The gold-rimmed glasses were back. A crisp suit, neat hair, and subtle makeup made Joey look nothing like himself. A cool aristocrat, unfamiliar even to friends.
The layout of the Black Whale (B.W.) was classified information in Kakin, but not hard to obtain. A little cash at the shipyard got him blueprints and passenger deck arrangements.
By his third day in Kakin, Joey had already memorized the ship's interior.
The B.W. had five levels:
First Level: Royalty and elite figures from V5 governments and corporations.
Second Level: Celebrities and wealthy civilians.
Third and below: General populace.
Once the voyage began, access between levels would be strictly controlled by the royal military. The wall between Levels Two and Three was especially thick. Even in emergencies, it could only be opened from Level Two.
Kakin had designed this ship to segregate the classes completely.
According to what Joey remembered from the manga, the princes' succession war would unfold in secret onboard.
That meant:
Level One and Two would become a battlefield.
Especially Level One, where the princes lived, would be a warzone of spies, assassinations, and Nen Beasts born from the Succession Ritual.
So ironically, Level One was the most dangerous place on the ship.
Joey's target was Level Two, fitting his current identity.
He had no intention of joining the Succession War—but just because the war started on top didn't mean the lower decks would be safe.
Between Kakin's criminal underbelly, the Phantom Troupe, Hisoka, Illumi, and Beyond Netero's faction, Joey knew the lower decks would soon turn into chaos.
He remembered: King Nasubi intended to offer all 200,000 passengers as a ritual sacrifice for the Succession War.
So for someone like Joey, Level Two was the sweet spot—dangerous but manageable.
As long as he stayed with the Hunter Association group, Kakin wouldn't be able to toy with all the ability users onboard.
His goal wasn't involvement in the war—just to reach the "Continent of Conjecture."
Because the B.W.'s true destination wasn't the Dark Continent.
V5 had prepared a false frontier, a distant new land not as dangerous as the Dark Continent but still filled with alien species and relics.
Perfect for explorers, dreamers, and investors.
Only the elite would realize it wasn't the real deal.
From there, only three ways led to the actual Dark Continent:
Obtain official passage, which was impossible.
Join the Hunter Association, which was closely monitoring Beyond.
Stow away, braving the journey on your own.
Joey had no interest in becoming a Hunter, and official permission was laughable.
That left only stowaway—and he wasn't even sure what kind of portal or "Gatekeeper" stood between conjecture and reality.
But with Ging and Zigg on his side, he felt confident he'd find a way.
He began networking among Kakin's wealthy class, flaunting his wealth and elegance.
He didn't have much, but in Kakin, a few billion jenny made you a respectable investor.
Using his charm and Nen, he manipulated a few deals, bought a Level Two ticket, and slipped into position.
Then something unexpected happened—he got a call from Mizai.
"You want me to protect a prince?" Joey raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a Hunter. They wouldn't even give me a real job."
He suspected Mizai had something more in mind.
"Let's talk face-to-face," Mizai said. "Three days?"
Joey nodded. "I'll be at HQ."
Three days later, back at his now fully-renovated villa near the Association HQ, Mizai and Kurapika arrived.
The mansion was livable at last. Smoke curled from the chimney.
Joey felt slightly guilty that Palm still handled all the cooking. She deserved a vacation after all this.
Mizai wore his signature cow-print suit—clearly owning multiples.
Kurapika was in a black suit, radiating quiet menace.
"Hello," Joey greeted, polite but keeping his distance. No handshake between Nen users.
"Apologies for the intrusion." Kurapika bowed slightly, offering a wrapped gift. "Killua said you just moved in."
"Appreciate it." Joey accepted.
He already knew Kurapika's powers were dangerous—but what made him truly fearsome was his mind.
Like Kite, Kurapika had razor-sharp intuition.
Joey could tell from their first few sentences that Kurapika had researched him deeply.
Not just "Weather Report."
Golden Experience—that's what mattered.
It wasn't just Mizai or Kurapika. Even Morel had once tried to recruit Joey into the Marine Division—all because of Golden Experience.
Healing. Intelligence gathering. Biological creation.
Its potential was enormous.
The question now was: who leaked this information?
Joey suspected either Killua or Mizai.
He doubted it was Killua. That wasn't his style.
He turned to Mizai.
"Don't look at me like that. Your abilities aren't a secret in the Association."
Mizai took out a file.
Joey opened it and groaned.
One entry:
Golden Experience
Grants life to inanimate objects; creates biological components.
Ideal for healing and espionage.
—Isaac Netero
And below that, in Netero's handwriting:
"Please use him generously during the voyage."
"Old geezer," Joey muttered.
Netero had seen it all coming.
He'd calculated Joey's trajectory from the beginning—likely with Kite's help.
Netero even informed Zigg Zoldyck of Joey's resistance to Ring transformation.
A hundred years of wisdom. You couldn't fight that.
So what was Netero's goal?
Ging and Zigg wanted Joey to kill the Gin-Gin.
Now the Association was solving his voyage problem for him.
All for Golden Experience.
Mizai confirmed it:
"I want you to assist Kurapika on Deck One. Your surveillance skills will be invaluable."
"Why the Prince Guard team?" Joey asked.
Why not join the Hunter team directly?
"Because the Association has moles," Kurapika said bluntly. "If you join officially, your identity becomes public."
"I can get you a clean alias."
Joey blinked. "You're being awfully honest."
"Killua and Gon trust you," Kurapika said simply. "That's enough for me."
Joey's expression grew serious.
"What do I get out of this?"
He wouldn't risk everything without profit.
Kurapika pushed forward a credit card.
"And permission to reach the Dark Continent."
Joey hesitated—then nodded.
"Alright. What identity? Which prince?"
"There are many weak ones. We don't know who's hiring. It's anonymous."
"Just get assigned to one. My agents will contact you onboard. Hopefully, we'll be in the same group."
Joey considered the likely candidates.
The weakest princes were obvious:
Prince 14 (Kurapika's target),
Princes 12 & 13 (young, powerless mothers),
Princes 10 & 11 (no ambition),
Prince 8 (pervert, unreliable).
Maybe Princes 6, 7, or 9 as wildcards.
"The rest?" Joey asked.
"They'll arrive at HQ in two days," Kurapika replied.