Duels (1)

A close-up shows the bald man's face straining with effort as he yells "HAAAAA AAAA!" with motion lines. Nearby, another muscular figure exhales "FUUU" with sweat drops. The bald man powers up, muscles bulging, surrounded by impact effects and the sound "ゴゴゴ". Killua watches with wide eyes and thinks, "HE OBVIOUSLY LACKS TRAINING." and "IT WON'T WORK ..." The sumo wrestler remains inside the flaming circle while the jester dashes around it. Killua notes, "TAKING SO MUCH TIME FOR SUCH A LOW 'REN'..." In the final panels, the bald man charges forward with a powerful strike, shouting "HAA!!" as impact symbols and motion lines explode across the page. The jester is knocked back violently.

Gon stares ahead with a calm, confident expression, thinking that even without using his Nen he would still easily win against his opponent. In the next panel a large bald fighter is suddenly grabbed from behind by a much bigger man wearing a jester hat. The jester-hatted man remarks that the bald fighter has quite some strength. The bald man struggles and grunts in pain as he is lifted and slammed. A massive impact follows in a dark, fiery background; the jester-hatted man lands a crushing blow that sends the bald fighter flying while both cry out in pain. Close-ups show the bald fighter's shocked face and his shoe left burning on the ground. The jester-hatted man then laughs triumphantly, declaring that he has lost, while the bald fighter screams for him to stop and let go. Smoke and flames rise from the scorched floor as the defeated bald fighter lies motionless.

Gon leaps backward at high speed, creating strong motion lines as the jester-hatted man swings a massive fist that barely misses. The jester-hatted man lands and skids across the bricks while Gon lands safely a short distance away. The bald fighter remains on the ground clutching his head in defeat. Gon questions why the jester-hatted man released his opponent, and the jester-hatted man explains that the bald fighter himself admitted defeat. A close-up shows the jester-hatted man's face as he clarifies the rule: once a fighter leaves the circle after declaring loss, they lose. Gon stands listening with a focused expression while the jester-hatted man continues explaining the circle's rules.

The fat man in the jester hat stands with a confident grin, pointing upward as he pleads, "Please, can't I have another try?!" Gon, spiky-haired and tense, reacts with shock, shouting "CRAP!" and "AH!" while flames erupt around his boots in a burning ring. The fat man laughs heartily, "KUKUKUKU! I DON'T MIND, KID," and declares, "It doesn't matter at all, I won't move a step against you." Killua watches in disbelief, exclaiming "WHY?!" as Gon freezes in place. Biscuit, the small girl with pigtails, leans in and warns Gon quietly, "In your case, you should avoid showing any characteristics of your technique. There are too many people here who could see your secret technique..." Gon looks surprised, "EH?!" while Biscuit continues, "I can tell you want to use your secret technique, but the conditions are bad." The fat man taunts from the side, "If you're scared, hurry up and leave!" Gon snaps back, "SO?!" and steps forward, "Leave it to me." Biscuit hides her face, thinking, "i'm so scared... it's terrible," while internally noting, "Biscuit is feigning innocence." Gon glares ahead, declaring, "But other than us, everyone else would lose!"

Killua stands outside the flaming circle with arms crossed, watching the old man inside the ring. The fat man, now seen from behind, squats within the flames and taunts, "Whenever you want, brat! If I move a single step, you have won." Killua replies calmly, "Old man... I'm pretty strong, is that okay?" A close-up shows Killua's slight smile. Small panels depict the fat man looking confused with a question mark above his head as the flames continue to burn. The scene shifts to a bar interior where Killua asks a man behind the counter, "Are you the owner of this bar?" The man with the jester hat, now without it, leans forward with a grin and answers, "Do I look like it?" Killua places a large bottle on the counter and says, "I'll pay later, okay?" while the bartender replies, "Then... The owner, Onenne, is in the back."

A close-up reveals a wide-eyed face with a large nose speaking urgently: "HEY, BRAT... YOU WON'T ... NO WAY." Beside it, Gon stands at a wooden counter gripping a dark bottle, a sharp "PAKI" sound effect bursting near his hand. A sudden horizontal impact line cuts across the page. Gon leaps forward and brings the bottle crashing down onto the head of a large, round man wearing a jester-style hat with pom-poms; liquid splashes outward as the man staggers with clenched fists. In a small panel a hand snaps with another "PAKI." The jester-hatted man reels from a direct blow, eyes squeezed shut and mouth open in pain as "GUH!" erupts beside radiating impact lines and debris.

Small panels show a worried face and a tiny jester-hatted figure. Bopobo suddenly erupts in black flames, mouth wide in agony with three large "O" symbols floating beside him. Gon crouches low, watching intently. Bopobo clutches his chest, flames still licking around his hat. Two men in the background shout "DON'T COME IN!!" and "BOPOBO !!" with alarmed expressions. A dramatic close-up of Gon's face fills the lower left, hair flared outward with intense eyes and a small "z" motion line; he declares, "THE MATCH HASN'T FINISHED YET..." while the two background men stare in shock.

Gon stands tall inside the marked circle, one hand raised as he points upward with a confident smirk. His opponent, a massive round-bodied man wearing a small hat, remains curled tightly on the floor in a defensive ball form surrounded by flickering flames and debris. Speech bubbles declare that the opponent has not lost until he leaves the circle, referencing his earlier boast about not moving a single step. Gon calmly states 'MY WIN.' The large opponent suddenly uncurls with a furious expression, eyes wide and mouth open, shouting 'YOU BRAT!!' while motion lines and impact effects emphasize his rage. Gon remains unfazed, hands on hips, as the opponent sweats and reacts with visible frustration.

The large round opponent lunges forward in a dynamic flying kick aimed at Gon, who ducks low to evade the strike. Motion lines and impact effects show the missed attack. In a smaller panel, the opponent is seen running away on a skateboard-like object. Several onlookers watch with surprised expressions. The scene shifts to an indoor setting where a stern man with a curled mustache and dark hair stands in the foreground. In the background, the round opponent sits on the floor looking dejected while a tall thin man in a cap gestures and says 'YOU'LL MEET THE BOSS.' The round opponent replies 'FOLLOW ME.' and later 'MY BAD.' The stern man notes 'YOU DID KEEP YOUR PROMISE...' as the group prepares to move.

Under a star-filled night sky, a massive lighthouse complex stands atop a rocky cliff overlooking the dark sea. Inside the converted building, Gon and Killua stand beside a large man in a cap who declares, 'BE PREPARED.' and 'BASTARD... I'LL KILL YOU.' Nearby, a voice explains, 'WE CAN CHECK ALL THE SMUGGLING SHIPS FROM HERE.' Another adds, 'IT'S A LIGHTHOUSE WE CHANGED INTO A STRONGHOLD.' Killua reacts with surprise, 'OH?' A man in a jester-style hat gestures urgently, repeating 'GO GO GO GO' as the group moves through the doorway into the interior. The man in the jester hat leads the way down a corridor lined with doors and lanterns.

The group enters a spacious indoor gymnasium with high ceilings and a large emblem on the far wall. Several people are scattered throughout, some training with weights and others standing in groups. In the foreground, a muscular man with spiky hair lifts a heavy dumbbell while glancing sideways. The jester-hatted man and the large man in the cap stand with Gon and Killua. Observers in the background react with surprise. Someone remarks, 'SEEMS LIKE THEY WANT US TO LEAVE.' Another says, 'GUESTS.' A third questions, 'WHO ARE THESE GUYS?' The muscular man smirks confidently while continuing his workout.

The group discusses the rules for their upcoming confrontation. A finger points upward as the terms are laid out: a group wins when it has eight victories, with one win per person. The large man in the background gestures while another voice proposes hurrying to the main topic and holding some duels, with fifteen representatives from each group fighting. A confident man with spiky black hair smiles and declares that they will choose the fighting style. In a close-up, the same man asks if that is okay and states that if the others win, his side will leave the island. Lower panels show the white-haired boy and spiky-haired boy reacting as one asks what happens if they lose. The spiky-haired man replies to go ahead, then notes he has a question. An enthusiastic voice shouts okay, let's do it, while the man explains they just ask the group to return to where they came from, adding nothing in particular.

The large man in the sumo outfit points and yells for the stupid brat to come here and finish their sumo fight. The spiky-haired man replies fine, declaring that the battle theme is sports. He adds that each of their members has a favorite sport and they will all challenge the other side. The white-haired boy suggests fighting only after reaching seven victories if possible, prompting the spiky-haired man to react with surprise. A smaller figure tells the large man to cool his head a little and calm down. In a dramatic panel the boxing-themed fighter announces his theme is boxing and declares he will be the first fighter.

From a high angle, the arena floor is shown with a lone fighter standing at the center of a large circular target marked on the ground. The fighter wears a jester-like outfit and a tall pointed hat, arms crossed confidently. A speech bubble reads, "SO, WHO'S GONNA FIGHT AGAINST ME?" Below the ring, several spectators watch, including a boy with spiky hair and another with a small companion. In a close-up, a smiling man with a ponytail raises one finger and says, "YOU CAN'T TAKE PART IN MORE THAN ONE GAME." Beside him, another voice adds, "I THINK YOU ALREADY KNOW, BUT EACH PLAYER CAN ONLY FIGHT ONCE." In the next row of panels, a man in a jester hat grins and declares, "WE'LL USE IT A LOT," while a voice replies, "OF COURSE!" A man with a fur hat asks, "CAN WE USE NEN?" and another voice notes, "ANOTHER THING..." The final panel shows a close-up of a determined boy with spiky white hair and intense eyes. He clenches his fist as motion lines emphasize his resolve, saying, "OKAY... THEN I'M GOING!"