One Piece: The Living Devil

Chapter 764 764: Can’t Play This Game at All

"Can't everyone just supervise you together?"

Kirinji blurted it out, but the moment the words left his mouth, even he felt how stupid it sounded.

Supervision itself wasn't the point. The point was that under that kind of supervision, Rosse could simply choose not to do anything that harmed the Soul Society.

If it came to that, the people assigned to supervise Rosse would instead end up gradually being excluded and isolated by everyone else.

The feeling Rosse gave him was just too upright.

From just now until this moment, the man had been sitting there, not looking like some scheming, treacherous conspirator at all. Instead, he looked more like a model Captain-Commander who had taken office through a democratic election and proper procedures.

Aside from some possible issues with personal morality, when it came to the broader, big-picture treatment of the Soul Society, Rosse had done things almost flawlessly.

Of course, Kirinji knew full well that the death of Captain-Commander Yamamoto had been a scheme orchestrated by Rosse.

But the cruel reality was... forget whether others believed it or not. At the very least, Yamamoto's death had directly led to the rapid expansion of both power and strength in the hands of the captains present.

To put it bluntly, after tasting the benefits Rosse had given them, as long as they weren't brain-dead, this group of captains had no reason to support an outsider like him.

Even those who didn't support Rosse were like Chojiro and Yoruichi, either blindly loyal to the old order, or simply unable to stand Rosse's way of doing things.

Looking at it this way, how did it end up like this? They had come to uphold justice, yet on a broader level, they had somehow become the villains disrupting unity?

"Of course you can."

Rosse leaned back calmly, crossing his hands over his abdomen, smiling.

"All my policies, my actions, the orders I issue, you can send people to supervise all of it. As long as you find any concrete action of mine that harms the Soul Society, you can immediately notify the other captains and even initiate another impeachment."

"I'll say it again. Since I've been chosen by everyone as Captain-Commander, I won't do anything that harms the Soul Society when it comes to major matters of right and wrong."

"If you think I'm harming the Soul Society, then you might want to calm down and think about it. Could it be that you people, still living in the past, are the ones holding the Soul Society back?"

"Rosse, you really are slick with your words. Your tongue's sharper than your blade!"

Seeing Kirinji left speechless, Yoruichi couldn't hold back anymore. She let out a cold laugh and threw out another topic.

"What about Urahara Kisuke? Do you admit it or not?"

She had always been the kind who only cared about personal grudges, not the bigger picture.

The Soul Society meant less to her than the deaths of Soi Fon and Urahara Kisuke.

"Why wouldn't I admit it?"

Rosse didn't hesitate for even a second. Instead, he looked at her with even more confusion.

"Then who do you think was involved in the ambush against him? And why would I deny it?"

"He was a wanted criminal convicted personally by the former Captain-Commander Yamamoto. As the current Captain-Commander, I see no problem at all with carrying out that mission."

On the other side, Unohana Retsu sat where she was, holding her teacup with both hands, her expression completely unchanged.

"Hunting down a wanted criminal of the Soul Society is my duty."

Her voice was gentle and calm, but it felt like an undercurrent hidden beneath still water.

As soon as those words came out, many captains who had been watching the show without knowing the details cast surprised and startled looks.

'Urahara Kisuke was dead?'

And Unohana had done it?

"Captain Unohana! You knew Urahara was framed! He didn't do anything wrong!", Yoruichi clenched her teeth, her eyes almost spitting fire.

"See? You're getting worked up again. Captain Shihoin, you still can't keep your cool."

Rosse tapped the table lightly with his fingers, producing a soft, rhythmic sound.

The faint smile at the corner of his mouth looked like pure mockery to Yoruichi.

"Didn't you hear what Captain Unohana said? Regardless of whether he was truly innocent, before the case is overturned, Urahara Kisuke is still a wanted criminal of the Soul Society. That warrant was issued when Captain-Commander Yamamoto was still in office."

Rosse spread his hands, his logic airtight to the point of suffocation.

"The reason you and Ichigo can sit here is because of my pardon, and because you did help the Soul Society repel the traitor Kyoraku Shunsui. You've contributed to the Soul Society. But that doesn't mean Urahara Kisuke gets the same treatment."

"So tell me, Captain Shihoin, what procedural problem is there with a Soul Reaper captain executing a fugitive wanted criminal?"

"He didn't do anything wrong! He never conducted any Hollowfication experiments! Isn't that enough?"

Yoruichi slammed the table and shot to her feet, making it tremble nonstop.

Since fighting was definitely not an option, but Rosse wanted to argue logic, then she didn't mind breaking it down piece by piece until everything was clear.

"Tch! Quit the damn nagging already."

Zaraki Kenpachi finally lost patience, picking his ear as he cut off Yoruichi's outburst.

"Urahara Kisuke, right? What's all this crap about whether he did Hollowfication experiments or not? Weaklings deserve to die. If you're not as strong as someone else, what's there to complain about? Even if he came back to life, I'd just cut him down again."

"Tch! Bunch of damn whiners. What a waste of my time."

Kenpachi stood up directly, kicking the chair behind him aside, his face full of boredom.

Even so, he still nodded toward Rosse as a greeting before striding out.

Staying here listening to this repetitive nonsense was practically murdering his time.

When he reached the door, he passed behind Kurosaki Ichigo, who had been sitting there with his head lowered, lost in a daze.

Kenpachi stopped, casually shoved the back of Ichigo's chair, nearly knocking him over.

"Hey, come out and fight me. Or are you going to keep sitting here like some sniveling coward?"

"Fine," Ichigo slowly raised his head. There was a kind of reckless, nothing-left-to-lose edge in his eyes.

He stood up silently and followed after Kenpachi.

He wanted to vent too.

Even if he got beaten half to death, at least he wouldn't have to think about all that messy crap anymore.

He had completely seen through it now.

This Soul Society was full of rotten people.

Rosse and Aizen's group were obviously no good, always manipulating people.

But Kirinji and Yoruichi's side wasn't any better. Talking about justice nonstop, but in reality selfish to the core.

'All of them are bastards.'

The two of them left one after the other, and the meeting room instantly felt emptier.

"Still want to continue?"

Rosse rested his chin on his hands, completely unconcerned about the two battle maniacs who had left.

"Of course!", Yoruichi replied without hesitation.

"Good," Rosse smiled.

His patience was still ample, like he was playing a game he couldn't lose.

"Captain Shihoin, this so-called Hollowfication experiment… hearing that from you is honestly laughable. The Hogyoku was something Urahara Kisuke personally researched. That's correct, right?"

"That's right, but that was for—"

"That's enough! Shihoin Yoruichi! Stop making excuses!"

An unexpected voice spoke up.

Komamura Sajin suddenly stood, his righteous aura now turning into anger directed at Yoruichi and the others.

"A dangerous object like the Hogyoku, something that can break the boundary between Soul Reapers and Hollows, you're saying its research has nothing to do with Hollowfication experiments? That's practically insulting the intelligence of everyone here!"

This farce had already exhausted all of his patience.

When Kirinji and Yoruichi approached him privately before, he had hesitated because although Rosse was a Hollow by identity, he hadn't actually done anything harmful to the Soul Society.

But today, after seeing the faces of these so-called righteous people, he had completely seen through them.

They might think they stood for justice, but their justice was so narrow it was nauseating.

All they saw were their own grudges and personal ties from the past.

They kept saying it was for the Soul Society, but in reality?

The tangible contributions they had made to the Soul Society didn't even measure up to Rosse, the Captain-Commander who was also the Hollow King.

How could the Soul Society ever improve if it stayed aligned with parasites who only knew how to fight among themselves?

"You're the real parasites of the Soul Society! My Seventh Division wants nothing to do with you! Do as you please!"

"Captain-Commander Rosse, I'll take my leave."

Komamura turned around and gave Rosse an extremely solemn nod.

After receiving permission, he walked out without looking back, striding confidently away from the smoke-filled, chaotic meeting room.

Instead of wasting time here on meaningless arguments, he'd rather go back to his division and properly study the regulations of the Gotei 13, and see if there was any way to remove these parasites blocking the Soul Society's progress.

With Kenpachi and Komamura taking the lead, the remaining captains looked at each other and followed suit.

"Captain-Commander, division duties are pressing. I'll take my leave as well."

"Farewell."

Very quickly, the entire meeting room emptied out.

All that remained were Yoruichi and Kirinji, their faces dark, along with Aizen, who still looked completely composed, and Hikifune Kirio, who had been observing the whole time.

And Rosse, sitting in the Captain-Commander's seat, watching it all with a smile.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

A round of applause broke the silence.

"Well played. Really well played."

Kirinji Tenjiro clapped as he slowly stood up. His gaze locked firmly onto Rosse.

He truly hadn't expected that in the Gotei 13, Rosse could twist death into life, black into white.

Most importantly, those methods of turning things upside down had actually been recognized by so many captains, to the point they even overlooked his flaw of being the Hollow King.

"Is there a possibility…"

Rosse shook his head with a light chuckle, the calm of someone who had already seen the end of the game.

"…that it's only you few who are still using those low-level tricks, trying to turn things around in a world where the rules have already changed?"

His gaze swept over Kirinji's ashen face, then moved to Yoruichi standing beside him, her expression just as bad.

"Well? Still want to keep arguing with me, even for one more word? Or are you planning to try persuading Senior Hikifune, who's already chosen the light, to change her mind?"

Hikifune Kirio stood there with her head lowered, lost in thought. She didn't react at all to being called out, clearly no longer caring about Kirinji and the others.

"I don't understand."

Kirinji took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the frustration in his chest as he faced Rosse.

"What's your reason for doing all this?"

That sudden appearance of the Eightieth Espada earlier had already made him feel threatened. It was absolutely not weaker than he was now.

Add Rosse, this unfathomable monster, and with that kind of lineup, if they launched a direct assault on the Royal Palace, even if it happened right now, their Zero Division might not be able to hold it.

With that level of power, why bother playing these childish political games down here?

It couldn't be that he was really doing this for the peace and development of the Soul Society.

Tch! Even if you beat Kirinji's thousands-of-years-old bones to death, he wouldn't believe it.

A Hollow running to the Soul Society to become Captain-Commander, seriously issuing laws, reforming systems, and claiming he'd lead the Soul Reapers to glory.

That was like a wolf running into a sheep pen and saying it was there to protect the flock. Anyone who believed that would be an idiot.

"That's exactly what I mean. That's your bias."

Rosse spread his hands helplessly.

"Everything I've done, what part of it hasn't been out in the open? Repairing division barracks, reforms, improving benefits, strengthening combat power… as for things that aren't suitable to be understood under that kind of bias, I've only slightly used Kyoka Suigetsu to smooth things over."

At that, a hint of amusement crept into Rosse's smile.

"But the fact is, aside from the last time Yhwach had people force their way into Hueco Mundo and disrupted my plans here in the Soul Society, I haven't used Kyoka Suigetsu to interfere with reality for a long time."

"Wait!"

Kirinji's pupils shrank as he suddenly stepped forward, staring straight at Rosse.

"You still remember the name 'Yhwach'?"

Even more, the casual tone in Rosse's words just now was practically an indirect admission of those erased histories.

"There are no outsiders here, are there?"

Rosse smiled, lightly tapping the armrest of the Captain-Commander's seat.

"As for Yhwach, an erasure ability that hasn't even reached the Soul King's level, why would it make me forget?"

A trace of disdain flashed in his eyes.

"Just because that monk who swings a big brush around has lived a bit longer? The power of true names doesn't work on me."

That casual sentence hit Kirinji like a thunderclap.

The reason he still remembered Yhwach was because, as a member of the Zero Division, his spiritual pressure was directly connected to the Soul King, allowing him to stay aware even under that kind of conceptual erasure.

And that was also Ichibe Hyosube's ability, once a name was erased, the thing itself and its power would disappear as well.

But Rosse, a Hollow, not only remembered, but spoke with outright contempt for that rule-level ability.

That meant Ichibe's power didn't work on him.

Which, in turn, indirectly proved something, he had the ability to storm the Royal Palace at any time and easily devour the Soul King.

"And you?"

Kirinji suddenly turned his head, looking at the man who had been silent the whole time.

"Aizen, just how far have you reached?"

"Me? Heh. Kirinji, your Zero Division is far too arrogant."

Aizen Sosuke slowly raised his head. His brown eyes were calm as still water as his gaze met Kirinji's directly, without any flourish.

"You can clearly sense it, yet you still choose to deceive yourselves and refuse to acknowledge it."

BOOM!

At that instant, without any warning, the world in front of Kirinji collapsed.

No incantation. No release command. Not even the slightest leak of spiritual pressure.

The meeting room in his vision tore apart instantly. Heaven and earth flipped. His five senses fell into chaos.

Although that horrifying illusion lasted only a moment, in the very next second, the Soul King's resonance behind him forcibly dragged his awareness back to reality.

But, cold sweat slid down Kirinji's temple.

To be able to control his senses even for a single moment under the absolute defense of the Soul King connection, that alone was enough to prove the level Aizen's spiritual pressure had reached.

At that level, it was probably already infinitely close to the Soul King.

"You two…"

When Kirinji finally stepped out of the Tenth Division's gates, his steps heavy, his mind was already a tangled mess.

His suspicion toward their evil motives hadn't wavered in the slightest. How could a Hollow and a traitor possibly have good intentions?

But the problem was, with the kind of terrifying strength those two had displayed, ignoring rules and even standing above them, how could their Zero Division, or even the entire Soul Society combined, possibly stop them?

A sense of despair surged up like a tide.

In the entire Soul Society, it seemed there wasn't a single person who could face those two monsters head-on.

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