"Gin, Captain Aikawa might be in danger."
"I'll go check on him first."
After leaving a brief explanation to Gin, Kyoya tapped the Zanpakuto at his waist, causing it to dissolve into golden light that merged into his body.
In the next moment, his form scattered into shimmering golden particles, vanishing from Gin's sight.
Amidst the roaring echoes, specks of golden light coalesced, reforming into Kyoya's figure.
The moment he saw who Aikawa was fighting, Kyoya couldn't help but freeze in shock.
'Zaraki Zaraki?'
Kyoya blinked, utterly baffled.
For years, he had searched the Rukongai for Zaraki without success, yet now, here he was… breaking into the Seireitei on his own.
'Was this how it had originally happened in the timeline? Had Zaraki fought his way into the Seireitei, all the way to the 11th Division, and slaughtered its Captain, Kiganjo, in front of over two hundred division's members to claim the title of Zaraki for himself?'
Though puzzled, Kyoya didn't intervene immediately. Aikawa, after using his Bankai, wasn't instantly overwhelmed by Zaraki. In fact, judging by the battle's flow, he seemed to be suppressing Zaraki for now.
Expanding his Observation Haki, Kyoya soon spotted a small figure with pinkish hair not far from the battlefield.
"Whoosh!"
In a flash, Kyoya appeared beside Kusajishi Yachiru.
"Hello there."
Yachiru's senses were sharp, so the moment Kyoya materialized beside her, she immediately turned her head and grinned at him, "Are you here to play with Ken-chan too?"
"But can you wait until Ken-chan finishes playing with that big guy first?"
Tilting her head, she tapped her cheek with a finger as if suddenly remembering something.
"Well, playing with two people at once isn't impossible, but Ken-chan finally found someone really fun to fight, so I want him to enjoy it a little longer..."
Kyoya chuckled.
"Little one, you're that confident in your Ken-chan?"
"Aren't you afraid he might die?"
"Ken-chan is the strongest!"
Hearing Kyoya's words, Yachiru puffed out her chest proudly, as if she herself were the strongest, not Zaraki.
Seeing her reaction, Kyoya realized she had never even considered the possibility of Zaraki dying in battle.
Or perhaps, to her, Zaraki lived for the thrill of combat. Even if he were to die in battle, it would only mean he had found a fight worthy of his full strength… death itself was irrelevant.
Outwardly, it might seem like Zaraki was the one taking care of Yachiru, but in truth, it was the other way around.
Before meeting Yachiru, Zaraki had been nothing more than a battle-crazed berserker.
But after finding her, his life gained meaning beyond just fighting.
In his past life, Kyoya had heard a rumor that Yachiru wasn't a real Shinigami, but the manifested form of Zaraki's Zanpakuto.
Because Zaraki cherished the joy of evenly matched battles, she believed that staying by his side was more important than lending him her power.
Zaraki's Shikai transformed him into an even more ferocious 'beast'.
Yachiru's Zanpakuto release, [Sanpo Kenju], allowed her to guide two invisible beasts in synchronized attacks, acting as their 'brain'.
Thus, some said Zaraki was the beast, and Yachiru was his 'reason'.
Only if Zaraki ever yearned for greater power would Yachiru return to his body, existing as his Zanpakuto once more.
This was also why Zaraki could achieve Bankai without undergoing the standard 'materialization and submission' training just after learning his Zanpakuto's name.
Kyoya had once strongly believed in this theory.
But now, standing before Yachiru in person, he couldn't detect anything unnatural about her.
Perhaps, like Kurotsuchi Nemu, the moment Zaraki gave her the name 'Yachiru', she had chosen to remain by his side as 'Kusajishi Yachiru'.
In a way, 'Kusajishi Yachiru' had become a true Shinigami with a soul of her own.
Kyoya didn't know if the rumor was true.
But now, after seeing Yachiru with his own eyes, a thought rose in his heart… just as he had once vowed to protect the bond between Rangiku and Gin after gaining strength.
Now, he didn't want Yachiru, the most adorable Shinigami in all of Bleach, to disappear during the Thousand-Year Blood War!
However, Kyoya kept this thought to himself.
Rather than voicing it aloud, he preferred to act on it.
"Hah, what a coincidence."
Kyoya pointed a thumb at himself, "Here in the Seireitei, I also have a title… [The Strongest]."
"Later, let's have our two 'Strongest' clash and see who truly deserves the title!"
"Hehe, you're a good guy!"
"Ken-chan will definitely like you."
Hearing Kyoya's words, Yachiru patted his thigh cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear.
To Yachiru, anyone willing to fight Zaraki and bring him joy was a good person in her book.
"Captain Kyoya has arrived..."
With his Bankai activated, Aikawa was barely managing to suppress Zaraki, allowing him enough focus to notice Kyoya's presence. After the initial shock, Aikawa had regained his composure.
Now that he had the upper hand, at least temporarily, his rationality returned.
Zaraki was a Ryoka who had invaded the Seireitei.
Under normal circumstances, only Shinigami possessed Zanpakuto.
Retired Shinigami who were still alive would have their Zanpakuto confiscated.
Therefore, this Ryoka shouldn't even know how to achieve Shikai, let alone Bankai.
All his earlier fear had just been his own imagination running wild.
Now, Aikawa was confident that with his Bankai, victory was assured.
The fact that Kyoya hadn't intervened suited him just fine.
'If I could defeat this Ryoka here, it might help restore some of my tarnished reputation.'
Ever since the incident with the Kasumioji Clan over a decade ago, where he had been severely injured, his standing had taken a hit.
Even the nobles he had protected now looked at him with distrust.
No matter how diligently he had worked over the past decade to maintain order within the Seireitei's inner district, nothing had changed.
After all, for beings with an average lifespan of over three hundred years, a decade might as well have been yesterday.
Kyoya, however, didn't share Aikawa's confidence in his victory.
Both the One Piece World and Bleach World had their own monstrous prodigies.
In One Piece World, Big Mom had been born at the pinnacle of power.
In Bleach World, Zaraki was the same.
Even as a teenager, without any formal training in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, or Kido, Zaraki had defeated Unohana Yachiru, who, at the time, was the second strongest in the Gotei 13, just below Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
But that very battle had awakened Zaraki's love for fighting opponents of equal strength.
To prolong the thrill of battle, his subconscious had begun sealing his own Reiatsu, eventually leading to his defeat at Unohana's hands.
In the centuries that followed, since Zaraki never encountered another worthy opponent, his subconscious continued suppressing his Reiatsu.
Now, his Reiatsu had dropped from the peak of Shinigami potential to the 'mere' 3rd-class Reiryoku.
Had Zaraki not entered the Seireitei, a place teeming with powerful fighters, his Reiatsu might have dwindled even further over the next few centuries.
At this moment, Zaraki was undoubtedly at his weakest.
But even so, defeating him was no easy task.
Zaraki's subconscious sealed his Reiatsu only to prolong the joy of battle.
However, the moment he faced a truly strong opponent, those same seals would loosen, step by step, allowing him to fight at greater and greater strength.
Unless someone could instantly kill Zaraki in a single blow, or, like Unohana, defeat him with peerless Zanjutsu while matching his Reiatsu, every wound he suffered would only excite him further, making him stronger.
Right now, Aikawa might be suppressing Zaraki, but Kyoya could sense it… with every strike Zaraki took, his Reiatsu grew.
In the mere minute since Aikawa had activated his Bankai, Zaraki's Reiatsu had already climbed toward the peak of 3rd-class Reiryoku.
Once it reached 2nd-class, Zaraki's victory would be inevitable.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Aikawa swung his spiked club, flames erupting with each strike.
Every attack caused massive explosions, devastating the surroundings.
However, no matter how many times he hit, the demon-like man before him refused to fall.
"Is this guy even human?!"
The longer the battle dragged on, the more Aikawa's earlier fear crept back into his heart.
Even if it is an Adjuchas-level Hollow, if it is hit by a move of his Bankai, they will definitely be seriously injured if not die directly.
Yet this man didn't even bother dodging… he met every strike head-on. Aikawa could even feel the impact of his weapon slamming into the man's flesh multiple times.
But despite being drenched in blood, the fire in Zaraki's eyes never dimmed. If anything, it burned even brighter.
"Hah… hah…"
Aikawa panted heavily, his breathing ragged from the intensity of the battle.
Under normal circumstances, he could fight for over an hour without issue.
But in the current battle, every second requires Aikawa to consume a lot of his energy.
His Reiatsu was still abundant, but the psychological pressure was mounting.
Finally, after the Ryoka on the opposite side erupted with an even more powerful Reiatsu, Aikawa knew that he had lost again...
Boom!
A golden slash tore through Aikawa's attack effortlessly, streaking toward him with terrifying speed.
Whoosh!
Just as panic gripped Aikawa's heart, Kyoya appeared beside him in a flash, grabbing his shoulder and vanishing before the attack could land.
The golden slash carved a hundred-meter-long trench into the ground, obliterating everything in its path… buildings, walls, all reduced to rubble.
Whoosh!
Kyoya and Aikawa appeared again. Looking at the devastation left by the slash, even Aikawa couldn't help but gulp.
'Had Captain Kyoya not intervened, that single slash would have killed me.'
"Thank you, Captain Kyoya."
Though Aikawa wasn't afraid of death, no one truly wanted to die.
Therefore, Aikawa sincerely thanked Kyoya for his help.
"This guy is very strong."
"I know you don't like ganging up on opponents, but… I'm asking you anyway."
"Let's take this Ryoka down together."
Looking at Aikawa who bent down and bowed to him, Kyoya shook his head.
"My apologies, Captain Aikawa."
"I won't be joining you."
"But rest assured… this Ryoka won't cause any major disturbances in the Seireitei."
With that, Kyoya stepped forward, facing Zaraki.
"Interesting..."
"A new opponent?"
"Hahahahaha…"
"Come and fight me!"
The surge in Zaraki's Reiatsu, from 3rd-class to 2nd-class, had clearly exhilarated him.
He always reveled in battle, but now, he was chasing something more: the strength to stand before that woman again, to experience an even greater, more exhilarating fight.
Fighting strong opponents made him stronger.
That was the 'truth' Zaraki had realized after clashing with Aikawa.
He didn't know his power had been sealed by his own subconscious, and simply believed that battling stronger foes was the key to growth.
His fight with Aikawa hadn't been enough to satisfy him.
Now that Kyoya had appeared, Zaraki was even more excited.
He had a hunch that if he could defeat Kyoya, he might have the strength to face that woman again!
"I have no objections to fighting you."
"But have you considered her?"
Instead of accepting immediately, Kyoya pointed toward Yachiru, who was watching from the sidelines.
"Huh?"
Zaraki's face twisted in confusion.
He didn't understand what Kyoya meant.