"Kenpachi...?"
Cole blinked, pointing at himself. "You want me to be Squad 11's Kenpachi?"
Unohana nodded, eyes alight. "With your swordsmanship, you'd be the strongest Kenpachi in history. Only you deserve the title in this era."
Once, the Kenpachi she acknowledged was Zaraki—after all, he was the man who defeated her. But he sealed his own power; publicly taking the name left her no chance to cross blades in earnest—one cut might have ended him.
Then she met Cole. Back then, he wasn't strong enough, but his gift for the sword was unlike anything she'd seen—enough to stir the rare urge to teach. Before she could, his strength exploded, his sword advancing by the day, until he was pressing her down by skill alone. Now both his power and his sword have surpassed her—hence the thought: make him Kenpachi.
Cole shook his head fast. "I'm not interested. I'm human. I can't live in Seireitei forever."
"Then end your life in the World of the Living," Unohana said matter-of-factly. "Come to Rukongai. I'll bring you in myself—and you'll become Kenpachi."
Cole waved both hands. "No, no. Real life's pretty nice. I'm not planning to move to Soul Society for at least a hundred years."
Sure, Seireitei's reiryoku is rich—he can sneak a bite of a wall now and then—but everything else is... ancient. No TV, no game consoles; more Warring States than modern city. Dropping by is a fun 'vacation.' Staying long-term? Hard pass.
Unohana, not giving up, offered, "Then I'll ask the Head Captain to let you hold the Kenpachi title... part-time?"
Cole's mouth twitched. He gave her a look. "Hana-nee, be serious. Do you really want me to end up killing Captain Zaraki?"
With Zaraki's personality, if Cole so much as reached for the captain's haori, the man would fight to the finish.
"And besides..." Cole pinched Unohana's cheek; under her faint glare he deadpanned, "There's only one Kenpachi per era. Were you planning to die to my blade?"
Unohana looked away, a touch sheepish. "Of course not..."
The thought had crossed her mind—crowning Cole as Kenpachi, then the two of them crossing blades to the utmost, life on the line, blood singing, the victor devouring the moment whole. Just imagining it made her pulse quicken.
"Heh..." Cole folded his arms. "Didn't think you had that kind of taste. That's twisted. I treat you like family and you treat me like a rival."
"W-wait... don't call me that," Unohana blurted, color rising to her cheeks.
Coming from a sixteen-year-old, the nickname stirred a flood of protective instinct—complicated by the fact that this "kid" was also her chosen partner in sparring. The double meaning made even a millennia-old veteran feel shy.
"When we were—"
"Enough!"
Flustered, Unohana lifted her blade and chased him around the blood-red domain, Cole laughing and teasing, tossing out gentle jabs that made her more embarrassed. Scarlet arcs fanned like petals.
At last she glanced at Minazuki, briefly, as if debating whether to 'silence' someone who knew too much.
Smiling, Minazuki said, "Master, there isn't anything I don't know. Should I mention your—"
"Don't," Unohana said quickly, cheeks bright.
If all the awkward little things slipped out, she'd have no face left.
Minazuki turned, gave Cole a discreet thumbs-up, and mouthed, Nice one.
Cole's eyes lit up. Having her own zanpakuto on his side made "taming" Hana-nee's battle mania feel much easier.
Then something felt wrong. He glanced down—and blanched. "Hana-nee, quick—cut me a few times. I'm going to get over-healed!"
Within Minazuki (All Things End), not taking injuries for a while triggers 'over-treatment,' which reduces the body to clean bone. Half of him was already skeletal—an unnerving sight.
With a small huff, Unohana obliged—light, controlled slashes. Color and flesh returned as the over-healing abated.
Cole exhaled. "Okay, okay, that's enough. I want to go see how strong that Zero Division Shinigami really is."
In the anime, the Royal Guard don't get much on-screen fighting. Per the setting, though, each is a monster on par with the Head Captain, power enough to shake the three realms. It's just... their showings had been underwhelming. Time to see which one came—and how they measured up.
"Zero Division..." Unohana's eyes narrowed. "Senjumaru?"
She remembered the earlier clash. Canceling her Bankai, Minazuki let the blood-red world peel back as Unohana said, "Senjumaru is very strong—stronger than me. But as a Royal Guard, using Bankai is... difficult."
"Why?" Cole asked, honestly curious.
"Because her Bankai is too strong," Unohana said. "Like the Head Captain's—it can shake the world itself."
Cole pictured Yamamoto's Bankai. Terrifying. World-ending. The whole of Seireitei burning, stone running as molten rock, a sun fallen to earth. Temperatures that turned bodies to ash; the very atmosphere heated across the Soul Society.
A Bankai like that could wound the world—maybe break it. In that light, sealing a Royal Guard's Bankai made sense.
"So what rank would the Head Captain be inside Zero?" Cole asked.
Unohana thought, then shook her head. "I don't know. I've never seen the Royal Guard fight. From reiatsu alone, the Head Captain is still... the Head Captain."
The Royal Guard protects the Soul King. The strongest gather there. But Seireitei matters too—and as the millennia's mightiest Shinigami, Yamamoto would be a giant even among them.
Cole nodded, then—unable to help himself—teased, "See? This is why you shouldn't obsess over swordplay. Technique won't help much against those monsters."
Sword is technique; against the average foe, it shines. Against overwhelming powers? Not so much. After Bankai—outside a handful of physical types like Ichigo, Sajin, or Ikkaku—who trades close cuts? It's all infernos, absolute zero, or downright rule-bending hax. Against abilities like that, sword technique does very little.
Unohana bared a small smile. "I like real fights. Only blade-to-blade battle gives the joy I seek."
"Yeah... that figures."
As they spoke, Minazuki fully lifted the Bankai. The blood-light faded; sunlight spilled in.
Cole stretched. "Right, Hana-nee, Minazuki—let's hit the bath and—"
He trailed off. Beyond the dissolving red, on the wrecked ground, Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki stood frozen, eyes wide. Both flushed as they took in Cole, Unohana, and Minazuki—still damp from the earlier domain.
"W-what are you three doing here?" Rukia stammered. "C-Captain Unohana—and your zanpakuto—why aren't you... uh... fully dressed?"
Sode no Shirayuki's chill leaked into the air as she eyed Unohana. "Cole-kun, what were you doing?"
(Quietly, she glanced at her own chest... then resolutely looked away.)
"We were sparring," Cole said, coughing lightly, then pointed toward the execution grounds. "Rukia, Shirayuki—what's going on over there? That reiatsu is insane."
"Don't change the subject!" Rukia glared, then turned on Unohana. "Captain, why are you and your zanpakuto—"
Minazuki couldn't resist a playful jab. "My master was just being... very caring."
"Minazuki!" Unohana's face colored. She bowed slightly to Rukia. "It's nothing. We were sparring and tore our uniforms. That's all."
She flickered in a flash of hoho (step) and slipped into the hot spring with a small splash, submerging to cool her cheeks—some things were mortifying even for a thousand-year veteran.
Minazuki chuckled, hugging a stiff, tomato-red Rukia for a heartbeat before releasing her. "Men tend to like someone with a bit more softness. Rukia-chan, eat well and grow strong."
She winked at Cole, then hopped into the spring as well.
Cole's self-control wavered—sparring hadn't fully cooled the battle-high—but he cleared his throat and faced the two. "Rukia, Shirayuki—are you here to scold me?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Rukia shot him a burning look, then glowered at the spring. "Those two... honestly."
She was not about to lose her temper in front of Captain Unohana—but the jealousy was palpable.
Cole raised both hands. "I like you two just fine—cute and elegant. Don't worry."
"Don't change the subject!" Rukia snapped—but when Cole muttered, "If you want her to stop, you go refuse her," she fell quiet, picturing Unohana in full battle mood... and shivered.
Cole seized the moment, pointing west. "So—what's the situation? Did the Royal Guard member defeat Muramasa and move to execute him?"
"Not even close," Rukia said, tugging his hand. "It's a disaster. The manifested zanpakuto and the captains—everyone's fighting."
Cole arched a brow. "And the Royal Guard member...?"
"She's about to be cut down—by Katen Kyokotsu and Sōgyo no Kotowari."
Cole couldn't help the whistle. Figures—Shunsui and Jushiro together were no joke. The two of them pushing a Royal Guard to the brink... that tracked.
They passed the spring just as Unohana and Minazuki stepped out, steam curling from their shoulders. Cole swallowed despite himself.
Rukia flapped her hands, face red. "Captain Unohana—please, your uniform!"
Minazuki laughed as she dressed, then called to Cole, "Cole-dono, didn't Master look graceful?"
(End of Chapter)
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