Hunter × Hunter Chapter 381: Predation

A vast multi-level atrium labeled 'DECK 3 - CENTRAL POLICE STATION' stretches across the top panel. Officers and civilians move through the grand space with high ceilings and balconies. The view shifts to a corridor where three men stand guard outside a door marked 'Community Safety Section.' Inside an office, Mizai stands near the door while a helmeted officer sits at a desk speaking with a female clerk. A knock sounds at the door. Mizai looks surprised as two officers enter. One officer reports: 'The 11th Prince is indeed not in room 1011.' Another confirms: 'We've confirmed it.' Mizai appears bewildered, with vertical text emphasizing his confusion about the prince's whereabouts.

In a room on the first deck, Mizai sits at a table with a guard standing nearby. A voice notes, "11th Prince Fugetsu..." Mizai, wearing his signature hat and glasses, clasps his hands and asks a hooded figure, "You came to arrive here at deck 3 and what you came for? Would you please tell us how it is..." The hooded figure, Melody, listens as Mizai continues, "It's hard to imagine that the royal army would give any false information in regards to this incident. Though we are still currently examining all the security footage from the inter-deck corridors. Which means we can probably assume the prince actually did not use the corridors." Melody responds thoughtfully, "But as you know, outside of the evening banquets, direct contact between fellow princes is forbidden. We're presently in the middle of negotiations with the first deck... ...the fact that she didn't even consider the possibility that we could suspect her sister of being a co-conspirator shows she really is just a child..." She adds, "...I'll talk to 10th Prince Kacho..." Mizai extends his hand and states, "We want to be of help to you, Prince Fugetsu, and Prince Kacho. Our position here is not to protect you from the succession war itself... Nothing you say here will be leaked to anyone outside this room." The hooded figure replies, "Guess it's no use..."

In a long ornate hallway labeled 1010, a phone rings repeatedly. A woman answers, "Yes? Please hold just a moment." Melody, now without her hood, reacts with wide eyes and shock as she hears the voice on the line. She thinks, "Melody, phone call." The caller says, "Yes...?" Melody responds, "Yes. Hello?" while internally panicking, "I had wanted to keep this from getting out to anyone else...! If at all possible, at least until the day we carry out the plan...! So what should I do...?" She realizes, "This is bad...! As I thought, Prince Fugetsu's Nen beast really does have teleportation abilities!!" Mizai speaks on the phone from another location, saying, "It is extremely possible that the two are planning to escape using some kind of method. There are far too many abnormalities in the speech and conduct of both Prince Kacho and Prince Fugetsu. Keep a close eye on them. I am going to relay an important order from Mizai-stom. It's currently 13:44."

A voice states, "I'm fine." Another replies firmly, "No." The speaker asks, "Do you need me to repeat anything?" From above, the order comes: "Keeni will be responsible for this mission. You will support him! In addition to security, use all your power to stop them from escaping." A chained figure on the wooden floor responds, "Understood." Two silhouetted figures, one with long hair and one with short hair, walk away side by side down a corridor. In closer panels, the long-haired bald man is seen from behind, while the suited man with slicked-back hair turns with a serious expression, hand raised near his face. Smaller reaction panels show the long-haired figure glancing back with wide eyes and sweat drops, the suited man looking concerned, and another close view of the suited man wiping sweat while the long-haired figure bows their head slightly.

A lone figure walks forward declaring, "NO CHOICE BUT TO DO IT...!!" Another voice adds, "EVEN SO... I'VE NO CHOICE..." In a long hallway, text reads "TWO PARTS OF A WHOLE...!" and "...KA-CHIN AND I TRULY ARE..." A young girl with dark hair stands beside a taller person in a hoodie. Narration explains: "BUT THE DOOR OF RETURN CAN ONLY BE OPENED BY KA-CHIN. THEN ONCE I STEP OUT, THE DOOR OF RETURN APPEARS. I CREATE THE DOOR OF TRAVEL..." Below, the girl in a dress gestures widely on a checkered floor while a small child in a jacket stands nearby; two guards watch from the foreground. Dialogue continues: "KA-CHIN WAS SO KIND... SHE ALWAYS LET ME HAVE MY WAY AND DID WHAT I WANTED... IT'S WHAT WE ALWAYS USED TO PLAY, AND HOW WE ALWAYS USED TO 'PLAY IT.' WE'VE ARRIVED AT ---!! BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, ONCE THE DOOR IS CLOSED ALL THE WAY, THE DOOR OF RETURN CAN TAKE US TO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PLACE...! THAT WAS OUR WORLD TRAVEL GAME."

In a grand hall, a suited man with glasses confirms the plan: 'Understood. I'll use all the remaining time for rehearsal.' Another voice notes the difficulty of meeting Prince Kacho now. A third explains that surveillance on Prince Fugetsu has been lifted temporarily before the Sunday banquet, with constant monitoring shifted to her replacement for 72 hours. Glasses are arranged on a table as a hand reaches out. The curly-haired girl apologizes, 'I'm sorry, I won't try anymore.' A close-up shows her profile with a musical 'CHKA CHKA' sound. The scene shifts to the performance: the bald flutist plays a haunting melody on the flute while Mizai sits listening with a serious expression, the curly-haired girl watches in awe with hands near her face, and an older figure reads in the background. Musical notes fill the air as the performance captivates the room.

The performance ends with a soft 'はっ…' as Melody lowers the flute. She thanks the audience: 'Thank you very much for listening.' Mizai reflects, 'I never considered Hyle's Requiem having such a… hopeful, upbeat interpretation…' while the curly-haired girl exclaims in delight, 'I didn't expect to be so entranced by your performance!!' and 'Bravo!! That was incredible!!' Melody offers to prepare a more fitting piece for the banquet. The girl begs, 'Can I hear this again on Sunday?' and declares she will leave the intercom broadcasting no matter what. Mizai notes the thought alone is already a compliment. In the corridor, Mizai and the girl walk away as he declines an encore request, explaining they belong to an independent judicial branch and must protect the prince until landfall. He suggests using the monitoring as a reason to continue.

In a sleek modern corridor, Mizai speaks with Melody about their assignment. 'Then we could continue monitoring the prince on behalf of the organization,' Mizai says. Melody replies, 'Well then, you could just say the prince is acting strangely.' Mizai continues, 'I don't think it's that easy. That would leave behind telephone records. If the higher up princes put in a formal request, they would gain access to all of that information.' As they walk away down the long hallway, Mizai adds, 'If anything happens, you can call me any time.' Melody turns to him earnestly, 'I... just want to help you... and the prince.' The scene shifts to a massive outdoor rally where a man on stage addresses a cheering crowd. 'And if you can move people, then you can move the world,' he declares. 'I just learned once more today, that people can be moved with words.' Back inside, Mizai stands alone, listening intently. 'The sound... of his heart... is so strange...' he thinks. 'Either way... I feel like I can't just sit here and do nothing. Even if it's only the slightest chance, it's still possible that King Nasubi could change his mind. And the very least, I want to work and contribute.' A long narration box adds, 'Even among the types of people that suppress and snuff out their emotions, the sound their hearts play during the course of duty are still beating drums compared to him... The possibility that he could be being controlled by a Nen user exists as well...!' Mizai walks away, saying, 'I'll be waiting... to hear from you.'

A massive creature looms over a desolate rocky landscape under stormy skies. Elsewhere, a bald man in a suit runs frantically down a wooden hallway. 'They're coming up with defensive strategies much faster than I'd anticipated! I can't let my guard down for a second!' he shouts into a phone. '...Though from the moment he spoke to me, he had already assumed I was up to something.' He sweats heavily, thinking, 'I've got to do all I can to ensure that no more unexpected situations happen until then...! Just 76 hours left until the banquet...' In a quiet room, a short-haired man muses, 'You know, I've been thinking...' while a thought bubble shows a small creature. A long-haired man reacts with shock, 'It appeared...!' The short-haired man continues, 'So I suppose someone that really indulges like 8th Prince Sale-Sale is the best, right? They say great men have a great fondness for sensual pleasures...' The scene cuts to Prince Sale-Sale's lavish but messy bedroom where he lies in bed surrounded by clutter. Two men stand before him. One says, 'But I just feel like Prince Sale-Sale's character is more suited to being king.' The other replies, 'I mean... of course, first Prince Benjamin is the most kingly candidate...' A large caption declares, 'And as predicted, his opinion of Prince Sale-Sale is changing...!'

Hands clasp together as the manipulator gathers materials and prepares to activate the ability. "I've collected all the materials now... I'm ready to activate it!!" a voice declares. "As I thought, it requires a greater amount of time proportionate to how great the opinion of a person is towards him to begin with..." another notes. "So it manifests roughly 70 hours after first inhaling the smoke..." The ability is revealed as a manipulator-type Nen with an inducement effect that acts via diffusion. The target prey is the guardian beast of 8th Prince Sale-Sale. The clones of the Nen beast release smoke with an effective radius of roughly 2 meters, enough for action in close proximity during one-on-one discussion. If Prince Sale-Sale's closest associates reach max affection level in roughly 8 hours, his security guards at baseline level would form a clone in about 70 hours. The effective radius of the smoke is roughly 7 meters; greater affection toward Prince Sale-Sale shortens the time until the clone appears. As humans continue inhaling, the smoke splits and forms clones above their heads. "It will take time, but once it succeeds, his approval rating will be 100%!! It will be the birth of the world's most firm and resolute royal dictatorship!!" the manipulator exclaims. "In other words, using a smoke-type aura, Prince Sale-Sale's Nen beast can manipulate the affection level of others until finally he has control over the hearts of the entire kingdom!" "But of course, that's only if all his political opponents simple-minded idiots with no counter-strategies or plans of their own!!" the man concludes. In the final panel, the intense figure thrusts his hands forward and shouts, "COME FORTH!! PREDATOR!!"

Massive smoke and energy burst outward with heavy impact effects. A man in a white outfit stands holding a small object while a man in a black suit gestures beside him. "Yet so passionate as well..." the suited man says. "He's so simple and innocent..." the other replies. In a smaller panel, a grotesque monster face emerges with an open mouth and smoke. Below, three people lie in bed under blankets, appearing affected. The right side shows a massive radial explosion or creature burst labeled with a shield crest reading "GRR RKKK RRA" and heavy sound effects.

In a wrecked luxury room, a massive Nen beast with long dark hair and a gaping circular maw looms over scattered bodies and debris. Two suited men stand below, one saying, "I WISH I WERE LIKE HIM. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HE'S A LADY-KILLER." The beast extends a long tongue-like appendage with a sharp "シーッ" sound. In close-up, the creature's head turns toward the men as one asks, "DON'T YOU?" The beast's mouth opens wide with a "GYUUU" while the suited man looks confused, muttering, "ERR... WHAT WAS I TALKING ABOUT...?" Another panel shows the creature lunging forward with motion lines and a loud "ひゅばっ!! GYUUU" as the man reacts in surprise.

The Nen beast rears up in the ruined room, its stitched circular body now prominent as it emits loud "GRR EEEK KHHH" and "KAAAH AAAH" sounds. A woman with a braid speaks intensely: "WILL BE COMPLETELY HELPLESS BEFORE THE MIGHT OF PREDATOR!!" A narration box explains, "A NEN BEAST CREATED FROM THE HEART OF SOMEONE WHOSE MOTHER TAKES CARE OF EVERYTHING FOR HIM WHILE HE IS FILLED WITH ONLY LUST AND DESIRE..." The beast lunges violently with a massive impact, its body twisting and claws digging into the floor amid heavy black motion lines and a final explosive panel.

A grotesque, striped Nen beast with long flowing hair bursts violently through the air above a ruined bed, its body twisting as it is expelled from the room. Below it, Prince Sale-Sale lies in bed with a woman, both startled by the sudden event. In the next panels, the topknotted man and the woman react with shock and laughter while a stern man nearby swallows hard. The Nen beast hovers close, its single eye visible. The scene shifts to a destroyed royal chamber where the Nen beast now floats in the center. A man in a puffer jacket stands with his back to the viewer as two suited men observe. One man declares the mission complete while another questions why he was assigned to Prince Sale-Sale, calling the prince weird and asking if he is all right.

Ushouhi, a man with a long braid, holds a phone to his ear while speaking. He reports that he has disposed of the 8th Prince's Nen beast and requests a swap of security shifts with Ushouhi. He explains that for 48 hours after the predator finishes its prey he cannot use any Nen abilities. In other panels, a woman with a braid listens on the phone. Ushouhi confirms that with the given conditions on the ship, taking the life of a prince who has lost his guardian beast should be no problem. He notes that out of 14 private soldiers, Ushouhi's ability is best suited for assassination. Ushouhi is ordered to head to room 1011 once he arrives. Ushouhi then reports that he had hypothesized Prince Fugetsu's Nen beast ability was teleportation, and after a recent report that possibility is now almost definite. He urges Ushouhi to explain if there is any other possibility.

In profile, a suited man with slicked-back hair speaks quietly into the silence. Across from him, Ushouhi stands with a neutral expression, listening. The suited man continues, noting that Prince Fugetsu’s power now appears to be nothing more than a harmless teleportation-type ability. He adds that the assassins will come for her, one after another. Ushouhi remains still as the suited man reflects that he should consider himself lucky none of the other Nen users discovered the needle ball attached to Prince Fugetsu. He explains his earlier restraint: keeping the target beyond a twenty-meter radius to avoid clashing with other Nen users’ abilities. A dense block of text details the risks of using the needle ball on non-Nen users, the long concealment period required, and the bodyguards’ testimony that no single human could have survived the attack. The suited man’s face appears in close-up, sweat visible, as he realizes his Nen ability is no longer secret and his advantage has been lost.

Ushouhi stands against a stormy sky, phone pressed to his ear. A voice on the line orders him to change shifts with Lihan because Prince Sale-Sale’s Nen beast has been eliminated. Ushouhi answers that he is addicted to that time. A close-up of an eye appears, followed by the statement that nothing compares to the moment his prey dies. Below, two bordered panels announce that room confinement has been lifted and everyone may now leave their rooms, while another panel declares the alert has ended and the stowaway has been captured. A timer box displays Day 5: Wednesday 8PM, 104 hours since departure, and 72 hours left until the banquet.