For someone like Oniwajo, Gosuke Shigure felt nothing but indifference.
Of course, Gosuke Shigure could have chosen to kill Oniwajo immediately. But instead, he chose a different approach: accepting Oniwajo's challenge formally, so he could kill him under the watchful eyes of two hundred squad members.
In the original timeline, Oniwajo was the man who killed Gosuke. He challenged him, defeated him easily, and became the Tenth Kenpachi. Under Oniwajo's reign, Squad Eleven fell into chaos. Female members disappeared entirely, and the division degenerated into a den of ruthless bandits. The Gotei 13 captains held deep grievances against Squad Eleven during that time, until Zaraki Kenpachi arrived at Seireitei, cut down Oniwajo, and took the title for himself.
In terms of fate, Oniwajo was undoubtedly Gosuke's destined nemesis. In the original, it was Oniwajo who ended Gosuke's life.
But to the current Gosuke Shigure, Oniwajo was nothing worth considering.
The man who killed Gosuke was Oniwajo, but what did that have to do with Gosuke Shigure?
Soon, two hundred Squad Eleven members gathered around the training grounds.
Since Gosuke Shigure became the Ninth Kenpachi, Oniwajo was the first person to openly challenge him. Furthermore, after Oniwajo arrived at Squad Eleven, he had demonstrated overwhelming strength. This left many new members feeling anxious.
The veteran members, however, remained calm. They understood Gosuke Shigure's power better than anyone.
After Gosuke Shigure spoke the words, "You will die under the watchful eyes of two hundred squad members," Oniwajo's expression twisted in rage.
When the gathering was complete, he snarled at Gosuke Shigure, "I'd like to see just how you plan to kill me!"
His ferocious face twisted with arrogance as he rushed forward.
Back in Rukongai, Oniwajo was an undisputed tyrant. The weak obeyed him out of fear, and those who resisted were slaughtered mercilessly. His ruthless dominance fostered his arrogant and cruel nature.
Upon arriving in Seireitei, none of Squad Eleven's Shinigami could stand against him. This only fueled his madness further.
The so-called Shinigami… were nothing special to him.
Seeing Gosuke Shigure, his disdain deepened. To hear the captain calmly declare that he would die under everyone's gaze enraged him beyond reason.
Death? That possibility never crossed his mind.
After today, he would become the new Kenpachi.
In the next instant, Oniwajo attacked first.
The Zanpakutō in his hand had been stolen from a Shinigami he killed long ago. During earlier, more chaotic eras of Soul Society, many Shinigami fell in distant districts. Some deaths were investigated by Seireitei; others were left unnoticed. Their Zanpakutō remained behind, sealed and ownerless, until discovered by wandering souls.
Thus, besides the Academy of Spiritual Arts, many sealed blades existed in the outer districts. Oniwajo had obtained one by force. Through spiritual synchronization, he reawakened it as his own Zanpakutō, gaining immense power and ruling over Rukongai.
Being a mere thug, he fought without honour or technique. His strikes were fast, vicious, and purely murderous.
He swung for Gosuke Shigure's neck in an instant.
Some younger Shinigami watching tensed, worry flashing in their eyes.
But the next moment, reality betrayed their expectations.
Oniwajo's massive body collapsed to the ground.
A dark pool of blood spread beneath him. On his face was an expression of utter disbelief.
"How… how is this possible…?"
This was supposed to be an attack that guaranteed victory.
Yet not only did he fail, he fell without even seeing Gosuke Shigure's sword move.
Instead, it was his own body that was pierced.
He felt his life slipping away. His power draining into nothingness.
"I… I can't accept this ending…!"
"Even if you can't accept it, you have no choice," Gosuke Shigure replied quietly, sheathing his Zanpakutō.
"Because I don't believe in the so-called 'fate.'"
Those were words Oniwajo could never understand, even in death.
Then, under the silent gaze of two hundred squad members, Gosuke Shigure turned and walked away slowly.
He had no intention of collecting Oniwajo's corpse.
A challenger who died in pursuit of Kenpachi would be handled by the squad members. That was the tradition.
Watching Gosuke Shigure's departing back, the newer squad members who once criticised him felt their perceptions shift. For the first time, they understood who their captain truly was.
They had never seen Gosuke Shigure fight before today. His strength was unknown to them. But now they had witnessed it with their own eyes.
Oniwajo had come to Squad Eleven like an unstoppable force. Yet, before Gosuke Shigure, he fell with a single blow.
This event changed how the new recruits viewed Gosuke Shigure forever.
But as for Gosuke Shigure himself, he paid it no mind.
In the original timeline, Oniwajo ruled Squad Eleven as Kenpachi for many years. Yet in the current reality, the so-called Oniwajo was nothing but a trivial obstacle. Before Gosuke Shigure's absolute strength, fate itself felt like a joke.
Of course, it also explained why in the original, Gosuke was so weak he could not even defeat someone like Oniwajo—who Zaraki later dispatched with a single slash.
It was no wonder the Head Captain and other Gotei 13 captains never spoke of Gosuke in the records. It was simply too embarrassing.
And so, the river of time flowed on.
With Gosuke Shigure killing Oniwajo, Squad Eleven's fate had completely diverged from the original history.
In the future, when the name "Squad Eleven" was mentioned, there would be no Kenpachi called Oniwajo.
That dark era of thugs under Oniwajo's rule vanished entirely.
However, during this period, an execution quietly took place in Seireitei.
After the execution, Kyoraku Shunsui enjoyed a brief period of romantic freedom.
At first, Gosuke Shigure knew nothing about it.
Until one day, he learned the truth from Yoruichi's lips.