The most important thing was that this cute little airhead, Shizuku, was extremely forgetful. She had a short-term memory problem, and sometimes she could not even remember other people's names. She would also quickly forget things she herself had said.
So as long as he told her something like, "This is a secret just between the two of us," she would definitely forget it completely.
That was exactly why Ilo had not hesitated at all to knock out the big guy, Franklin. The man had been staying by Shizuku's side the whole time.
"What do you want to say?" Shizuku asked calmly.
"Do you remember the first time we met?"
"The first time we met? I forgot~"
Just as expected.
Without showing anything on his face, Ilo continued, "Then do you know why Franklin's fingertips can fall off instantly and turn into gun barrels that fire strange bullets?"
Ilo had no memory whatsoever of Nen abilities, so when he first met Franklin, and when he saw that bandaged freak he killed create Jupiter, he had found it all very strange.
This was probably some kind of mysterious power.
"You mean Franklin's Nen ability, Double Machine Gun?" Shizuku blinked.
For certain special people and things, Shizuku still remembered them clearly, such as the Phantom Troupe's members.
"Yes! Nen abilities! Can you tell me the Nen abilities of everyone in the Phantom Troupe, along with their related information?"
"Information? Don't you already know?"
"No, I don't. So this is a secret just between the two of us. Don't tell anyone else, okay~?"
"I see. All right."
As Shizuku explained things to him, Ilo's eyes lit up more and more.
So that was how it was. This was the Phantom Troupe. Every single one of them really did have an odd personality.
Looking at the strange vacuum cleaner, Blinky, that Shizuku had manifested specifically to explain her own Nen ability to him, Ilo felt very satisfied.
"Once I know their situation, it'll definitely help with the work ahead. Then I'll be able to complete the task Lord Roy assigned me much faster!"
...
A few minutes later, after Ilo had deeply memorized all the information Shizuku had told him about every member of the group, he was in an excellent mood.
Once Ilo had obtained all the relevant information, Franklin's body twitched slightly in the stream. Then he suddenly leaped up and put quite a bit of distance between them.
After rapidly checking his body over once, Franklin immediately detached his fingertips and aimed the dark gun barrels at Ilo, who was sitting there completely at ease.
"What did you do to me, you bastard?!"
Franklin's voice was low and full of anger.
"Nothing much. I just saw that your neck seemed a little crooked, and since we're both members of the same Troupe, I helped straighten it for you. I just didn't expect you to be so fragile that you passed out on the spot."
Ilo lied without even blinking.
"You think I'm an idiot?!"
Franklin barked.
"What else, then? What do you think I did? Is there anything wrong with your body right now? Did I try anything improper with you or Shizuku? To be honest, with the strength you two have, I could kill both of you in less than three rounds."
Ilo sounded openly disdainful.
Franklin fell silent. He remembered the scene of Bonolenov being killed. This man really was very strong. With his strength, there was no need for him to knock Franklin unconscious first if he wanted to do something unfavorable to them.
As for having some ulterior motive for joining the Troupe, this man already knew that the Troupe would gather in Yorknew City on August 31. If he really had some plan, he would have already gone there in advance to make preparations.
Then why did he knock me out? What exactly is he trying to do?
Franklin's face darkened. At the same time, he glanced at Shizuku and found that although she still looked adorably vacant, it was as if nothing at all had happened.
That let him relax a little, but his expression still did not improve.
"You may have joined the Troupe, but we still don't know you well. So we'll be keeping an eye on you and staying on guard at all times."
"Sure, sure. Only natural~"
Ilo replied casually with a smile.
"Shizuku, while I was unconscious, what did this man do?"
"What did he do?" Shizuku blinked her big eyes. "He didn't do anything at all."
Hearing Shizuku's answer, Franklin fell silent again, while the corners of Ilo's lips curved upward slightly.
Sure enough, soft and cute women really were easy to talk to.
As time quietly passed, the little secret remained behind.
After Gon Freecss and Killua Zoldyck finished learning Nen and caused a sensation in Heavens Arena, they ran into Hisoka.
However, during the Hunter Exam, Hisoka's attention had been focused entirely on Roy and Android 18. On top of that, since he no longer had those fateful encounters with Gon Freecss in Milsy Wetlands and Zevil Island, his interest in Gon Freecss and Killua Zoldyck only reached the level of mild curiosity.
Later, the battle between Hisoka and Kastro allowed Killua Zoldyck and Gon Freecss to witness Hisoka's true strength. And although Gon Freecss was reckless, he was not stupid, so he naturally would not go provoking Hisoka again. Thus, the two sides skillfully avoided each other once more.
After training enough in Heavens Arena, Gon Freecss and Killua Zoldyck said goodbye to Wing and Zushi and set out on the road back to Whale Island.
Meanwhile, after gathering information through various channels, Kurapika finally chose the Nostrade Family.
That was because the family's young lady had a hobby of collecting human body parts and organs.
After going through a round of applications and selection, Kurapika became one of the Nostrade Family's bodyguards, just as expected, and prepared to attend the grand auction in Yorknew City on September 1.
Meanwhile, back in Old Silver Mountain City, at Shonen Magazine—
Roy had already begun working on the next few chapters of manga.
With Dragon Ball's explosive popularity as a foundation, as long as the manga Roy drew next was not too outrageous or too terrible, there would not be any real problem. The fans were very willing to support him.
When Dragon Ball had first started becoming a huge hit, Roy had not begun drawing any other manga because he was worried that another series might steal Dragon Ball's spotlight. Even if nothing could truly surpass Dragon Ball, a classic was still a classic. Even if it was not on Dragon Ball's level, it could still affect it to some degree, which would greatly reduce what Roy could gain from Dragon Ball.
(End of Chapter)
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