Aside from Pariston, who was calmly drinking tea, and Gel, who was on alert, two other strong men sat nearby playing chess.
One wore a watermelon-shaped hat that made him look a bit silly, while the other was dressed like a fisherman, with a thick white rope tied around his head and a long chin.
"It's really strange," said Bushidora as he casually moved a chess piece. "Why did Boss Beyond suddenly decide to change the boss? Isn't this way too sudden?"
Beyond had gathered them all one by one, but suddenly, the boss changed.
"Well, that was pretty sudden," muttered Matthew, his watermelon-shaped head bobbing as he nodded absentmindedly, looking even more foolish with his innocent expression.
"Ta-da, ta-da..."
As they spoke, footsteps echoed from afar, growing louder with each step.
The wooden floor creaked under the weight of shoes, making the noise impossible to miss.
Almost everyone turned toward the entrance, eyes fixed in anticipation, waiting for Beyond and the new boss to arrive.
Several people glanced nervously as two figures finally appeared in the doorway.
When Pariston recognized the familiar yet unexpected presence, surprise flashed in his eyes, and his expression froze.
He truly hadn't expected him to show up.
"I really didn't see this coming."
"Our new captain is you!" someone announced.
"President Larry!" Pariston said, regaining his composure with a spark of excitement.
Standing before everyone were Beyond and Larry.
"What?! Isn't that Mr. Larry?"
"Hey, hey, wait, our new president is going to be our boss?"
"Mr. Beyond, is this for real?"
The team buzzed with mixed emotions, but above all, they were stunned that Larry was their new leader.
While the discussion grew heated, Larry quietly observed the group gathered around him.
Aside from Beyond and himself, there were ten people present.
Pariston sat on the sofa in front of the TV, staring off into space, lost in thought.
On either side of the chessboard sat the sturdy men: one with a watermelon-shaped head, the other resembling a fisherman.
Compared to their rugged looks, the chessboard on the table seemed oddly.
Out of place.
Nearby, a man with long bangs covering his left eye typed away on a laptop at a small table.
Next to him stood a chef in a uniform patterned with lightning bolts, holding two trays filled with food and drinks, playing the role of a waiter.
Unlike Pariston's strange gaze, the chef looked at Larry with genuine admiration.
Anyone who loves food knows Larry's name; almost all of them look up to him with respect.
Outside the small group, there was a man wearing tall glasses, his hair curled in a pattern that reminded Larry of a devil fruit.
The two women closest to him stood out the most.
One was dressed like a classic Nadeshiko, with pink hair and matching clothes; she clearly loved pink even more than Piyon did.
The other looked like a child, with a mushroom-shaped head, sucking on a lollipop while playing flying chess with the first woman.
In a less obvious corner deeper in the room, someone caught Larry's attention, though it wasn't quite right to call him a person.
His entire body was encased in a mechanical she'll, with a person hidden inside.
Larry recalled that this individual belonged to the [Stone Wall] mercenary team and possessed the ability to materialize various firearms and artillery weapons.
His skill was impressive, he could create multiple weapons quickly, then distribute them across an army, making it easy to arm an entire force.
That's why the [Stone Wall] team was considered one of the most legendary mercenary groups across the six continents.
There were ten members present in total, though Beyond's team was much larger, and some members were absent.
"Now that everyone has met the new captain, I don't need to explain any further. I'm sure you all know who he is," Beyond said, watching their reactions carefully.
"This is the new president of the Hunter Association, Mr. Larry, known as the [World's Strongest]!"
Larry's reputation preceded him; even those who hadn't met him had at least heard of his name.
Having someone like him as captain was definitely a huge advantage.
"Boss, I know Larry is powerful, but isn't it a bit sudden to change captains so quickly?" bushidora asked, scratching his head, still struggling to accept the news.
"Bushidora, don't worry about whether it's hasty or not," Beyond replied firmly.
"What matters is that under Larry's leadership, our journey to the Dark Continent will be safer, and our gains will be greater."
Beyond shook his head and went on to explain why they had invited Larry to take command.
Clearly, Larry was far better suited to lead the group than he was.
More importantly, it came down to who Larry was as a person.
Having him on the team meant they would improve in every way.
"That's true," someone agreed.
"President Larry isn't just skilled in many areas, he's also the strongest person out there!"
"With him leading us, this trip feels a lot safer," another added.
When it came to Larry, Pariston acted completely different, far less mischievous than usual.
If the twelve zodiacs had seen this, they'd probably suspect Pariston was plotting something sneaky.
Pariston is unlike ordinary people.
While most feel happy when they give or receive love, Pariston's reaction is quite the opposite.
The more cute and interesting things he sees, the stronger his urge to destroy them becomes.
He doesn't find joy in others showing him kindness; instead, he feels happiness only when others hate him.
But even that hatred depends on who it comes from.
For those with strength equal to or less than his, he can easily make them hate him at will.
But when it comes to Larry...
Pariston still wants to live a few more years.
If he says the wrong thing and gets killed on the spot, he wouldn't be surprised.
After glancing at Pariston, who was trying to act like a "good boy," Larry didn't bother paying him much attention.
After all, Pariston was now his employee.
Larry turned his gaze toward the "robot" approaching from the depths.
Covered in a she'll made of incredibly tough metal, the Golem's heavy footsteps echoed loudly with every step.
"Mr. Larry, you're really strong!" the robot said. "I have something I want to ask you, is that okay?"
"Go ahead," Larry replied, raising an eyebrow, curious about what the robot wanted to know.
By the way, that metal she'll was pretty eye-catching.
Larry wondered if Meowth could make something like it someday.
Meowth was currently absorbing knowledge from the online world and planning to modify some equipment.
This was something Meowth had suggested on its own, it wanted to invent and upgrade some gear to better assist Larry.
Naturally, Larry agreed.
With a wave of his hand, he instructed Porygon Z to fully support Meowth and provide all the materials it needed.
He also handed over some rare items and tools he had acquired.
Now, he was curious about what kind of gear Meowth would create.