"This is a real vacuum cleaner."
Hiding in the mirror space, Daniel Davis watched as Shalnark manifested a vacuum cleaner, cleaning the bloody and brutal hall until it was spotless in no time. He couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
During these past six months, Daniel had not only been cultivating his Nen abilities but also connecting with this world's mirror space. The magic from Kamar-Taj was simply a peeping artifact. If Sanji knew about it, he would probably do anything to obtain it. In a sense, it was even more enviable than the Clear-Clear Fruit. Of course, Daniel despised such uses; he was not that kind of person.
One had to admit, the Phantom Troupe members were indeed powerful. The five hundred people in the auction hall were all killed by Franklin alone with his Nen bullets. The Nen users hired by various underground forces couldn't resist at all and were torn apart by the bullets, a true moving human-shaped Gatling Buddha.
Daniel had no intention of saving the people in the hall. The participants of the first day's auction were all members of underground forces, and the auction items were unspeakable. Most were human body parts, such as the fiery red eyes of the Kurta Clan, a mummy of an ancient queen, and the skull of an ancient minority.
These were considered normal. More bizarre items included a piece of used tissue from a certain actor, which fetched a high price, even with DNA verification included. People spent big money to collect such things, making Daniel at a loss for words. The idea alone was stomach-churning.
And this tissue wasn't unique; there were many similar items. It had to be said, no matter the world, there were always people with very peculiar tastes. Just as some in the Marvel world were crazy about serial killer memorabilia, organ traders existed in the pirate world too.
"What's going on? Was our operation leaked?" After cleaning the battlefield, Phinks, Shalnark, and the others immediately rushed to the basement treasury on the third floor. The treasury door had been opened by Shizuku using her Nen ability to control the guards, but it was empty inside.
Facing this situation, Nobunaga and the others suspected someone had leaked the information. They had a brief argument, with Nobunaga's group suspecting the newcomer Hisoka, while Shalnark and Phinks trusted the leader's judgment and believed there couldn't be a mole.
"Carrying Others' Fate, that's quite a good ability." Daniel didn't care about their discussion. In fact, he couldn't hear them since they were in different spaces. His gaze was fixed on Shizuku, pondering her Nen ability.
The Phantom Troupe, as a thief group, had a very reasonable configuration of Nen abilities, including tanks, support, logistics, intelligence, medical, and even instant battlefield escape capabilities.
The leader's ability, Bandit's Secret, allowed for instantaneous movement of others.
It was impressive that a thief group could gather so many powerful Nen users. Leader Chrollo's ability was indeed formidable. However, the Phantom Troupe's actions were too brutal, exterminating entire families regardless of age.
All members of the Phantom Troupe deserved to die.
Unfortunately, due to their immense strength and unpredictable whereabouts, the Troupe members rarely suffered casualties except for the first four who were killed by Zoldyck's Silva. After that, the Zoldyck family stopped accepting assassination missions against the Troupe because it wasn't worth it.
When the first four members of the Troupe were assassinated, the leader sought out Silva not for revenge but to deter the Zoldyck family from taking future missions.
This proved effective, as the Zoldyck family rarely took on missions against the Phantom Troupe afterward. However, the Zoldyck family, being an assassination family, would still take the job if the price was right, just like how the Ten Dons later hired Zeno and Silva.
For the Zoldyck family, as long as the price was enough, they would even take on Netero. However, hiring them to assassinate Netero would likely cost a fortune.
In fact, this exorbitant price was just an excuse to avoid taking the mission. The Zoldyck family couldn't publicly admit they didn't dare to take on such missions. Although everyone knew the truth, it was another matter to say it out loud.
Daniel had no qualms about taking action against the Troupe, but now wasn't the right time.
The incident in the auction hall was quickly discovered by the underground forces' guards. Even without seeing the bodies, the disappearance of over five hundred auction participants raised suspicions. Moreover, the leaders of the Ten Dons and various forces had already received warnings about potential trouble at the auction.
Nion Nostrad's ability, Lovely Ghostwriter, could predict the future within a month. Many underground leaders had sought her predictions for this auction.
"Damn it, shoot them down!" The guards, seeing the hot air balloon above, opened fire, but the bullets couldn't reach the Troupe members due to the altitude.
"A sniper shot to the forehead didn't do any damage. Truly the Troupe's top tank."
In the Goludo Desert on the east side of Yorknew City, Uvogin engaged in a fierce battle with members of the underground forces. Alone, he slaughtered nearly three hundred men, their modern weapons proving useless against him. Pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles, and even rocket launchers had no effect as Uvogin withstood them all.
After the battle, Uvogin was unharmed except for his destroyed shirt. Such strength made him a rare expert even among enhancement-type Nen users.
As the underground forces were wiped out, the Ten Dons' top fighters, the Shadow Beasts, finally appeared.
"Their entrance is impressive, but they're too ugly." Worm, one of the Shadow Beasts, was completely naked, likely for his burrowing ability.
Each of the Ten Dons had a Nen user under their command, making up the Shadow Beasts. Their reputation in the underground world was greater than the Phantom Troupe's, but a bigger reputation didn't necessarily mean greater strength.
"Poor Shadow Beasts, their Nen abilities are powerful, but why so much talk? And their fundamentals are lacking." Watching Uvogin bite Worm to death, Daniel, standing with Kurapika and others, shook his head lightly.
"Ah." After killing Worm, Uvogin took a deep breath and used his Loud Bellow, instantly killing Porcupine, who was restraining his right fist.
"Big Bang Impact." With his right fist freed, Uvogin gathered a large amount of aura and punched the ground, causing a massive tremor and creating a ten-meter-wide crater. Worm, who was pulling his left arm, was killed by the impact underground.
Big Bang Impact was Uvogin's ultimate move, with a power comparable to a missile. Uvogin's dream was to one day make this punch as powerful as an atomic bomb, a dream he relentlessly pursued.
With Worm, Porcupine, and Leech dead, Rabid Dog tried to flee but couldn't outrun Uvogin, who smashed his head in one blow.
Rabid Dog's death was his own doing. His Nen ability made his teeth incredibly sharp, capable of piercing Uvogin's defense. If he had targeted Uvogin's head from the start, he might have killed him. However, they wanted to see their enemy's terrified expression under their abilities, giving Uvogin a chance to counterattack.
Despite knowing the Troupe members were still playing cards, the Shadow Beasts chose to fight. Their deaths were inevitable.
"This ability is too disgusting." The Shadow Beasts' abilities were powerful but off-putting, making Daniel disdainful. His only target here was the space-manipulating Beast, whose ability resembled Pym Particles.
"Kurapika's ability is perfect for surprise attacks. Worth learning." Just as Uvogin and Shalnark were discussing how to deal with the poison in Uvogin's body, chains suddenly wrapped around Uvogin, lifting him off the ground.
Using In to hide his aura, Kurapika silently attached his aura to the exhausted Uvogin, then materialized his chains in an instant, using a car to drag Uvogin away. This was his entire plan.
Caught off guard, the other Troupe members, even the swift Phinks, could only watch as Uvogin was taken. Only Machi reacted quickly, using her Nen threads to latch onto Kurapika's chains.
Machi's threads, in terms of length, could circle the Six Continents, much like a certain Saint's chains.
"Uvogin is really troublesome. Let's go save him." Confident in their strength, Nobunaga and the others weren't worried about Uvogin's safety.
Saying this, Nobunaga's group quickly moved forward, finding a vehicle belonging to the underground forces. The five of them got into the car and chased after Uvogin.
With their battle experience, they had activated Gyo the moment Uvogin was captured, naturally noticing Machi's actions.
Five people in a car, including Franklin's large frame. Machi and Shizuku sat in the front seats, while Phinks, Nobunaga, and Franklin sat in the back.
Daniel followed them from above on a flying broom, much quieter than a flying skateboard.
"They're here." As Machi and the others' vehicle approached Kurapika's, a figure descended from the sky, landing on the car's hood. A brown cloth large enough to cover the car fell, shrinking the vehicle until it became a pouch small enough to hold in a hand.
"Got it." The young man with sunglasses, preparing to pick up the pouch, suddenly sensed something and looked around, seeing four figures standing in front of
him.
"What speed." The young man, seeing this, realized these opponents were different from any he had encountered before.
"Let me out! Let me out!" The pouch on the ground squirmed with Nobunaga's shouts from within.
"Nobunaga's position was just too bad." Phinks, smiling, glanced at the pouch on the ground and then at the five unique figures behind the young man.
"It's his bad luck." Shizuku said expressionlessly.
Nobunaga, sitting in the middle of the back seat, had no time to escape when Phinks and Franklin opened the doors and rushed out.
"What a fascinating ability. The auction treasures should be with him. Don't kill him." Phinks said with a cold smile.
"Who will make the move?"
"Wait, I remember there are ten Shadow Beasts. There are six here, and there were four before. So who used the chains?" Shizuku interrupted Phinks.
"Looks like the one who captured Uvogin is someone else. No more hesitation, attack now." Machi said, summoning a Nen thread in her hand.
"Let's see who is faster." With Machi's words, Phinks was the first to move.
As Phinks moved, Shizuku, Franklin, and Machi also attacked, with Machi targeting the young man with sunglasses.
"This is the Troupe? Not so tough. Go!" As Phinks and the others attacked, the Shadow Beasts also moved. The young man with sunglasses, wanting to stop them, was too late as Machi's threads bound him instantly.
Phinks and the others quickly killed their opponents, with Phinks being the fastest, taking down three alone. Shizuku and Franklin each killed one.
"Only one looked human. The others were quite unique. Judging by their bodies, did they gain Nen abilities through baptism?"
With this thought, Daniel appeared behind Machi, grabbing her neck with his right hand while summoning the pouch containing Nobunaga with his left.
"Who?"
Sensing the sudden attack, Machi, with her strong intuition, quickly noticed. However, the difference in strength was too great. Despite sensing Daniel's presence, the next moment, his right hand had already grabbed her neck, knocking her unconscious.
With Machi unconscious, the threads binding the young man disappeared. Before he could smile, Daniel knocked him out too.
"An extra bonus." Holding a person in each hand, Daniel prepared to leave. Although it would be good to kill Phinks and the others here, it wasn't the right time yet.
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"Machi."
The remaining three members of the brigade immediately noticed the change in Machi's situation. As soon as Franklin spoke, Phinks had already charged towards Daniel Davis with incredible speed, his right hand forming a knife to slash at Daniel's neck.
Among the brigade members, in terms of speed, only the leader could surpass Phinks, and his arm strength ranked fifth among them.
"Shorty, not slow, huh." Facing the expressionless Phinks charging at him, Daniel chuckled. While speaking, he lightly tapped the ground with his right foot, retreating a step, and then raised his left foot to meet Phinks' hand-knife.
Perhaps the word "shorty" enraged Phinks, causing his momentum to rise even further, and his eyes to turn icy cold.
Bang.
In the next moment, Daniel's left foot collided with Phinks' hand-knife. Powerful energy burst from their point of contact, and then a cracking sound was heard. Phinks' right forearm broke, and Daniel's left foot kicked Phinks on the shoulder, sending him flying back at a speed no less than his initial charge.
"Phinks!" Phinks' body flew towards Franklin, who immediately stretched out his arms to catch him. Though he managed to catch Phinks, the force still dragged Franklin's feet across the ground for over ten meters, leaving deep marks.
"Strong, handsome, but a pity." Daniel shook his head slightly as he watched Phinks in Franklin's arms. He tapped the ground lightly, and in a few leaps, disappeared with Machi and Shizuku from the sight of the three brigade members. After ensuring no one else was around, he used Apparition to return to Yorknew City.
"Are you guys okay?" Shizuku, having just realized what had happened, quickly ran towards Franklin and Phinks.
"I'm fine. Phinks' injuries are serious, and Machi..." Franklin looked at the unconscious Phinks, worried and at a loss.
"Let's go back to find the leader." Shizuku suggested, both of them forgetting about the similarly captured Nobunaga.
"The combination of Nen and Haki is truly the way to go." Back in his hotel in Yorknew City, Daniel tossed Machi and Shizuku aside and began reflecting on his earlier actions.
The combination of Nen's Ken and Haki's Armament was something Daniel had been practicing since mastering Nen. Now it was paying off. Phinks' Ken was indeed strong, but unfortunately, there was a qualitative difference between his strength and Daniel's. Even without Nen, Daniel's martial arts alone would be enough to defeat the entire brigade.
Even if facing Netero at that time, purely in terms of martial arts, Netero wouldn't have been his match. The ceiling in the Hunter world was much lower than in the One Piece world.
The physical prowess from the One Piece world, coupled with the body conditioning from Kamar-Taj magic, formed a powerful foundation for Nen, drastically enhancing Daniel's strength. He was even considering testing his newfound strength against an Admiral when he returned to the One Piece world.
"Awake, huh?" In an abandoned building on the outskirts of Yorknew City, Daniel, wearing a mask, noticed Shizuku waking up and spoke softly.
"Who are you?" Shizuku took a few steps back, cautiously examining her surroundings and then looking at Daniel with a vigilant expression, though she didn't immediately use her Nen ability.
"You're smarter than the other Shadow Beasts. I rescued you from the brigade, but not for free. The price is that I want to see your Nen ability."
Facing Shizuku, Daniel didn't waste words, directly stating his purpose. He wasn't afraid of her refusal. If she were a good person, he might hesitate, but Shadow Beasts were different. Daniel wouldn't have any qualms about dealing with them. Unlike the brigade, the Shadow Beasts didn't have strong wills.
Although Daniel had decided to deal with the brigade, he had to admit that if the brigade weren't so indiscriminately murderous, they were quite an impressive organization. Daniel didn't care about their thefts. Even their massacre at the Yorknew City auction didn't bother him much.
Unfortunately, the brigade often targeted innocents. The Kurta Clan massacre was not an isolated incident in their hands.
The brigade acted wantonly and without restraint, killing indiscriminately even in public if they wished. They had no respect for life, a trait likely influenced by their upbringing in Meteor City. Daniel felt some pity for Meteor City but knew there was nothing he could do. Changing its status would require overthrowing the current V5.
Watching Shizuku demonstrate her Nen ability, Daniel began analyzing it with his own Nen. With Shizuku's explanations, his analysis progressed rapidly. Compared to Biscuit's magical beautician Cookie, Shizuku's ability was less complex.
"It's a materialization type."
"Incredible Convenience Cloth, what a magical ability. Too bad Shizuku is too weak. In the hands of someone like the leader or Hisoka, it would be much more valuable. Unfortunately, even though the leader obtained the ability, it disappeared after Shizuku's death."
The Hunter world had many wondrous Nen abilities, often in the hands of those with limited power. The effects of Nen abilities were unpredictable.
When the leader fought Hisoka later at Heaven's Arena, the Nen abilities he showcased weren't particularly powerful individually. However, when combined in his hands, they became deadly weapons against Hisoka.
"Since you're awake, there's no point in pretending anymore." In the same place, but this time with Machi. Unlike the compliant Shizuku, Machi immediately jumped up and charged at Daniel, wrapping him in her Nen threads.
"You're ruthless." Daniel chuckled, seeing the threads surrounding him, seemingly ready to tear him apart.
Machi's threads were impressive, but against Daniel's full-body Ken, they couldn't even scratch him, let alone harm him. Taking advantage of this, Daniel quickly analyzed Machi's threads. Compared to Shizuku's Incredible Convenience Cloth, Machi's threads were simple. Even without using his analysis ability, Daniel could replicate them with his understanding of Nen.
Machi's threads didn't have any special abilities; they were merely Nen turned into threads. Her ability to sew wounds was just an application of her thread manipulation.
"So that's how it is." With a slightly disappointed expression, Daniel tore the threads apart effortlessly.
"But since you're here, I might as well test Machi's ability." With this thought, Daniel took out the pouch containing Nobunaga and threw it. As the pouch opened, the surrounding cloth disappeared, revealing a black car in front of Daniel and Machi. As soon as the car appeared, Nobunaga slashed it open and jumped out.
Locked up for so long, Nobunaga was furious.
"So it's you. Machi, stay back." Freed, Nobunaga glared at Daniel, setting up a four-meter radius circle around himself.
"An iai technique, huh." Daniel smiled, sensing the aura around Nobunaga and watching his stance, then slowly stepped into Nobunaga's circle.
Nobunaga, a reinforcement type, was part of the brigade's assault and rear guard team. Compared to fellow brigade members Uvogin and Phinks, his physical attributes were weaker as he focused on his finger weapon, a high-level Nen technique called En.
Using his powerful En, combined with his circle's awareness and fast iai strikes, Nobunaga's strength shouldn't be underestimated. Although his circle's range was only four meters, it was his attack range, where he could exert maximum strength. Even Uvogin entering this range would struggle against Nobunaga's iai strikes.
As Daniel approached Nobunaga's circle, Nobunaga's aura became more concentrated, while Machi, now on the sidelines, watched with wide eyes.
Snap.
As Daniel's foot finally entered the circle, Nobunaga struck with a lightning-fast slash, his sword slicing towards Daniel's neck in a sure-kill move. However, just before the blade reached Daniel's neck, it stopped. No matter how much force Nobunaga used, the sword wouldn't move.
"Impossible!" Nobunaga stared in disbelief at Daniel's left hand, which had grabbed the back of the blade.
"Is this your ultimate move? Impressive, but unfortunately..." Daniel said, applying force with his left hand, breaking the blade. The next moment, he appeared behind Nobunaga, severing his right arm with a swift strike.
"Machi, are you okay?" Machi, seeing Nobunaga's arm fly off, was stunned for a moment before rushing to his side to stop the bleeding and numb the pain with her Nen threads.
"Aren't you going to reattach his arm?" Daniel calmly asked Machi as he discarded the broken blade.
Machi glared at Daniel, said nothing, and immediately threw her threads, retrieving Nobunaga's arm and stitching it back together with her ability.
"I see, Machi knows a lot about human anatomy." Daniel nodded, watching intently.
"Who are you?" Nobunaga asked cautiously once his arm was reattached.
"Do I need to explain? Who do you think would target your brigade?" Daniel glanced at Nobunaga and Machi, a cold smile on his face.
"An enemy of the brigade?"
"Correct. I've waited a long time for this day. I will kill every member of the brigade, leaving none alive. Now, tell me the names and abilities of the other members, and I might leave you with a whole corpse." Daniel's expression was as if he had a deep-seated hatred for the brigade. Using the brigade's numerous enemies as a reason was convenient since they couldn't remember all their foes.
"Kill me if you want, but don't expect me to betray my comrades." Nobunaga spat disdainfully on Daniel, even spitting in his direction.
"I didn't expect the despicable brigade to value comradeship. How amusing. You want to die? I can arrange that. But this beauty beside you, it would be a shame for her to die like that," Daniel said, his eyes scanning Machi up and down, a wicked smile on his face.
"What are you planning? Machi, run!" Nobunaga's face changed drastically at Daniel's words and expression. He charged at Daniel, yelling for Machi to escape.
"Too late to run now," Daniel said as five chains emerged from his left hand, instantly binding Nobunaga and Machi.
In terms of understanding chains, Daniel far surpassed Kurapika. Let's not forget, Kamar-Taj's magic included many chain-based spells. After mastering Nen, Daniel could materialize five chains like Kurapika.
Of course, his chains were ordinary, without Kurapika's special abilities. But combined with his Nen, even without the special effects, anyone caught by them couldn't escape. Daniel's En was also highly advanced.
"This environment is quite nice. Maybe we can have a chat about life, Miss Machi," Daniel said, pulling Machi to his side with the chains. He then waved his hand, binding Nobunaga to a nearby pillar, disconnecting the chain linking Nobunaga.
"You bastard, stop!" Nobunaga cursed at Daniel.
"Tell me the names and abilities of the other brigade members, and I'll spare her." Daniel stopped a few steps away, looking back at the cursing Nobunaga with a smile.
"Don't worry about me, Nobunaga," Machi shouted before Daniel could reply, but he quickly subdued her.
"I'll give you one minute to decide. Either tell me their names and abilities, or wait here while we discuss life," Daniel said. He didn't actually intend to do anything to Machi but was more than willing to scare Nobunaga.
"Fuck you! You think I'll betray my comrades?" Nobunaga spat, rage and determination clear in his eyes.
"Then you leave me no choice," Daniel sighed. His chains wrapped tighter around Machi, pulling her closer to him.
"Do whatever you want to me, but leave Machi out of this!" Nobunaga's voice cracked with desperation.
"Too late for that," Daniel said, pulling Machi into the abandoned building. Nobunaga continued to hurl curses, his voice echoing in the empty space.
Inside, Daniel released Machi from the chains but held her firmly by the arm. "Let's see if your loyalty is worth more than your life," he said, his tone cold.
"You won't get anything from me," Machi replied defiantly.
Daniel smirked, "We'll see about that." He left her momentarily to bind the entrance, ensuring no one would interrupt them. "Now, let's start with something simple. How about the names of your leader's abilities?"
Machi remained silent, her eyes burning with defiance. Daniel admired her spirit but knew he didn't have much time. The brigade members would soon realize something was amiss and come searching.
"Fine. If you won't cooperate, I'll just have to make you talk," Daniel said, his tone darkening. He didn't intend to hurt her seriously, but psychological pressure might do the trick.
Machi, though visibly tense, did not waver. Daniel sighed inwardly, admiring her resolve.
"I'll give you one last chance, Machi. Think about it. Your life for some information," Daniel offered one final time.
"I'd rather die than betray my comrades," Machi spat back.
Daniel nodded, respecting her decision, "Very well. Then I'll have to try a different approach."
He stepped back, contemplating his next move. The brigade's unity was stronger than he anticipated, and brute force would not break their spirit. Perhaps it was time to rethink his strategy.
For now, he decided to bind Machi securely and keep her as leverage, hoping to extract information when the brigade inevitably came for her. Daniel knew this confrontation was far from over.
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