Hunter × Hunter Chapter 88: Jewel Verification

A large arched building with wide windows stands under a cloudy sky. Inside a spacious hall with tiled floors, many people gather around display cases showing jewels and artifacts. Gon and Killua stand among the crowd on the left side. A bald muscular man with a goatee looks to the side while a dark-haired man in a collared shirt stands nearby. Speech bubbles read: 'JUST BECAUSE THE CHEST IS AUTHENTIQUE...' and 'DOESN'T MEAN THAT WHAT IT CONTAINS IS.' In a closer panel, a man with glasses and striped shirt speaks to a boy in a cap: 'BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT THOSE JEWELS ARE REAL, CAN'T YOU?' The boy replies, 'THAT'S TRUE.' Another panel shows the bald man and a stern-faced companion saying 'HERE WE ARE...' as Gon and Killua look toward them from the foreground.

In a brightly lit appraisal room, several figures gather around glass display cases filled with ornate jewelry. A hooded attendant stands near the cases while a bald man in a suit gestures emphatically at the items. "ER, NO, BUT..." someone begins. "BUT YOU DIDN'T EXAMINE THEM ALL, DID YOU?" another voice challenges. The bald man continues, "I OBSERVED THEM CAREFULLY, I TOUCHED THEM, AND I CAN GUARANTEE THEY'RE REAL." A gloved hand points to a cross-shaped pendant and other pieces on the table. "IT'S NOT IN TENS OF YEARS, BUT HUNDREDS OF YEARS THAT YOU HAVE TO THINK OF; THOSE JEWELS ARE RARE AND PRECIOUS." The bald man insists, "NOTHING CAN PROVE THEY'RE FROM THE SAME TIME AS THE CHEST. EVEN IF THEY'RE REAL..." In a dramatic close-up, his intense face fills the panel as he declares, "IN OTHER WORDS, THEY WANT TO DESTROY OUR DEAL. THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE PRICE DROP." Nearby, Killua stares in shock, "WHAT... WHAT ARE THEY DOING?" In the background, Gon and Killua stand among a small crowd while a scarred man leans in to advise them quietly. "IF YOU SEE THE LEAST SUSPICIOUS MOTION, ASK IN A NORMAL VOICE, 'ARE YOU WANTING TO CHECK SOMETHING?' BUT BE ATTENTIVE TO THEIR HAND MOTIONS." Another man explains, "IT'S THE LAW OF THE MARKET, WE WOULD STOP THEM, BUT WANTING TO BUY AT A LOW PRICE IS NORMAL. AND WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO STOP THEM?" Killua reacts with a quiet "AH..."

Gon and Killua examine a small object closely. "HMM," Gon murmurs. A tall man in a black shirt holds up a tiny item and asks, "UH... YOU AND YOUR FRIEND ARE THE ONES WHO BROUGHT ALL THESE HERE?" Killua stands with arms crossed, watching. The man continues while holding a small tagged object, "PLUS, THERE'S AN OFFICIAL MARKET TAG ON EACH OBJECT TO AVOID THIS. DON'T WORRY, I WON'T REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER ONE." The scarred guide explains his role, "I'M THE CLIENT'S GUIDE, EMPLOYED BY THOSE CHILDREN." A bald man in the background adds, "AND YOU ARE...?" while another figure states, "NOTHING IS EASIER THAN SWAPPING PIECES. THE TAG WON'T REASSURE US." In a dramatic full-panel close-up, the bald man points forward with intense eyes and declares, "THE CHEST IS FROM THAT TIME, AS ARE THE JEWELS THAT WERE INSIDE! I CAN SWEAR THAT ALL THOSE PIECES ARE REAL!"

In a brightly lit room, a group discusses the upcoming auction. A man with glasses suggests asking an expert, but another replies that it takes too much time. Someone notes they missed money right now and would lose if they revealed their need. A bald man in a dark shirt states that the only proof they have is from the seller and they cannot trust it. Nearby, a suited man insists they have an official certificate to prove authenticity. The discussion turns to tactics and the end-of-year deadline. A spiky-haired boy and a white-haired boy listen intently. In a close-up, a stern man with a scar declares it is nice to be trustworthy but really prudent to make such a promise. He adds that the buyer could be bluffing about the wooden chest.

The scarred man explains a bluff called 'the swap' where the chest and contents are replaced with fakes. He describes 'the cancer' when both chest and contents are false. Gon asks Killua which side he is on. Killua replies with surprise. A list of five methods for replacing objects with fakes is shown. The scarred man notes that doing a simple separation reveals the truth. In another room, a bald man points at a wooden sculpture and states it is only the material that is 300 years old. He adds that determining the sculpture is authentic is extremely hard. Observers react with shock as the bald man continues his explanation.

A bald man in a black shirt points forward emphatically while addressing a crowd of onlookers. "THE WORK ON WOOD IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DATE, EVEN MORE THAN THE WOOD ITSELF," he declares. Another voice counters, "BUT THERE'S NO PROOF IT WAS SCULPTED 300 YEARS AGO!" In close-up profile, a man with a goatee and slicked-back hair insists, "THE JOINT ON THE EXTERNAL SIDE IS FROM THAT TIME! YOU JUST NEED TO LOOK AT ITS COLORS TO UNDERSTAND THAT! THERE'S NO SIGN OF TOUCHING UP!" Nearby experts react: "HEY! IT'S OBVIOUS IT'S NOT A POST-SCULPT!" "THAT BLUFF IS CALLED 'POST-SCULPT.'" "A MATERIAL FROM THAT TIME SCULPTED NOWADAYS"... "YEAH... THAT'S TRUE..." A large "Brouaha" sound effect erupts as the bald man continues explaining, "IT'S A BLUFF. IT'S A TECHNIQUE USED IN NON-OFFICIAL EXPERTISES. FEW PEOPLE KNOW IT, BUT WHEN THEY'RE IN WARM CONDITIONS, ALL OF THEIR ADHESIVE PROPERTIES RETURN." He gestures with both hands, stating, "THIS BLUFF IS CALLED 'HEATING.' PROS HEAT IT, THEN MELT IT BACK, SO, UNTIL THE NEXT OPENING, THE CHEST WILL GIVE THE IMPRESSION OF HAVING NEVER BEEN OPENED. REPLACING THE EXISTING JOINT WITH A NEW ONE IS A TECHNIQUE THAT ONLY AMATEURS USE. WE CALL IT 'DOUBLE STICK.'"

The debate intensifies as a mustached man exclaims, "HEY! WAIT A MINUTE! AFTER HEARING THAT, HOW CAN WE BE SURE THERE WASN'T ANY 'HEATING' ...?" A man with short hair retorts, "AND EVEN IF THERE AREN'T TRACES OF BURNS, THE HEATING CHANGES THE COLOR OF THE JOINT SLIGHTLY!!" Another counters, "THERE WASN'T ANY HEATING! THE HEATING LEAVES SOME SMALL BURN MARKS." The bald man challenges, "THAT KIND OF CHANGE CAN'T BE SEEN WITH THE EYE ALONE! EVEN A PRO WOULD HAVE DIFFICULTIES. YOUR EXPLANATIONS AREN'T ENOUGH!" The short-haired man insists, "THERE ISN'T ANYTHING LIKE THAT ON THE JOINT! THE PIECE IS AUTHENTIQUE!" Close-ups show wide eyes and sweat drops as the crowd begins to doubt. "THEY'RE STARTING TO DOUBT." "DAMN..." "I DIDN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND HALF OF HIS EXPLANATION ABOUT THE BLUFF." "IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE AN OPINION..." Multiple "Brouaha" SFX fill the air. In the final wide panel, the group gathers around the wooden sculpture under an open sky with trees, still arguing.

In a crowded outdoor marketplace lined with stalls and shoppers, Gon and Killua stand watching the activity. A merchant sits on the ground nearby as Leorio explains the situation. 'HE'S A MERCHANT SPECIALIZING IN PRICE DROPPINGS,' someone notes. 'IT'S A PROBLEM THAT HE EXPLAINED ALL THOSE BLUFFS TO EVERYONE!' Leorio exclaims 'DAWN!' in frustration. The group discusses how some merchants refuse to back down. 'GUYS WHOSE WORK IT IS TO BUY GOOD OBJECTS AT VERY VERY LOW PRICES,' Leorio continues. Silhouetted figures illustrate the tactic: they show no interest in the target item, let other merchants observe, then slip in one or two low-quality pieces among the good ones to drive the overall price down.

Leorio continues his explanation while holding a small object. 'AND IF ONE OF THEM CAME TO THE SALE, I THINK THE MARKET CAN CATCH FIRE, AND THE PRICES CAN CLIMB SUDDENLY, BUT…' He adds that during the previous presentation some merchants' abilities seemed fine. Gon looks up and asks 'SAY, ZEPAIRU,…' A close-up shows Gon beaming with excitement, asking if there are any other kinds of bluffs. Leorio looks skeptical. Killua chimes in that it was like magic tricks. Leorio suddenly taps Gon on the head with 'TAP' and 'AIE!', scolding him: 'MR. "FORGET THE MAIN THINGS AND HAVE FUN!!!" YOU…' Gon reacts with a dazed expression as Leorio finishes 'I SEE…'

Gon stands facing forward with wide eyes and a single sweat drop, his expression serious as the words 'DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE GOOD AND THE BAD...' appear beside him, followed by 'HE...'. Beside him, a bald man with sharp eyebrows and intense eyes thinks 'I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS KID AROUSED SOME INTEREST IN ME UNTIL NOW, BUT...' and 'I'M STARTING TO UNDERSTAND...'. A wide horizontal panel shows a windswept, barren landscape with the narration 'ALL THAT COULD BE READ... WHEN I TOLD HIM I'D MADE COUNTERFEITS, OR THAT THE MERCHANT WAS TRYING TO REDUCE THE VALUE OF THE WOODEN CHEST, HIS FACE SHOWED NO SIGN OF THE BAD IT COULD REPRESENT.' In the bottom left panel the narration continues: 'SO, WHAT HIT ME, WAS HIS COMPLETELY OPEN HEART, FULL OF ADMIRATION, WITHOUT DISTINGUISHING THE GOOD AND THE BAD. IN FACT...' A massive radial burst panel fills the rest of the page with the bold declaration 'WAS PURE CURIOSITY.'

The bald man appears in profile, sweat drop visible, as he states 'IN OTHER WORDS...' while Gon smiles brightly beside him and Killua watches from the right. The bald man concludes 'HE'S DANGEROUS...'. A black horizontal panel displays the thoughts 'HE WOULD BE TOO WHOLE...?' and 'WE CAN'T SIZE HIM UP...'. Below, a sequence of small panels shows a person at arcade machines saying 'OKAY, I'LL EXPLAIN.', followed by speech bubbles 'Slat', 'BLUFFS?', 'ER... NOTHING...', 'HMM?', and 'ANY PROBLEM?'. The final row depicts an indoor arcade with a kneeling figure operating machines marked 'Cling', then a street scene outside with several people standing and walking, including Gon and Killua among the group.

A hand holds a small wooden chest while a voice explains its construction. "Those are the three points that, if they're skillfully manipulated, can trick the public," it states. The speaker, a sharp-eyed man with spiky hair, points out the chest, the joint, the seal, and the contents. "There are three essential points that allow you to size up the wooden chest and observe it," he continues, snapping the lid shut with a "clac." Close-up eyes emphasize his point: "The most difficult to observe is the wooden chest." In other words, the three points are where the bluff can focus. A wide panel shows a misty forest with narration about heavy, resistant material that can hide treasures for centuries, making it hard to know how much of the sculpture has been finalized. In the present, Gon and Killua watch closely as the man demonstrates. "Exactly," he says while removing camouflage from a joint. "We remove the camouflage and observe the degree of color change." The joint is delicately camouflaged with paint and sawdust. "That's why we look at the seal?" Killua asks. "Scrutinizing it is really hard," the man replies, holding a smooth sphere. "That's why, if it's presented at the sale in its closed position..."

The spiky-haired man praises Gon: "Exactly, you remembered your lesson." Gon replies excitedly, "Because of the heating!" The man confirms that even for a pro it is difficult to see color changes from heating, and that exchanged contents plus heating create problems. A scene shows Gon and Killua seated on steps with a woman in traditional dress nearby. Narration continues in the forest: "Oh..." proving the chest was opened and contents exchanged. For a wooden chest, this is the most difficult bluff to unmask. The man raises a finger, explaining that presenting the authentic antique wooden chest with jewels of lower prices previously auctioned is one tactic called the "opening." Another is the "counter bluffs" born to deal with that. Even if the number of bluffs increases, buyers will mistrust a chest that wasn't opened and will wait, causing the auction to stall. In close-up, the man smokes and concludes, "They'll mistrust a closed chest, and just showing it opened is enough to fool the best who have eyes for low-price treasures. The psychology of men is really interesting."

Leorio holds up a smooth white sphere while explaining the risky bluff. "WE USE ANOTHER BLUFF, REALLY RISKY," he says. He continues, "WHEN THE BLUFF BEGINS TO BE TOO KNOWN, AND THEY BEGIN TO DISTRUST..." and "WE CAN FOOL SPECIALISTS THAT WON'T SEE ANY TRACE OF HEATING ON THE JOINT." A seated figure adds, "THAT'S WHAT RUNS THROUGH THEIR HEADS." and "IF THEY'RE FALSE, THEY WOULDN'T WILLINGLY SHOW THEM." Gon and Killua watch closely. Leorio asks, "WHICH BLUFF CAN IT BE..." Someone replies, "SOME SPECIALISTS WILL BUY THE PIECE THINKING NO HEATING WAS USED ON IT, AND THAT IT HAS NEVER BEEN OPENED." Gon asks, "YES." Killua questions, "IN THE CASE OF A CHEST PRESENTED CLOSED?" Suddenly realizing, someone exclaims, "OH! I KNOW! THE TREASURE CONTAINED AT THE BEGINNING WAS ALL FAKE!" Gon shouts, "IT'S REALLY NEVER BEEN OPENED, RIGHT? HOW'S THAT?" Killua reacts with "AH! YES!" as a hand presents the sphere again. "AND, AS THEY THOUGHT, NO HEATING WAS USED ON IT."

Leorio grins and declares, "BINGO!" while holding the sphere. Killua points forward and exclaims, "OOH!" A large panel shows the sphere being squeezed with a puff, as Killua states, "THE JEWELS WERE TAKEN OUT SOMEWHERE ELSE!" Diagrams illustrate the process: jewels are removed through a clogged hole, contents replaced with fakes, and a side hole made instead of normal opening. Leorio explains, "IT'S THE ILLUSION PROVIDED BY THE FACT THAT THEY'RE SURE THAT IF THE JOINT HAS NO CHANGE OF COLOR, THEN THE CONTENTS ARE AUTHENTIC." He adds, "A LONG EXPERIENCE IN THE JOB ENDS BY MAKING THEM EASY TO FOOL VICTIMS." and "IT'S A TRICK THAT ANY KID COULD DO, BUT WHICH MANAGES TO FOOL FIRST RATE SPECIALISTS." Gon stands below listening. The final panel shows a city scene with people and a sign reading "IT'S THE 'SIDE BREACH.'" Leorio concludes, "THEY'RE BLIND."

Gon stares upward with wide eyes and a sweat drop, a large speech bubble floating beside him. "Such a fascinating universe!" he declares with a small "Pff" sound effect. Below, a series of panels shows a serious man with glasses speaking intently. He explains that one can produce a wave and dive of the absurdity of the public, noting an insignificant detail that makes a perfect piece more suspicious. Specialists always have that in mind, which is why they never knew how they were going to be treated. A small inset shows a figure saying "Tut tut" with electric lines. Suddenly the scene shifts to Gon and Killua in shock, Gon pointing forward with a dramatic motion line as he shouts "THE RYODAN?!" Killua looks equally stunned beside him. In a narrow side panel, Leorio appears on a phone call, asking "Leorio? Hello?"

Inside a building hallway, a large speech bubble states "Yes." followed by another declaring "It’s apparently true." The scene cuts to an outdoor view of a building and trees. A man in a suit and sunglasses holds a phone to his ear, explaining that he received a file with a message where the Ryodan can clearly be seen moving. In the final panel he adjusts his sunglasses and continues, saying the informer has a cellphone and camera and sent a message combined with an image. He states he will now ask the informer for their exact position.

A computer monitor displays an urgent message: 'WE HAVE TWO TARGETS!!!' Inside the screen window, a spiky-haired girl with long flowing hair stands beside a tall man with slicked-back hair. A voice from the image declares, 'I SAW THE TWO FISHES IN YORK SHIN! I'M TAILING THEM SO I DON'T LOSE THEM! CONTACT ME AS FAST AS POSSIBLE!!' Below the monitor, the scene shifts to a bustling outdoor market lined with striped awnings. Two small figures, one with spiky hair and one with dark hair, stand ready at the edge of the crowd. One shouts, 'LET'S GO!' while a nearby person reacts with surprise, 'EH! OH!' Shoppers and vendors fill the background under the bright market lights.

A bald man with narrow eyes sits cross-legged on the floor, focused intently on a large rectangular stone tablet resting in his lap. He grips a chisel in his left hand and raises a mallet in his right, preparing to strike the chisel against the stone surface. His white coat drapes loosely over his shoulders as he works in complete silence, the blank background emphasizing his solitary concentration.