The morning air crackled with anticipation.
Kenpachi landed in a wide, open plain about thirty miles from Capsule Corporation, his feet cratering the earth beneath him. The landscape stretched endlessly in every direction—rolling hills, scattered rock formations, and not a single civilian structure in sight.
Perfect.
Goku was already there, bouncing on the balls of his feet like a child who'd been promised candy. His orange gi rippled in the breeze, and that ridiculous grin of his was plastered across his face with an intensity that bordered on manic.
"You came! You actually came!" Goku's excitement was palpable, his energy fluctuating wildly as he struggled to contain himself. "I've been waiting all night! Well, I slept a little, but then I woke up really early because I couldn't stop thinking about our fight, and then Chi-Chi yelled at me for breaking the door when I left, but—"
"You talk too much," Kenpachi interrupted, though there was no real heat in the words. He recognized a kindred spirit when he saw one. "You ready to fight or what?"
"ALWAYS!"
Goku's power spiked immediately, golden light erupting around him as his hair shifted from black to brilliant yellow. Super Saiyan. His eyes turned teal, his muscles tensed, and the ground beneath his feet cracked from the sheer pressure of his transformation.
Kenpachi watched with mild interest. "That's a neat trick. You got more?"
"Way more! But let's start here and work our way up!" Goku dropped into his fighting stance, fists raised, body coiled like a spring. "Come on, Kenpachi! Show me what you've got!"
The scarred warrior didn't bother with a stance. He simply drew Nozarashi—still in her sealed, battered form—and rested the blade against his shoulder.
"Sure. Try not to die."
He moved.
Goku had fought countless opponents in his life.
He had faced planet-destroying tyrants, bio-engineered monstrosities, ancient magical beings, and gods of destruction. He had pushed his body beyond its limits so many times that 'impossible' had become just another word for 'not yet achieved.'
But he had never fought anyone quite like Kenpachi Zaraki.
The first strike came fast—faster than it should have been possible for someone so large. Goku barely managed to deflect the blade with his forearm, and even through his Super Saiyan aura, he felt the impact reverberate through his entire skeleton.
"Whoa!" He skidded backward, eyes wide. "That's some serious power!"
Kenpachi didn't respond. He was already moving again, his massive form a blur of motion and killing intent. The battered sword carved arcs through the air that left afterimages, each swing carrying enough force to cleave mountains.
Goku weaved and dodged, his Saiyan instincts screaming warnings as attacks that could have bisected him sailed past by inches. He threw a counter-punch, and Kenpachi took it—let it slam directly into his jaw without even trying to block.
The impact sent shockwaves rippling across the plain.
Kenpachi's head barely moved.
"That tickled," he said, and his grin widened. "Hit me harder."
Goku felt a matching grin spread across his own face. "You asked for it!"
He poured more power into his next attack—a combination of punches and kicks that would have devastated most opponents. Each strike landed cleanly, and each strike made Kenpachi's grin grow wider.
"Yes! MORE!"
The battle escalated rapidly.
From a distance, Vegeta watched with crossed arms and narrowed eyes.
He had followed Goku—not because he was curious, definitely not, but because someone needed to make sure Kakarot didn't do anything stupid. That was his reasoning, and he was sticking to it.
The fight unfolding before him was unlike anything he had witnessed in recent memory.
Goku was clearly enjoying himself, his Super Saiyan form blazing like a beacon as he traded blows with the massive swordsman. But what caught Vegeta's attention was the way Kenpachi fought.
There was no technique.
No refined martial arts, no calculated combinations, no strategic thinking. Just pure, overwhelming aggression backed by ridiculous amounts of power. Every attack was designed to do one thing and one thing only: cut.
And yet, somehow, it worked.
Goku's superior technique should have given him an overwhelming advantage. His speed, his precision, his decades of training under masters across the universe—all of it should have allowed him to dominate this crude brawler with ease.
Instead, they were fighting on nearly equal terms.
"How is this possible?" Vegeta muttered. "His style is primitive, barely above street-fighting. How is he keeping up with Kakarot?"
"Because he doesn't need technique."
Vegeta whirled. Piccolo had arrived silently, his cape billowing behind him as he observed the distant battle.
"What do you mean?" Vegeta demanded.
"Watch him." Piccolo's eyes never left the fight. "Every time Goku finds an opening in his guard, every time he exploits a weakness in his form, Kenpachi compensates with raw power and instinct. He's not fighting smart—he's fighting with everything he has, holding nothing back, adapting in real-time through sheer combat experience."
Vegeta's scowl deepened. "That's not possible. Fighting like that would leave him full of openings."
"Normally, yes. But his durability is absurd—he can afford to take hits that would kill anyone else. And his power..." Piccolo trailed off, something like concern flickering across his features. "I don't think we're seeing all of it."
"What?"
"His energy is strange, difficult to read. But I've been monitoring it since the fight started." Piccolo's voice dropped. "It hasn't stopped climbing. Every minute that passes, he gets stronger."
Vegeta looked back at the battle with new eyes.
A warrior who grows stronger through combat itself...
It was, he had to admit, terrifying. And also somewhat familiar.
Like a Saiyan, he thought. But worse.
The plain had been transformed into a wasteland.
Craters pockmarked the landscape. Rock formations had been reduced to rubble. The very air seemed scarred, reality still shuddering from the forces that had been unleashed.
And in the center of it all, two warriors faced each other with matching grins.
Goku was breathing hard, his Super Saiyan form flickering slightly from exertion. His gi was torn in multiple places, and bruises were beginning to form where Kenpachi's strikes had landed.
Kenpachi looked like he'd been through a wood chipper. Blood streamed from dozens of wounds, his shihakusho was more hole than fabric, and at least two ribs were visibly broken.
He had never been happier.
"You're good," he admitted, rolling his shoulders and wincing as bones ground together. "Really good. Best fight I've had since..." He paused, memories surfacing. "Since her."
"Her?" Goku asked, curiosity momentarily overriding his battle-lust.
"Someone from my past. The only person who ever really pushed me." Kenpachi's grin softened slightly, becoming almost nostalgic. "She's gone now. But you... you might be able to take her place."
Goku's eyes lit up. "Really?! That means we have to keep fighting! Come on, I know you've got more—I can feel it!"
"Perceptive." Kenpachi raised Nozarashi, still sealed, still battered. "All right. You want to see more?"
"YES!"
"Then keep up."
He tore off his eye patch.
Goku had felt this before—the sudden, overwhelming surge of power that accompanied Kenpachi's removal of his limiter. During the battle with Beerus, he had sensed it from a distance, had felt reality groan under the weight of unleashed potential.
Experiencing it up close was something else entirely.
The pressure was immense. It pressed against his Super Saiyan aura like a physical force, making the air thick and heavy and difficult to breathe. The ground beneath Kenpachi's feet cracked and cratered, unable to withstand even the ambient force of his spiritual pressure.
And his power... his power was incredible.
"Whoa..." Goku breathed, eyes wide. "That's amazing! You were holding all that back?!"
"The eye patch eats my reiatsu," Kenpachi explained, cracking his neck. "Makes fights last longer. But I figured you could handle the real thing."
"Handle it?! I LOVE it!" Goku's own power surged in response, his Super Saiyan aura blazing brighter. "Come on! Let's go!"
They clashed.
The impact of their collision sent shockwaves rippling across the continent. Mountains in the distance crumbled. The sky itself seemed to flex, struggling to contain the forces being unleashed.
And Kenpachi was winning.
Not by much—Goku's technique and experience kept him in the fight. But the raw power differential had shifted dramatically. Every strike Kenpachi landed sent Goku flying. Every block the Saiyan attempted was broken through. Every counter-attack was absorbed with nothing more than a bloody grin.
"MORE!" Kenpachi roared, his voice echoing across the battlefield. "GIVE ME MORE!"
Goku gritted his teeth and pushed deeper.
His aura shifted, gold intensifying, electricity beginning to crackle around his form. His hair grew slightly more rigid, his muscles tensed, and his power level took another dramatic leap.
Super Saiyan 2.
"Here I come, Kenpachi!"
From their observation point, Vegeta and Piccolo watched in stunned silence.
"Super Saiyan 2," Piccolo said quietly. "Goku hasn't needed that form in a casual spar for years."
"It's not enough," Vegeta replied, his voice tight.
"What?"
"Look at them. Kakarot is giving everything Super Saiyan 2 has to offer, and that monster is still matching him." Vegeta's fists clenched. "At the rate his power is climbing, Kakarot will have to ascend again within minutes."
As if hearing the prediction, the battlefield erupted with renewed violence.
Goku's enhanced speed allowed him to dance around Kenpachi's attacks, landing precise strikes to vulnerable points. But the massive Shinigami simply ignored the damage, treating each injury as payment for the opportunity to swing his blade.
And when those swings connected...
A horizontal slash caught Goku across the chest, tearing through his aura and leaving a deep cut that immediately began to bleed. The Saiyan gasped, more from surprise than pain, and barely managed to avoid the follow-up strike that would have taken his head.
"You're tough!" Goku shouted, genuine admiration in his voice. "Most people go down after a few good hits, but you just keep coming!"
"Going down is for weaklings," Kenpachi replied. "Pain is just proof you're alive. And right now..." His grin stretched impossibly wide. "I've never felt more alive."
He pressed his assault, and Goku was forced to give ground.
The battle raged for another ten minutes, the landscape suffering further devastation with each exchange.
Goku's Super Saiyan 2 form was reaching its limits. Not because he lacked power—if he needed to, he could push further, access forms that made Super Saiyan 2 look like a warmup. But he wanted to see how far Kenpachi could go, wanted to push this strange warrior to his absolute limits.
The problem was, those limits didn't seem to exist.
Every time Goku matched Kenpachi's power, the Shinigami somehow found more. Every time Goku adapted to his attack patterns, Kenpachi's instincts evolved to counter. It was like fighting a being of pure combat potential, someone for whom battle itself was a source of endless growth.
He's like me, Goku realized, dodging another devastating swing. He gets stronger through fighting, just like a Saiyan. But he's been doing it longer, pushing himself harder...
"Hey, Kenpachi!" he called out, blocking a punch that nearly shattered his guard. "During your fight with Lord Beerus—were you really going all out?"
The question made Kenpachi pause, his sword raised for another strike.
"Beerus?" He seemed to consider the question. "The purple guy?"
"Yeah! The God of Destruction! You fought him for hours yesterday!"
Kenpachi was silent for a moment. Then he started laughing.
Not a chuckle, not a snort of amusement—a full-throated, bellowing laugh that echoed across the devastated plain. He laughed until tears streamed from his eyes, until his massive frame shook with mirth, until the sheer absurdity of something overwhelmed even his battle-lust.
"Going all out?" he managed between laughs. "Against him?"
Goku's eyes widened. "What... what do you mean?"
Kenpachi's laughter died down, replaced by that familiar, unsettling grin.
"The eye patch was a limiter, yeah. Taking it off gave me access to more of my power." He raised Nozarashi, the battered blade gleaming in the morning light. "But even without the eye patch, I was still holding back."
Silence fell over the battlefield.
In the distance, Vegeta's jaw dropped. Piccolo's stoic expression cracked with something approaching disbelief.
And Goku...
Goku's grin matched Kenpachi's own.
"You're saying you've got even MORE power?!" The excitement in his voice was palpable. "Show me! Show me everything!"
"Everything?" Kenpachi's eyes gleamed. "You sure about that? Your current form is barely keeping up as is."
"Then I'll power up too!" Goku's aura began to shift, gold giving way to something deeper, more primal. "I've got plenty more transformations where this came from!"
Kenpachi watched with interest as Goku's hair began to grow, his power level skyrocketing. "Oh? This should be fun."
"You haven't seen ANYTHING yet!" Goku's voice deepened, his form expanding as he pushed toward Super Saiyan 3. "THIS is where things get interesting!"
Super Saiyan 3 was always a dramatic transformation.
Goku's hair extended down past his waist, defying gravity in brilliant golden spikes. His eyebrows vanished, his brow becoming more pronounced. The aura around him intensified to the point of visible distortion, reality itself bending under the weight of his power.
And that power...
Kenpachi's grin widened as he felt the Saiyan's energy level rocket past anything he'd displayed so far. This was real strength—not god-level, not yet, but impressive enough to make his blood sing with anticipation.
"Better," he acknowledged. "Much better."
"Thanks!" Goku dropped into his stance, electricity crackling around his extended hair. "Now show me yours!"
Kenpachi rolled his neck, producing a series of satisfying cracks. "All right. But don't say I didn't warn you."
He raised Nozarashi to the sky.
"Drink, Nozarashi."
The transformation was instantaneous and devastating.
Where before the sealed blade had been battered and worn, now it became something else entirely—a massive, cleaver-like weapon with a serrated edge that seemed to drink in the light around it. The handle extended, wrapped in dark cloth, connected to a heavy chain that snaked around Kenpachi's arm.
And his power...
His power exploded.
The shockwave flattened everything within a mile radius. The sky darkened, clouds swirling around the epicenter of unleashed spiritual pressure. Reality itself seemed to groan, struggling to contain the forces being released.
Goku braced himself against the pressure, his Super Saiyan 3 aura flickering under the assault. "That's incredible! That weapon of yours—it amplifies your power?"
"Nozarashi is part of my soul," Kenpachi explained, hefting the massive blade with casual ease. "When I release her, we fight as one. Our power combines, multiplies." His eyes gleamed with something approaching affection as he looked at the weapon. "She's been hungry for a good fight."
"Then let's give her one!"
They clashed.
The battle that followed made everything before look like a casual warmup.
Goku's Super Saiyan 3 form gave him speed and power that could shake planets. His attacks came faster than light, his combinations refined by decades of training, his instincts honed by countless battles against universal threats.
But Kenpachi had Nozarashi.
The released zanpakuto carved through Goku's attacks like they were made of paper. Each swing sent shockwaves rippling across the continent. Each impact made the very fabric of reality shudder.
And Kenpachi was still getting stronger.
"HAHAHAHA!" His laughter echoed across the battlefield, manic and joyous and absolutely unhinged. "THIS IS IT! THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!"
Nozarashi bit into Goku's defense, leaving a deep gash across his forearm. The Saiyan hissed in pain but pressed forward, landing a devastating kick to Kenpachi's chest that sent the Shinigami flying.
Kenpachi caught himself mid-air, blood streaming from his mouth, and his grin never wavered.
"Good! GOOD!" He rocketed back toward Goku, Nozarashi raised high. "MORE!"
Their exchange became a blur of motion and violence. Goku's technique against Kenpachi's raw power. Refined martial arts against savage instinct. The accumulated wisdom of countless masters against the simple, brutal philosophy of cutting everything in sight.
And slowly, inevitably, Kenpachi began to pull ahead.
Vegeta couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Kakarot in Super Saiyan 3—one of the most powerful forms a Saiyan could achieve—was being pushed back. Not through superior technique or clever strategy, but through sheer, overwhelming force.
"This is impossible," he muttered, his pride warring with his disbelief. "No one should be able to overpower Kakarot like this. Not without divine power."
"He's not using divine power," Piccolo replied, his voice strained. "That energy is something else entirely. Something I've never encountered before."
"Then what IS he?!"
Piccolo didn't have an answer.
On the battlefield, Goku was coming to a similar realization. His Super Saiyan 3 form was burning through energy at an alarming rate, while Kenpachi showed no signs of slowing down. If anything, the Shinigami seemed to be getting more energized as the fight continued.
He's like a monster, Goku thought, blocking another devastating swing that made his arms ache. The more we fight, the stronger he gets. At this rate...
He made a decision.
"Hey, Kenpachi!" he called out, dodging a horizontal slash that would have bisected him. "I need to power up again! You okay waiting a second?"
Kenpachi's assault paused. "Power up? You've got another form?"
"A few, actually!" Goku's grin returned. "But this next one's special. I've gotta warn you though—it's on a completely different level!"
"Different level?" Kenpachi's eyes gleamed. "Then show me."
Goku closed his eyes.
He took a deep breath.
And then he reached for something beyond Super Saiyan, beyond the forms he had achieved through training and desperation. He reached for divine power, for the transformation that had allowed him to challenge a God of Destruction.
"HAAAAAAAA!"
His aura shifted. Gold became crimson, fire becoming something calmer, more controlled. His hair returned to its normal length but turned a deep, vibrant red. His eyes gained the same crimson hue, and his muscles seemed to deflate slightly as raw power was replaced by refined, concentrated divinity.
Super Saiyan God.
Kenpachi stared.
Then his grin became the widest it had been all day.
"NOW we're talking."
The transformation changed everything.
Where before Goku had been struggling to keep up, now he moved with a grace and precision that made his earlier attacks look clumsy. Super Saiyan God wasn't just about power—it was about perfect control, about channeling divine energy through mortal flesh with absolute efficiency.
His first attack sent Kenpachi flying across the landscape.
"Whoa!" Goku blinked, surprised by his own effectiveness. "Guess that form really is something special!"
Kenpachi caught himself, crashing through several rock formations before finally stopping. Blood streamed from a new wound across his chest, deep enough that white bone gleamed beneath.
But his grin...
His grin had become something transcendent.
"Yes," he breathed, rising to his feet despite the catastrophic damage to his body. "YES. This is it. This is what I've been searching for."
His spiritual pressure began to climb again.
"You have divine power now. Power beyond what mortals should be able to achieve." Kenpachi raised Nozarashi, the massive blade humming with anticipation. "That means I need to push harder too."
"You've got more?!" Goku's eyes widened. "Even after releasing your sword?!"
"I told you." Kenpachi's voice dropped to a growl that made the air vibrate. "I was holding back against Beerus. Eye patch off, Nozarashi released, and I was still not fighting at my best."
He took a step forward, and the ground shattered beneath him.
"Because there's one more thing. One technique I've only used once before. Against the only person who ever really pushed me to my absolute limit."
His spiritual pressure continued to climb, reaching heights that made even Goku's divine senses scream warnings.
"You want to see everything I've got?"
Goku felt something he rarely felt in battle—not fear, exactly, but the absolute certainty that he was about to witness something extraordinary.
"Show me," he said.
Kenpachi obliged.
The transformation wasn't visible, exactly.
There was no dramatic change in appearance, no glowing aura or extended hair. But the pressure—the sheer weight of Kenpachi's presence—increased exponentially.
It was like standing next to a collapsing star.
"I don't know what this is called," Kenpachi admitted, his voice resonating with power that made the air shimmer. "Never bothered to name it. But when I fought Unohana—when she pushed me to the absolute brink of death—something inside me woke up."
The ground beneath his feet wasn't just cracking anymore. It was disintegrating, matter breaking down on a molecular level from the simple act of containing his power.
"I've been suppressing it ever since. Keeping it locked away, saving it for someone worthy." His eyes met Goku's, and there was something ancient in that gaze, something that transcended the battle-hungry maniac he had seemed before. "You might be worthy."
Goku's Super Saiyan God form blazed brighter, instinctively responding to the threat. "Let's find out!"
They moved.
What followed was beyond description.
The very concept of "battle" seemed insufficient to contain what was happening. Reality itself began to fray at the edges, the fabric of space-time struggling to accommodate the forces being unleashed.
Goku's divine power met Kenpachi's awakened potential in clashes that sent ripples across the planet. Each exchange carved new features into the landscape—valleys where mountains had stood, canyons where plains had stretched, craters that would be visible from orbit.
And yet, somehow, they were evenly matched.
Goku's Super Saiyan God form gave him access to power and perception beyond mortal limits. He could sense the flow of ki throughout the universe, could perceive the subtle currents of divine energy that permeated all things. His attacks carried the weight of godhood behind them, each strike capable of threatening beings that existed on cosmic scales.
But Kenpachi...
Kenpachi was something else entirely.
His power wasn't divine—it was primal, the raw essence of a soul refined through endless combat until it had become something beyond categorization. Where Goku fought with the precision of a god, Kenpachi fought with the fury of a force of nature.
And that fury was magnificent.
"HAHAHAHA!" His laughter echoed across the battlefield, accompanied by the song of Nozarashi as she carved through the air. "This is it! This is everything I've ever wanted!"
"You're incredible!" Goku replied, his own grin matching Kenpachi's in intensity. "I've never fought anyone like you!"
"Then let's make sure neither of us forgets this!"
They clashed again, and the world shook.
The fight continued for what felt like hours.
In reality, it was probably only thirty minutes, but time seemed to lose meaning in the face of such overwhelming violence. The plain they had chosen for their spar had been reduced to an apocalyptic wasteland, a scar on the face of the planet that would take decades to heal.
Both combatants were approaching their limits.
Goku's Super Saiyan God form was beginning to flicker, the divine energy that sustained it depleting faster than he could regenerate it. His body was battered, bruised, bleeding from countless wounds that his regeneration was struggling to address.
Kenpachi was worse.
His body looked like it had been through a war—bones broken, muscles torn, blood coating every inch of his massive frame. His shihakusho had been reduced to tatters, and Nozarashi's glow was beginning to dim as even her near-infinite reserves began to flag.
But neither of them was willing to stop.
"One more," Goku panted, raising his fists. "One more exchange. Everything we've got."
Kenpachi's answering grin was bloody but undiminished. "Everything we've got."
They gathered their power.
Goku's aura blazed crimson, divine energy concentrating into his fist with the force of a collapsing universe. This was his ultimate attack, the culmination of everything he had learned and achieved in his years as a warrior.
Kenpachi raised Nozarashi, spiritual pressure concentrating along her serrated edge until the blade itself seemed to transcend physical matter. This was the ultimate expression of his will to fight—everything he was, everything he had ever been, focused into a single, devastating strike.
"HAAAAAA!"
"DRINK DEEP, NOZARASHI!"
They moved.
The impact was felt across the planet.
Seismic monitors worldwide went haywire. Weather patterns shifted as the atmosphere was displaced by shockwaves. The ocean itself recoiled, massive waves radiating from the epicenter of the clash.
And in the heart of the devastation, two warriors stood frozen.
Goku's fist had stopped inches from Kenpachi's face.
Nozarashi's edge had stopped just short of Goku's neck.
A perfect stalemate.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. They simply stood there, breathing hard, feeling the lingering resonance of their attacks fade into the ravaged air.
Then Kenpachi started laughing.
It was different from his battle-laughter—softer, more genuine, tinged with something approaching satisfaction. He lowered Nozarashi, the massive blade reverting to her sealed state as the spiritual pressure sustaining her release finally gave out.
"Good fight," he said, and meant it.
Goku's Super Saiyan God form faded, his hair returning to black as divine energy left his body. He was grinning too, that innocent, almost childlike expression of pure joy that defined who he was.
"The best I've had in a long time," he agreed. "We have to do this again!"
"Count on it."
By the time they made it back to Capsule Corporation, word of the battle had spread.
Vegeta and Piccolo had returned ahead of them, spreading news of the devastation they had witnessed. The other Z Fighters had gathered, their faces reflecting various degrees of shock, awe, and concern.
"You IDIOTS!" Bulma shrieked, her voice reaching frequencies that made Saiyan ears ring. "Do you have ANY idea how much damage you caused?! The news is saying half the Eastern Continent is a disaster zone!"
"Sorry, Bulma," Goku said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "We got a little carried away."
"A LITTLE?!"
Kenpachi, for his part, seemed utterly unconcerned with the destruction he had helped cause. He simply found a sturdy-looking bench, sat down, and began the process of letting his body heal.
His wounds were already closing—a combination of his natural resilience and the spiritual pressure that permeated his being. Give him a few hours, and he would be back to full strength.
Which meant he could fight again soon.
"Hey, you!"
He looked up to find Vegeta standing before him, arms crossed, expression thunderous.
"You fought Kakarot to a standstill," the Prince of All Saiyans said, and there was something complicated in his voice—grudging respect, wounded pride, and burning determination all warring for dominance. "How?"
"I hit things until they stopped moving," Kenpachi replied. "Pretty simple, really."
Vegeta's eye twitched. "That's not what I—"
"Vegeta, don't bother." Piccolo approached, his expression thoughtful. "I've been observing him since the battle with Beerus. His power doesn't work like ours. It grows through combat, adapts to challenges, evolves in real-time."
"Like a Saiyan," Vegeta said flatly.
"Like a Saiyan, but more extreme." Piccolo met Kenpachi's gaze. "You've been fighting your entire life, haven't you? Pushing yourself against stronger and stronger opponents, never stopping, never resting."
"Pretty much." Kenpachi saw no reason to elaborate. "It's all I've ever wanted to do."
"And that desire—that endless hunger for battle—has shaped your very soul." Piccolo nodded slowly. "No wonder your power is so unusual. You've literally evolved yourself through force of will."
Kenpachi considered this. "If you say so. All I know is that fighting strong opponents makes me stronger. And I haven't found my limit yet."
"You will," Vegeta said, and his voice carried an edge of warning. "Everyone has limits. And when you find yours, I'll be there to surpass you."
Kenpachi's grin returned. "Is that a challenge?"
"It's a promise."
The air between them crackled with competitive tension. Then, slowly, Kenpachi's grin widened.
"Good. I was starting to think the orange one was the only fun person around here."
Vegeta's expression shifted—still proud, still challenging, but with a hint of something that might have been anticipation.
"Hmph. We'll see about that."
The rest of the day passed in a blur of food and conversation.
Bulma, despite her earlier fury, eventually calmed down enough to order a massive feast for everyone. Kenpachi ate like a starving man—which, given the energy his healing was consuming, he essentially was.
Between bites, he answered questions—or rather, deflected them with the same casual disregard he showed for everything that wasn't fighting.
"Where are you from?" became "Somewhere far away."
"How did you get here?" became "No idea."
"What are your plans?" became "Find strong people. Fight them."
Eventually, the others gave up trying to extract information and simply accepted his presence. He was strong, he wasn't actively hostile, and Goku seemed to like him. By the standards of their group, that was enough.
As night fell over Capsule Corporation, Kenpachi found himself on the roof, staring up at unfamiliar stars.
This is really happening, he thought, and the realization brought a sense of peace he hadn't expected. I'm really here. In a world full of monsters and gods and endless opportunities for battle.
His hand rested on Nozarashi's sealed hilt, feeling the pulse of her power beneath his fingers. She was satisfied, he could tell. Their fight with Goku had been everything she had hoped for.
And it's only the beginning.
He didn't know how he had come to this world. He didn't know why he had been given this chance—why a dying cancer patient had been reborn as the strongest captain of the Gotei 13 in a universe where power levels could shatter planets.
But he knew one thing for certain.
He was going to make the most of it.
"Hey."
Goku landed beside him, having apparently flown up rather than using the stairs like a normal person. His wounds were already healed—Senzu Beans were apparently miraculous—and his expression was thoughtful.
"Tomorrow," the Saiyan said, "I'm going to train. Push myself to get even stronger."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Goku's eyes met his. "And when I'm ready, I want a rematch. A real one, where we both go all out from the start."
Kenpachi's grin returned. "You're on."
They sat in companionable silence for a while, two warriors who understood each other on a level that transcended words.
Then Goku spoke again.
"You know, there are a lot of strong people in the universe. And beyond—in other universes, even. Fighters who could give us both a real challenge."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah." Goku's grin matched his own. "Someday, there might even be a tournament. All the strongest fighters from all the universes, competing to see who's the best."
Kenpachi's eyes gleamed. "Now that sounds like fun."
"Right?!" Goku bounced to his feet, excited by his own idea. "We should start training together! Push each other to new heights! And when the tournament happens, we can show everyone what we're made of!"
"Training, huh?" Kenpachi considered the prospect. He had never been one for formal training—his philosophy had always been simple: fight strong opponents, get stronger, repeat.
But training with Goku...
That might be different.
"Sure," he said finally. "Why not."
Goku's whoop of excitement echoed across the compound, drawing annoyed shouts from those trying to sleep.
And Kenpachi found himself laughing again—not his battle-laugh, but something softer, more genuine.
This is my life now, he thought. Fighting gods. Training with Saiyans. Searching for ever-stronger opponents in a universe full of impossible power.
It was everything he had ever wanted.
And he was just getting started.
End of Chapter 2
Next Chapter: "The Prince's Pride—Vegeta Demands His Turn!"