THE ZOLDICK FAMILY 4

Gon stands in the foreground with arms flung wide and a bright, confident smile. His spiky black hair and casual outfit are clearly visible as he leans slightly forward. Directly behind him, a massive crocodile rears up with jaws open wide, sharp teeth exposed and one large eye staring ahead. The crocodile's scaly body curves around Gon's shoulder and back. At the bottom of the page the chapter information is printed: №043 THE ZOLDICK FAMILY 4.

A dark mountain range looms under a cloudy sky. Leorio stands with Gon and Killua, his eyes wide in shock as he blurts out 'HUH?!'. Nearby, a curly-haired figure in a suit gazes at a sprawling mansion on a hill and declares, 'THIS IS IT.' The group walks along a winding stone path lined with bushes toward the grand entrance of the large estate. At the bottom of the page, five stern men in dark suits stand in a row before the wide doors of the mansion, waiting silently under the overcast sky.

Five close-up portraits show the stern faces of the suited men, each with a neutral or serious expression. The men bow deeply in unison, greeting the visitors with 'GOOD EVENING...'. Several teacups sit on a tray inside the mansion. A narration box explains that the butlers were asked to welcome the guests after an earlier incident. Leorio stands outside the ornate multi-story building, looking up at its clock tower and windows while holding a hand near his face.

In the grand entrance hall of the Zoldyck property, a tall butler gestures politely and says, "MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME." Leorio, Gon, Killua, and Kurapika sit on a sofa facing several formally dressed staff members. Leorio leans forward and states, "We came here to see Killua." A young curly-haired butler replies, "We are really pleased by your attention, but..." Another staff member adds, "No, this place is only for employees." Killua asks, "We aren't in the Zoldycks' residence?" A mustached butler responds, "That won't be necessary." Leorio presses further, "If it's possible, could you take us to the main residence now?" The mustached butler then announces, "Killua-san is coming this way."

Gon, Killua, and Leorio huddle together while a butler confirms, "YES." Gon reacts with surprise, "REALLY?!" The butler continues, "PLEASE WAIT FOR A LITTLE WHILE." Leorio mutters, "WELL." In a close-up, Leorio adjusts his glasses and proposes, "SO WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF I PROPOSED A LITTLE GAME?" He adds, "INACTIVITY MAKES THE WAIT SEEM LONGER." Leorio suddenly stands, flips his chair with a loud "CATCH" and "SLAT," startling Gon and Killua. The two boys stare as Leorio asks, "A GAME?"

The suited butler sits in his chair and points left, declaring the coin's location. Gon and Killua watch closely as he asks which hand holds the coin. He then suggests speeding up the game. The children confirm he is correct. The butler suddenly moves at blinding speed, his hands blurring as the coin vanishes and reappears. A sharp SLAT sound effect marks the lightning-fast swap. A massive close-up shows the butler's powerful hand snatching the coin mid-air with incredible precision. Gon and Killua lean forward, still focused. The butler raises his fists and asks which hand now holds the coin. Gon answers that it is still the left hand.

Applause breaks out as the butler and another man clap, congratulating the boys. The butler announces it is time to begin the serious things. A sudden violent clash erupts as multiple fists collide at high speed, creating sharp impact lines and a SHOCK effect. Gon, Killua, and Kurapika react with surprise and concern. Leorio rubs his chin thoughtfully. The butler catches another strike and questions the situation. Off-panel voices discuss whether the butler might have paternal feelings toward Killua, prompting the butler to respond with a curt 'SO?' while maintaining his defensive stance.

The glasses-wearing man with spiky hair stands against a black background, fists clenched tightly before him. "I HATE YOU," he declares. "YOU WHO ARE TRYING TO TAKE KILLUA AWAY FROM ME." In the next panel a blindfolded figure leans forward and commands, "ANSWER. WHICH HAND?" The blonde girl stares intently and replies, "LEFT HAND." The man’s hand is shown open, a small cracked object resting in the palm as the sound effect "CRACK" rings out. He continues, "I EASILY SENSED THAT SHE HAD HER HEART BROKEN. MADAM... SHE HAD SUCH A WEAK FORCE..."

The glasses-wearing man presses a hand to his temple, eyes closed in frustration. "I CAN'T ACCEPT IT," he states. He then declares, "I'M GONNA JUDGE MY WAY. BEFORE KILLUA-SAN COMES, WE'LL FINISH IT." A pair of hands grips a long rod or sword against a striped background while the sound "TAC" appears. The man continues, "IF YOU'RE MISTAKEN ONCE, SHE'S KILLED." The curly-haired girl and spiky-haired boy sit on a couch as the man swings the rod with a loud "SLANG," warning, "IF YOU ARE ELIMINATED ONE BY ONE BEFORE KILLUA-SAN COMES..."

A dark silhouette looms, declaring, "AND YOU WILL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN." Another voice adds, "WE'LL TELL KILLUA-SAN YOU LEFT." In the next panels, a spiky-haired man snaps, "SHUT UP," while another replies, "BUT KILLUA..." The scene shifts to a spacious room where a suited man with glasses addresses the seated group, stating, "SO IT'S USELESS AND IDIOTIC TO THINK YOU CAN REFUSE MY PREPOSITION. YOU ARE STILL ALIVE BECAUSE WE CHOOSE YOU TO BE." Suddenly the suited man lunges forward with a powerful strike, the impact exploding across the page in bold "SLAT SLAT" lettering as debris flies and small reaction panels capture shocked faces below.

The suited man with glasses raises his fists and demands, "WHICH HAND?" Gon stares in confusion and answers, "I DON'T KNOW." The man warns, "YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO ANSWER. DON'T USE THE CLOCK." After a brief "OK," he orders, "SO, CUT HER THROAT." Kurapika and Gon react with "SO DO I." and "ME, THE RIGHT." while another voice chooses, "I CHOOSE LEFT." A sharp "WAIT!!" interrupts. In the final panel the man spreads his arms wide, announcing, "ALREADY ONE ELIMINATED. HERE WE ARE..." as light bursts from his hands.

The suited man extends his arm and flicks an object with a sharp PATCH and FLICK. Gon and Killua stare in shock as a blinding flash erupts. A massive impact effect fills the panel with the words I CAN'T SEE!! and IMPOSSIBLE! echoing across the page. Killua, eyes narrowed, declares I CHOOSE THE RIGHT. Gon points firmly and says I CHOOSE THE LEFT. The suited man stands with radiating speed lines, fists clenched, and asks WHICH HAND? as Gon mutters HNN.

Zebulo announces ONLY ONE REMAINING... and states THE RIGHT ANSWER WAS LEFT. He extends his hand toward the boys. Gon reacts with wide eyes and sweat drops, shouting WAIT!! as Zebulo prepares to throw a tag labeled TAC. Gon turns to Leorio and asks LEORIO, GIVE ME YOUR KNIFE. Zebulo replies IF YOU WANT TO WIN SOME TIME, WE'LL KILL SOMEONE. WHAT? Gon insists I DON'T HAVE ANY BAD INTENTIONS. Leorio answers DON'T WORRY. Zebulo catches the thrown knife with a CATCH and PITCH sound effect.

The suited man’s eyes widen in shock as motion lines burst around him. Killua’s hand darts forward with a knife, the blade flashing as he makes a precise cut near his own face accompanied by a sharp SLATCH. A young girl with light hair watches tensely, sweat on her cheek, and remarks that Killua is removing the blood to make his eye less swollen. Killua, bandages across his face and a determined stare, holds up the small extracted piece and declares, 'YOU CAN PLAY NOW.' He adds with a confident grin, 'I'M READY. NOW I CAN SEE BETTER.' The suited man lunges, blades flashing with repeated FLIT sounds. Killua counters with swift movements while the man shouts 'HM!' and demands 'WHICH HAND?' as their clash intensifies.

The suited man continues speaking, asking if Killua is still fine after the previous exchange. Killua points left with a sharp motion and confirms the direction. The man acknowledges 'CORRECT' while gesturing with both hands. In the background, two observers react with surprise. Suddenly a massive impact labeled TADAN erupts across the panel, sending shockwaves and debris flying. The suited man stands firm amid the chaos while two other men are thrown back. Below, Killua and two companions watch from the foreground, their faces showing shock as a large exclamation mark appears beside them.

Three suited men stand in a row with fists clenched. The rightmost man turns his head and asks, "SO, WHO HAS THE COIN?" In a close-up, Gon Furiously concentrates with a bandage on his cheek and mutters "HM..." A panel shows the bespectacled man from the side also thinking "HM..." while another panel reveals a hand flipping a coin. The bespectacled man points over his shoulder and declares, "THE ONE BEHIND ME, RIGHT?" Below, Gon sits on a chair with a bright smile, raising his thumb in approval while the man in the suit points at him.

The grand hall echoes with thunderous applause as numerous hands clap and the word "MAGNIFICENT!!!" bursts across the page. The goateed man bows slightly and says, "PLEASE FORGIVE ME. THE BAD JOKE LASTED TOO LONG." Killua shouts "KILLUA!" while Gon yells "GON!!" The bespectacled man removes his glasses and asks, "DIDN'T WE MANAGE TO HAVE A GREAT TIME?" but adds "BUT..." Killua stares in shock, the goateed man smiles calmly, and Leorio erupts in anger shouting "YOU DON'T SAY!" "WHAT A HEART-POUNDING GAME..." and "WHAT?! ALREADY?!"

Gon bursts forward with arms spread wide, shouting excitedly. "PLUS LEORIO!! KURAPIKA!! GON !!!" Leorio's voice calls out from off-panel, "LONG TIME NO SEE! YOU MANAGED TO GET HERE, BUT YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR FACE!" Gon replies, "YOURS ISN'T SO GREAT EITHER!" The suited man explains, "BECAUSE HERE, MY MOTHER CAN'T RELEASE ME. SO, WE SHOULD LEAVE, NE? WHEREVER, BUT LET'S GO!" Gon turns and says, "SO, SEE YA! BY THE WAY, GOTO, DON'T LISTEN TO MY MOTHER, WHATEVER SHE SAYS." The man bows slightly, replying, "HAVE A GOOD TRIP. I UNDERSTAND." Gon looks back and asks, "YOU'LL BE SAD NOT TO BE ABLE TO SEE KILLUA, WON'T YOU?" The man answers, "GOTO-SAN." Gon suddenly yells, "LIAR!" The suited man states calmly, "NOT AT ALL. AS EMPLOYEES, WE DON'T FEEL... ...ANYTHING TOWARDS OUR MASTERS."

The suited man holds up two small round objects and asks, "WHICH HAND?" Gon lunges forward as the man catches something with a "CATCH" sound and a "SLAT" impact. The man says, "GON !" Gon stares in surprise. The man continues, "BUT... IT'S A TRICK... NO ... LEFT, ISN'T IT?" Gon is shown restrained or reacting with shock. The man warns, "BE CAREFUL. THE WORLD ISN'T MADE OF ONLY HONEST THINGS." In a wide panel the man stands with his back turned and says, "KILLUA-SAN. TAKE CARE OF..." Gon watches with a serious, concerned expression.