However, it is the first time in history that someone like Kyoya becomes a captain right after graduation!
To be honest, this is an honor that brings pride to you.
"Thank you, sensei."
Kyoya nodded in gratitude to the academy's head instructor.
Though Kyoya himself already knew the location of Class 2-A, he wasn't foolish enough to reject the head instructor's kindness.
"It's Captain Kyoya!"
"Captain Kyoya is here!"
Hearing the exclamations from the students in the classroom, Kyoya smiled.
He still had some impression of the student who had spoken. After all, this was the class where Kyoya had spent the longest time during his stay at the Shin'o Academy.
Back then, Kyoya had only possessed Observation Haki and a single month's foundation in swordsmanship from the One Piece World. To improve his strength, he had no choice but to train relentlessly.
Kyoya had stayed in this class for a full three months, only advancing after becoming the top student and securing another achievement, which laid the foundation for his rapid rise.
"Kyoya-sama!"
Seeing Kyoya smile at him, the student was overjoyed and immediately bowed deeply.
Before today, no matter how much of a genius Kyoya was, he could still address him as '-kun'.
But from this day forward, Kyoya could only be referred to as '-sama' or 'Captain'.
This wasn't just out of respect for his status… it was also due to awe of his strength.
After all, the title of Captain was reserved for the thirteen strongest Shinigami, standing at the pinnacle of the Gotei 13..
When the student noticed Kyoya about to enter the classroom, he quickly stepped aside, afraid of blocking his path.
"Kyoya, what brings you here?"
Upon entering the classroom, Kyoya's eyes immediately landed on Rangiku.
A year had passed, and Rangiku had begun growing out her hair.
Hearing her address him so casually, Kyoya grinned.
"I've come to pick you up."
"Huh?"
A question mark seemed to pop up above Rangiku's head.
'What did Kyoya mean by that?'
"Let's go. I'll explain on the way."
"Okay."
Though she still didn't fully understand the situation, Rangiku trusted Kyoya completely. She stood up and followed him out of the classroom.
Then, after selecting an Asauchi from the academy's storage and clutching it in her arms, she left the Shin'o Academy in a daze with Kyoya.
"Kyoya, what's going on?"
Though she already had a vague idea, Rangiku couldn't help but ask.
"Haha, isn't it obvious, Rangiku-nee?"
Seeing Rangiku's bewildered expression, Kyoya laughed. "I've invited you to join the 11th Division ahead of schedule. You're now an official member of the 11th Division."
"But, but..."
Though Kyoya's confirmation brought her joy, Rangiku's expression was a mix of happiness and conflict.
She was thrilled to be joining the Gotei 13 years earlier than expected, bringing her closer to Kyoya and Gin.
What troubled her was that she hadn't even mastered everything taught at the Shin'o Academy yet. Could she really shoulder the responsibilities of a Shinigami as an official member?
"But Kyoya, my strength probably isn't enough to fulfill a Shinigami's duties yet, is it?"
"True."
Kyoya wouldn't lie to Rangiku about this.
Though the world was relatively peaceful now, the crises that would emerge in the next hundred years would be extremely dangerous for those without sufficient strength.
As a vessel for the Soul King's Nails, Rangiku naturally possessed remarkable talent.
Though her soul had been damaged when the fragment was taken from her, the piece of soul returned by Gin had helped her recover significantly.
If the original Rangiku had the potential to reach Captain-level, the current Rangiku could still reach Lieutenant-level.
Kyoya already had a plan for her training.
If Rangiku were to grow along her original path, she would only become an ordinary Lieutenant at best.
Aside from the Hogyoku, Kyoya currently had no way to raise the upper limit of her Reiatsu.
But in terms of other aspects of training, Kyoya was confident he could make her far stronger!
Even if her Reiatsu ceiling was only at Lieutenant-level, her combat power could still surpass that limit.
"But don't worry, Rangiku-nee."
"I'll teach you!"
Kyoya knew that Rangiku's Zanpakuto, [Haineko], wasn't suited for direct combat… it was a ranged-type or manipulation-type Zanpakuto, similar to Byakuya's Senbonzakura.
In Kyoya's view, the 'ash' of Haineko was fundamentally the same as the 'length' created when Gin's Zanpakuto, Shinso, extended in its Shikai state.
Once released, Rangiku could swing Haineko's hilt to slash at any point where its ash was dispersed.
So, what Kyoya wanted to do was teach Rangiku swordsmanship from the One Piece World, training her to become a Great Swordsman capable of launching flying slash attacks!
At that time, combined with Haineko's ability, Rangiku would be able to unleash devastating slashes from any point where the ash was present.
Even a Captain-level opponent caught within Haineko's ash would be severely wounded, if not killed.
After all, while the destructive power of a Zanpakuto's abilities might not lose to, or even surpass, that of Devil Fruit powers, the physical resilience of Shinigami, aside from a few exceptions, generally couldn't compare to that of the people in the One Piece World.
"You don't think that what I, a captain, can teach you would be worse than what the instructors at the Shin'o Academy offer, do you?"
Seeing Kyoya's confident grin, Rangiku chuckled.
Still, she reached out and ruffled his hair vigorously.
"Ah, Kyoya's all grown up now~"
"Hey, Rangiku-nee, let go, let go!"
At this moment, Kyoya felt deeply resentful about his height.
A year ago, he had been half a head shorter than Rangiku.
Now, thanks to his physical training, he had shot up to 140 cm.
But coincidentally, Rangiku was also in a rapid growth phase, and she still towered over him by a few centimeters.
After some playful banter, Rangiku finally relented.
Though she saw Kyoya as family and could mess around with him freely, she also knew he was the Captain of the 11th Division.
In front of other Shinigami, Kyoya had to maintain his dignity.
If others saw her ruffling his hair, it might lead to unnecessary rumors.
Still, Rangiku knew that if she didn't take the chance now, once Kyoya outgrew her, she'd never get to do it again.
"By the way, Kyoya… have you seen Gin?"
At this moment, there was light in Rangiku's eyes.
"Yeah."
"Phew…"
"That's great!"
Seeing Kyoya nod, Rangiku patted her chest in relief and smiled brightly.
Though she hadn't seen Gin yet, just knowing that he was alive brought her immense joy.
"Then, Kyoya, can I-"
"No, Rangiku-nee!"
Kyoya already knew what Rangiku wanted to ask and cut her off before she could finish.
"Rangiku-sister, if Gin wants to see you, he'll come to you himself."
"But if he's deliberately keeping his distance, then you have to act like you don't know him."
At his current strength, Kyoya wasn't yet a match for Aizen.
Though he wanted to recruit Gin to his side, until he was absolutely certain of success, he couldn't risk Rangiku's actions inadvertently putting Gin in danger.
To make sure she understood the gravity of the situation, Kyoya stopped walking and spoke to her seriously: "Rangiku-nee, you've told me before about what happened between you and Gin."
"So I know he cares about you just as much as you care about him."
"Under normal circumstances, Gin would never leave you alone."
Well, Kyoya is close to Rangiku, Rangiku is close to Gin, but Kyoya and Gin haven't interacted much yet. Kyoya calls Rangiku 'Rangiku-nee' out of gratitude for her saving him.
However, since Kyoya intends to recruit Gin, he doesn't refer to him as '-nii' and instead called his name directly.
"Given that, I think there's only one explanation."
"That is, Gin is facing a crisis that forced him to leave you, Rangiku-nee, one he wants to confront and resolve alone."
"Until he solves it, recklessly reaching out to him could disrupt his plans and put him in even greater danger."
"This…"
Hearing this, Rangiku's face paled.
She was still just a teenage girl, and this revelation hit her hard.
But from Kyoya's reasoning, she finally understood why Gin had left her.
"Then…"
"Kyoya, you're a Captain now. Can't you protect Gin?"
Finally, as she looked at Kyoya, her emotions steadied, and she asked him this question.
As the Captain of the 11th Division, Kyoya stood at the pinnacle of the Seireitei in both status and strength.
'If Kyoya stepped in...'
"My dear Rangiku-nee, are you overestimating me?"
Kyoya rolled his eyes at Rangiku: "No matter how much of a genius I am, I've only been training for a year."
"To you, my strength might seem overwhelming."
"But among the Captains, where do you think I rank?"
"Every Captain is a powerhouse who has mastered Bankai."
"And I haven't even achieved Bankai yet."
"Eh? Then how did you become a captain?"
"By killing the previous one."
"But if you haven't mastered Bankai, how could you kill a Captain?"
"…Hmm, ever considered that I might just be a genius who doesn't need Bankai to kill a Captain?"