These thoughts flashed through Chrollo's mind for a split second, and he immediately steadied himself.
Swish!
A sharp blade appeared in his hand, and he was fully prepared for combat.
Chrollo mused, noting the poisoned weapon in his opponent's hand. "Trying to test me with that?"
While Chrollo assessed Ronnel, Ronnel was analyzing him right back.
In the original tale, unlike the others, each fight had a unique quality. As the head of the Phantom Troupe, the number one leader of the twelve spiders, Chrollo had only been in two battles thus far: this one, against Silva and Zeno, and the other against Hisoka in Heavens Arena. Although his battles were few, every encounter with him was a classic.
The match at Heavens Arena especially showcased Chrollo's sheer power and strategic brilliance. The diverse abilities he displayed, along with the tactical combinations, were dazzling and left the audience in awe.
For this battle, the powers Chrollo had stolen and known to Ronnel included Indoor Fish, Fun Fun Cloth, Teleportation, Order Stamp, the Sun and Moon and his own Nen ability, Skill Hunter.
Upon entering the room, Ronnel noted that the door remained open, rendering Indoor Fish unusable, as it requires an enclosed environment.
The next ability was Order Stamp.
Effect: This Nen ability lets him control "puppets" made from Nen, with no limit on the number.
Restriction: He can only control "puppets" made with Nen, and these puppets can only follow basic commands.
This is similar to Shalnark's Black Voice, which uses a mobile phone to control up to two living people with complex instructions. But with Order Stamp, Chrollo can manipulate an entire crowd with simple commands—a perfect match with Kortopi's Gallery Fake.
In Heavens Arena, Chrollo had used Kortopi's ability to create multiple clones of the referee corpses left by Hisoka, which he then animated with Order Stamp. Hisoka soon found himself overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents.
But here, creating Nen puppets wasn't an option, Chrollo hadn't prepared for such an encounter. Thus, Order Stamp wouldn't come into play.
Moving on, there was no need to consider Lovely Ghostwriter, which served no combat purpose, leaving Teleportation and the Sun and Moon as the main abilities to guard against.
The Teleportation ability was used in the past when Nobunaga learned of Hisoka's betrayal. Chrollo activated it to evade Nobunaga's attacks. It was a potent ability, and Ronnel made a mental note to keep an eye on it.
The Sun and Moon, on the other hand, was particularly dangerous. Originally owned by a powerful elder from the streets of Meteor City, the ability remained even after the elder's death due to the strength of his lingering will.
Aside from Skill Hunter, Chrollo also developed a derivative ability known as Double Face.
Typically, Chrollo must hold his book to select abilities during combat. But for abilities that require both hands—like The Sun and Moon—he developed this ability. By placing a bookmark on a chosen page, he could close the book and use both hands while still accessing the marked ability.
This innovation allowed Chrollo to juggle up to three stolen Nen abilities alongside his own Skill Hunter during combat, using four Nen techniques simultaneously. While most could barely manage one, Chrollo wielding four at once was truly intimidating.
Ronnel held his stance, studying Chrollo's movements carefully. The silence grew heavy as the tension mounted.
"Are you here under orders from the Ten Dons to assassinate me?" Chrollo broke the silence, his voice cold and even.
Ronnel didn't respond but continued to observe, noting the telltale style of his suit—a uniform typically worn by members of the underworld.
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