Marine Headquarters — Fleet Admiral's Office
The moment the release chant of Ryūjin Jakka rang out, the Den Den Mushi abruptly went silent.
Sengoku had lost contact with Onigumo.
"This is bad… the transmission was cut off. Something happened!"
As he lowered the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku felt his heart sink.
Just before the connection died, he had clearly heard Onigumo's scream.
"Damn it… what in the world happened over there?!"
His face darkened, and he slammed a fist onto the desk so hard that the paperwork jumped.
This had been a mission he thought was already in the bag.
Yet at the very last moment, everything had gone wrong.
"Onigumo… got killed?"
Garp bit down on another senbei, his usual carefree expression finally giving way to disbelief.
He still hadn't even finished the bag in his hand—
and the battle was already over.
The speed of it had caught even him off guard.
"That man calling himself Death… no matter what, I'll find him."
Sengoku's fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged along his arms.
For the Navy.
For justice.
This matter would not end here.
Somewhere on a deserted island in the Grand Line—
After taking the Devil Fruit, Ren Kuro came to this uninhabited island.
He was about to perform his first summon.
Unfortunately, the duration of his beginner bonus had already run out.
The captain-class power he had temporarily possessed vanished, and the Ryūjin Jakka in his hand returned once more to an ordinary Asauchi.
"What a pity…"
Ren Kuro looked at the plain blade in his hand and let out a regretful sigh.
"If I could permanently keep Ryūjin Jakka, I'd probably be able to run wild through the world of pirates."
Opening the chest, he picked up the Devil Fruit and held it in his palm.
"System, what are the conditions for summoning?"
He could hardly wait.
He wanted to summon a captain of the Gotei Thirteen as soon as possible.
"The first summon requires one Devil Fruit," the system quickly replied. "You may summon any one character except the Captain-Commander."
"So I can't summon the Captain-Commander right away?"
Ren Kuro sounded disappointed.
"You must unlock six characters before the Captain-Commander becomes available."
As the system answered, a status panel appeared in Ren Kuro's mind.
On it were thirteen silhouettes—
the captains of the Gotei Thirteen.
But that wasn't all.
He also noticed two additional sections.
One held ten shadowy figures.
The other held five.
Both areas were hidden beneath a veil of dense mist, making their exact appearances impossible to see.
"The Visored… and Squad Zero?"
Ren Kuro's eyes lit up.
It seemed that after unlocking enough captains, he would also gain access to the Visored and the Royal Guard.
His gaze swept across the thirteen figures again and again.
Soon, he made up his mind.
"I choose to unlock… the Captain of Squad Three—Gin Ichimaru!"
The moment the words left his mouth—
the Devil Fruit in his hand vanished strangely.
"Energy absorbed successfully. Summoning will now begin."
Along with the system's notification, a brilliant azure light suddenly bloomed in front of Ren Kuro.
The light spread outward, and within it a tall, slender figure slowly took shape.
He looked like a man made of poison and secrets.
Short, pale lavender hair.
Narrow eyes.
Light blue pupils.
A constant smile on his lips—
a smile that resembled the sly grin of a fox.
Just from his appearance alone, one could tell:
this was a man impossible to read.
Squad Three Captain — Gin Ichimaru.
Gin had been born in one of the poorest districts of Rukongai.
As a child, he had been close to Rangiku Matsumoto, and the bond between them ran deeper than ordinary friendship.
Even from a young age, he possessed monstrous talent. He graduated from the Shin'ō Academy in only a single year and was hailed as a once-in-a-generation prodigy.
Before long, his name spread throughout Soul Society.
After joining the Gotei Thirteen, he even killed the former Third Seat of Squad Five and took the position for himself, becoming one of the youngest seated officers in history.
Gin Ichimaru was like a snake—
cold-skinned, unreadable, emotionless.
He lay low, flicking out his tongue to test the air, waiting for prey—
then devoured it whole.
Just then, the system's voice rang out again.
"Congratulations, Host. You have successfully summoned the Captain of Squad Three, Gin Ichimaru!"
"Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Shikai of Shinsō, along with Gin Ichimaru's Shinigami powers."
A string of notifications sounded in succession, and the smile on Ren Kuro's face deepened.
Just as he had expected, after summoning Gin Ichimaru, he gained a portion of Gin's power.
He inherited the Shikai of Shinsō, as well as Gin's abilities in Hakuda, Zanjutsu, Shunpo, and Kidō.
The moment the summoning ceremony ended—
Ren Kuro's strength soared.
"…Hm? Where is this?"
As the azure light gradually faded, a lazy, faintly Kansai-accented voice drifted into Ren Kuro's ears.
"Gin Ichimaru…"
Ren Kuro lifted his head, and the two met each other's gaze.
"Oh my… so you're the reason?"
Gin narrowed his eyes, that inscrutable fox-like smile still hanging on his youthful face.
"Yes." Ren Kuro nodded. "Gin Ichimaru, I'm the one who summoned you into this world."
To be honest, Ren Kuro had been wary from the start.
Gin Ichimaru was an extremely dangerous figure.
No one could ever truly guess what he was thinking.
He was the kind of man who had even dared to assassinate Aizen after the latter fused with the Hōgyoku.
So while speaking to Gin, Ren Kuro's eyes never left the short Zanpakutō at Gin's waist—
Shinsō.
If Gin really chose to attack, Ren Kuro had no doubt that his body could be cut in half in an instant.
But…
Before long, Ren Kuro realized he had been worrying for nothing.
Not only did Gin show no sign of acting out—
he even nodded at Ren Kuro with surprising ease, as though some strange bond already existed between them.
"System… does that mean I'm Gin Ichimaru's master? That I have a certain level of control over him?"
"Yes."
The moment he got that answer, Ren Kuro was overjoyed.
Who was Gin Ichimaru?
One of the greatest prodigies in Soul Society.
And once Shinsō reached Bankai, it became a terrifying weapon with overwhelming killing power.
And now—
a figure like that would obey his orders completely.
It felt like a dream.