Black Whale

Black Whale
Kanji	Ｂ・Ｗ(ブラックホエール)
Rōmaji	Burakku Hoēru
Item Statistics
Classification	Transport Ship
Owned by	Kakin Empire's Royal Family
Used by	Various
Debut
Manga Debut	Chapter 342

The Black Whale (Ｂ・Ｗ(ブラックホエール), Burakku Hoēru) is a class of large transport vessels built for Kakin's expedition to the New Continent. The first ship in the class, the "Black Whale 1" is able to carry 200,000 passengers and will serve as the main grounds for Kakin's war of succession.

History

Dark Continent Expedition arc

King Nasubi has declared that his country will build 20 of these ships in one year. He also promised to send 100 million people to the "Dark Continent" within 5 years. Since the first ship's capacity is only 200,000, we can infer that the building rate of these ships or the capacity of the later classes will increase considerably.

Succession Contest arc

The Black Whale 1 sets sail to the New Continent.

Description

The interior of these transport ships was specifically designed to be simple so to reduce the building cost and increase the production rate. Since the Black Whale is too massive to be tied up at a dock, airships and ferries are employed to transport people and supplies to and from a seaport.

Black Whale 1

File:The five decks of Black Whale.png

The five tiers of Black Whale

The Black Whale 1 is the commemorative first ship of the Black Whale class, and so is scheduled to set out the first voyage to the New Continent. The ship will carry many notable figures including the Kakin royal family and members of the Hunter Association and V6 who will extend their journey further to the actual Dark Continent. Civilians will be picked by lottery, where the odds of landing a seat is 1 in 1,300. The official voyage to the New Continent will last for two months. In three weeks, the ship will exit the territorial waters. The crew will then refuel, perform a final check on the vessel and close the top dome before venturing for five weeks in uncharted waters where extreme weather phenomena and flying creatures are commonplace.

The Spiders, Zodiacs, and Mafiosi's locations on the fourth day of voyage

The Black Whale 1's passengers are divided into five separate tiers (further subdivided into several decks) according to their wealth and social class: those traveling in the first and second tiers are the wealthiest passengers on board, including the royal family and prominent members of the upper class and their staff, while the lower three tiers are zoned for general passengers. The throughways dividing the tiers are guarded by the royal army since the entirety of the ship is under martial law. More specifically, the second and third tiers are separated by a thick bulkhead which can be only opened in emergencies from the second-tier side. In order to move between the third and fifth tiers through the Central Passages (中央連絡通路, Chūō Renraku Tsūro), passengers need to buy tickets either from the royal army or the Mafia.

At the beginning of the voyage, many crimes occurring in the lower tiers such as ticket fraud, theft, racial conflicts, drunken brawls, identity theft, assault, and false reports were higher than what the Zodiacs had initially anticipated.

Passenger List

Black Whale 1 Passenger List
Tier	Civilians	Guards/Soldiers	Doctors	Overall	Unlisted Passengers
1	17,670	800	930	20,000	Unknown
2		600
3	≤179,398	600	≥1	180,000	Unknown
4			≥1		≥250
5			0		≥250
Σ	≤197,068	2,000	≥932	200,000	≥500

• For a complete list of all official and unofficial named passengers, see Category:Black Whale 1 Passengers
• For a list of all Kakin bodyguards and Mafia members who appeared in the story, see Kakin Empire

Tiers 1 and 2 accommodate about 2,000 people, while Tiers 3 through 5 provide shelter for the remaining 180,000. Of the 2,000 people in the higher tiers, 100 are doctors, 1,400 are guards and royal army soldiers. The remaining 500 are members of the royal family, V5 politicians, industry dignitaries, celebrities, the rich, Kakin Mafia bosses and their staff (the last two might not be official passengers). The lower three tiers only have 600 royal army soldiers. The majority of people there are general passengers who boarded the ship in hopes of resetting their old lives at the New Continent. Several unofficial passengers boarded the ship while avoiding registration inside the royal army's passenger list. At least 500 Mafia associates including fringe members are unofficial passengers listed on the Mafia member files. Meanwhile, all 23 members of the Heil-Ly Family boarded the ship as normal civilians.

Additionally, the number of clinics ended up being fifth of what Kakin had planned, and only 1/15 of the planned doctors had boarded the ship. All of which led Cheadle to hire more people while reorganizing the medical staff. Essentially, this means that the number of doctors in the lower three tiers mentioned above could have increased considerably.

Mizaistom proposes to send 800 soldiers from the upper to the lower tiers

Considering there are 2,000 guards and royal army soldiers among the 200,000 passengers, there should be ideally one guard for every 100 civilians. However, in reality, the first and second tiers alone have 70% of the total guards, resulting in an extravagant ratio of 2⅓ guards per one civilian in the upper tiers. On the other end of the spectrum, the lower tiers have one guard for every 300 civilians. This led the fourth and fifth tiers to mainly rely on the Mafia (the Xi-Yu and the Cha-R families respectively) in order to maintain public order, while the third tier is solely dependent on the royal army. In order to stop the murders arising in the third tier and remove the passengers' source of anxiety, Mizaistom proposed at the fourth day of the voyage to reorganize the army and send 800 soldiers from Tiers 1 and 2 to the lower tiers.

Tier 1

File:Ferry.png

A closer look to the upper ship

Tier 1 (1層, Is-sō) is a separate ship lifted on top of the overall Black Whale vessel. It's meant to accommodate the Kakin royal family, V5 politicians, industry dignitaries, the bosses of Kakin's three biggest Mafia families and all their staff. Currently, there are 800 guards and royal army soldiers roaming the halls around its living quarters, 150 of which are Provisional Hunters with limited licenses for the voyage. The tier serves as the main "hunting ground" for Kakin's war of succession.

King's Living Quarters

The King's Living Quarters (王居住区, Ō Kyojū-ku) is the residence of King Nasubi. It's separated from the princes' living quarters by the banquet hall. The main stark features of the quarter's living room are its figurines and many paintings hanged on its walls.

The princes are not allowed to meet with the King in his residence. Prince Halkenburg was only able to negotiate with the gate guard to pass a letter meant to his father through the grand chamberlain.

Before the ship's departure, Nugui accounted for circumstances akin to a prince charging inside the King's quarters or even firing a shotgun there as secret training exercises that should go unpunished for the perpetrator.

Location

The King's Living Room

Princes' Living Quarters

The Princes' Living Quarters (王子居住区, Ōji Kyojū-ku) can only be accessed via an entrance opposing the banquet hall, which is guarded by soldiers from the royal army. The living quarters are combined and enclosed by a rectangle wall with seven doors on its two longer sides. The fourteen doors lead to the residential areas of the princes which are jammed together in an array of two rows, with seven chambers in each row. The rooms are identical and fairly big. They're numbered from 1001 to 1014, with the last two digits representing its respective prince. Each prince's residential area consists of a living room, a master bedroom, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom and living quarters for the servants.

On the right side of the princes living quarters, the VVIP Private Recreational Facilities (ブイビップ王子専用娯楽施設, Buibippu Ōji Sen'yō Goraku Shisetsu) are made available for the princes, since they can only be accessed from the same entrance.

Princes' Living Quarters' Outline

Location

Individual Room Map

Princes Living Quarters Gate

VVIP Living Quarters

The VVIP Living Quarters (ブイビップ居住区, Buibippu Kyojū-ku) is located on the other side of the princes living quarters, being separated from the banquet hall. One way to gain access there is from the corridor bordering the princes quarters' wall. It's a home for the VIP outside the royal family who resides in Tier 1 (V5 politicians, industry dignitaries, as well as the bosses of Kakin's three Mafia families and their staff.)

Princes Benjamin and Camilla are currently confined to this area after the Supreme Court had adjourned their trial.

Soldiers/Associates' Living Quarters

The Soldiers/Associates' Living Quarters (兵士・準会員生活区, Heishi/Junkaiin Seikatsu-ku) are designated for the Kakin soldiers and about 150 Provisional Hunters who passed the 289th Hunter Exam with limited licenses only for the voyage. They can be reached from the left side of the princes' living quarters which is heavily guarded by soldiers. Following these quarters there's a passageway that leads to the lower tiers.

Banquet Hall

The Banquet Hall (宴会ホール, Enkai Hōru), also known as the Ceremony Hall or the Reception Hall, is an assembly room for social gatherings that lies between the King's and princes' living quarters. The departure ceremony took place there at the first day of the voyage. In the following Sundays, the hall's main function changed to host dinner parties to which princes and dignitaries are invited. Each prince should enter or leave the hall through a passageway at prescribed times, having been forbidden to pass another in transit. Given that, Kacho was still able to let her twin sister see her off from the passageway before she proceeded to her residential area after the departure ceremony.

The banquet hall is furnished with many dining tables and provides a buffet restaurant for its guests. King Nasubi's throne lies on a raised platform on one end of the hall, while a central stage for announcers and different performers is placed on the opposing end. The program acts are separated into two halves and are set to be broadcast through the high area of tiers 1 and 2.

• 1st Banquet
• 2nd Banquet
• 3rd Banquet
• 4th Banquet
• 5th Banquet
• 6th Banquet
• 7th Banquet

1st Banquet Program
Act Name	Performers
Freestyle Rap Battle	Basho and Ridge
Dance Performance	Servant volunteers
Rock Band	Izunavi and Giuliano
Acapella Chorus	Tyson's personal guards
Intermission
Talk Show	Tamazo and Gantai
Piano Solo	Keeney
Flute Solo	Melody
Glass Harp

The first banquet commenced on August 15^th (Day 8) at 8:00 PM. The main event was Princes Kacho and Fugetsu's glass harp performance. At most, only seven princes have attended, with Princes Tyson, Kacho and Fugetsu being the only ones confirmed.

Outline and Location

The Banquet Hall

Passageway to the Banquet Hall

King Nasubi's Throne

Stage

Restaurant

Jail

Beyond Holding Cell (べヨンド拘束室, Beyondo Kōsoku-shitsu) is used to seize Beyond Netero during the whole voyage in accordance to his contract with V5 which states that he should be staying in a room under 24-hour watch, with chaperones accompanying him in outings, and that his whereabouts will be monitored via an anklet with a tracking device, with any future communications being managed and monitored. The holding cell is very small, only able to include a urinal and a bed for Beyond whose right arm is restrained by a manacle that is bolted into the cell's wall.

A first-class cell was used to detain Prince Camilla after she assaulted the First Prince, and killed one of his guards. Other criminals and suspects are taken into custody in standard cells before facing a court-martial.

Holding cell.png

Beyond's Holding Cell

Camilla's First-Class Cell

Tuffdy's Standard Cell

Corridor to Standard Cells

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court (最高裁判官室, Saikō Saibankan-shitsu) is part of Kakin's independent judicial branch and is the highest court within the Black Whale, having the ultimate judicial authority. Cleapatro resides there as the Supreme Magistrate in charge of conducting trials, deciding what evidence is admissible and issuing rulings based upon the facts presented.

Chief Judge's Room.png

Supreme Court

Princes' Burial Chamber

The Princes' Burial Chamber is a big room containing 14 capsules used to bury the deceased bodies of the princes who participated in the succession battle. A canister-looking container is placed in the center of the room, with the 14 capsules laid out in its outer circle perimeter, and another 14 slots in between each capsule and the central container. Two pots lie near the container's edge, opposing each other. The floor and walls bear a strong resemblance to the inscription found in Greed Island's entrance.

It's unknown if this chamber lies inside the King's living quarters.

The Princes' Burial Chamber

Lifeboat Launch Site

The Lifeboat Launch Site (救命艇発射場, Kyūmei-bōto Hasshajō) of the first tier can be accessed from an emergency door secured by a keypad lock and guarded by Kakin royal army soldiers. It took Keeney, and Princes Kacho and Fugetsu two minutes of running to reach there from the banquet hall's passageway. The closed lifeboats are placed in a waterway and can be launched from a nearby control unit. They exit the ship from an outlet hole just above the Black Whale's waterline.

Lifeboat Launch Site

Lifeboats' interior

Waterway outlet

Tier 2

The bulkhead separating the second and third tiers

Tier 2 (2層, Ni-sō) is at the highest level of the Black Whale's hull. It's composed of a total of 6 decks meant to accommodate the celebrities and the rich. A thick bulkhead is utilized to separate it from the third and lower tiers, and can only be opened in emergencies from the second-tier side. The fatal downside is that causes Tier 2 to also become a part of the "hunting grounds" for Kakin's war of succession. Currently, there are 600 guards and royal army soldiers stationed in this tier.

Theater Venue

The Theater Venue (シアター会場, Shiatā Kaijō) is a small auditorium room with a big projection screen and a side-way balcony. After the departure of the Black Whale 1, a presenter explains there to the audience the details of the two-month voyage.

Theatre Venue

Justice Bureau

The Justice Bureau (司法局, Shihō-kyoku) is a five-story building and a part of Kakin's independent judicial branch. During the voyage, Steiner and Peuckert from the IPA were temporarily relocated to the Bureau's investigation department.

Justice Bureau

Lobby

Visiting Room

Tier 3

Tier 3 (3層, San-sō) is in the middle portion of the Black Whale's hull. It's composed of a total of 10 decks meant to accommodate the general passengers. A thick bulkhead is utilized to separate it from the upper tiers, and can only be opened in emergencies from the second-tier side.

The third tier is arguably one of the least secured on the ship as it neither has the great numbers of soldiers of the upper tiers, nor the Mafia's concern to maintain order, seeing that Morena, the boss of the Heil-Ly Family, ordered her associates to wreak havoc and kill everyone on the ship. This being said, Tier 3 incorporates the medical and political wards, as well as the highest number of clinics in the lower tiers; a total of three clinics.

Passengers Cabins

First-class Cabins (1等客室, Ittō Kyakushitsu) and Standard Cabins (一般客室, Ippan Kyakushitsu) are both available in the highest tier meant for general passengers. In the upper floor of Tier 3, a standard cabin consists of a bed, cupboards, shelves and a bathroom. The single cabins are aligned in a corridor that connects to a General Passenger Area (一般乗客エリア, Ippan Jōkyaku Eria) which acts as an assembly point.

First-Class Cabin

Standard Cabins

Standard Cabin Map

General Passenger Area

Political Ward

The Political Ward (政治特区, Seiji Tokku) is located in the middle portion of the fifth deck. It serves as the main headquarters that contains the different Political and Legal Enforcement Agencies (政治・法律の施行機関, Seiji/Hōritsu no Shikō Kikan), the Central Police Station and the Royal Army Office.

One of the law enforcement agencies, the Central Courthouse (中央裁判所, Chūō Saibansho) maintains order on the Black Whale. It's headed by Botobai Gigante, a member of the Zodiacs Defense Team, who's acting as the court's judge. The room is filled with soldiers from the Kakin royal army that keeps order and guide the defendants to the courtroom, a clerk to keep the records, and what appears to be lay judges.

The Central Police Station (中央警察, Chūō Keisatsu) is a four-story building headed by Mizaistom Nana of the Zodiacs Intelligence Team. Its dorm provides individual rooms as well as communal bathrooms for the police officers and other members of staff. One of its facilities, the Community Safety Section (Seikatsu Anzen-ka) serves as an interview room for non-detained visitors.

The Royal Army Office (国王軍支部, Kokuō-gun Shibu) holds meetings between generals of the Kakin royal army and is headed by Mizaistom Nana of the Zodiacs Intelligence Team. During meetings, the committee members discuss issues regarding the public safety inside the Black Whale. Once they've agreed on certain measures, they have the authority to execute most of them unless further procedures are needed like reporting to the higher figures of the national defense.

Central Courthouse

Central Police Station

Community Safety Section

Royal Army Office

Medical Ward

The Medical Ward (医科学特区, Ikaga Tokku) is a special zone in one of the middle floors of Tier 3 that contains the Central Hospital (中央病院, Chūō Byōin) and the Research Institute (総合研究所, Sōgōkenkyūjo).

The central hospital accommodates at least one of the 3 clinics inside Tier 3, the Central Medical Clinic (中央医療室, Chūō Iryō-shitsu) which is supervised by the Hunter Association Chairman, Cheadle Yorkshire, who's also a member of the Zodiacs Science Team.

Central medical clinic.png

Central Medical Clinic

Observation Deck

The Observation Deck (展望エリア, Tenbō Eria) in Tier 3 is a sightseeing platform located at the Black Whale's front. It's part of a seaside resort town filled with outdoor loungers, shops and bars.

Observation Deck

Heil-Ly Family Office

The Heil-Ly Family Office (エイ=イ一家事務所, Ei i Ikka Jimusho) is located in the second-to-last floor of Tier 3, and acts as a hideout for the family members.

Tier 4

Tier 4 (4層, Yon-sō) is in the middle portion of the Black Whale's hull. It's composed of a total of 13 decks meant to accommodate the general passengers. Although that makes it the largest in terms of size, Tier 4 only has one clinic.

The fourth tier mainly relies on the Xi-Yu Family's influence to maintain public order seeing that the number of civilians per one royal army soldier exceeds 300 in the lower tiers.

Kakin Royal Army Conference Room

The Kakin Royal Army Conference Room (カキン国王軍会議室, Kakin Kokuō-gun Kaigijitsu) is responsible for ensuring security on the Black Whale. It's the meeting point for people affiliated with the royal army and is currently headed by Mizaistom Nana who is also a part of the Zodiacs Intelligence Team.

Kakin Royal Army Conference Room

Xi-Yu Family Office

The Xi-Yu Family Office (シュウ=ウ一家事務所, Shu u Ikka Jimusho) is located in the front portion of the ship, along with the "teeth" of the Black Whale vessel. It acts as a hideout for the family members.

Tier 5

Tier 5 (5層, Go-sō) is located at the very bottom of the Black Whale's hull; next to the propeller. It's composed of a total of 12 decks, all submerged below the ship's waterline. It's the smallest of the lower tiers meant to accommodate the general passengers, having only one clinic with no dedicated doctors.

The fifth tier mainly relies on the Cha-R Family's influence to maintain public order seeing that the number of civilians per one royal army solider, exceeds 300 in the lower tiers.

Passengers Cabins

Standard Cabins (一般客室, Ippan Kyakushitsu) are the only confirmed rooms to be available for the general passengers of the lowest tier.

37564

37564 is an assembly point in Tier 5 and where Chrollo Lucilfer was first seen on the ship.

37654

Central Dining Hall

The Central Dining Hall (中央食堂, Chūō Daishokudō) is the only cafeteria in Tier 5. It can be accessed from only one passageway that is run by three thugs from the Buor Family after they'd bribed the soldiers in charge. A passenger can pay them 5,000, borrow loyalty cards or follow a payment schedule to gain access there.

After the three thugs were defeated by members of the Phantom Troupe, it's yet to be known if they still have authority over that passageway.

Central Dining Hall

Warehouse

The Warehouse (倉庫, Sōko) is regulated by the Cha-R Family. It stores various goods; some of which were smuggled in by the black market. Previously, four guards had been positioned to watch over the warehouse before they were killed by Luini.

The security cameras connected to the Cha-R Family office are installed on the warehouse entrance.

Warehouse

Cha-R Family Office

The Cha-R Family Office (シャ=ア一家事務所, Sha a Ikka Jimusho) is located somewhere in the middle floors of the fifth tier, next to the propeller. It acts as a hideout for the family members. A steel door with a smart lock and two security cameras guard the outside. The flat consists of an office, a bedroom, a monitor room that records surveillance over all the key areas of Tier 5, and a secret room that's further reinforced by a second steel door.

Cha-R Family Office

Trivia

• 37564 is a Japanese wordplay, which can be read "mi-na-go-ro-shi" (みなごろし), meaning "massacre" or "kill them all".

Intertextuality and References

• The division of classes in the Black Whale resembles that of the RMS Titanic, a British passenger ship notorious for its sinking in 1912. The classes were separated similarly, with the richer passengers being closer to the top while the poorer were nearer to the bottom.