"Don't you want to know who was the one who launched a sneak attack on Shakky back then and sold her out to the Celestial Dragons?"
?!
Golden Lion's pupils shrank suddenly, his breathing hitched, and he demanded sternly, "Who was it?!"
Shakky was the recognized number one beauty of that era and the dream lover of countless people; Golden Lion was naturally no exception.
Back then on Hachinosu, he had frequently tried to curry favor with Shakky. Even during the God Valley incident, he constantly worried about her safety, only turning his focus to the treasure once he confirmed she was unharmed.
Although Shakky was ultimately rescued by Rayleigh from Roger's ship, the matter remained a thorn in Golden Lion's side—he still held a grudge against the traitor who sold out a comrade.
Setting aside his personal feelings for Shakky, the mere fact that "a traitor emerged from Rocks' ship to collude with the World Government" was enough to make his blood boil.
In his eyes, the Rocks Pirates were certainly a loose alliance destined to fall apart, and stabbing each other in the back was common practice.
But infighting among pirates was one thing; colluding with the World Government—that was something else entirely!
It was like two gangs fighting, only for one to secretly call the police—anyone on the "path" would spit on such "lowly" behavior.
"Is this intel weighty enough?" Beltz asked back unhurriedly.
"...Deal." Shiki snatched the list filled with equipment names from Beltz's hand. After a quick scan, his brow furrowed immediately. "What are you buying these things for?"
While he didn't quite understand the professional use of the equipment, he recognized them as scientific research instruments.
"Wait... I think I heard Stussy mention you," Shiki turned to look at Vegapunk, trying hard to recall. "What was your name again?"
"Ve-Vegapunk! I am a scientist!" Although Vegapunk was somewhat afraid of Shiki, seeing him and Beltz conversing back and forth gave him the courage to report his name.
"A scientist, huh..." Shiki repeated with little interest, stuffing the list into his coat. "Fine, I'll have someone handle it for you. Now—your turn to speak."
"It's Ochoku."
"Ochoku?" The image of the man with several layers of chins immediately surfaced in Shiki's mind, and he couldn't help but spit.
"Hmph, it certainly sounds like something that money-grubbing bastard would do... no wonder he didn't show up at God Valley back then."
"I'm going to settle the score with that guy right now!"
Chomping on his cigar, Shiki strode forward angrily.
Beltz exchanged a look with Rukia and Vegapunk beside him, shrugged helplessly, and followed.
The people of the pirate world, how should one put it...
Their personalities were a bit over-the-top.
While the powerhouses of the Soul Society world each had their own eccentricities and stubbornness, they generally fell within the realm of "normal people."
But the powerhouses of this sea were sometimes overwhelmingly domineering, and at other times as moody as willful children.
"Is he... really going to be okay like this?" Rukia leaned in toward Beltz and asked in a low voice.
"Don't worry." Beltz patted his chest, his tone certain: "With me here, even he won't be able to hurt you."
"And don't look at them just as pirates; most great pirates who rule a territory still adhere to a bit of 'morality'."
"Except for Kaido, of course."
"Kaido?"
"Maybe there will be a chance to meet him in the future." As Beltz spoke, he kept pace with Golden Lion.
Before long, the group reached the outskirts of the Sabaody Archipelago. Beltz saw Golden Lion's main ship for the first time.
Perhaps because it was still early, or perhaps because Beltz had taken all the treasure from God Valley, Shiki had not yet assembled that terrifying flying fleet; there was only this one ship.
Even so, many pirates were gathered on this ship, most with fierce appearances, and several possessed auras that were not weak.
Seeing the ship filled with such wicked individuals, Vegapunk and Rukia couldn't help but grow nervous.
The former even felt a hint of regret, wondering if he had been too impulsive in following Beltz. But since things had come to this, he couldn't return to Lu Feld, so he could only secretly pray that Beltz hadn't lied to him.
"Boss, who are these people?" As soon as they boarded, a pirate shouted the question.
"Listen up, all of you!" Shiki bit his cigar, his voice booming like a bell: "His name is Beltz. From today on, he is my Vice Captain! If anyone is dissatisfied, you can challenge him at any time! If you win, the Vice Captain position is yours!"
"But until you knock him down, you must respect him just as you respect me, understand?!"
"Ohhh!! Vice Captain!!"
"This kid doesn't look very sturdy, can he do it?"
"The Vice Captain spot is mine! I challenge you!"
Hearing the mountain-shaking clamor of the pirates, Beltz sighed and touched his forehead.
"When did I agree to be your Vice Captain?" he said in a low voice behind Shiki.
"What do you know?" Shiki replied coldly without looking back:
"On my ship, I make the rules! Didn't you want to learn Haki? Don't expect me to teach you step-by-step. Want to learn? Then fight these guys until you understand it!"
After speaking to Beltz, he turned back to his subordinates and announced loudly: "Listen well! There are no limits on the methods of challenge—poisoning, sneak attacks, assassinations, do whatever you want! I only care about the result!"
"Oooooh!!!"
Looking at the group of fanatical pirates, Beltz sighed softly.
He knew he was no match for Golden Lion, but he didn't really care about dealing with these small-fry.
However, if it was as Shiki said and any dirty trick could be used... that would indeed be a bit troublesome.
But... so be it.
Since he wanted to learn, he would use this method to hone himself.
If he could awaken Conqueror's Haki in this chaotic battle... that would be for the best.
The great ship took flight, and Beltz finally didn't have to turn into a Azure Dragon to fly in the sky.
He, Rukia, and Vegapunk were arranged in adjacent rooms.
Rukia's arrival made the people on the ship very excited.
After all, they were all rough men, and now that a cute girl had boarded the ship, their eyes turned into hearts one by one.
Rukia had never seen such a scene; she was somewhat timid as she walked.
However, Rukia didn't quite fit the aesthetic of this world; after all, in the eyes of others, Rukia still looked like a child.
They liked large breasts and perky butts; Rukia's pure elementary-schooler figure only made them think she was "cute."
For the next period of time, the three of them would spend their days on this flying ship.
The final destination was naturally Wano, but they had to buy some things along the way, and they had to visit Hachinosu to take down that guy Ochoku!
However, Beltz didn't need to take action for this; Shiki would likely handle it himself.
...
While Beltz and Rukia were in One Piece, the Seireitei of the Soul Society world was shrouded in a heavy gloom.
In just a few days, over a thousand Soul Reapers had undergone "Hollowfication." Half were held in prison, and the other half were held within the Twelfth Division's Department of Research and Development, with Kurotsuchi Mayuri personally presiding over the research.
However, even this scientific genius had failed to find a way to break the curse in such a tight timeframe.
This meant that for the foreseeable future, these Soul Reapers would continue to maintain that terrifying demonic form, becoming unrecognizable to their kin.
Nearly one-third of the Gotei 13's combat power had fallen.
When the Captain of the Sixth Division, Byakuya Kuchiki, finished his mission in the Rukongai and returned to the Seireitei, this was the bad news he heard.
Even the Sixth Division, known for its strict discipline, had suffered significant casualties.
However, not a ripple of emotion could be seen on his handsome face.
Looking at Ukitake in front of him, Byakuya said calmly, "You specifically ran here to see me; surely it wasn't just to say this?"
At this moment, he was walking on the road to the First Division.
He had been executing a mission in the Rukongai and had just returned to the Seireitei.
Then he received notice of the Captains' Meeting; all Captains were to go to the First Division for a meeting.
While on the way, Ukitake specifically ran over to tell him what had happened recently.
"..." Hearing this, a trace of guilt flashed across Ukitake's face, and he lowered his head slightly:
"It's about Rukia..."
He hesitated.
"If she has also turned into a demon, simply handle it according to protocol; there is no need to ask for my opinion," Byakuya said indifferently, clearly assuming Rukia had been demonized like the others.
"No, Byakuya," Ukitake looked up, his expression grave: "Rukia... she was taken away by a Hollow."
"..."
To put it politely, she was taken by a Hollow; to put it bluntly... she was likely already dead!
In that instant, this man who usually showed no emotion—and was even questioned whether he possessed feelings—showed a very slight fluctuation on his face.
But that change was gone in a flash, and he quickly regained his usual icy demeanor.
"...Is that so," Byakuya replied softly, his voice low: "That is also her own fate. If there is blame to be had, blame her own incompetence."
"Byakuya!" Ukitake hurriedly took a step forward, "Rukia might not have met with disaster yet! It's too early to give up; I am preparing to ask the Head Captain for permission to personally go to Hueco Mundo..."
"Save it, Ukitake," Byakuya interrupted him calmly: "With your current body, what can you do?"
"Rukia is a member of my Kuchiki family. Whether to give up or rescue her is naturally for our Sixth Division to handle."
"What are you saying? Rukia is a Soul Reaper of the Thirteenth Division!"
"You, the Captain of the Thirteenth Division, failed to protect your subordinate, didn't you? Just like your Vice Captain and Third Seat back then, wasn't it the same?"
Usually, Byakuya appeared cold, even toward Rukia, but she was the sister entrusted to him by Hisana after all; deep in his heart, Byakuya had long accepted this bond.
It was only because he had sworn to uphold his noble duties and no longer show favoritism that he remained frostily cold toward Rukia.
☰