Blondie and the Top × Spitting Blood

After dealing with Sakata, Joey opened the door to Tier 12.

The Royal Army and Judicial Bureau officers rushed in after identifying themselves and stating their purpose.

Hisoka's clone emerged from the room and sat calmly in a lounge chair—facing a full set of yarn balls.

"No offense intended, but we received a report claiming the Twelfth Prince has been replaced by an imposter," said a chubby middle-aged man from the Judicial Bureau. Despite his words, his tone reeked of accusation.

"So you think I'm a fake?" Hisoka's clone mimicked Momonze flawlessly.

That serene, peaceful aura—so convincingly detached from worldly matters—even Joey had to admit, expert-level acting.

The Bureau agent turned toward a blond-haired youth in their group.

Joey followed his gaze.

This guy looked nothing like Royal Army. More like a street punk.

And yet here he was, part of the Judicial Bureau, one of Kakin's most serious institutions. Something clearly didn't add up.

"We'll know if she's fake soon enough," Blondie said, sounding absurdly confident.

Kurapika stepped forward.

"I want to know who reported His Highness. And such groundless accusations—do you even have a High Court-issued warrant?"

Even with the Army and Bureau's authority, when it came to royalty, there were rules. Only the Supreme Court could issue an order to examine a prince.

The Royal Army officers looked at the Judicial Bureau men. Clearly, they had no warrant.

But Joey noticed Blondie's hand quietly reaching into his pocket.

Bold.

He immediately understood the plan: create a fait accompli.

If they could expose the Twelfth Prince as a fake, even if the procedure was flawed, the punishment would be minimal—maybe a few agents thrown in jail. A price any of the top princes could easily afford.

And then Joey recalled Hisoka telling him there were soldiers possessed by "Weapons", who could identify clones quickly. Could Blondie be one of them?

Joey's En had been spread over all of Tier 12 long before they arrived.

The moment he spotted Blondie's move, he didn't hesitate. He increased air friction around him—igniting his clothes in flame.

The intense heat made Blondie flinch—yanking something from his pocket by reflex.

A metal spinning top.

But Joey caught the expression on Blondie's face.

Not fear—delight.

This was what he wanted all along.

Joey had simply given him a perfect excuse.

Clearly, the top was a tool that could expose a clone.

And he'd waited for Kurapika to ask about the court warrant—the perfect timing. The top must have been made to dispel illusions or clones.

Joey sensed Nen on the top.

As it fell, he acted immediately—Hisoka's clone must not see it.

He activated Mirage Mirage, bending the light—so that the top vanished from the clone's line of sight before it hit the floor.

But to everyone else—the top remained fully visible.

The sudden fire on Blondie's clothes grabbed everyone's attention.

Especially the spinning top that hit the floor—and began to rotate eerily.

Everyone stared—Joey and Kurapika included.

To their eyes, it was just a spinning toy.

The Judicial Bureau official's expression soured.

His great hope—Blondie—had pulled out a damn top?

And the Twelfth Prince sat there calmly, serene, watching their mess unfold.

Internally, the official was cursing Blondie's entire bloodline.

He forced out an answer.

"Apologies. We have no Supreme Court order. We overstepped."

"Since you admit it—get out," Kurapika said coldly, showing no more patience.

Blondie's face twisted with disbelief.

Hisoka's clone wasn't exposed. His eyes filled with confusion.

"No… something's wrong…"

He muttered, but the Royal Army commander beside him wasn't happy either.

He stepped forward, glaring past Blondie.

"We came for a different reason than the Judicial Bureau. We received intel that the Third Prince's private soldier—Sakata—was plotting assassination. We're here to take him into custody. Where is he?"

Joey raised an eyebrow.

"Sakata? Planning to assassinate His Highness the Third Prince? That's surprising. I thought he idolized the Third Prince. But what's that got to do with Tier 12? He left a while ago—he's not here."

The regular guards in Tier 12 shared uneasy glances.

They'd seen Sakata go looking for Joey and Kurapika just five minutes ago—right before these guys showed up.

And now he was gone.

Even with basic Nen knowledge, they could piece it together.

Joey did something.

"He left? But the Third Prince's men claimed Sakata was ordered to remain in Tier 12 to protect the Twelfth Prince," the Army officer said—clearly prepped with talking points.

And at the end of his squad—two familiar faces.

Joey had seen them before.

Once, they were part of the Shu Wu Wu family.

Now they wore the badge of the Third Prince's private guards.

They locked eyes.

So much for thinking the Third Prince hadn't made a move.

He had—he'd just sent his specialists.

Joey frowned. Was the prince really willing to send his only combatants away from his side?

Bold move.

Still—these two mattered.

They'd helped eliminate the First Prince's private guards.

They were strong.

But what was their goal?

Did they already know Sakata was dead?

Or had they come to rescue him?

Joey thought back to Sakata's behavior—it hadn't been normal. Like he was leading them into something.

The answer came soon enough.

One of the mafia soldiers stepped forward.

He nodded to the Royal Army commander, then turned and spoke.

"It was Dio. Dio killed Sakata. He has someone with him who can open a spatial portal. He likely used that power to remove the body."

"And now," he continued, "Dio will open another portal and return the corpse."

Joey blinked.

What the hell was this guy saying?

Blaming him in front of the Royal Army?

The logic was garbage.

Okay—maybe accusing him of killing Sakata was a fair guess.

But the part about opening a portal to return the body?

Utter nonsense.

Even if Sakata weren't already dust, Joey wasn't contacting Fugetsu to open a portal.

They had a signal system: if he turned the ladybug pin into a button, she'd open the route.

But the deception was still intact. No need to run.

The Royal Army commander looked shocked.

Even he couldn't believe the idiocy coming out of his own guy's mouth.

Then—

The mafia soldier turned and spit a mouthful of blood in the commander's face.

"What the hell?! Spitting blood for real?!" Joey was practically laughing.

But then—he understood.

This was a Nen ability.

What kind?

Prediction, perhaps?

Joey replayed the words in his mind.

This guy must've communicated with Sakata ahead of time—trying to pre-empt Joey's moves.

His logic?

If he guessed right, Joey would be forced to act as predicted.

It smelled like Manipulation, maybe Specialist.

But the prediction was wrong.

Joey didn't need Fugetsu.

He just used Killer Queen: Sheer Heart Attack to erase Sakata entirely.

Faster and cleaner than cremation.

And when the prediction failed—backlash struck.

Spitting blood was likely a side-effect of Nen recoil.

So the ability was decent, but relying on Sakata's info to guess Joey's move?

Too optimistic.

Even experienced Nen users couldn't fully figure Joey's power out.

Let alone someone like Sakata, who'd just learned Nen.

A waste of a good Hatsu.

The other soldier, meanwhile, had done nothing.

Joey stared at him.

Just a few seconds—and the guy started trembling like a leaf.

So much for being a Kakin underworld elite.

He couldn't even endure killing intent amplified by Nen.

Joey looked away, bored.

Then turned to the Army commander.

"I hope next time we meet, we won't be dealing with more false accusations. And if you're looking for Sakata, try Tier 3."

The Royal Army and Bureau left in shame.

Hisoka's clone stretched.

"I'm heading back. Still got work to do."

"Trouble?" Joey asked.

He'd sensed the clone vanish earlier—meaning the real Hisoka was still fighting.

Seemed like the VVIP sector had serious defense.

Hisoka's clone didn't reply.

Just went silent—like it had shut down.

"The Judicial Bureau's suspicious," Kurapika said, stepping closer as the Tier 12 guards closed the door and resumed work.

"Yeah. Might be linked to Weapons. I'll keep an eye."

As they left, Joey had already planted ladybugs on their clothes.

And that top Blondie used… Joey wanted it.

If he got the chance, he'd kill the guy and take it.

"The Third Prince's guards are dangerous too," Kurapika warned.

"If they'd been right, things could've gone badly."

"Then let's return the favor," Joey smirked.

"They were bold—coming here without neutralizing the Twelfth Prince's guardian beast."

And that beast—was faster than Joey.

Three Nen users had entered. Two now carried fragments of the Twelfth Prince's beast.

Even if the prince wasn't present—

His guardian was always near Joey and Kurapika.

(End of Chapter)