Two Realms: Hunters and Pirates

"Here they come, it's the Hunter Association's ship."

At that moment, a large ship sailed in from the distant sea. The examinees who had been waiting at the port immediately noticed it, and when they saw the Hunter Association insignia on the ship, they became excited.

After the ship docked and everything was checked to ensure there were no problems, the candidates boarded the ship one by one.

Some found a place to rest on the deck, while others went into the cabin.

Just like with Gon, Zane didn't take the initiative to chat up Kurapika.

After boarding the ship with Leorio, he casually found a clean spot on the deck and sat down.

"Zane, do you want to see?"

Leorio, who was sitting next to me, had somehow bought a few magazines and excitedly handed me one.

"No need, you can see for yourself." Zane waved his hand.

"Alright!" Seeing Zane refuse, Leorio shrugged and then flipped through the magazine with interest.

He bought this with his meager allowance to pass the time on his journey.

While Leorio was reading the magazine, Zain closed his eyes to rest.

After an unknown amount of time, a burst of lively farewell laughter made Zain slowly open his eyes.

It turned out that Gon had successfully boarded the ship and returned after being seen off by the residents of Whale Island, declaring that he had become the world's number one hunter.

"Hahaha...the world's number one hunter!"

"Kid, you underestimate the hunter."

"That's right. Every year, millions of skilled individuals gather from all over the world for the Hunter Exam, but only a very small number are ultimately selected."

"Don't talk big, little brother!!"

"Hahaha....."

Xiao Jie's declaration was naturally heard by the examinees on the deck as well, and it immediately drew ridicule from many of them.

"Zane, isn't that the kid who caught the big fish yesterday? He's so young, yet he's participating in the hunter test!"

Leorio, who was looking at a magazine, looked up and was quite surprised to see Gon. He couldn't help but nudge Zane next to him with his elbow.

"Haven't you heard that the most dangerous people to mess with in this world are women, children, and the elderly? Don't say I didn't warn you, if this kid were to fight you, you'd probably be beaten to a pulp," Zane said quietly.

Leorio said speechlessly, "Am I really that weak in your eyes? I admit that this kid does have some strength, but to say that he beat me to a pulp is too exaggerated."

"Facts speak louder than words. If you're brave enough, go up and fight him," Zane joked.

Leorio shook his head repeatedly, glanced at Gon across from him, and said, "I'm not falling for your tricks. Besides, I don't want to be branded as someone who bullies children."

The two chatted and joked for a while until the ship set sail and gradually sailed away from Whale Island.

"A storm is coming! Everyone, get into the cabin immediately!"

"What bad luck, to run into a storm at this time."

"Stop talking nonsense. It would be a real injustice if you fell into the sea later."

"......"

After the ship set sail, Zain continued to rest with his eyes closed, but only half a day later, an accident occurred.

Not long ago, the weather was sunny and bright, but suddenly, dark clouds drifted in from afar, obscuring the sky.

Accompanied by lightning and thunder, a strong wind quickly rose on the sea, whipping up huge waves.

On deck, the sailors quickly steered the ship and shouted for the examinees to take refuge in the cabins.

"trouble!"

When Zain saw the approaching storm at sea, he curled his lip.

In this situation, it's hard not to think of the shipwreck he encountered back then.

While it won't leave any lasting psychological trauma, it will still make me feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Without hesitation, Zane immediately stood up and beckoned Leorio to enter the cabin together.

A torrential downpour occurred.

Besides the noise of the torrential rain hitting the ship's hull, the entire ship was shaking violently as if it were on a roller coaster.

Such commotion naturally caused chaos inside the cabin.

The candidates tumbled and rolled around in a sorry state as the boat rocked, trying to grab onto something nearby. Some even vomited from the ordeal.

For a moment, a strange and unpleasant smell filled the cabin.

"I think I'll go out!"

Zain looked at the people vomiting not far away, then reluctantly got up and headed towards the exit.

Although it was raining heavily outside, it wasn't much better inside.

Zain would rather go outside in the rain than be contaminated by vomit.

"Hey? It's too dangerous outside. You might fall into the sea if you're not careful," Leorio quickly warned Zane as he went outside.

"It's okay, just take care of yourself."

Zane waved his hand without turning his head, then quickly opened the door and walked out of the room.

The hallway outside the room.

As soon as Zane stepped out, he saw the captain, with a bulbous nose, a pipe in his mouth, and his hands in his pockets, walking towards him.

"Hey, why aren't you in your room?" The captain with the red nose asked in surprise when he saw Zane emerge from the cabin as if nothing had happened, despite having just experienced a violent rocking.

"It's nothing, I just came out for some fresh air. The smell inside is really unbearable." Zane smiled slightly, then gave a thumbs up and pointed to the room behind him.

The captain with the red nose immediately understood and laughed loudly, "You are all candidates who will take the Hunter Exam. You can't be so bad as to not be able to stand a little bit of smell."

"But there are other options, aren't there?" Zane shrugged and walked past the other person.

"Wait, what's your name?"

The captain with the red nose turned around and looked at Zane's back as he spoke.

"Zane!" Zane waved without turning his head and announced his name.

"Zane...it seems there's a promising candidate among this year's examinees." The captain with the red nose took a drag of his cigarette and sighed as Zain's figure disappeared from sight.

After saying that, he withdrew his gaze, walked to the cabin door, opened it, and looked out.

What came into view was a scene of utter chaos, with groans of the test-takers everywhere.

The captain with the red nose clicked his tongue a few times.

Sure enough, Zane was just an exception; most of the candidates were just there to make up the numbers.

"Oh? It seems there's more than one promising talent."

Suddenly, when the captain with the red nose carefully surveyed the cabin, he felt a surge of satisfaction upon seeing Leorio flipping through a magazine, Kurapika lying quietly in a hammock reading a book, and Gon actively taking care of a seasick student.

.........

Stepping out of the cabin, it was still dark outside, but the wind and waves were much smaller than before.

The rain hit him hard, and Zain was quickly soaked.

But compared to the odor and dampness of the cabin, Zain didn't mind a little rain at all.

Before he could catch his breath for long, a sailor came to find him and led him to the captain's cabin.

"Alright, tell me your names first. Oh, right, Zane, no need, we've already met."

The captain with the red nose stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the four people standing opposite him with great interest.

Halfway through his sentence, he gestured with his chin towards Zain again.

This statement, besides being heard by Leorio, also drew sidelong glances from Gon and Kurapika towards Zane, who had his arms crossed.