Hunter × Hunter Chapter 408: Negotiations: Part 2

A hand reaches toward the eye card on the table, selecting it. The chosen card glows with a radiant sunburst pattern. The scene erupts into a dramatic full-panel explosion of light and cracking energy. Morena and Borksen sit facing each other across the table. Borksen shouts "BEGIN!!!" while Morena declares "LET THE NEGOTIATION GAME..." In the final row of panels Borksen questions the choice: "HUH? IS THIS REALLY THE TIME FOR IDLE TALK?" and "WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS ONE?" Morena replies while holding the diamond-patterned card: "THE 'PURPOSE' CARD..." Borksen responds that she might as well join in since there is no penalty.

In a quiet room, Borksen leans in close with a serious expression while Morena Prudo, her face marked by stitches and a headband, smiles faintly and says, "It's fine. Go ahead." Borksen replies, "We should get to know each other during all this." A suited man stands silently in the background as Borksen asks Morena, "Hey, do you have any other members? There's around 50 of you, right?" Morena answers, "Naturally, I chose 'purpose' to use as a basis for making decisions. There are other members, by the way, but... that's it for questions. If you'd like to ask more, you'll have to use a card. Hehe. Nice try, but they won't say a word." Borksen presses, "I won't answer your questions anymore either, then." Morena notes that Borksen has fewer than 50 members and responded immediately, suggesting her guess is closer to half. Borksen thanks her and offers, "Okay, if I ask one question and you answer it, you can ask me one, too." Morena's expression darkens as she says, "Oh... how unfortunate..." In a close-up, Morena declares, "My goal is the destruction of the Kakin Empire. After that, I'll focus on the extinction of humanity. I'm going to try my best. And that's why I need you."

Morena Prudo and Borksen both react with surprise, exclaiming "Huh?" as sweat drops appear. Morena begins explaining her upbringing, noting that if 100 is completely clear, she is at about a 3 right now. Borksen finds the explanation insufficient. Morena continues, revealing that the real Morena Prudo is in her grave and that she is not even royalty. She asks if Borksen has heard the term "second-track faker." Borksen realizes the connection to "Carnival orphans." Morena confirms with "Carnival and Lèse-Majesté." A large explanatory panel details the forbidden acts against the royal family, punishable by death, and describes the Carnival festival where selected villagers entertain the Kakin royal family every few years, with offenders executed for any disrespect.

A dark, stormy night frames the ruined hideout of a human trafficking ring operated by the Heil-Ly, connected to a back-alley hospital where the mothers of carnival orphans were treated. All of the carnival orphans had their faces slashed at birth and were sent to the facility. Morena narrates that her mother was kept from resting or sleeping while she entertained the royal entourage for several days, and she apparently died when Morena was two, never even realizing she had been pregnant with her and given birth. A massive slab of raw meat dominates the panel as Morena declares, "I WAS MEAT." Here, the orphans were scientifically sorted into second-track fakers or meat. Until recently, when she became the boss of the Heil-Ly, Morena lived as meat for around twenty years. Her ability led her to plot the destruction of Kakin. While fulfilling her role as meat, she became aware of a certain talent and gradually developed it. Seven new groups of carnival children entered the facility during the twenty years it took her to become the boss. The orphans are divided based on the last two digits of the Kakin calendar year; she is from the '98 group. Carnival is a festival held irregularly.

Morena continues explaining the sequence of events that convinced her Kakin must be destroyed and states that Kakin hasn't changed at all and it never will. Two years have passed since the last Carnival, which took place the year after the grand festivals commemorating Kakin's democratization. The latest orphans are from the '20 group and entered last year. Among the photos of potential recruits spread before her, one person has the most essential role and unique ability needed to carry out the plan. Morena tells the short-haired woman that she was brought here to be recruited for that role. The short-haired woman responds that this can't be answered with the card and asks why she is the one chosen. Morena replies that is all.

A person with a patterned headband holds a device emitting SHAA SHAA sounds while examining it closely. Nearby, the same headband-wearing figure leans over a table covered in face-down cards, placing one down as a short-haired blonde girl watches silently from her seat. On the table, several cards lie in rows. The headband woman, now shown with a facial scar, speaks while seated: "AND THEN TURN IT OVER?" and "NOW... COULD YOU MOVE ONE CLOSER..." Hands slide a card across the grid-marked table, tap another with a TAP sound, and finally pick up a card from the surface.

The blonde girl states that the Joker card is pointless since YES or NO makes no difference. A hand holds up a glowing phone displaying a YES JOKER NO card. The headband woman instructs to choose the next card and send the Joker to the graveyard. The blonde girl points dramatically as a bright flash highlights her, declaring the POWER card. Multiple speech bubbles discuss Nen abilities: uncertainty about accuracy, recent information heard, questions about what Nen abilities are, and confirmation that the basic understanding is correct as a power like supernatural abilities used in the succession contest. The headband woman holds the phone showing a small image while replying she is happy and will explain as clearly as possible.

Morena sits facing Borksen and explains her Nen ability in detail. "So you won't have to spend much time at all on special training. My own ability falls into that category. There are also Nen abilities that can awaken those who haven't yet developed them on their own. They're indeed like supernatural abilities, but with the right training, anyone can acquire them..." Borksen replies, "I understand." Morena continues, "To put it simply, my ability involves granting abilities to those who share the same goal as me and growing that circle of influence..." When asked what her ability is exactly, she answers, "I'm the parent, and there's a limit of 22 children... When the children accumulate a certain number of points, they can become parents themselves and create more children. It's a system-type ability... here, it's kind of like a pyramid scheme, isn't it?" She adds that she asks each child about their goal to awaken their ability. Borksen thinks, "Cunning..." and notes that purpose and ability are structured so one wants to know about the other. Morena reflects on how daily life and the promising future were disrupted by someone else's grand ambitions, calling it unpleasant. She concludes she doesn't care about duty or national defense but would find it troubling if Kakin were gone. Borksen reacts with surprise, "Ah."

A flashback shows a bearded man declaring the destruction of Kakin as his personal small goal amid talk of a new continent and supernatural abilities. Borksen recalls her military prep school days and how she was taught to keep the country safe, yet now finds the destruction of Kakin a nuisance. Morena responds that if someone wanted to disappear she would never consider murder, but the main goal everyone shares is to kill people, direct or indirect. She can sympathize with Borksen's upbringing but states she cannot empathize with the goal at all. Borksen replies that she appreciates Morena's honesty. A large panel shows Morena saying she has to avoid this unusual situation at all costs, with the note that supernatural abilities are greatly influenced by an individual's personality and state of mind.

A short-haired woman with wide eyes questions the scarred woman seated opposite her. "While hiding your true intentions by using rhetoric like 'everyone is unique'?" she asks. The scarred woman replies, "Isn't this just a negotiating tactic to make the other party think 'I'm unique'..." She continues, "How can you know that my unawakened ability is important to you when you hardly know me? You said that supernatural abilities have a strong connection to an individual's personality." Close-ups show the short-haired woman's intense gaze and the scarred woman's eye with a vertical scar. "You're a specialist," the scarred woman states. A large diagram labeled SPECIALIZATION appears with the kanji 発 at its center, surrounded by the six Nen categories: Conjuration, Manipulation, Emission, Enhancement, Transmutation. The short-haired woman exclaims, "You belong to the extremely rare specialization category." The scarred woman explains, "Nen abilities are divided into six categories." At the bottom, Dogman stands among a cheering crowd, pointing upward with "HA HA HA" and "SNIFF SNIFF" sound effects while speech bubbles read "DOG-MAN, OVER HERE!" and "DO THE DOG POSE!" A caption states, "He enhanced his sense of smell and gained the ability to sniff out abilities. His power has now reached a level where he can detect the faintest hint of aura even from someone who is unawakened." The scarred woman concludes, "One of our members is an Enhancer."

Three figures stand in a room: a dark-haired woman, the short-haired woman, and a small child-like figure. The scarred woman continues, "This is based on my own research, so there may be some margin of error, but the ratio for specialists is roughly 1 in 3,000." A pie chart breaks down Nen categories with Specialization at 0.033%. She adds, "And he's still looking for unawakened specialists like you aboard the ship." The short-haired woman notes the ship's size implies at least 50-60 more users. The scarred woman asks, "You understand what this means, right?" Close-ups show intense eyes and the scarred woman's face with "ズク ズク" sound effects. She says, "We don't need to settle for you. It would be best if we could find someone among them who has the same main goal as us." A hand holds a photo of a person while a caption reads, "And that's the explanation of my ability." Another panel shows a bustling arena with the text, "One of them was a champion floor master at Heavens Arena, renowned in the martial arts world, which really excited him. In fact, he's already encountered multiple awakened specialists..." The scarred woman leans in, "More specifically, I want to know what kind of ability you'd want me to have if you were to grant me one. I'd like to hear more about this specialization."

A small figure with light hair speaks from the right side of the top panel. "To put it veeery simply, specialization is just so convenient!" In the next panel a seated figure with long hair replies, "I'll start by explaining specialization." The woman with the headband and facial scar rests her hand near her mouth and murmurs, "Hm-mm... This question is quite relevant to the 'Yes?' and 'No?' cards..." Text explains that if one is already a specialist, hybrid techniques requiring mastery of multiple categories can be attempted. A simple diagram displays six circles labeled T, M, EM, EN, SP, and C. Further text notes that other categories have practical limitations, such as manipulators struggling to learn certain abilities, while specialists without weaknesses may master a different category and later regret it. A hand inserts a card labeled "No?" into a slot on a table. "But I can't say them since that requires you to choose the relevant card. I do apologize," the speaker continues. Another panel states, "Of course, this is why I do have specific requests regarding your ability..." A quote reads, "'Become my comrade, and you will be granted the advantage of acquiring a new ability and the chance to improve your skill through a point system.' This ability is quite unique, much like a high-level hybrid technique that combines elements from the other five categories." The woman with the headband adds, "By the way, I'm also a specialist." In a wide lower panel a group stands in a dimly lit room around a table. A large speech bubble asks, "This question isn't so much about Nen abilities as it's asking, 'What role are you expected to play if you join our team?'" Another bubble states, "If you choose the 'Yes?' card, I will tell you the ability I want you to acquire if you decide to join us."

The short-haired figure holds up several cards and declares, "The number of options won't change. No matter which card I draw next the remaining four..." The woman with the headband responds, "Understood?" and receives the reply, "Yeah." Narration notes it is better to have more information on the other side, but the time risk must also be considered. Whether the game drags out will be decided once options narrow. The woman leans over the table with wide eyes, thinking that if the question comes from a card besides Question A she will still give reasonable answers even after it is sent to the graveyard. Close-up panels show a hand lifting a face-down card from the table, then sliding another card forward. A small inset shows the woman's intense eyes watching. The final large panel reveals the selected card face-up on the table: a starry design with the word "Yes?" prominently displayed in bold letters. A finger points directly at the revealed card.

Three close-up faces react with surprise and concern: a short-haired girl with stitched cheeks, a dark-haired man, and a wavy-haired woman. Morena Prudo, seated at the table with cards laid out, raises a hand to her mouth and speaks. "ONLY THE SECOND CARD, AND YOU'VE ALREADY DECIDED NOT TO JOIN US...?" "OH... WHAT A SHAME." Large narration boxes emphasize the stakes: the real question is whether she has played this negotiation game before, and even the members look disappointed, proving they have never witnessed cheating. Morena's eyes narrow as she thinks, "STILL, I CAN'T BE COMPLACENT." In profile, Morena continues with a calm smile, "WELL, IT CAN'T BE HELPED... I'LL DO MY BEST UNTIL THE VERY END." "THERE'S STILL A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 'NO' AND 'X', AFTER ALL." Close-ups show intense eyes and the word "THE DIFFEREN-CE..." as someone asks, "DON'T YOU WANT TO KNOW IT?" A voice replies, "ALRIGHT." At the bottom, a large card marked "No?" rests on the table. Morena says, "OKAY. I'LL EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENS IF 'NO' IS YOUR LAST CARD." Another voice answers, "I'LL FOLLOW YOUR LEAD... AND GO WITH 'NO'."

A hand taps a phone screen showing an 'N' icon while narration explains: "IT'S AN UNWAVERING REFUSAL—AN IRREVERSIBLE PARTING." "WE CONSIDER 'NO' TO BE AN EMPHATIC DECLARATION OF YOUR WILL." Morena, seated opposite, states, "'NO' MEANS YOU WON'T BECOME ONE OF OUR MEMBERS..." "WHILE 'X' NULLIFIES THE GAME." "WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO CARDS THAT I MENTIONED." A short-haired woman in a jacket listens with wide eyes as text notes that choosing 'Yes' would be persuasive. Against a binary-code background, Morena declares that outsiders are merely tools to improve their abilities and are not considered one of them. The short-haired woman asks, "DOES THAT MEAN I COULD NEVER EVEN PLAY 'X' IN THE FIRST PLACE?" Morena replies, "OH, SO NOW YOU MENTION THAT..." and adds, "NOW THAT YOU KNOW OUR SECRET, WE CAN'T JUST LET YOU LEAVE SCOT-FREE." "WE WON'T INVITE YOU BACK AGAIN, BUT..." Scattered cards lie on a dark, skull-like surface with bold text: "THE WHOLE GAME IS A TRAP...!!! TO MAKE YOU SAY 'YES'...!!!" "THE THIRD TRAP..."

The woman with the thorny headband addresses the short-haired girl directly. "The fact that you discovered our secret... will also be nullified. Even with the 'X' card, you would still be in the same predicament of knowing our secret, but..." She continues, "And our side will avoid contacting you as much as we can. On the contrary, we will trust you and act as though none of this ever happened. This doesn't mean 'erasing your memory'." In a lower panel she adds, "And then avoid them as much as we can. Given our goal, the most accurate way to put it would be 'delaying it for as long as possible'... To be more specific, we'll compare the information we've gathered about the people close to you, share it with our members here... And we'll try our best not to involve the people around you. We won't cheat and try to distort the fact that 'it never happened'. If we meet again, we won't say, 'How do you do? Let's play a game.'" The short-haired girl listens, then responds, "Might take a little to explain, but... the benefit to our side is the fact that the risk is high. I'm happy to answer that. What I'm about to say... Could you explain what the benefits to your side are in a way I can understand? The 'X' card has no benefits for you and the risk is high! Even if you say, 'Trust me', I can't trust you under these conditions. I'll ask you outright to save time."

Borksen continues with determination, "By entering the game with this much resolve, my ability will become stronger and allow me to better support our members. Even if it involves great risk, I'll accept it. If the negotiation fails after an honest struggle, it can't be avoided." Morena replies from off-panel, "It's an extremely important part of Nen abilities. ...I see. Limitations and vows... high risk, high return." A close-up shows an eye with stitches as text reads, "By overcoming the risk of 'dying if the last card is 'no'', our unity and effectiveness become stronger...! The same is true for those who become members." Later, at a table with cards laid out, Morena says "Go ahead." and "Once there are only two cards left, it'll feel much more real, don't you think?" She adds, "How admirable. ...You don't seem too rattled." Borksen answers while drawing a card, "Well, it's the answer I was preparing myself for... And maybe it's because all this still doesn't feel real..."

A glowing card marked with a large swirling X hovers above a grid surface, dark energy pulsing outward with heavy rumbling sound effects. Below, two cards flare with intense light: one labeled R (SURVIVAL) and the other NO (DEATH) AND.... A short-haired girl stares in shock, eyes wide and mouth open, while a headband-wearing girl with blood streaking her face stands amid shattered debris and vertical bars. In a small inset, the short-haired girl notes the few cards remaining. Massive impact lines and cracks fill the lower panels as urgent announcements declare: THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!! WE REPEAT!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!! and SPECIAL MARTIAL LAW HAS BEEN DECLARED!!! SPECIAL MARTIAL LAW HAS BEEN DECLARED!!! A small inset warns EVEN MORE CHAOS ABOARD THE SHIP!! The chapter ends with the Hunter × Hunter logo.