"So strong!"
"Is this guy really just ten years old?"
On the 11th Division's training grounds, many Shinigami were stunned by Kyoya's slash.
No matter how you looked at it, Ozawa was a seated officer of the 11th Division, a fighter whose strength was acknowledged by everyone. Within the 11th Division, he ranked among the top twenty-one.
Yet, such a strong fighter was effortlessly defeated by Kyoya with a single strike?
The gap was simply too vast.
"Hahahaha, good!"
"Finally, someone interesting has joined the 11th Division."
Kiganjo slapped his thigh and pointed at Kyoya, laughing loudly, "Kid, with your strength, staying in the lowest seat is a waste."
"What do you say? Want to keep challenging higher seats?"
"If you're willing, you can even challenge me. And I might just spare your life."
As he spoke, a cunning glint flashed in Kiganjo's eyes.
He wanted Kyoya to challenge him right now.
It has to be said that Kyoya's appearance had stirred a long-dormant sense of crisis in Kiganjo's heart.
As the Captain of the 11th Division, Kiganjo had enjoyed a lifestyle over the years that he could never have dreamed of in the past.
No matter how recklessly he acted, as long as he didn't violate the Soul Society's 'rules', no one would question him.
To maintain his position, Kiganjo frequently sparred with his subordinates. Whenever he noticed someone with the potential to grow strong enough to threaten him, he would manipulate them into challenging him… giving him a legitimate reason to cripple them.
Kiganjo's cruelty and brutality were fully displayed in these actions.
Of course, if a potential threat never challenged him, Kiganjo couldn't outright attack them without drawing suspicion.
In such cases, he would use various means to pressure those subordinates into transferring to other divisions.
This way, he ensured the 11th Division remained entirely under his control.
Without a doubt, though Kyoya had only fought once, his performance had already put Kiganjo on guard.
"Yes, Captain. I choose to continue challenging higher seats."
Kyoya nodded, "As for challenging you, I think I'll wait until after I defeat Lieutenant Ichinose."
"If I can't even defeat Lieutenant Ichinose, then challenging you, Captain, would be sheer ignorance of my own limitations."
"Only by standing in the position closest to you before issuing a challenge can I properly express my respect for you."
To be honest, Kiganjo's offer was somewhat tempting to Kyoya.
Unfortunately, Kyoya's current strength was still far below Kiganjo's.
What puzzled Kyoya even more was that after defeating the 11th Division's lowest seat, Noguchi Ozawa, he didn't hear the One Piece Achievement System's notification.
'Had defeating a division's lowest seat not counted as an achievement?'
Kyoya frowned slightly.
Things weren't going as he'd expected.
If none of his upcoming battles triggered an achievement, his strength wouldn't see any immediate improvements.
That would be a serious setback for his plans.
But now that he'd come this far, he had no choice but to see it through.
At the very least, after defeating Ichinose and becoming the 11th Division's Lieutenant, he could figure out his next move.
Otherwise…
Kyoya glanced at Kiganjo.
To his surprise, his Observation Haki had sensed killing intent from this Captain.
"Good. Then, Kyoya, let me see your limits!"
"Someone! Call all the seated officers who aren't here."
"Tell them to come and witness what a true genius looks like!"
"Yes, Captain!"
…
Boom-
"Ah-"
Crack-
"Ugh-"
Boom!
"Guh-"
Under the watchful eyes of countless Shinigami, one seated officer after another fell beneath Kyoya's sword.
Just like Ozawa, none of the seated officers dared to underestimate Kyoya after he initiated consecutive challenges.
At the start of each battle, every opponent brought out their full strength.
But unfortunately, in front of Kyoya, they were no different from Ozawa.
"Too strong!"
"Just by swinging his sword, he's defeated so many seated officers... Could Kyoya-sama really challenge Kiganjo-sama?"
At this point, many Shinigami no longer saw Kiganjo's earlier words as a joke.
Kyoya truly possessed the strength to challenge Kiganjo.
"How many is that now?"
"Twelve."
"Tsk, Kyoya-sama's strikes seem to be getting heavier."
"Yeah, I noticed."
"Probably because the top ten seated officers are stronger, forcing him to use more power in battle..."
"That makes sense."
"Even if we can't see the difference, the fact that Kyoya-sama is exerting more effort means the seated officers' strength is increasing with each rank."
At the center of the training grounds, just as the Shinigami had observed, Kyoya's attacks were indeed growing fiercer.
But it wasn't because the seated officers were getting stronger, forcing him to increase his strength.
The truth was, after defeating over a dozen seated officers without hearing the One Piece Achievement System's notification, Kyoya was growing increasingly frustrated. He wanted to end these battles quickly so he could figure out what was wrong with his system.
Seated officers in a Gotei 13 division were, by all accounts, equivalent to Commissioned Officers in the One Piece World.
The top five could even rival Marine's Vice Admirals in strength.
Though the later challengers held higher ranks, Kyoya didn't feel any significant difference between them and the earlier opponents.
With this mindset, Kyoya naturally wanted to wrap things up as soon as possible.
"Next!"
"Gulp-"
Hearing Kyoya's cold, indifferent voice, one of the Shinigami couldn't help but swallow hard.
'Was this guy even a Shinigami?'
'Had he woken up too early or gone to bed too late?'
"I…"
"That's enough, Yano."
A slender hand rested on the Shinigami's shoulder as a calm voice spoke into his ear, "There's not much difference between your strength and the others who've already fought."
"If you go out there now, your fate won't be any different from theirs."
"Let me handle this."
The Shinigami turned his head, his pupils contracting sharply: "Ichinose-sama..."
"I'm sorry, I-"
"No need to apologize, Yano."
"Even I can't help but feel envy when facing a genius like this..."