After burying Patrick Redfield with his own hands and completely settling the grudge from a few months ago—when the man had used his top-level Observation Haki to incite numerous prisoners in Infinite Hell to riot and try to kill him—Rosen's Leopard King demeanor gradually faded.
The waist-length black hair quickly shortened, returning to its original length.
The white, tight armor draped over his body dissolved away, becoming once more his familiar white shirt and black trousers.
The long, leopard-like tail extending from behind also faded into nothingness.
When every trace of the Leopard King's Resurrección vanished from Rosen's body, a blade rested in his hand—his Zanpakutō, which, once released, took on the form of the Leopard King.
Reverting from his Blade State, Rosen's focus shifted to the stream of information surfacing in his mind.
…
[Your comprehension is extraordinary. Through your battle with Patrick Redfield, combined with your Refining of the Haki Core, your Three Forms of Haki has significantly improved.]
[Armament Haki strength: +82%.]
[Observation Haki strength: +99%.]
[Conqueror's Haki strength: +120%.]
…
The battle against such a powerful emperor had not granted a four-digit leap in power, but Rosen was unsurprised.
After all, his current Armament Haki rivaled Zephyr at his prime. His Conqueror's Haki had already surpassed Patrick Redfield, and even his Observation Haki could glimpse into the future.
For someone already standing at such a height, these boosts were monumental.
In other words—
Rosen's Armament Haki now neared twice the strength of peak Zephyr.
His Conqueror's Haki was more than double that of the Aloof Red.
And his Observation Haki not only allowed him to peer into distant futures but also expanded his range of perception to unprecedented levels.
If before, he could be compared to the best of the ordinary Admirals, then after Redfield's defeat, he now stood among the topmost Admirals in history.
In less than four months, he had gone from a freshman at the Naval Academy to the apex of the Navy Headquarters.
Such growth was unheard of in the entire annals of the Navy.
But just as Rosen was processing his gains and turning toward the warship anchored on the coast, the scene before him blurred. The blue sky, white clouds, forests, island, and sea vanished without a trace.
When his vision cleared—
The world was draped in darkness.
A crescent moon hung alone in the night sky, casting its pale glow.
Beneath it stood a colossal pillar, and atop that pillar stood a figure in white robes, with cold, dark-green eyes and an expressionless face.
"Ulquiorra Cifer."
Rosen recognized him immediately—the cold, arrogant Fourth Espada, the only Arrancar to possess a second-stage Resurrección.
Ulquiorra stood at the pinnacle of the pillar, his unfeeling gaze fixed upon Ichigo Kurosaki far below.
"There are two taboos beneath the ceiling of Las Noches."
"One is the Gran Rey Cero, reserved solely for the Espada."
"Two is the Resurreccion of the Zanpakutō for Espada ranked fourth and above."
His voice was cold and quiet as he raised his blade.
"Enclose · Murciélago."
The instant the words fell—
Dark-green spiritual pressure erupted like a torrential flood, crashing down from the pillar like the waters of the Milky Way.
The already dim sky grew darker still, the desert below drowned in a green-tinged gloom.
And then came the rain—
A dark-green downpour, steeped in oppressive spiritual force, saturating the air until it felt as if the night itself was pressing down on the world.
When the torrent and rain subsided, the white robes now bore two vast black wings, and those cold, green eyes seemed to pierce through everything.
Crack!
As Ulquiorra's Resurrección form solidified, the vision shattered. The figure, the desert, and the night dissolved, leaving only another message flashing in Rosen's mind,
…
[Your comprehension is exceptional. Through your battle with Patrick Redfield and frequent use of your Devil Fruit abilities, you have advanced the Arms-Arms Fruit to a higher level. By visualizing yourself as a weapon and merging this with your fruit's power, you have gained a unique skill: Murciélago (Great Black Winged Demon).]
[Murciélago (Great Black Winged Demon) (Exclusive Skill): Your extraordinary perception, modeled upon the release of an Espada's Zanpakutō, grants you both first and second-stage forms. Grants abilities such as Cero Oscuras, Lanza del Relámpago, Luz de la Luna, and Super-Speed Regeneration.]
…
Rosen's eyes widened slightly.
The Murciélago (Great Black Winged Demon)—
Perhaps not the strongest of the Espada, but undeniably the most iconic and intimidating.
In Bleach, its relative power could be debated endlessly.
But in the world of One Piece, a weapon conjured through the Arms-Arms Fruit took its strength entirely from its wielder's Haki and fruit mastery.
Meaning—if the Arms-Arms Fruit was developed far enough, even something like Wabisuke or Gotoku could cleave through the Grand Line.
Let alone the Murciélago (Great Black Winged Demon).
"Not only has my Three Forms of Haki reached a new level, but my fruit powers have also evolved."
"It seems Redfield truly was worth the effort."
"No wonder I had Shiryu feed him Sea King meat for months in advance."
A faint smile crossed Rosen's face.
To maximize Redfield's value as training material, he had ordered Shiryu to feed him the finest Sea King dishes for months beforehand.
As a result, the man—imprisoned for over a decade—had returned to almost peak condition.
Without that, the Aloof Red would never have forced Rosen to draw out the Murciélago (Great Black Winged Demon) or pushed his Haki to such heights.
And Redfield wasn't the only one. Douglas Bullet—the "Demon's Heir"—had also been put on the same special diet.
Given Bullet's raw talent, sheer power, and relatively short imprisonment compared to Redfield, Rosen knew that within months he would regain his full, terrifying strength.
"As training material, Redfield was exceptional."
"So what about the Demon's Heir?"
"This is going to be… very exciting."
With Redfield already consumed as a resource, Rosen's anticipation for Bullet—an even greater challenge—only grew stronger.
After all, at his current level, there were few across the entire Grand Line who could still push him further.
...
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