7: Part 1 (7—①, Nana (Ichi)) is the 242nd chapter of the Hunter × Hunter manga, written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi.
Synopsis[]
Having moved to a forest, Gon is seen munching on a variety of fruits, and asks Meleoron if he's going to eat anything. After using his tongue to take one of his fruits, he asks Gon why he trusted him so quickly. Gon says that he just wasn't sure why he was being followed, and since Meleoron swore that he wasn't tricking him, he felt he could easily trust him. Meleoron is in disbelief that he just took his word, telling him he should never trust clichés like that. Gon asks him if he was really lying, but Meleoron assures him he wasn't, and Gon continues happily munching on his fruit. Meleoron is left confused by the contrast of Gon's strength and naïveté, wondering if he should really be enlisting his help. Gon goes on to say that if Meleoron was lying, he won't feel bad because it will let him show no mercy, allowing him to kill Meleoron with no hesitation. Gon's icy stare frightens Meleoron down to his bones, and he realizes just how endless the boy's potential is.
The Chimera Ant lights a cigarette and starts smoking, but Gon tells him he should quit since the smell would give him away when he's invisible. Meleoron laughs and thanks him for the advice, but tells him that his real ability goes beyond invisibility. Gon is left confused, but Meleoron just tells him to watch, suddenly disappearing right in front of Gon's eyes. Gon realizes that Meleoron didn't just turn invisible, but that every trace of him is gone, with only the residual smell of the cigarette left.
As Gon stands in dismay and wonders how he did it, Meleoron appears sitting on the stump just as he was before he vanished. Gon has no clue where he came from, but Meleoron tells him he's been sitting there the whole time, revealing that his second ability, Perfect Plan, conceals his existence as long as he's holding his breath. He says that Gon was actually touching him, but he didn't realize he was, leaving Gon very confused. Meleoron explains it like how a waitress someone skips over a quiet person among a group, saying it's the ultimate example of that. Gon seems to better understand it, and Meleoron says that turning invisible is a decoy to hide his true ability, which only he and Gon know about now.
Gon wonders why he told him about his ability, and Meleoron says he had to take the risk to gain his trust before getting to the next question. Gon guesses it's about being his partner, and Meleoron tells him that they will get to that when Gon agrees to be his partner. Without hesitation, Gon says that he agrees, leaving Meleoron dumbfounded that Gon keeps being so trusting of him. Meleoron asks him what his friend would think about him teaming up with a freak, agonizing over his situation and saying to himself that he didn't ask to turn into a mutant as he takes another puff of his cigarette. He then offers a joking remark about friendship, but Gon doesn't react as the two head deeper into the forest.
Meleoron asks Gon if his friend would really be fine with them teaming up, but Gon says that Killua would be against it since he doesn't trust anyone. Meleoron is left confused, but Gon assures him that as long as he doesn't budge, Killua will give in. And so finally, Meleoron reveals that he plans to take down the King, asking Gon if he wants to know the reason why. Gon is very curious, and Meleoron says it's about revenge as the two go back and forth about whether Meleoron will actually reveal more information. The Ant finally reveals that the King killed someone close to him—a fellow Ant named Peggy, who he saw get decapitated right in front of him. But Meleoron says that at the time he didn't know Peggy was close to him, leaving Gon confused, but he goes on to say that he had forgotten that Peggy was his foster father when they were humans.
The two sit across from each other in the forest, and Meleoron tells a surprised Gon that he recently started to get some of his memories back from when he was human. The only things he remembers are his parents' names, his own name and some of his childhood, and that Peggy was his foster father. Meleoron says that Peggy would always be carrying around the NGL bible with him. Gon anxiously asks if all the Ants have human memories, and Meleoron says he isn't sure about the others, especially when some of them are more like beasts than humans.
With a smile on his face, Gon says he understands why he was able to trust Meleoron so easily, telling him that he seems more human than any Chimera Ant he's met before and that he's just as human as he is. Meleoron also gives a smile, but says that he got the opposite sense from Gon, telling him that he felt an inhuman beast inside him and that this was the reason why he chose him as a partner. Meleoron adds that there is very little that separates the two of them, and both give each other a slight smile. The two stand up to shake hands, and Meleoron asks for his name. Gon gives his full name, and Meleoron continues holding on to his hand, with aura swelling around himself as he says that he has one more ability to show Gon now that its requirements have been met.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Gon Freecss
- Meleoron
- Killua Zoldyck (Mentioned)
- Meruem (Mentioned)
- Peggy (Flashback)
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