"Fast enough, and long enough range?"
The moment Rosen decided to resolve this problem with his Devil Fruit power, a certain Zanpakutō's name immediately surfaced in his mind.
Shinsō.
A Zanpakutō that looked like an ordinary short blade, seemingly unremarkable — but once released in Shikai, it could extend and retract freely, its length shifting at will, its thrusts piercing through everything with overwhelming speed and force.
Especially after Bankai.
Its extension speed reached 500 times the speed of sound, and the maximum range could reach 13 kilometers.
Such terrifying speed. Such absurd range.
Even if Brynndi World started firing at him from 10 kilometers away, and then turned around to flee another 2 kilometers with his hundredfold Moon Walk speed, Rosen would still have enough time to kill him before he could vanish.
As for close combat? No need to rely on the killing spear.
Shinsō alone was more than enough.
"Rosen, are you really going to listen to Borsalino?"
"Haki, swordsmanship, and physical skills — these are the righteous paths of the strong. Once mastered, they become an unshakable strength that no one can take from you."
"As for Devil Fruits… it's not that they're bad, but they are easy to target, and there's always a risk of losing them."
Seeing Rosen swayed by Borsalino's words, turning away from the noble path of swordsmanship toward Devil Fruit power, Zephyr couldn't help but regret bringing Borsalino along in the first place.
"As long as you are strong enough, no one can target you."
"As long as you are strong enough, you will never lose."
"Neither Seastone nor the sea can threaten a truly powerful man."
Borsalino countered calmly, his voice as lazy and airy as ever, yet carrying a blade-like sharpness beneath the surface.
"Enough!"
"Talk nicely, no need to start fighting."
Seeing the tension between teacher and senior deepen — Zephyr's black wrist trembling, ready to crush someone, and Borsalino's Ama no Murakumo sword itching for a draw — Rosen had no choice but to step in and stop them.
"What do you mean by that?"
Zephyr turned to Rosen, his eyes burning with intensity.
"Junior, you must learn to adapt to the times."
Borsalino also looked at Rosen, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, but his tone was clear and unwavering.
"I mean… I don't have to choose."
Facing their gazes, Rosen slowly raised both hands, palms open — then clenched them into fists.
"I want the swordsmanship of a Great Swordsman."
"And I also want the power of the Devil Fruit."
"As long as it's Power…"
"I want it all."
As he spoke, Rosen's voice was calm yet resounding, like thunder echoing in a canyon.
Zephyr opened his mouth, wanting to lecture about how one cannot be too greedy, that no one in history had ever mastered every power system and reached the pinnacle of each one. But before he could even speak, he thought of Rosen's reality.
Three days.
Three Forms of Haki, every marine skill, all perfectly mastered.
He created his own Blut Arterie, Blut Vene, Haki Core, Rokugan Rebirth (Six-Organ Rebirth) — even Hirenkyaku, which he had just comprehended while Domino was cooking.
For others, three days might not even be enough to awaken Observation Haki.
But Rosen had already achieved feats that even those who reincarnated ten times over could never dream of.
"I may be right…"
"But forcing these old beliefs onto Rosen is definitely wrong."
"This boy is a monster that has never appeared before in the entire history of the Grand Line."
"Haki, swordsmanship, physical arts, Devil Fruit… he can reach the peak of them all, and he won't even need that long."
In that instant, Zephyr's inner resistance quietly dissolved.
"Junior…"
"Follow your heart."
"I merely gave suggestions. Whether he accepts them or not is up to him."
"If he finds them useful, he can take them. If not, he can forget them entirely."
Borsalino also looked deeply at Rosen.
He himself had chosen the path of mastering multiple disciplines.
Apart from Conqueror's Haki, which he was not born with, he had attained great heights in Armament Haki, Observation Haki, swordsmanship, physical skills, and the unmatched Glint-Glint Fruit.
Yet, apart from his fruit ability, none of those reached the ultimate limit.
His swordsmanship was not as good as Mihawk's.
His physical prowess fell short of Garp's.
His Armament Haki was weaker than the other two.
His Observation Haki was no match for Roger or Redfield.
But Rosen…
In just a few days, Borsalino had already seen that this junior possessed the potential to truly stand atop every single path — each one to its absolute limit.
"I will."
Rosen nodded slightly.
All of them.
A true hexagonal warrior — flawless in every aspect.
That had always been his belief.
And no one could ever sway that.
But right now, of course…
The most urgent task was to Forge a new Zanpakutō.
After all, creating Shinsō only needed his hands and a bit of thought. It wasn't like swordsmanship or Haki, which consumed countless hours and years.
Even with his comprehension, reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship would still take a year or two.
Having made up his mind and calmed the clash between Zephyr and Borsalino, Rosen — now full and content — focused all his attention on his fruit power, resuming what he hadn't finished before lunch.
As his thoughts converged, a picture gradually took shape in his mind, eventually occupying every corner of his consciousness.
…
The gate of Seireitei stood majestic and imposing like a palace.
A giant of a man in a shihakushō, his muscles knotted like steel cables, lowered himself, grabbed the bottom edge of the massive door with both hands, and slowly lifted it with a deep, echoing groan.
Creak…
Little by little, he raised the heavy gate high above his head.
Yet as the door opened, the giant's expression changed sharply.
"What is it?"
Beside him, a spiky orange-haired boy also in a shihakushō poked his head out, peering into Soul Society's interior.
There, standing silently at the threshold of Seireitei, was a slender man in a captain's haori.
Short silver hair. Narrow, snake-like eyes. A fox-like smirk constantly curling the corner of his lips.
Gin Ichimaru.
Captain of the Third Division.
The giant's muscles tensed, sweat pouring down his forehead and spine.
"This isn't right!"
"A gatekeeper isn't meant to open the gate…"
"Understand?"
Gin's voice was light and airy, but under that smile lurked the cold bite of a viper.
"I was defeated."
"The defeated gatekeeper… should open the gate. That's only right."
The giant grit his teeth, stubbornly speaking through his trembling.
"What are you talking about?"
"A defeated gatekeeper shouldn't open the gate…"
"The moment a guard is defeated, his duty is over. That should mean death."
Gin's eyes narrowed further, his smile even colder.
Without another word, he turned, stepping lightly away.
After fifty paces, he paused, his back still facing them.
He slowly drew the short blade at his hip, its glint flashing like a cold star.
"What?"
"That far away… is he going to throw the dagger?!"
The orange-haired boy's eyes widened in confusion.
"Not a dagger."
"This… is my Zanpakutō."
Gin turned his head slightly, offering a small, mocking glance. Then he snapped forward, his eyes sharpening into slits, blade pointing straight at them like a viper poised to strike.
"Ikorose…"
"Shinsō."
The instant the words fell, the short blade shot forward, stretching into a blinding silver line, spiraling air currents swirling violently around it as it pierced the atmosphere faster than sound.
Clang—!
The spiky-haired boy barely had time to throw up his own sword in defense. A heartbeat later, he, his blade, and the towering giant behind him were all blasted backward by the unstoppable spear of silver.
With no one to support it, the great Seireitei gate slammed shut with a thunderous boom.
"Bye-bye."
Gin sheathed his blade casually, raising a slender hand in a mocking wave.
The Shinsō in his hand had quietly returned to its harmless short form, sliding smoothly back into its scabbard.
Boom—!
The last echo of the fallen gate reverberated.
At that moment.
Gin, the spiky-haired boy, the giant gatekeeper, and even the ancient Seireitei — everything shattered like fragments of a broken mirror.
All gone.
But just as Rosen finished visualizing Gin Ichimaru's Shinsō, a line of information quietly appeared in his mind.
…
[Your comprehension is extraordinary. Through visualization and self-realization, combined with your Paramecia Arms-Arms Fruit, you have mastered a unique skill: Shinsō.]
...
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