Chapter 3: The Captain

On the tumultuous sea, waves surged one after another.

The towering waves seemed to connect with the pitch-black night sky, and the once sturdy sailboat appeared precarious.

As the ship narrowly passed through the final onslaught of the waves, inside the captain's cabin, the old captain with a full beard wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed, "The storms this year are truly fierce! But fortunately... we've made it through!"

With the largest waves behind them, although the sea remained turbulent, the ship would not capsize even without him at the helm to navigate the waves.

This seasoned old captain, holding a cigarette made from pressed tobacco in his mouth, gave a few simple instructions to his two assistants beside him, then entrusted the ship to them to steer.

The ship was nearing its destination - the Island of Dorii.

As the captain of the ship, he had another important responsibility.

"I hope those guys this year... won't all be lost in these waves."

The old captain thought to himself as he absentmindedly pushed open the door of the captain's cabin and strode towards the passenger cabins.

Every year, due to the overwhelming number of applicants for the Hunter Exam, even with all the association's staff involved in proctoring, it was impossible to test them all.

Therefore, to reduce the manpower and resources needed for the examination, the Hunter Association entrusted the ship captains responsible for transporting the examinees to help with the initial screening.

During the voyage, the captain would observe and eliminate those candidates who couldn't withstand the storms or performed poorly.

After all, if they couldn't even pass through the first round of storms, it indicated that their physical fitness was completely inadequate, and they wouldn't stand a chance in the subsequent tests.

In a way, being eliminated was also considered fortunate, as some people would meet unfortunate fates before even reaching the exam venue.

Not long after,

the old captain had reached the corridor outside the passenger cabins, about ten meters away. He began to mutter to himself:

"I wonder how many people will survive this year."

One? Or maybe none at all.

Just as this experienced old captain was making such speculations, he had almost reached a distance of about four or five meters from the passenger cabin.

But then...

The old captain looked up and noticed a young boy with white hair sitting on the floor, leaning against the door frame of the cabin, peacefully asleep.

"Hmm..."

The old captain fell silent for a moment.

"Strange, where did this kid come from?"

As the person responsible for overseeing the Hunter examination, this old captain had developed his own unique skill over the years.

He could remember every examinee who boarded the ship - their names, appearances, and other important information - without any errors affecting individual candidates' scores.

In the old captain's view, this was a responsible way to conduct examinations, both for the candidates and for the duties he held.

However, for the first time, he began to doubt his memory upon seeing this white-haired young man appear out of nowhere.

After all, it was normal for memory to decline with age.

Approaching the boy, the old captain crouched down beside him and carefully observed for a while.

"What a beautiful face..."

The old captain looked at the boy's white, delicate face and became even more convinced that the boy wasn't one of the examinees who had boarded the ship from the beginning.

Because his features, both his hair and his face, were too conspicuous, and the old captain couldn't have had no impression of him.

The old captain reached out and gently shook the boy's body, calling out loudly:

"Hey! Wake up, kid! Can you hear me?"

Soon...

Feeling the shaking around him, Saruto slowly opened his eyes, feeling a bit tired. He blinked, gradually focusing on the blurry figure in front of him, who was constantly calling out to him.

He subconsciously asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm the captain of this ship."

The middle-aged man with a messy beard and a captain's hat, as well as a prominent red nose, responded sternly. "And, I should be the one asking you, right?"

"I ask you, who are you? When and where did you board this ship?"

"And... why were you sleeping outside the cabin door?"

The captain...

Sarutos consciousness gradually awakened as he heard the stern questioning. He looked at the blurry figure beside him, and the image of the Hunter examiner who had tested Gon and his father in the original work overlapped in his mind.

Being the "Hunter Examiner," the captain was here to observe the examinees and report their performances to the Hunter Association for screening out those who met the requirements.

Realizing this, Saruto became more cautious.

After all, in this world, life could take two very different paths with or without a Hunter License.

Although he was alone and had the external aids of "Limitless cursed technique" and the undeveloped "Nen Ability," he still needed the security of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

...

"I'm Gojo Saruto."

Saruto stood up, making a brief self-introduction and recalling the questions the captain had just asked.

After thinking for a moment, he explained, "I woke up and found myself on this ship. As for where I boarded the ship... I don't think I can explain..."

Upon hearing this, the old captain kept his eyes on the blue-eyed young man, hoping to judge whether he was lying by observing his subtle emotions.

Unfortunately...

This young man named "Gojo Saruto" spoke the truth.

For many years, the old captain had interacted with and examined thousands of candidates, seeing people of all kinds, so he was confident in his ability to judge character.

And more importantly -

This boy had beautiful eyes.

Those clear, glacier-blue eyes were like two sparkling sapphires, making it hard to doubt that they harbored any dirty thoughts or intentions.

...

"Why were you sleeping outside the door?"

The captain's attitude was no longer as harsh as before. He repeated the question in a calm tone.

"Because there was no room inside."

Yuu replied and recalled the scene earlier...

At that time, after testing his own Nen category, he returned to the cabin feeling exhausted.

But when he opened the door, he heard a loud snoring sound and found that his original spot had already been taken by a unkempt man he didn't know.

...

Upon hearing Saruto's explanation, the old captain was skeptical and opened the door.

Scanning the room, his gaze stopped in the corner, and he suddenly said:

"There's an empty spot next to that guy!"

Without much thought, Saruto guessed that the captain was referring to the space next to Hisoka and quipped:

"Don't you think... that guy looks dangerous?"

The old captain carefully looked and nodded, "Hmm... indeed."

Saruto approached the captain and looked into the room, noticing that Hisoka was still playing the card tower game as if nothing had happened.

He couldn't help but silently comment in his mind: "This guy never gets tired of playing..."

"And does he have to carry so many cards with him every time he goes out?"

Indeed, it was difficult for ordinary people to understand the mindset of a "freak."

At this moment, the old captain spoke thoughtfully:

"Almost everyone has been lost this year..."

"Only one guy managed to survive the storms."

"Huh?"

"One?"

Saruto's expression became alert, and he quickly asked:

"What about me? I also survived the storms!"

"You?" The old captain looked puzzled. "Are you an examinee?"

"Are you sure you boarded this ship to become a Hunter?"

"If not, when we arrive, I'll contact someone from the Hunter Association to safely send you home..."

Having said that, the old captain took a long-awaited puff of the cigarette in his mouth, waiting patiently for the young man's response.