One Piece: The Living Devil

Chapter 761 761: Who Isn’t a Hollow?

"Silence."

Two faint words, yet they struck like a heavy hammer against the hearts of the two men.

Rosse didn't even release any spiritual pressure. Just the authority in his tone alone made the two who had been at each other's throats stiffen instantly.

After letting out a cold snort, the two finally had no choice but to sit back down. The hostility in their eyes, however, still burned thick, refusing to fade.

"Regarding the issue of autonomy for each division."

Rosse folded his hands on the table, his gaze sweeping calmly across the room.

"This was the baseline I set when I was acting Head Captain. Each division has independent authority over its personnel, finances, politics, and culture. As long as they don't interfere with other divisions' operations and don't violate the rules of Seireitei, no one, including myself, has the right to interfere."

"Recently, a few divisions have indeed been making quite a lot of moves," His gaze drifted, intentionally or not, toward Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Byakuya, "But as long as it's within the rules, that's internal business of each division. As Head Captain, I will choose to respect the rules."

Seeing Hitsugaya's aggrieved expression, like he was about to explode, the smile at the corner of Rosse's lips deepened slightly, and his tone shifted.

"However, since Captain Hitsugaya has raised an objection, and this is during a captains' meeting… then according to the fundamental logic we established together: all rules must yield to the decisions of the captains' meeting."

He spread his hands, looking every bit like a truly democratic leader.

"Any rule, even division autonomy, can be modified as long as more than half agree. Alright, we'll proceed with a show-of-hands vote."

"Proposal: Revoke full autonomy of each division and grant supervisory authority to other divisions or to the central command. Who's in favor, who's against?"

The moment his words fell, Hitsugaya was the first to raise his hand high.

Right after that, Retsu Unohana raised her hand with a gentle smile. Aizen adjusted his glasses and raised his hand. Komamura Sajin sighed and also lifted his hand.

And then… that was it.

Even as Hitsugaya anxiously swept his gaze around the room several times, not even Kaname Tosen or Ichimaru Gin showed any intention of raising their hands.

In the entire conference room, out of the thirteen captains, only four had raised their hands.

Just when Hitsugaya was about to give up, Kuchiki Byakuya, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly and slowly raised his hand.

His eyes locked onto Rosse, as if trying to find even the slightest trace of surprise or doubt in those eyes.

But all he saw was openness.

"Head Captain."

At that moment, Hikifune Kirio, who had been sitting beside Rosse as a member of Squad Zero attending as an observer, suddenly raised her hand with a smile. Her mature figure stood out conspicuously.

"Although I'm not a current captain, I am here after all. May I participate in the vote?"

"I'm sorry, Senior Hikifune," Rosse smiled and shook his head, "This is internal business of the Gotei Thirteen. Only current captains have voting rights. But if you have any opinions, feel free to share."

Even though she was refused, Hikifune's stance was already obvious.

'She is actually on Rosse's side?'

This scene made quite a few captains below show surprised expressions.

This Squad Zero member had just arrived, yet she chose to support Rosse?

The other Squad Zero member, Kirinji, clearly didn't share that attitude.

"Alright," Rosse looked around calmly, "Five in favor. Not a majority. Most captains do not agree with revoking division autonomy."

He turned to Hitsugaya and gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, Captain Hitsugaya. Your proposal has been rejected. Each division's internal affairs will continue to be handled independently."

"..."

Hitsugaya clenched his teeth. Even though he felt stifled, he could only accept it. In the end, he muttered under his breath, "Head Captain, you're just too fair and just. One day, you'll be destroyed by these parasites."

Seeing the meeting room fall back into that strange stalemate, Hikifune Kirio in the observer seats let out a soft sigh.

She slowly stood up. Her tall figure instantly drew everyone's attention.

"Alright, everyone. Since I've already attended two captains' meetings, there are some things I won't keep to myself anymore."

Hikifune's gaze swept across everyone's faces, her expression complicated.

The current Soul Society, under Rosse's governance, far surpassed the decayed Seireitei in her memory, both in order and vitality.

As for Rosse's dirty rise to power? And his identity as the Hollow King?

After hearing Rosse's theory about the collapse of the world and witnessing the data with her own eyes, those stains felt almost laughable.

Compared to the survival of the entire world, those old fossils still clinging to outdated ideas really ought to step aside.

"There's something I need to clarify. The Soul King's current condition is very poor. It's estimated that in about a hundred years, he will collapse on his own."

Her words landed like a bowl of cold water poured into boiling oil.

"What?"

Even the captains who had been harboring their own thoughts now all turned their eyes toward her at once.

The Soul King, for the Shinigami stationed in Seireitei, was both distant and yet not so distant.

He was the ruler of the three realms, the very foundation of Soul Society's rule.

And the original purpose of the Gotei Thirteen, the four great noble clans, and even Squad Zero high above, was to maintain the Soul King's absolute rule.

But now, Hikifune Kirio, as a member of Squad Zero, used the cold term "collapse on his own."

It didn't sound like she was describing a god at all. It sounded like she was describing a piece of equipment on the verge of being scrapped.

"Hikifune Kirio! Have you lost your mind? Spreading rumors like this that shake morale!"

Kirinji Tenjiro suddenly clenched his fists, his teeth grinding.

"It's just the truth. What? Am I not allowed to say it? Compared to me, you've been spreading news everywhere these past days, insisting that Head Captain Rosse go up there to receive some kind of coronation. What exactly are your intentions?"

Hikifune curled her lips in mockery. Completely ignoring Kirinji's threat, she continued to reveal the truth to the stunned captains.

"Do you know what the Soul King really is? To put it bluntly, he's just a limbless husk, cut down and used as a wedge to maintain the cycle of the three realms! An empty shell forced to exist for the sake of stabilizing the world! Since he's an empty shell, what does this so-called coronation even mean? Even if the Head Captain really went up there, what could that empty shell grant him? Nothing at all?"

"The Soul King is just an empty shell? A limbless husk?", Hitsugaya's pupils shrank sharply, his entire being thrown into shock, "How is that possible…"

Not just him, the captains on both sides of the long table who didn't know the truth all showed expressions of disbelief.

"What's the point of saying all this? If he collapses, then he collapses. Just replace him with a new one, wouldn't that solve it?", Yoruichi lazily shifted her posture, resting her cheek on one hand, even shooting Rosse a playful, teasing glance.

There was a clear edge to her words.

If the Soul King couldn't go on, then this current Head Captain at the height of his power wasn't the best candidate?

He should set an example, shouldn't he?

Even though she knew Rosse's real goal was to devour the Soul King rather than sacrifice himself, that didn't stop her from stirring things up.

"Shihoin Yoruichi, do you still not understand the severity of the problem?"

Hikifune looked at Yoruichi, who was still busy provoking and bickering, and felt a strange sense of absurdity.

"The Soul King's current system can no longer handle the world's cycle. The overflowing spirit particles and matter particles are already eroding him in return. The day the Soul King completely turns into nourishment and returns to the world is the day the order of the three realms collapses completely, and everything returns to nothingness."

"Then I still think Yoruichi's right. If this wedge is broken, just replace it with a new one, doesn't that solve it?", Kirinji snorted.

Clearly, he didn't believe Hikifune's doomsday theory.

He hadn't been idle these past half a month.

He had secretly consulted Hyosube Ichibe about Hikifune's observations.

According to the old monk, while the phenomena Hikifune observed did exist, they were exaggerated.

As long as a qualified person replaced the Soul King, by Ichibe's calculations, stability could be maintained for at least several thousand years.

Several thousand years.

That much time was enough for future generations to come up with countless solutions.

Compared to the immediate threat of Rosse, who could overturn Soul Society at any moment, a doomsday thousands of years away simply wasn't worth causing chaos over now.

"I'm exaggerating?"

Hikifune laughed, wild and cold.

"You and that monk Ichibe really think you can just grab anyone to act as the wedge? Are you planning to have Head Captain Rosse take that spot? Or Captain Aizen? Or maybe just let this Captain Ichigo take it?"

After these days of research, she had become even more certain of her decision to stand with Rosse.

The process of this world's collapse was already irreversible.

The world would keep expanding. Spirit particles and matter particles would only increase as the Soul King weakened.

By the time the Soul King collapsed, with the scale the world would have reached, there wouldn't be a single suitable replacement wedge left.

This world was formed from the Soul King's own body, yet even he couldn't maintain its cycle.

How could the beings born from his body serve as the wedge?

It was just a slow death.

Even if Aizen took the position now, when the Soul King finally passed, he could probably only hold it for at most two days.

"Huh? What does this have to do with me?"

Kurosaki Ichigo pointed at his own nose, completely baffled. When did he ever qualify to be compared to something like the Soul King?

But what chilled him even more was seeing Kirinji fall silent, Ichigo felt a cold shiver crawl up his spine.

'Damn it!'

'As expected, these old monsters of Soul Society are all black-hearted and ruthless. Not a single one of them is decent!'

Now he finally saw it clearly.

Sure, Aizen and Rosse had huge problems, and his father's death was very likely their doing.

But these so-called righteous figures fighting for Soul Society weren't any better. They were actually planning to make him the Soul King behind his back.

It sounded like a promotion, but that meant becoming a limbless husk. No way he'd accept that.

"Kirinji, if you've got even a shred of humanity, say it clearly right now! Otherwise I'll turn on you all immediately!", Ichigo gritted his teeth.

Since everyone was scheming, he had no patience to wait for some so-called plan anymore.

To hell with the bigger picture. Better to lay everything out now and confront Aizen and Rosse directly.

"Hah, something that doesn't exist. You believe it just because she said it? A flawed premise leads to an even more flawed conclusion," Kirinji stopped hiding it and directly targeted Rosse, his tone full of disdain.

"Rosse, is playing with people's hearts fun? Since you've controlled things to this extent, why not just brainwash all of us? Save us from sitting here watching your clumsy performance."

"Brainwashing? Senior Kirinji, from what standpoint are you saying something so puzzling?", Rosse rested his chin on one hand, looking at him leisurely, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Senior Hikifune's findings have nothing to do with me. I rarely even participated in her detailed research. Back when I was with the Twelfth Division, I only offered some experimental ideas as a supervising captain. Saying all this, aren't you giving me a bit too much credit?"

"Kirinji! If you're dissatisfied with my research, just say it straight! Stop dragging Head Captain Rosse into it!", Hikifune slammed the table and stood up. Terrifying spiritual pressure spread across the room like tangible waves.

"It's exactly stubborn old fools like you, wearing tinted glasses and clinging to rotten ideas, that have kept Soul Society stagnant for so long!"

"Hah! I'm biased?"

Kirinji laughed in anger, refusing to back down as he stood up. His own spiritual pressure surged, his finger nearly poking Rosse in the face as he roared, "Letting the king of Hueco Mundo, the ruler of Hollows, swagger into the position of Head Captain of Soul Society! And you call that me being biased? At this rate, forget a collapse in a hundred years, Soul Society is going to be finished right now!"

'The King of Hueco Mundo?'

That title was spoken outright, without any hypnosis involved.

Every captain in the room turned their gaze toward Kirinji and Rosse.

Those who didn't know were waiting for Rosse to deny it.

Those who did know were waiting for his response.

At this point, it was clearly a full reveal.

"The King of Hueco Mundo?", Rosse smiled, resting his chin on his hand, and said something that left everyone stunned.

"What rule says the King of Hueco Mundo can't become the Head Captain of the Gotei Thirteen? Why not think of it another way? The Head Captain of the Gotei Thirteen became the King of Hueco Mundo."

"Head Captain Rosse, you admit it, right? You're a Hollow?"

Chojiro Sasakibe gripped his sword hilt and shouted in a low voice.

"Captain Sasakibe, among everyone here, who isn't a Hollow? Or do you think my Zanpakuto is fake?"

Rosse placed his Zanpakuto on the table, sweeping his gaze across the room with a faint smile.

Anyone he looked at fell silent.

Every captain present had undergone Hogyoku evolution.

Even if it was called an evolution of Shinigami power, everyone knew it was a fusion of Hollow power and Shinigami power.

In essence, every one of them was a Hollow.

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