After Aizen's grand display of power in Hueco Mundo, some time passed.
From the outer districts of Rukongai, a towering man arrived at Seireitei. His Zanpakutō was jagged and full of notches, like the fangs of a feral beast. Standing nearly two meters tall, his muscles were hard as steel, his gaze savage and wild—every part of him, even the most fragile, tempered to the extreme. A monster among monsters.
And now, this rarity of nature stood at the gates of Squad Eleven, bellowing his challenge for the title of Captain.
"Captain! There's a big guy outside—he's here to challenge you!"
Inside Squad Eleven's dojo, a black-haired man with a frail appearance turned to report to Kenpachi Kiganjō.
"Challenge me? Tch! Seems like every random fool thinks he can take a swing at me these days!"
Kenpachi Kiganjō sneered. Ever since he defeated the previous Kenpachi, he believed himself unmatched in direct combat—invincible across the entire Soul Society. The idea that someone dared challenge him was almost funny.
"Captain, you'd better come see for yourself! That guy's no joke—he's already taken down several of our men!"
"I got it…"
Kiganjō rose lazily to his feet, irritation flashing across his face.
"Oh, and tell Squad Four to get ready to patch up my men… and maybe collect the body of that idiot who came to die."
He stomped toward the barracks door, then suddenly paused and turned back.
"Understood, Captain!"
The black-haired subordinate nodded quickly, utterly confident in his captain's strength.
"Heh~ I wonder if Unohana'll bring that pretty boy Yamada along to watch me in action…"
Kiganjō's eyes gleamed with excitement as he gripped his Zanpakutō. Ever since his… unfortunate incident at Squad Four, he'd become somewhat fixated on Yamada Seinosuke's beauty. Sadly, the young healer didn't seem interested, so Kiganjō decided he'd impress him with sheer masculine power.
At Squad Four Headquarters—
"Captain, there's another Kenpachi Challenge happening at Squad Eleven. The challenger's strong—he's already flattened several of their members. Looks like he's about to fight Kiganjō himself."
Seinosuke reported as he swirled a vial in his hand.
"Oh? Another Kenpachi challenge already? They've been changing captains faster than I can count lately~"
Unohana smiled faintly, her expression soft yet carrying the faintest hint of something dark and bottomless.
"Shall we go watch? If anyone gets hurt, we'll be there already~ Don't you agree, Yamada-kun?"
"As you command, Captain."
Seinosuke nodded obediently. He never questioned Unohana's orders.
Just then, the door slid open. A black-haired Squad Eleven officer knelt down before Unohana.
"Captain Unohana, I am Makoto Ichinose of Squad Eleven. I bring Captain Kiganjō's request—please come to heal our wounded."
Unohana said nothing at first, only sharing a quiet glance with Seinosuke.
"Go back and tell Captain Kiganjō we'll be there shortly."
"Yes, Captain!"
Relieved, Ichinose bowed deeply and left.
"Let's go, Yamada-kun~"
Unohana extended a pale hand toward her lieutenant.
"Yes, Captain~"
Seinosuke took her hand and helped her up, his movements elegant, almost reverent—like a loyal butler attending to a queen.
Meanwhile, at the outskirts of Squad Eleven—
The massive man wielding his jagged blade had just felled the squad's third seat with a single strike. The watching Shinigami trembled before the oppressive weight of his spiritual pressure.
"You're all weak."
He slung his blade over his shoulder, visibly disappointed.
"Go, Big Kenny! You're the best!"
Behind him, a pink-haired girl cheered playfully, grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey! You've gone too far."
A thunderous voice echoed. Kenpachi Kiganjō appeared, swaggering forward with his Zanpakutō resting on his shoulder.
"Hm?"
The towering man looked at the newcomer in the captain's haori and seemed to realize something.
"You're the captain, huh? The Captain of Squad Eleven?"
"That's right! I'm the current Captain of Squad Eleven—the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society, the greatest Kenpachi in history—Kenpachi Kiganjō!"
Seeing that the challenger was slightly shorter than him, Kiganjō instantly assumed superiority—both in height and strength—and barked with arrogance.
"Is that so? Then you're the one. I hope you can give me what I've been craving—"
"The thrill of battle!"
The challenger's eyes gleamed with pure excitement.
"Heh! Hahahaha!"
"Disappear! Pay for your arrogance!"
Kiganjō roared, bringing his blade down in a massive swing at the beastlike man's shoulder.
Slash!
The blade sank into flesh. Blood splattered everywhere, staining the ground crimson.
"It's over."
Kiganjō smirked. He knew that blow was fatal. But as he tried to pull his sword free—
"What the—?"
The blade wouldn't budge. No matter how hard he pulled, it was stuck fast in the man's shoulder.
"Why… why won't it move?!"
His confidence shattered. Sweat poured down his forehead.
"Move! Damn it—MOVE!"
He roared in panic, but his efforts were useless.
"Ha… hahahaha!"
The man he'd struck burst into laughter.
"As expected of a captain! You actually managed to wound me!"
Raising his own Zanpakutō high, the towering man grinned like a mad beast.
"W-wait—"
Before Kiganjō could react, a flash of steel cut through the air.
Shhhk!
A clean line ran from Kiganjō's shoulder down to his thigh. A moment later, blood erupted.
The giant loomed over him, soaked in red, looking more demon than man.
Thud.
Kiganjō collapsed, lifeless.
"…That's it?"
The monstrous warrior frowned. He hadn't meant to kill him—it just happened too easily.
"How boring. I was hoping for more."
He turned his back on the fallen captain.
"From this day forth, I am the Captain of Squad Eleven."
"My name… is Zaraki Kenpachi."
Tearing off Kiganjō's haori, he donned it himself.
The era of the Tenth Kenpachi, Kiganjō, had ended.
The age of the Eleventh Kenpachi—Zaraki—had begun.
"No way… Captain Kiganjō… defeated? That's impossible… It can't be true!"
Ichinose collapsed to his knees, trembling as he clutched his head, staring at his captain's corpse.
Under the shade of a tree, Unohana quietly watched it all.
"So… it's that boy."
She licked her blood-red lips slowly, fingers brushing the hilt of her Zanpakutō as a chilling aura began to rise from her body.
"Hmm?"
Sensing danger, Zaraki instinctively pulled the pink-haired girl into his arms and raised his sword defensively, scanning the area. His eyes locked onto Unohana standing in the shadows.
"Hello~"
Unohana greeted softly, her killing intent vanishing in an instant—her tone gentle, her demeanor calm, like a beautiful wife waiting for her husband to come home.
"You're…"
Zaraki stared at her. Somewhere in his mind, a long-buried memory stirred faintly.
"Let's go, Yamada-kun."
Having seen enough, Unohana turned away.
"Yes, Captain."
Seinosuke opened a parasol as the two walked off, leaving the devastated Squad Eleven behind. The wounded could treat themselves. As for the dead Kiganjō—he was beyond saving. Someone else could clean that up.
"Hey, Kenny—no, that's not right! You're Captain Kenpachi now! The strongest Shinigami in Soul Society! So I should call you… Little Eight, right? Ehehe~ Do you like it?"
The pink-haired girl giggled from his shoulder.
"Call me whatever you want."
Zaraki smiled faintly—an indulgent tone reserved only for the little girl named Yachiru Kusajishi.
At Squad Two Headquarters—
Sōgo lay in the center of the grand hall, reading a magazine from the human world.
"Sōgo! Big news! The Captain of Squad Eleven—Kiganjō—was just killed in a single strike! The new captain's name is Zaraki Kenpachi!"
Sui-Feng appeared beside him, reporting breathlessly.
"Kiganjō? That clown? Hmph… he was barely fit to be a lieutenant, let alone a captain. 'Strongest Shinigami,' my ass. The title 'Kenpachi' must be crying right now. If not for his predecessor setting the bar low, he'd have been the weakest Kenpachi in history."
Sōgo didn't even look up, flipping a page lazily.
"You really don't care about this stuff, do you?"
Sui-Feng frowned.
"Why should I? It's got nothing to do with me. Captains come and go. At this rate, even if the Soul King changed tomorrow, I probably wouldn't be surprised."
He yawned, expression flat.
But Sōgo was wrong. Even if he didn't seek trouble—
Trouble was already on its way to find him.
Since Zaraki Kenpachi became captain, not much time had passed before boredom set in. Fighting weaker opponents brought no joy. He wanted a true monster—someone stronger than himself.
Only then could battle truly feel alive.