If it were them...
Well, they were nobles themselves, each with their own family backing them.
Even if they had the will to investigate further, they would likely be stopped by the elders of their clans.
After all, in the mindset of most nobles, Seireitei was still their Seireitei.
The so-called Shinigami were nothing more than their guard dogs.
Regardless of the truth, the nobles would always frame things in a way that benefited them.
And they would erase any information that was unfavorable to them.
For example, the truth about how Yamamoto came to rule Seireitei.
Or how, a thousand years ago, Seireitei was nearly destroyed by the Lichtreich...
Or how the Five Great Noble Houses betrayed the Soul King and imprisoned him...
The Soul Society had existed for millions of years. The noble families, led by the Five Great Noble Houses, had directly occupied the very center of Soul Society, establishing the only city within it.
They used the Sekkiseki to block ordinary souls from entering the Seireitei and created a ruling system within the Seireitei that favored their own interests, allowing their families to thrive for millions of years.
In essence, the Seireitei was like the Mary Geoise of the One Piece World.
The nobles were the Celestial Dragons of the Soul Society!
Yamamoto's rule over the Seireitei had only lasted a thousand years, so how could that compare to the nobles' million-year reign?
Even now, a thousand years later, some nobles still clung to the delusion that they lived in an era where the nobility controlled everything.
However, with the Gotei 13 keeping them in check, they could only flaunt their authority within the confines of their own family estates.
The emergence of the Bakkoto was undoubtedly influenced by these nobles.
They desperately desired a military force capable of opposing the Shinigami.
Even if they couldn't completely expel the Shinigami from the Seireitei, they at least wanted to seize control of military authority.
Ultimately, this was just another power struggle between the nobles and the Gotei 13.
On the surface, everything appeared peaceful, but behind the scenes, countless battles had likely already taken place.
Perhaps it was through these repeated actions that the nobles gradually tested the limits of Yamamoto's patience.
A thousand years ago, the nobles, thoroughly cowed by Yamamoto's slaughter, obediently became tools to maintain the functioning of the Seireitei.
Now, a thousand years later, the Central 46, which are composed of these nobles, held a position that was ostensibly half a step above the Gotei 13.
Of course, status was just status. The Gotei 13's allegiance was not to the nobles, but to Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
If Yamamoto ever decided to erase the nobles from existence, the majority of the Shinigami in the Gotei 13 would follow his lead and overthrow the Seireitei.
After all, the nobles who willingly joined the Gotei 13 were generally those with a sense of justice or a desire to protect, unlike the corrupt and complacent nobles who did nothing.
This much was evident from the expressions on the faces of Ginrei, Kyoraku, and Ukitake when they learned of the Bakkoto.
Now that Kyoraku was willing to answer Kyoya's questions, Kyoya naturally wouldn't refuse.
After all, what he knew was only what had been revealed in the anime.
"Captain Kyoraku, judging from your earlier expressions, you all seemed familiar with those weapons that can devour Shinigami's Reiatsu."
"Now, could you please explain to me what exactly those things are...?"
"Tsk, what a pain."
Under the night sky, as Kyoya made his way back to the 11th Division's barracks, he couldn't help but feel a growing sense of frustration.
Kyoraku had told him many things… not just about the Bakkoto, but also about the dynamics between the nobles and the Gotei 13.
A thousand years ago, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni had forcefully taken control of the Seireitei. However, instead of using his overwhelming power to overthrow the existing rule, he prioritized the stability of the Seireitei and only took charge of its defense.
Nominally, the rulers of the Seireitei were still the nobles. However, the nobles could no longer act as they pleased, and any policies they wished to enact had to be deliberated and decided upon by the Central 46, which functioned as a council.
This approach had shown the nobility Yamamoto's magnanimity, leading some noble families to pledge their allegiance to him and join the Gotei 13 as one of its divisions.
The 2nd Division's predecessor was the stealth force of the Shihoin Clan.
The 6th Division was the Noble Division, which eventually came under the control of the Kuchiki Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Houses.
As for Kyoraku and Ukitake, they had originally been students of Yamamoto. They only became heads of their respective clans after joining the Gotei 13.
But the fact that they could become Captain Yamamoto's disciples was in itself a gesture of goodwill from their families to Captain Yamamoto.
But the fact that they had become Yamamoto's disciples in the first place was a gesture of goodwill from their families toward him.
Because both the nobles and Yamamoto had taken a step back, the current state of the Seireitei had been established.
Without concrete evidence, even if Kyoya were to storm into the Kasumioji Clan's estate and uncover proof that they were manufacturing the Bakkoto, the nobles of the Seireitei would not acknowledge it, nor would they sanction the Kasumioji Clan.
As nobles, they were all too familiar with the tactics of framing and false accusations.
If Kyoya were to act this way now, all the nobles would feel a sense of impending doom.
Would the Gotei 13 be able to annihilate any family they wished in the future, then fabricate evidence to justify it?
Such actions would undoubtedly destabilize the Seireitei.
This was something neither the nobles nor Yamamoto could allow.
Therefore, if Kyoya wanted to take action against the Kasumioji Clan, he first needed to find concrete evidence that they had resumed production of the Bakkoto.
And not just any evidence… it had to be proof that they were manufacturing berserk Bakkoto.
If the Kasumioji Clan had already fixed the flaws in the berserk Bakkoto, then its creation wouldn't be a crime… it would instead be a great contribution to the Seireitei.
'If this were the One Piece World...'
At this thought, Kyoya paused and shook his head.
In the lawless chaos of the One Piece World, Kyoya could have just stormed in and dealt with things directly.
At worst, he'd just quit being a Marine.
Of course, Kyoya was only entertaining the thought.
If he were actually in the One Piece World, he couldn't be sure what choices he'd make until he was truly faced with such a situation. But he knew he wouldn't slaughter an entire clan without reason.
Moreover, as someone who had received proper education, Kyoya understood that power without restraint was nothing more than slavery to that power. Acting on impulse was merely a sign of a mind unable to withstand the weight of its own strength.
"Wait a minute..."
Suddenly, Kyoya remembered something and immediately stopped in his tracks. He turned around and rushed back toward the 1st Division.
A few minutes later, after obtaining the information he needed from Yamamoto, Kyoya immediately headed toward Kisaragi's home.
From the Kasumioji Clan's perspective, Kisaragi, having been parasitized by the Bakkoto, was as good as dead.
But the Kasumioji Clan had suffered heavy losses at Kisaragi's hands. His death alone wouldn't be enough to quell their fury.
In Amagai Shusuke's childhood memories, after his father was killed by Yamamoto, his family was attacked.
He had only survived by sheer luck. Later, he changed his name and enrolled in the Shin'o Academy. But he didn't dare graduate normally and join the Gotei 13… instead, he was assigned to the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force alongside many other students.
Through relentless battle, he eventually became one of its three commanders.
The commanders of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force held strength and status equivalent to the Captains of the Gotei 13.
However, in the past century, the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force had mostly been composed of exiled criminals or failed Shinigami. As a result, they were inherently looked down upon compared to the Gotei 13's Captains.
It was as if the Gotei 13 were the noble elite of the capital, while they were nothing more than country bumpkins.
Yamamoto would never harm the families of his subordinates.
The only ones who would, and could, do such a thing were the nobles of the inner district.
What Kyoya needed to do now was rush to Kisaragi's home and protect his wife and child.
Whoosh-
Without hesitation, Kyoya flashed through the streets using high-speed movement. In less than three minutes, he arrived at Kisaragi's residence.
As the third seat of the 1st Division and a Shinigami who had achieved Bankai and possessed Captain-level strength, Kisaragi was entitled to his own private estate within the Seireitei.
However, it seemed he didn't want his family to be implicated because of him.
Thus, his wife and child didn't live in the 1st Division's estate but in a more remote district of the Seireitei.
In fact, his wife only knew that Kisaragi was an ordinary Shinigami, and she had no idea he was the third seat of the 1st Division, a man with Captain-level power.
Whoosh!
Kyoya's figure abruptly appeared in front of the small house's gate.
"Eek-!"
A child who had been about to open the gate was startled by Kyoya's sudden appearance. He stumbled back and fell onto his rear.
The boy was slightly shorter than Kyoya, but from his slightly curly hair, Kyoya could already see traces of the future Amagai.
"Shu, what's wrong?"
Hearing the child's cry, a woman stepped out of the house. The moment she saw Kyoya, her expression changed.
"Shu, be good and go inside."
She quickly picked up the child and carried him indoors before returning with a nervous expression.
There is no one living in the Seireitei who doesn't know about the Shihakusho and the Captain's Haori.
They all knew that Shinigami wearing the black robes were the armed forces protecting the Seireitei.
And those wearing the Captain's Haori stood at the very peak of the Gotei 13.
"Captain... has something happened to my husband?"
Hearing her question, Kyoya suddenly understood.
'Ah, so she thinks her husband died in the line of duty?'
But that made sense.
Just like in his previous world, when soldiers went off to war, if one day they didn't return, and instead, their highest-ranking officer came to visit, their family's first reaction wouldn't be joy, but fear that their loved one had fallen in battle.
Clearly, Kisaragi's wife suspected that her husband had died, and that this Captain had come to deliver the news.
That was why she had first sent the child inside, as she wanted to bear this grief alone.