"The King of Hueco Mundo?!"
"But he's a human!"
Grimmjow's eyes widened when he heard Starrk's words. He wasn't the only one shocked—many of the nearby Shinigami froze in disbelief.
"Wait… seriously?"
"Is Nanaya really going to Hueco Mundo?!"
"Hold on, he's a human. How can a human be king of Hueco Mundo?"
"I actually think it's a good idea. That place is dangerous. What if someone like Aizen shows up again?"
The Shinigami started whispering among themselves.
Some were worried. Some were clearly uncomfortable. Others thought it made sense.
After all, Hueco Mundo was massive—a world just as vast and dangerous as the Soul Society. The Menos Grande there could evolve into Vasto Lorde-level threats.
If Nanaya had any ambition, he could easily gather power there and one day try to take control of all three worlds.
Nanaya chuckled, a little impressed.
"Wow, you guessed that? Not bad at all."
He gave Starrk a meaningful look, then smirked.
"Good thinking."
Becoming the King of Hueco Mundo wasn't a sudden decision. The idea had taken root the moment he left that place.
He had strong ties to both Nel and Harribel—it wouldn't sit right with him to act like nothing happened.
Besides, he genuinely cared about them.
He wanted a way to stay close, to keep them safe, and to move freely between worlds.
Taking the throne was the smartest option.
And ever since he became the Jinchūriki of the Ten Tails, the new powers awakening inside him needed space—a lot of space—to be unleashed.
Urahara's basement?
Way too small now.
With the kind of force he had, even without using full Sage Arts, he could level half a city.
But Hueco Mundo?
Endless and empty. A perfect training ground—with no risk of collateral damage.
"No way! I don't accept this!"
Grimmjow leapt forward, claws glowing, baring his fangs.
The blue panther king was furious.
One moment this guy was his enemy—and the next, he wanted to become their ruler?
"Yeah! Me neither!"
Lilinette popped up behind Starrk, shouting like a rebellious kid.
"Hueco Mundo doesn't need a human boss!"
BOOM!!
A loud crash cut her off mid-sentence.
Qiye slowly lowered his right hand, casually blew on his fingertip, and spoke coldly:
"Since when do I need your permission?"
Lilinette froze.
Sweat rolled down her forehead as she turned stiffly to look behind her.
Grimmjow—who'd just been charging in with full aggression—was now flattened on the ground in front of her.
A massive crater had formed beneath him, almost three meters wide.
He wasn't moving.
Qiye narrowed his eyes at Lilinette.
"And you—you don't agree either?"
She trembled, quickly ducked behind Starrk, and shook her head like crazy.
"No, nope, I didn't say that—I totally agree!"
Qiye chuckled darkly, then clapped his hands.
"Good. Still, you should learn a little lesson."
"Wood Style: Spanking Technique!"
Thick tree roots burst out of the ground and curled into whips, lashing out.
"OWW!! That hurts!" Lilinette cried, clutching her rear as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Starrk! Do something!"
But Starrk just sighed and shrugged.
"I can't beat him either. Maybe stop provoking people stronger than you."
Lilinette's tears started flowing for real now.
She was really regretting opening her mouth.
Scene Shift — Xuye Palace
Qiye and the others had arrived at the towering, ominous palace in Hueco Mundo.
Looking at the ruined remains of the old palace, Starrk, Lilynette, Grimmjow, Sung-Sun, and many other Arrancar broke out in a cold sweat.
"What the hell happened here?!"
The Palace of the Night—once the symbol of power in Hueco Mundo—was built to be incredibly strong. Not even someone like Chōjirō Sasakibe could destroy it easily.
But now, it was reduced to rubble.
"I, uh… had a fight here not too long ago," Nanaya said, scratching his head. "I didn't mean to, but I kind of destroyed the whole palace."
He sighed and looked over the ruins with a bit of regret.
"Now that I think about it, the Palace of the Night was pretty cool. It had a special kind of beauty… cold, quiet. Shame it's gone."
Then he turned and called out:
"Hey, Ichimaru Gin. Think you can rebuild it for me?"
Ichimaru Gin's usual smirk faltered for a moment. His fox-like face went stiff as he gave Nanaya a dry smile.
"Master Nanaya… I'm not surprised you brought back Starrk and the others. But why did you bring me back too?"
Nanaya chuckled and gave him a curious look.
"If I didn't, where else would you go? You think Soul Society would take you back?"
He began walking through the center of the destroyed palace, speaking as he moved.
"You served under Aizen for centuries. Even if you betrayed him in the end, Soul Society's not going to forgive you."
"You were part of everything he did. Your hands are stained with blood."
"Honestly, you're better off staying here in Hueco Mundo."
Gin fell silent.
He knew Nanaya was right.
He'd done too many terrible things—things the Soul Society couldn't overlook.
Even if he wanted to go back, the Central 46 would probably sentence him to eternal imprisonment in Muken.
Maybe decades... maybe even thousands of years before they'd ever let him out.
After thinking it over, Gin let out a long sigh. There really was no better option than staying here.
Nanaya was here now. They weren't enemies with Soul Society anymore. Maybe, one day, he could even visit that world again.
With that weight off his shoulders, Gin smiled his usual foxy grin again.
"Alright then, Master Nanaya. Leave it to me. I'll rebuild Hueco Mundo's palace."
He looked around and added with a grin:
"This place may not have much, but we've got tons of Menos Grandes. With the stronger ones leading the weaker ones, and me already knowing the old palace's design—it shouldn't take long."
Then, as he saw Nanaya kneeling and placing his hand on the ground, he raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, Master Nanaya… what exactly are you doing?"
Nanaya pressed his five fingers against the earth. A slight smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"Just making your job a bit harder."
He looked toward the ruins.
"This next version of Xuye Palace… it'll be built differently. Everything must be constructed around this—a sacred tree that reaches from the ground to the heavens."
Then he spoke clearly and firmly:
"Birth of the Divine Tree World!"
In an instant, thick brown roots—each one as huge as a dragon—erupted from beneath the rubble.
Gin could only stare in shock.
It took just a few dozen seconds.
A dense, ancient forest had grown where the palace once stood. Giant trees rose into the sky—some ten meters thick, others even taller, like living skyscrapers.
But the most awe-inspiring of them all stood in the center: a colossal sacred tree that stretched from the ground all the way into the heavens, its canopy blocking out the light above.
Unlike the divine tree from the Naruto world, the one Nanaya created felt even more majestic—holy and untouchable.
Its leaves shimmered a brilliant green.
Drawing in energy from Hueco Mundo itself, the tree began to form a glowing red fruit at its center.
"The Sacred Tree…"
Nanaya looked up at the fruit forming in its branches. He could feel it—the enormous power it was gathering, sucking in spiritual energy from all directions.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Just as I thought... My last transformation—when I entered the Six Paths mode—wasn't my final form."
"Sure, I unlocked Sage Art, gained Wood Style, and even created the expanded Truth-Seeking Orb…"
"But every time I used that orb, my spiritual pressure was almost drained—down to 10%. That's not right. The energy drain was way too high."
"In other words," he said, looking at the red fruit again, "there's only one possible answer."
"I have to consume the fruit of the Sacred Tree."
"Only then can I surpass the limits of the Six Paths.
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