That image flashed into my mind...

Kane stood at the bow of the ship, facing the wind, and turned back to smile at him.

"Bolt, do you think there's really something waiting for us on the Dark Continent?"

Those were the words they said before their last voyage.

He didn't answer at the time, but simply patted Kane on the shoulder and said:

"Whether it exists or not, let's go and see for ourselves."

After that... Kane never came back.

The sea breeze suddenly picked up, making Bolt's eyes a little dry.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

A hint of sadness flashed in his brown eyes, but it quickly returned to its unfathomable calm.

Kane is gone... but Saen and I are still here.

It seems we can't go back.

He looked down at his outstretched hands.

Countless vanished souls seemed to wail in his hands.

Kane... I feel like I've become a monster...

On the swaying deck, a deep, unyielding sadness returned to Bolt's eyes.

Is it a coincidence?

Or... is this some kind of revelation you've given me?

Bolt glanced at Fica again, silently confirming something in his mind.

The silvery moonlight was somewhat dim, but the torch in Bolt's heart had been rekindled.

"The night is still long... isn't it?"

Rustling sounds...

After an unknown amount of time, Fica slowly woke up after a shiver.

What... is wrong with me?

Once he regained consciousness, Fica used his hands to push himself up, but before he could straighten his arms, a series of sharp pains shot through his hands, causing him to lose his strength briefly and fall back down.

In this situation, he was suddenly at a loss.

"I advise you not to move around. If you move again, it might not just be a fracture..."

A calm, low voice reached his ears.

Fica turned his head and looked toward the source of the sound.

A handsome and refined young man with a weathered face and a cool, deep gaze came into his view.

"Who are you?"

Fica scrutinized the young man carefully, but couldn't recall where she had seen him before, so she asked him.

"Hmm... don't you recognize me?"

Bolt asked Fica with some surprise.

Do we know each other?

Fica hesitated for a moment.

"That shouldn't be the case..."

Bolt looked Fica up and down with some oddness. He was now wondering if Zet had gone too far and damaged Fica's brain.

"What do you mean 'shouldn't'... I didn't even know you before. Someone with such outstanding temperament, I would never forget you after just one meeting."

Fica instinctively avoided Bolt's gaze.

Why does this person's gaze give me a sense of oppression?

As Fica spoke, he backed away, trying to create some distance between himself and Boltla.

"Exceptional temperament?"

Bolt repeated Fica's words with a puzzled look...

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something.

Then, Bolt slowly walked to a porthole, lowered his head slightly, and began to examine himself.

A figure could be vaguely seen reflected in the hazy, yellowish window.

Black hair and black eyes, slender build, and deep-set features...

It has a distinctly mysterious aura.

"Oh...so the disguise has been removed."

Upon seeing himself in the mirror, Bolt murmured something as if he had just realized something.