My Life

Against a black background, the helmeted figure stares forward with piercing eyes and declares "IF YOU LOSE... YOU GIVE ME YOUR LEFT ARM." The lower panels show the spiky-haired boy's shocked reaction with sweat drops and motion lines, followed by a wide shot of an empty floor marked with multiple dark arrow-like symbols pointing downward.

A large close-up of a single intense eye fills the top of the page against black, accompanied by the narration 'DESIRE AND FEAR.' and 'THE THINGS THAT STEAL AWAY A PERSON'S BREATH....' Below, the spiky-haired boy Gon stands with his left arm labeled, looking distressed and clutching it. He faces a helmeted man whose face is partially visible. Narration continues: 'DESIRE BLINDS THEM. FEAR PARALYZES THEM.' Gon hunches over, visibly upset, as the helmeted man watches him. The boy cries out in confusion, tears and motion lines emphasizing his panic: 'WHAT SHOULD I DO~~~~?' and 'WAA AAA AA!' The helmeted man leans in, asking 'WHY ARE YOU SO CONFUSED?' and 'BECAUSE ~~~~' Gon, still emotional, questions 'WHAT IS IT?' and '...WHAT?' He then resolves, 'CAN I JUST BET WHAT I ALWAYS DO? INSTEAD OF MY LEFT ARM.'

The spiky-haired boy Gon leans forward with eyes closed, declaring 'MY LIFE.' in a large speech bubble. The helmeted man reacts with wide eyes and visible shock lines. Gon continues explaining: 'BUT I THINK IT'S RATHER RUDE...' and 'IF I LOSE, I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU MY LIFE.' The helmeted man demands 'EXPLAIN IT FROM THE BEGINNING.' and states 'I DON'T UNDERSTAND.' Gon replies 'SIMPLY PUT, IT KEEPS ME ALIVE.' and 'I REALLY CAN'T DO ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR GUN-GI.' The helmeted man reacts with 'AH~~~' In the final panels, background figures of a crowd appear as Gon elaborates on the tournament: 'IT MEANS WE CAN'T LOSE EVEN ONCE.' and 'TO BE CHOSEN AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COUNTRY, WE NEED TO WIN A TOURNAMENT MATCH.' He adds that even world champions earn little domestically, while the helmeted man listens intently.

In a barren rocky landscape under a vast sky, several figures stand scattered across the terrain. One person carries a large rectangular object while others linger in the distance. A voice reflects on family burdens: "Out of my family of twelve, I'm making the most money. But if I lose just once, I'll be a huge burden for them." The scene shifts to close panels of a spiky-haired boy speaking intensely. He declares, "I'll be less than a nobody; I'll be trash. But, in my case... 'A gun-gi champion becomes a nobody after one loss.' There's a gun-gi prover that says:" A helmeted figure listens silently. The boy continues with a determined expression, "That's just what my parents always tell me. Oh! Don't worry." In a dramatic silhouette panel, the boy states, "I decided that I'll kill myself if I ever lose. ...So when I chose to become a professional player... Which is...?" The helmeted figure reacts with visible surprise as the boy concludes, "So, if that's the case, there's one problem."

The helmeted figure raises an arm while speaking to the spiky-haired boy, who looks down with a troubled expression. The boy replies, "You don't have to worry about that. Anyway, do you have any idea as to what you would like, should you win?" The helmeted figure responds with ellipses. The boy continues, "So it's like I'm betting trash. Once I lose, I'm worth nothing. I think it's pretty rude..." A small panel shows the boy's surprised face. The scene darkens as the boy says, "But..." with a thoughtful expression and a small "Mmmm mm~" sound. The helmeted figure observes, "She doesn't seem to feel any desire or fear. I see..." The boy raises a finger and declares, "I'll start thinking about it after I've won. I haven't thought about anything, except for gungi..." Both characters burst into laughter with "Ha ha ha ha ha ha." The boy ends with a puzzled "...?"

Meruem stares forward with a grim expression, sweat visible on his face. "IT LOOKS LIKE I'M THE ONE WHO ISN'T PREPARED," he says. "LIFE..." In the panels below, the spiky-haired boy shouts desperately, "NEVER!! I NEVER DREAMED OF SUCH A THING!!" while clutching his head. "YOUR MAJESTY'S LIFE..." Meruem replies calmly, "WOULD BE MY LIFE. I NEVER IMAGINED THAT WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT..." The boy continues, "I KNOW. IT WAS MY MISTAKE." Meruem orders, "QUIET. YOUR MAJESTY..." In a close-up, Meruem declares, "IT WAS A WASTE OF TIME. FORGET THE BET." The spiky-haired boy reacts in shock, tears and sweat flying, hands raised as he cries out, "NO, NOT AT A..."

Meruem kneels on the ground, body covered in wounds and debris, one arm damaged. "ALLOW THIS TO BE MY APOLOGY," he says. Below, the spiky-haired boy reacts with wide eyes, "EH?" and again "EH?" as shock registers. "I CAN'T BELIEVE...!" he exclaims. In the distance, several figures are sent flying amid impact lines, one shouting "YOUR MAJESTY!!" while another character stands in the foreground.

Komugi stares upward in horror at the injured King. "WHAT HAPPENED, YOUR MAJESTY?" she cries. "EH? EH?" comes the confused reply. The King, bloodied and missing part of his arm, turns to her and states firmly, "IT'S YOUR TURN. PLAY." Komugi remains on the floor, insisting, "THE GAME WILL CONTINUE." A concerned voice urges, "YOU NEED TREATMENT, COME WITH ME...!" The King looks down at his severed limb in shock. "ARM...!?" he gasps. "YOUR..." he begins. In a dramatic close-up, the King glares intensely and declares, "AT THE VERY LEAST, LET ME STOP YOUR BLEEDING!" Komugi screams desperately, "YOUR MAJESTY!!!" as motion lines and debris fill the panel showing the King's arm torn away.

The armored King confronts Komugi directly. "OR, ARE YOU TRYING TO SHAME ME?" he demands. "I WAS THE ONE WHO SAID THAT WE WILL PLAY WITHOUT ANY BREAKS." He stands tall, repeating, "THE GAME WILL CONTINUE. DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF." Komugi clutches herself and whispers, "I'LL CALL NEFELPITOU..." The King continues, "THAT IS THE FURTHEST I WILL COMPROMISE...!" He adds, "YOU CAN PLAY WHILE SHE RECONNECTS YOUR ARM." Komugi, bloodied and trembling, offers, "I WOULD LIKE YOU TO SLICE OFF MY HEAD. IF YOU WILL NOT ALLOW THIS..." The King replies coldly, "I WILL RELEASE YOU WITH ONE STROKE. OKAY, COME HERE."

Meruem stares forward with intense eyes beneath his ornate headpiece. 'PLAY.' 'IT'S YOUR TURN.' Komugi, face bloodied and bruised, keeps her eyes shut and replies firmly, 'I WON'T...' 'UNTIL YOUR MAJESTY'S WOUND IS TREATED.' She trembles slightly as a heavy 'ドキ...' sound effect pulses near her chest. In close-up, her damaged eyes and sweat-streaked face show resolve. 'IF YOU KILL ME, PLEASE...' she pleads. Meruem's sharp glare cuts in with 'NO.' 'PLAY!' 'DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF.'

Meruem's eyes widen as he shouts 'YOU ARE...!!!' Komugi, still bloodied, insists 'LET IT BE BY THE GAME...!!!' An off-panel voice calls 'SIR!' and orders 'CALL NEFEL-PITOU!!' The scene shifts to a rain-soaked ruined area where two figures stand amid debris. One declares 'ALL THE "DOLLS" HAVE DISAPPEARED!' while the other confirms 'I'M POSITIVE.' Heavy vertical rain lines and large impact-like symbols dominate the wide panel.

Killua, wearing an eyepatch, stares intensely into the distance. "That something more serious than the current situation has happened around the King, or to the King himself...!!!" he exclaims. "Therefore, it's natural to guess..." A panel shows two figures in conversation. "I don't think so," one replies. "No. Do you think that they resumed the 'selection'?" Another character with glasses analyzes the situation: "The guards consider the King's safety to be top priority, so they wouldn't do anything to risk it... They're still surrounding the capital." A long-haired figure with an eyepatch appears, declaring, "HAS ARRIVED!" and "Finally, a golden opportunity..." The page ends with a dramatic wide shot of the royal palace under heavy rain, overlaid with the massive title "INVASION OF THE PALACE!!" and large stylized Japanese characters.

A hand is raised as the group debates their next move. "Now we need to get as close to them as possible," one says. "Yes... Anyway, it's true that they lost their long-range surveillance," another agrees. Further discussion continues: "They would never choose a method that puts their King at risk." "It couldn't be." "But it might be a trap." A character warns, "We can't even start our plan." "If we can't create an 'exit' somewhere around the palace..." A bow-like weapon is shown mid-air. "That time is now...!!!" someone declares. "Eventually, there's a time to take risks." The scene shifts to a chaotic rain-soaked battlefield where Zitoh and another figure are visible amid flying debris and motion lines. A large dragonfly-like creature hovers. In the final panel, a character reports, "It seems that Zitoh has failed..." while another exclaims, "Now I've got those two..." and "I FOUND THEM...!!!"

Figures race through a rain-slicked alley, silhouettes leaping between walls as laughter echoes. "HA HA HA." A voice notes, "LUCKILY, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE SPLITTING UP." In the main panel, Leol stands tall with a skull pendant, torn coat flapping, his expression fierce. Beside him a small furry creature and a hooded figure wait. Leol declares, "OUR TARGET HAS CHANGED TO THE PIPE GUY!" The hooded ally answers, "LET'S GO." Motion lines and impact symbols crackle around them. Below, a close-up shows the hooded fighter lunging forward with the cry "DON'T DIE." In the final panel a determined face with glasses and an eyepatch glares upward, replying, "YOU EITHER...!" Vertical text along the side reads "Leol's fang! A tough battle is coming up!!"