As a female warrior who's constantly underestimated, Oby wants nothing more than to be one of the strongest hunters in the world. She gravitates towards robberies, animal poaching, and racketeering just to prove herself worthy. But one challenge she...
We arrive at a structure that's more rubble than building. This dump is the Phantom Troupe's hideout? Guess it's inconspicuous. From the looks of the stained glass window panes it used to be a church. All the spiders sit among the wreckage. Streams of light shine down on us, so bright it radiates through my body. Everything is warm and gray. Pakunoda and Machi walk ahead with the boys while Nobunaga and Phinks stand by me. I can feel Nobunaga's eyes on me, seeping through my clothes, hair, skin. Whenever I can, I keep my eyes lowered hoping he'll grow bored or Phinks will distract him with conversation, but he hasn't stopped staring since before the car ride over here.
"Do I know you?" he asked with me sitting in the middle of them in the car.
Of all the questions he asked about a chain user, my involvement with them, why I was following them, do I know you is the hardest.
"I don't think so," I lied. But I remember his face perfectly from the night he and Uvo came to the strip joint. A place called Sapphires. He liked his women cheap so there I was posing as one of the dancers. It was a rank place that always smelled like smoke and meat, bass vibrated through the walls and floor, everything was covered in blue light. Back then I wasn't strong enough to fight Uvo, or bring him in as my bounty single-handed, and even if I was, Nobunaga was there. He was so drunk it was comical, stumbling over women, climbing on stage, laughing at everything even a punch to the face. Yet Nobu kept his samurai sword on him at all times as if he could snap into kill mode at any minute.
So I took a different approach and practiced pole and aerial dancing for weeks so I could stand out. I was already a pretty good acrobat when it came to dance, but that kind of focused seduction—mid split, twerk, butterfly—was new to me. I remember crawling towards Uvo on stage in a navy blue teddy, arch in my back, glitter on my cheekbones and thighs, my skin the color of midnight, eyes like stars. Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison" played in the background. I was so arrogant, I just knew he didn't stand a chance. Looking back I was definitely too direct, obvious enough to warrant suspicion. And Uvo should've known he wasn't that special. Maybe he did know and just didn't care. When I laid in front of him, Nobu tried to touch me, a few singles in his hand, but Uvo pushed him away. I've only seen men have a This is mine look, and that look never left Uvo's face that night.
It was so many years ago, I'm surprised I remember this well. Between the drunkenness, bar fight, obscure lighting, other women, and erasure of time, I shouldn't be more than a shadow in Nobu's memory.
The other spiders stare down at us: Franklin, Shizuku, Feitan, Bonolenov, Shalnark, Kortopi...and of course Hisoka, who looks away from me like we're strangers passing each other by. It would be suspicious if we admitted knowing each other.
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"Hey!" Gon shouts, bright eyes batting towards Hisoka.
Idiot. Thankfully Killua covers for him, noting an arm wrestling match with Shizuku a few days ago. But it backfires when Nobu challenges Gon to arm wrestle with him. I'm glad his eyes are finally off me, but I hope he doesn't rough Gon up too much. Match after match Gon loses, his right hand bruised by a stone slab, eventually trickling blood. What's the point of this? Nobu must be trying to break him. Or take his frustrations from Uvo's death out on him. I know they were close, maybe the closest thing to best friends and brothers that each other had. But this has got to stop somewhere. Then out of nowhere Gon's nen kicks up, a clear flame engulfs his body and finally he manages to slam Nobu's hand down. Though Nobu seems impressed, Feitan , a short pale weasel of a man slams Gon down, threatening to break his hand. Killua gets ready to help, but Hisoka comes up behind him with a card cutting into his neck.
