At the intersection of the starting point, aside from Ronnel's main body—which appeared somewhat sluggish due to his dominant consciousness being focused on his double—there was another figure standing there. It was none other than Ging Freecss.
The same scruffy physique, the same Arab-style turban, and the same unshaven face. However, there was one striking difference: both his eyes were gone.
What remained were two dark, hollow sockets, lending an unsettling aura to his presence.
"Ronnel's master... isn't it the legendary Stone Hunter, Bisky Krueger?" Ging muttered, rubbing his temple as if trying to stave off a headache.
"She's an old hand in Shingen-ryu, isn't she? She's been traveling the six continents for decades. What would draw someone like her to Greed Island? Could it be the fabled Witch's Rejuvenation Drug?"
"No," he answered himself after a moment. "Someone of her caliber wouldn't need to come here for something so trivial. She's a Stone Hunter, after all. If I had to guess..."
Ging's mind wandered briefly to the development of Greed Island's designated card system, particularly the inclusion of unique treasures like Blue Planet. He had added the gemstone-themed cards almost on a whim, never anticipating they'd attract a figure like Bisky—a veritable dragon crossing the river.
He sighed, pressing his hand against his forehead. Although he had faith in Gon, he wasn't so deluded as to underestimate the challenges awaiting him.
Truthfully, standing out amidst such formidable competition might be too much to expect from Gon at his current level.
Still, Ging resolved to let things play out. If Gon couldn't clear the island, there would always be other contingencies. For now, the thought of meeting his son in person was... premature.
As Ging pondered how to delay their eventual reunion, his sightless gaze shifted toward Ronnel. The young man, despite the apparent sluggishness of his movements, seemed focused—though perhaps still unaccustomed to navigating without eyes.
"Your abilities... they're fascinating. Doppelgängers that persist even after death, puppets crafted as faithful replicas of their templates...," Ging remarked, touching his empty eye sockets absentmindedly.
...
Five Days Earlier
Ronnel had approached Ging with an unusual proposal:
"Let me craft a puppet of you. I'll need to borrow your eyes."
At the time, Ging was taken aback by the request, but he quickly grasped the logic behind it. Given Ronnel's mastery of Nen and his ability to create doubles, the concept of a puppet wasn't as far-fetched as it initially sounded.
When Ging agreed, Ronnel wasted no time preparing the materials. Over the next three days, he poured his Nen into crafting a puppet modeled precisely after Ging.
It wasn't a task to be taken lightly. The technique, Soul Doll, required immense focus, energy, and mental fortitude. The process involved shaping the puppet's form, infusing it with memories, and imbuing it with Nen proportional to the creator's capacity.
Thanks to Ging's cooperation, Ronnel was able to maintain an uninterrupted workflow, only pausing briefly to recover from mental exhaustion.
By the end of the third day, the puppet was complete—a near-perfect replica of Ging, with power closely mirroring the original.
To enhance the puppet's functionality, Ronnel requested Ging's eyes. Unlike ordinary puppets that relied on stolen body parts, this allowed Ging to share his senses directly with the puppet.
Sight, hearing, touch—even emotional reactions—could all be transmitted seamlessly between Ging and his puppet. For two days, they conducted experiments to confirm this ability. The results were remarkable: the puppet not only mimicked Ging's movements but also mirrored his responses with uncanny precision.
Trusting Ronnel's expertise, Ging relinquished his eyes to the puppet without hesitation. Now, while his main body remained at the starting point, his puppet—fully equipped with shared senses—ventured alongside Ronnel's double.
The Ging currently facing the challenges within the Bone Space wasn't the man himself but a puppet. Similarly, Ronnel's double navigated alongside it, both connected to their original counterparts through Nen.
At the starting point, Ronnel's real body remained seated in silence, conserving his strength. Nearby, Ging stood with his hollow eyes fixed ahead, seemingly calm despite the limitations of his physical state.
Together, they had devised a way to tackle this space with precision and ingenuity, their proxies paving the path forward.
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