After hearing Kisuke's explanation, Kyoya fully understood the difficulty of reforming the Rukongai.
If Kyoya simply wanted to improve the lives of the current residents of the Rukongai without considering the future, he could forcibly order the 12th Division to create devices capable of decomposing and reassembling Reishi.
But for the long-term stability of the Soul Society, the redistribution of resources in the Rukongai had to be done without damaging the environment.
However, people are inherently selfish.
The residents of the lower-numbered districts would naturally welcome such a redistribution.
Those in the higher-numbered districts, however, would never willingly give up the resources they already possessed.
Without a powerful force to suppress dissent, the chaos caused by such a redistribution in the Rukongai would be no less devastating than the destruction of the Seireitei.
But for Kyoya, there was no need for such complications.
In the One Piece World, there was once a man who called himself a 'God' and ruled over Skypiea. Anyone who defied his rule would be struck down by his 'Divine Judgment'.
The user of the Goro Goro no Mi, Enel!
Thanks to the abilities of the Goro Goro no Mi, Enel's Observation Haki's range was vast enough to envelop all of Skypiea, allowing him to maintain constant surveillance.
Whenever he detected someone speaking against him or breaking his laws, he would use his Observation Haki to locate and obliterate them with a thunderbolt.
Kyoya possessed the Pika Pika no Mi.
If he could achieve something similar to Enel, extending his Observation Haki across the entirety of the Soul Society, then, like the self-proclaimed God Enel, he could single-handedly enforce his will over the Rukongai, compelling its residents to redistribute resources according to his vision.
However, the synergy between the Goro Goro no Mi and Observation Haki was exceptionally high, which was why Enel could effortlessly merge the two into his wide-range perception network, [Mantra].
For Kyoya, merging his Observation Haki with the abilities of the Pika Pika no Mi to significantly expand his sensory range wouldn't be easy.
At the very least, he hadn't managed it yet.
"My apologies, Captain Urahara, for causing you trouble."
Now that he understood the naivety of his earlier idea, Kyoya felt compelled to apologize for using his Conqueror's Haki on Kisuke Urahara earlier.
"Not at all. Captain Kyoya simply wants the residents of the Rukongai to live better lives..."
Kisuke shook his head.
At the same time, a faint unease rose in Kisuke's heart.
Kyoya, with his immense power and ambition to reshape the Soul Society, would undoubtedly become a catalyst for upheaval in the future.
Judging by Kyoya's current demeanor, it didn't seem like he would give up on his goals.
When that time came, conflict between Kyoya and the Seireitei would be inevitable.
As the 'legitimate' authority of the Soul Society, the noble families would never allow an emerging power outside the Seireitei to grow unchecked.
And Yamamoto, in his duty to protect the Seireitei, would never stand idly by while Kyoya expanded his influence in the Rukongai.
Shaking his head, Kisuke ultimately chose not to voice his concerns.
He was just a 'mere' Captain of the 12th Division. Even if Kyoya caused a major disturbance later, there were taller figures who would handle it.
"Then, Captain Urahara, I'll take my leave."
Now that he had a new plan, Kyoya saw no reason to waste any more time here with Kisuke.
Just as Kyoya reached the door of the captain's office, he suddenly seemed to remember something and paused, turning back to Kisuke: "By the way, Captain Urahara, please keep the gravity device in mind."
"Of course, Captain Kyoya."
"I'll do my best to complete it within a month."
Right now, Kisuke's greatest wish was to send Kyoya on his way as quickly as possible and avoid further contact with him in the future.
He hated trouble more than anything.
Ironically, the position of 12th Division's Captain, which he had initially considered a nuisance, hadn't caused him much trouble at all and had even aided his research in many ways.
On the other hand, Kyoya, the 11th Division's Captain, despite rarely seeking him out, brought significant headaches every time he did.
Thus, Kisuke resolved that this time, even if it meant putting his most important research on hold, he would prioritize completing Kyoya's gravity device to free himself from further obligations.
"That's good. I'll return in a month."
With Urahara's assurance, Kyoya left the 12th Division without another glance.
All the challenges he faced today ultimately boiled down to a single issue-
Strength. It always came back to strength!
If Kyoya possessed invincible power right now, he could reshape the Soul Society according to his will without hesitation.
His Steel Balloon Physique was still developing.
Light, like lightning, had its own unique 'waves'.
Kyoya refused to believe that if Enel could comprehend the perception of lightning, he couldn't achieve the same with 'light'.
After returning to the 11th Division, Kyoya sat cross-legged in the Captain's office, placed his Zanpakuto across his knees, and entered a state of Zanzen.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and sighed.
Just now, he had attempted to communicate with Borsalino through Zanzen, hoping to gain some insight.
Unfortunately, even Borsalino had not mastered the ability of 'light perception'.
Whether the Borsalino of the One Piece World had achieved this, Kyoya didn't know.
But this version of Borsalino, which is manifested based on Kyoya's understanding of the Pika Pika no Mi's abilities, had been confirmed to lack such a skill.
Thus, Kyoya had no choice but to rely on himself to comprehend it.
However, the light of these spiritual pressures soon dissipated.
Without hesitation, the Zanpakuto resting on Kyoya's knees transformed into a golden light, merging into his body and causing his Reiatsu to radiate a brilliant glow.
However, the light of his Reiatsu quickly dissipated.
Kyoya's control over Reishi was refined enough to fully restrain the surge in Reiatsu that came with his Bankai.
The Zanpakuto derived from the Pika Pika no Mi was similar to Hitsugaya's Hyorinmaru.
Its Shikai granted Kyoya the power to manipulate light, even allowing him to transform into it.
Bankai, on the other hand, expanded the scope and authority of his control over 'light'.
In the One Piece world, the most distinctive feature of a Devil Fruit's [Awakening] was the ability to 'assimilate' the surrounding environment.
For example, Donquixote Doflamingo's Ito Ito no Mi Awakening allowed him to transform an entire island into 'strings' under his control.
Luffy's Awakening similarly let him turn everything into 'rubber', and even grasp flames, lightning, and light as if they were toys.
Logia-type Devil Fruits were considered "invincible" in the early stages not only because they required Armament Haki to counter but also because their abilities were essentially [Semi-Awakened] by default, giving them a natural advantage over Paramecia and Zoan-types.
Of course, that was just a generalization, and the true extent of a Devil Fruit's power still depended on the user.
After achieving Bankai, the range of 'light' Kyoya could control expanded dozens of times.
From there, Kyoya immersed himself in mastering this control, attempting to fuse his perception and manipulation of light with his Observation Haki, using it as an 'extension' of his sensory abilities.
However, achieving this wouldn't happen overnight.
Fortunately, Kyoya wasn't short on time.
…
A month later, Kyoya returned to the Rukongai.
This time, he didn't follow the same path as before. Instead, he chose a different direction, reacquainting himself with the realities of the district.
The top ten districts were the most affluent.
Here, people owned their own homes and land, and most had stable livelihoods.
The streets had no homeless children, or if there were any, they would quickly be taken in by willing 'families'.
Districts before the 30th weren't as prosperous as the top ten, but residents could still eat their fill and dress warmly.
Occasionally, when homeless children appeared, people wouldn't hesitate to share their food.
From the 30th to the 50th districts, conditions grew much harsher.
Most residents here survived on little more than water.
No one had extra resources to spare for others.
Worse, they had to guard against those who would steal what little they had.
Those who couldn't survive resorted to 'scams and theft' to obtain food.
If they weren't caught, they could eat.
If they were, they'd be beaten mercilessly.
Children received slightly better treatment, as they wouldn't be beaten to death.
But no one wanted to be the victim of theft or robbery.
Therefore, even children were beaten severely enough to deter others from targeting their meager supplies.
Beyond the 60th district, conditions were dire.
The land was unsuitable for farming, trees were either drought-resistant or long dead, and greenery was scarce.
Even the rivers that sustained life would occasionally run dry.
Here, people fought desperately… either to protect their food or to steal from others.
In such an environment, 'monsters' thrived.
These individuals didn't seek to move to better districts. Instead, they took pride in surviving the worst.
Each 'monster' commanded a group of followers, dozens strong, and their lives revolved around constant battles.
During his time here, Kyoya had encountered many such groups.
Yet, whenever they were fighting, the moment they spotted Kyoya, they would immediately cease and unite in wary silence.
It's because the people of the Rukongai and those of the Seireitei were natural enemies.