'This Reiatsu... violent, chaotic...'
'If nothing unexpected happens, this is Kisaragi Shin'etsu, who has been controlled by Kasumioji Clan's Bakkoto...'
As Kyoya rushed toward the inner district, he mentally reviewed the details of the Bakyoto incident.
Kisaragi Shin'etsu, the third seat of the 1st Division, had once been personally instructed by Yamamoto for a time.
Under normal circumstances, Kisaragi would have had a bright future ahead.
Unfortunately, during one investigation incident, he fell into a trap set by the Kasumioji Clan and became parasitized by the Bakkoto.
Controlled by the berserk Bakkoto, he was forced to assassinate Yamamoto.
Obviously, even though Yamamoto was heartbroken over what had happened to his youngest disciple, he had no choice but to personally kill Kisaragi.
Moreover, to ensure Kisaragi wouldn't die as a criminal branded with the crime of attempting to assassinate the Captain-Commander, Yamamoto was forced to abandon further investigations into the Kasumioji Clan.
Kisaragi still had family.
If he were labeled a 'criminal', his family would undoubtedly be implicated, and worst-case scenario, they would be immediately sentenced to death.
At the very least, they might be exiled to the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force.
This incident only came to a close over a hundred years later when Kisaragi's son, who had changed his name, returned from the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force to the Seireitei and became the Captain of the 3rd Division.
This triggered a series of upheavals, culminating in the death of the Kasumioji Clan's steward, Kumoi Gyokaku.
What happened to Amagai Shusuke was pitiful.
He was a sincere man who never put on airs in front of his subordinates.
To better integrate with his division, despite not being a drinker, he repeatedly attended gatherings with his subordinates until he passed out drunk.
It was precisely because of Amagai Shusuke's warmth that the members of the 3rd Division were able to quickly recover from the shock of Gin's betrayal.
Had he not been deceived by the Kasumioji Clan, Amagai would undoubtedly have been a qualified Captain.
Kyoya knew that if he could be recruited, the 11th Division would surely gain another Captain-level powerhouse in the future!
By the time Kyoya arrived at the battlefield, Aikawa had already been defeated, lying bloodied on the ground.
This didn't surprise Kyoya.
Aikawa was merely an average Captain, and his Zanpakuto was a straightforward offensive type.
Since Kisaragi had been personally taken in and trained by Yamamoto, he was no ordinary figure… he undoubtedly possessed Captain-level strength.
On top of that, Kisaragi was now under the control of the berserk Bakkoto, further amplifying his power. There was no way Aikawa could have been his match.
Perhaps sensing Kyoya's Reiatsu, or perhaps because the Bakkoto controlling him, Kisaragi prioritized the order to kill Yamamoto above all else, after all, if the Kasumioji Clan, the creators of the Bakkoto, didn't have a way to control it, that would be underestimating their ancestors,
However, it was possible that the Bakkoto had lost out to the Zanpakuto in their competition, and since everyone deemed the berserk Bakkoto too dangerous, its production methods and means of control were erased once the Zanpakuto's dominance was established.
After thousands of years of secret research, the Kasumioji Clan had managed to recreate a new Bakkoto.
Recent studies had reached a new stage, and simply using household servants to nurture the Bakkoto no longer satisfied the Kasumioji Clan, so they secretly extended their reach to the Shinigami of the Gotei 13.
However, they hadn't expected that so soon after, Shinigami from the Seireitei would come investigating.
Had Kisaragi not been completely ignorant of the Bakkoto and fallen into the Kasumioji Clan's trap, grasping the Bakkoto and becoming its host, drained of Reiatsu and temporarily controlled, the Kasumioji Clan might have faced disaster.
It was precisely because of this, the Kasumioji Clan couldn't afford to let the Gotei 13 continue their investigation. Thus, they staged themselves as victims of a burglary, convening a Noble Assembly to directly challenge the Gotei 13.
The entanglements between the nobles and the Gotei 13 had long been governed by established rules over the past millennium.
But for some nobles, causing trouble for the Gotei 13 and increasing their own influence in the Seireitei was a way to assert their 'noble' authority.
Of course, they also used these trivial matters to probe Yamamoto's stance on the Seireitei.
Exploiting others' weaknesses to manipulate them was a specialty of the nobles.
As expected, the Kasumioji Clan's plan worked. Even if the Gotei 13 might have noticed something, under the Central 46's orders, they had no choice but to turn around and 'protect' the Kasumioji Clan.
At this point, releasing the Bakkoto-controlled Kisaragi to assassinate Yamamoto would not only allow them to extricate themselves from the incident but also serve as a warning to the Captain-Commander.
Kneeling down, Kyoya placed a hand on Love Aikawa's body, emitting green Reiatsu to stabilize his injuries. As part of Kido, Kaido was something Kyoya had naturally studied.
Especially since Kyoya had already mastered the essence of [Life Return], understanding the secret of converting Reishi into physical energy. Though he hadn't spent much time training in Kaido, his proficiency was still considerable.
In just a few seconds, Love Aikawa's wounds were healed.
As for deeper Reiryoku depletion, Kyoya didn't restore that.
He couldn't achieve what 4th Division's Captain, Unohana could… effortlessly fully healing two severely injured Captains in an instant.
Now that Aikawa was no longer in mortal danger, Kyoya wouldn't waste more time here.
Expanding his Observation Haki, Kyoya quickly sensed Kisaragi's frenzied presence.
And not far from it, there's overwhelmingly suppressed Reiatsu of Yamamoto, as if on the verge of exploding at any moment.
Barring any surprises, within seconds, Kisaragi would encounter Yamamoto and ultimately be slain by him.
Bzzt-
Kyoya lightly tapped his Zanpakuto, and in an instant, it dissolved into golden light, merging into his body.
In that moment, Kyoya fully mastered the power of the Pika Pika no Mi. His body transformed into light, and with a thought, he shot toward the distance as a golden flash.
…
Boom, boom, boom…
Under the night sky, a humanoid monster rampaged across the ground, occasionally roaring furiously and swinging octopus-like tentacles to destroy everything around it.
Occasionally, a flicker of clarity flashed in its eyes, its intact left hand clutching its head in agony… only to be swallowed by madness once more.
With a flash of golden light, Kyoya's figure appeared in front of the monstrous creature.
Looking at Kisaragi before him, even though Kyoya had already anticipated it, he was still startled by the man's current appearance.
As the Captain of the 11th Division, Kyoya had visited the 1st Division several times.
Aside from Sasakibe, Kyoya had also met Kisaragi, the third seat.
However, the current Kisaragi had swollen several times in size, his body mostly wrapped in muscular, coiling tentacles. Only a small part of his face and left shoulder still retained a human form.
These tentacles all sprouted from the strange weapon in his right hand.
Kyoya could sense that Kisaragi's Reiatsu was being absorbed by the Bakkoto in his grip, fueling the growth of even more tendrils that burrowed into his body.
Boom!
Upon seeing Kyoya, Kisaragi erupted, swinging his blade at him.
A surge of Reiatsu erupted from the Bakkoto, a blood-colored slash radiating a terrifying aura that assaulted Kyoya's senses.
"All flash, no substance."
Facing this slash, Kyoya simply raised his hand and grabbed it. His fingers tightened-
Bang!
In an instant, Kyoya crushed the slash.
It was worth noting that Kyoya's swordsmanship was unrivaled, worthy of the title of the world's strongest swordsman.
In Kyoya's eyes, the slash Kisaragi had unleashed was riddled with openings, posing no threat whatsoever.
If the future Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer, had crushed Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho through sheer Reiatsu and the durability of a Vasto Lorde, then Kyoya's feat just now was achieved purely through his mastery of the sword… pinpointing the flaw in the slash and causing it to collapse under its own imbalance.
"Sorry, but this path is closed."
After crushing the slash, Kyoya didn't withdraw his hand. Instead, he curled his thumb, middle, ring, and pinky fingers, leaving only his index finger extended… its tip glowing with golden light.
"Laser."
Whoosh!
Boom!
A golden beam shot from Kyoya's fingertip, piercing Kisaragi's right hand in an instant before detonating.
Bang!
The force of the explosion sent Kisaragi flying, his right arm completely obliterated by the attack.
With his right hand destroyed, the Bakkoto in his grip was also blasted away by the shockwave, landing over a dozen meters away.
"Aa-Aarrrgggg!!!"
Freed from the Bakkoto's control, Kisaragi finally regained his senses, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.
The tentacles covering his body, now severed from the Bakkoto, writhed violently, greedily absorbing his Reiatsu in an attempt to regrow and reconnect with the blade.
The Bakkoto itself reacted similarly, and within just a few seconds, it had already devoured the remnants of Kisaragi's arm, sprouting countless vine-like tendrils that slithered toward him.
"Filthy thing."
Kyoya frowned, disgusted by the aura emanating from the Bakkoto.
The One Piece World was no stranger to cursed blades.
Swords of the 'cursed' series, like the Kitetsu blades, were widely known for their malevolence.
But even the first-generation Shodai Kitetsu didn't exude such a revolting presence.
Kyoya's instincts flared… he wouldn't allow such a defiled object to flaunt itself before him.
A glint of red flashed in his eyes.
Humm-
In that instant, everything fell silent and the world itself seemed to bow!
Crack!
A bolt of crimson lightning materialized, striking the Bakkoto with devastating force.
The moment it was struck, the Bakkoto disintegrated into dust…
This is Conqueror's Haki.
No, it's not just Conqueror's Haki… it's the Conqueror's Haki Infusion, the pinnacle of its mastery!