Ronin could not hand the team over to Ging just because Ging was strong and impressive.
So this matter had to be made clear from the very beginning.
"Of course," Ging said, having no objection at all. But he also stated his own demand. "But I have to be the vice-captain."
When Ronin looked toward Kurapika, Kurapika immediately gave his stance.
"I have no objections."
However, both Ronin and Kurapika knew that the current situation was within their expectations.
In fact, this was exactly the kind of situation they were happy to see.
Ging's instincts were extremely sharp. In an instant, he saw through the little exchange between Ronin and Kurapika. He simply had no intention of exposing it.
Because this was also what he wanted to achieve.
"Okay. Welcome aboard." Ronin extended his hand.
Ging also reached out in response. After the two shook hands briefly, Abaki walked out of the cabin carrying food.
"To celebrate you joining us, let's have a party!" Ronin suggested directly.
The food they prepared was mainly seafood, paired with some alcohol. Out on the sea, it had a charm of its own.
Ging blended in very quickly. In only a short while, Abaki had already begun learning from him how to control Nen with greater precision.
Neon brought up some questions she had about her own training at just the right time. Even Ronin and Shizuku listened with great interest from the side.
After all, Ging was someone who had taught an excellent Hunter like Kite, so he answered Ronin and the others' questions with ease.
And this behavior of his was intentional.
On one hand, it increased everyone's goodwill toward him. On the other, it strengthened his position in their minds.
Another key point was that through these conversations and questions, he could better understand the members of the team.
Ronin and Kurapika both understood Ging's intentions, and even patiently cooperated with him.
What they were about to face next was not only the trial mission issued by the Gatekeeper, but also the enormous pressure of the Dark Continent.
Only by twisting everyone in the team into one rope could they better welcome everything that was about to happen.
However, Ronin was also curious about something.
Now that Ging had been dragged away by them, when Gon began searching for his father, would he still be able to find Ging?
By the time the sky began to pale with the light of dawn, the welcome party had long since ended.
Kurapika continued steering the small ship forward, with only Abaki accompanying him by his side.
Everyone else had gone to rest.
Next, Ronin would act in a group with Shizuku, while Neon would act together with Ging.
This arrangement was made so they could adapt as soon as possible to the situation after reaching the unexplored waters.
After all, according to the information Ronin had obtained from the manga, once the ship entered the unexplored waters, the threats they would face would not only come from the ocean, but also from birds of prey in the sky.
The ship sailed for a month, and all they could still see was the sea.
Over that month, Ronin and the others had long since gotten tired of seafood. Some of the food stored inside Shizuku's space that was not suitable for long-term storage had also been nearly eaten up.
However, according to the nautical chart, there was still a small island near the unexplored waters. They could purchase more supplies there.
The problem was that if people like Ronin, who were trying to illegally travel to the Dark Continent, were discovered near that island, then forget buying supplies. Not getting hunted down would already be a good outcome.
So the best way to obtain supplies was to sneak in quietly, get what they needed, and disappear quickly.
Ronin was very familiar with this kind of mission.
In the end, the people chosen to go to the supply point were Ronin, Ging, and Shizuku.
Ronin would use the Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique to carry them down from the sky under cover of night. Shizuku would be responsible for putting the supplies into Blinky and carrying them away. As for Ging, he would rely on his experience to quickly determine where they could obtain supplies fastest.
If necessary, Ging also said he could lure the enemy away.
Ronin really wanted to say there was no need to make things so troublesome, because he could simply summon a giant snake as cover.
But since Ging had volunteered, he did not stop him.
The ship slowly stopped while it was still quite far from the supply island. Only after night fell did Ronin take the two of them into the sky.
Shizuku felt nothing special about it. This was not Ronin's first time flying, after all. Ging, on the other hand, found it very novel. He had not expected Ronin to possess such a miraculous ability.
Kurapika had already turned off all the lights on the ship. If necessary, he had also prepared a signal flare. Once the flare was launched, it would mean Kurapika was preparing to abandon ship.
Under the cover of night, the three of them flew extremely fast through the air.
After only about half an hour, they could already see the beams from the lighthouse at the supply station sweeping through the sky. Avoiding the searchlights, Ronin chose a dark area on the small island where the supply station was located and landed there.
Afterward, Ging made a hand signal to the two of them, then quickly disappeared into the night.
Ronin and Shizuku did not hurry away. Instead, they waited patiently in place.
A dozen minutes later, Ging reappeared in front of them.
Without wasting words, he beckoned, and Ronin and Shizuku followed him.
It was already past midnight. The island was quiet, with only the occasional flash of searchlights and the guards standing watch on the sentry towers remaining alert.
Ging seemed to have used the previous dozen minutes to scout the entire island. As he led Ronin and Shizuku forward, he easily avoided every dangerous spot.
When he stopped, they were already in front of a large warehouse.
From here, they could still hear shouting from inside the warehouse. Peeking in, they could see several shirtless guards playing poker.
Farther inside the warehouse, there were also guards on duty. However, those people were not especially alert either. After observing for a bit, one could see them yawning from time to time.
Aside from the guards and the people gathered nearby to gamble, the rest of the warehouse was filled with neatly stacked goods.
Ging beckoned to the two of them again, then slipped into the warehouse and moved along the shadows of the shelves.
After exchanging a glance, Ronin and Shizuku followed.
Soon, Ging led the two of them to a sneaky-looking man.
This man was one of the warehouse managers living at the supply station. If they did not want to obtain supplies by force, then making a deal with him was the best choice.
Ronin could not help sighing in admiration at Ging's ability.
In such a short time, Ging had completely figured out the situation on the island and even found someone they could trade with.
Ronin had prepared not only supplies, but also some gold, jewels, and Jenny.
But after the goods and payment had been exchanged, the other party showed no intention of leaving. Even the shrewd look in his eyes from earlier changed, becoming malicious.
However, when Ronin saw the man's expression, he smiled instead.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!