"Hmm?"
"One slap and he sent a pirate flying?"
"This Bartholomew Kuma's ability… seems kind of interesting…"
First of all—
Inside the 1st Division.
After witnessing the entire battle from start to finish, the Captains of the Gotei 13 couldn't help but widen their eyes in delighted surprise.
It was obvious that the ability of the "Nikyu Nikyu no Mi" had caught their attention!
That's right.
Even though earlier on—
Whether it was Luffy, Nami, or the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates—
Each of them had already displayed their abilities in detail during battle.
But…
Whether it was rubber that could freely stretch and retract—
Or Robin's blooming arms—
Or Chopper's animal-like humanoid transformations…
To the Captains, none of that had much of a highlight.
It simply couldn't spark their interest.
And yet just now—
In that battle—
The terrifying suppressive power Kuma had displayed against the Straw Hats—
And…
The various miraculous abilities of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi—
Whether it was treating people like air and slapping them away, or instantaneous close-range relocation…
Skills that strong—
To the Captains, that finally counted as something worth watching.
"Heh…"
Kyōraku Shunsui let out a light laugh and said excitedly, "Looks like… the combat power of the pirate world isn't as weak as we imagined!"
"At the very least, that group called the Seven Warlords… they won't be weaklings."
From Kuma's identity alone, Kyōraku immediately thought of the other Warlords.
Even though—
The ranking video still hadn't revealed the Warlords' full roster, nor the abilities each of them possessed—
Still…
Based on Kuma's performance just now,
Kyōraku had already concluded that if the other Warlords appeared on screen in the later rankings…
Then surely,
They wouldn't disappoint the audience.
At the very least, the viewers of the Bleach world ought to feast their eyes and witness even more powerful Devil Fruit powers!!!
"Heh…"
"What a pity we can't cross over to the pirate world. Otherwise…"
"I really would like to snatch a few Devil Fruits!"
"And bring them back to the Research and Development Institute to study them properly!!!"
Across from them,
Mayuri Kurotsuchi let out a cold laugh.
Behind that blue-and-white mask, his face was filled with naked greed.
Clearly—
Kuma's strength,
And the almost unsolvable practical combat utility of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi—
Had all but infinitely stirred Mayuri's desire to explore Devil Fruits!!!
He even, right then and there, produced a new idea—
Combining Devil Fruits with Zanpakutō.
If you fused and injected entirely new abilities—
Wouldn't that make those Zanpakutō far more comprehensive and far stronger?
Of course,
Mayuri didn't know that in the pirate world, the whole "feeding a Devil Fruit to a weapon" thing was something Vegapunk had already started doing long ago!
It was just that the weapons being fed at most were things like Supreme Grade Blades and the like.
Compared to Zanpakutō, they still couldn't be mentioned in the same breath.
Still…
Through that just-now segment,
The Captains gained an even deeper understanding of the pirate world's power system.
It seemed…
Devil Fruits were the core.
And among them, Logia fruits, and Paramecia fruits like the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi…
Should be the mainstream—
And also the standard kit for the strong!!!
——
Meanwhile—
Inside Las Noches.
The Arrancar army, after that segment, was also in heated discussion.
"Tch, tch, tch…"
"Aizen-taichō… that guy called 'Bartholomew Kuma'… his existence clearly doesn't fit in with the others."
"He's seriously strong…"
Beneath the throne.
Ichimaru Gin narrowed his eyes as he smiled, wearing that signature fox-like grin.
If Kizaru were here—
And heard those words—
He would definitely be shocked to realize that the way Gin spoke, his tone and cadence, was practically identical to his own.
Both of them were the type to speak against their hearts—
Deliberately acting as if they were weak while exaggerating the opponent at the same time.
"Gin…"
"You're right."
From atop the throne came Aizen's voice in agreement. "It seems Devil Fruits aren't all ordinary, useless abilities."
"Clearly, the category differs—so the strength and the resulting effects differ as well."
A single lock of hair hung down over his forehead.
In Aizen's dark gaze, there was, rarely, a faint stir.
It was a look of interest.
He, too, had developed a strong fascination with Devil Fruits.
And—
With Aizen's vision and intelligence—
He even tried to study the complete system of Devil Fruits from afar.
"So…"
"Aizen-sama! If we introduce Devil Fruits into Hollowfication experiments, and fuse them with the souls of Hollows…"
"And then strengthen the Arrancar through the Hōgyoku—wouldn't our combat power become several times stronger than those pirate-world natives?"
As soon as Aizen finished speaking,
The blind Tōsen Kaname suddenly had an idea and jumped in.
And that line instantly shoved the discussion's atmosphere straight into a frenzy.
Even the Hollows and Arrancar around them—
Their eyes lit up at once, burning with the desire to become stronger!!!
"We'd eat Devil Fruits too?" Grimmjow grinned ferociously. "Ha! Interesting… that idea is plenty tempting!"
Nnoitra said, "Yeah… if it's the right ability, it could even complement our original power. That would be like adding wings to a tiger."
Even Yammy couldn't wait to stake his claim:
"As for me, I've got my eye on the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi!"
"If I got my hands on that thing—paired with Ira's endlessly swelling size—I'd be unbeatable, wouldn't I?"
"When the time comes… I alone would be enough to trample all of Soul Society with ease!!!"
At the slightest provocation,
The Espada started indulging in fantasies one after another.
Each of them imagining that if they ever got the chance to eat a Devil Fruit—
Then in the future,
Their respective combat power would surely become incomparably stronger—
Rising to yet another level.
(End of Chapter)
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