Chapter 1: Deadly Attacks One After Another! Luffy and Ichigo Join The Battle!
Wealth, fame, power…Gold Roger, the king of the pirates obtained this and everything else the world had to offer. And his dying words drove countless souls to the seas.
"You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I've gathered together in one place! Now you just have to find it!"
These words lured men into the Grand Line in pursuit of dreams greater than they've ever dared to imagine. This is the time known as 'The Great Pirate Era'.
"Shall we end this now?" Kaname asked, looking down at a fallen Captain Komamura. "What do you say?" Then two balls of green cero started to form in front Kaname's eyes. "Justice isn't something you can see with your eyes. Justice is something that mere words can't completely describe."
Komamura started to close his eyes. "Forgive me, Kaname." He said to himself. "I cannot kill you. I know you too well." Then his eyes widen when he saw sword stabbing Kaname in the back. Kaname slowly looked behind saw his former lieutenant, Shuhei Hisagi.
"That's enough." Shuhei said. "You're not really Captain Tosen anymore. Before this, when you couldn't see, you could've easily dodged my attack." Shuhei closed his eyes, sadden about what he was about to do. "Reap, Kazeshini!" Shuhei's blade began to transform and Kaname coughed out blood.
Elsewhere, Shinji charged towards Aizen, ready to strike. Aizen slashed at him to see him disappear. Aizen continues to strike Shinji only to see him disappear again and again.
"What's wrong, Sosuke?" Shinji said, rushing toward Aizen. "You look confused. I got you!" Shinji's eyes widen as Aizen went passed him.
"So that's it?" Aizen questioned with a smirk. "Your whole strategy was nothing more than an occult illusion?" Then a slash appeared Shinji's back and blood started coming out. "Yours is just a pallor trick. A far cry from my ability to control all five senses." Shinji looked over his shoulder at Aizen. "It was child's play for me, Shinji Hirako."
Kaname slowly opened his eyes, and the first he saw was Komamura and Shuhei. "Sanjin…Shuhei…" Kaname muttered, knowing that he was just defeated.
"Don't speak." Komamura said, seeing the blood on Kaname's neck. "Your hollow powers are allowing you to breathe but your throat has been torn open. You don't to talk right now. It's better that you save your strength." Kaname, using with the little bits of strength he had left, put his hand on his neck and felt the blood coming from it.
"Our relationship has been all too superficial until now." Komamura continued. "Even as friends, it was our fate to fight each other. By fighting, we come into a greater understanding between us. I can't ask you not to hate me. I know you'll probably hold a grudge after what has happened. Just don't allow your hunger for revenge change who you truly are." Tear formed in Kaname's eyes as he looked at Komamura. "I feel just as you must have you felt when you lost your friend. If we were to lose you, it would leave a hole in my heart.
"I…thank you…Sanjin." Kaname said. Then his eyes widen as he exploded into a mass of blood. Shuhei and Komamura couldn't believe what they saw.
"Captain…CAPTAIN!" Shuhei shouted.
Komamura looked up at the sky and saw Aizen looking at him with a smirk. "AIZEN!" Komamura shouted in pure rage. "I WON'T FORGIVE YOU, AIZEN!"
Then a crack appeared behind Aizen, causing all action of stop. The cracks got widen as two individuals appeared with their eyes set on Aizen. The two were Luffy, in his second gear state, and Ichigo.
"Gum-Gum…" Luffy shouted, cocking his hand back.
"Getsuga…" Black waves started streaming out of Ichigo's blade.
"…Jet Tensho!" Luffy fired a round his sound speed punches at Aizen as Ichigo swung his sword down launching a black wave at him, causing a huge explosion. He fired another Getsuga at Aizen, making the explosion bigger. Everyone turned their attention towards the attacking newcomers.
"Ichigo Kurosaki?" Soi Fon said, looking at the substitute soul reaper.
"Who's other person with him?" Toshiro asked, looking at Luffy. "Is that…"
"Ichigo!" Shinji shouted.
Ichigo fired one last Getsuga from his sword, causing one final large explosion. Ichigo and Luffy were catching their breaths as the waves of Ichigo's attack and the smoke started to clear. Luffy looked down that he wasn't standing on the ground, he was standing in mid-air. "Whoa, am I flying?" he asked in wonder. Stars appeared in his eyes. "This is so COOL!"
"Focus on the battle, you moron!" Ichigo shouted, already irritated by Luffy's stupidity.
Their eyes widen as Ichigo's attacks were being absorbed into a diamond shaped barrier and then was reflected back at them with the added vibrations from Luffy's attack. "What?" Ichigo said.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Aizen asked, looking over his shoulder at Ichigo. "Ryoka boy?" Aizen looked at Luffy. "And you must be Monkey D. Luffy, the man with 300,000,000 beri bounty on his head."
'Damn it!' Ichigo curse mentally. 'He blocked our attacks.' Aizen appeared in front of Ichigo and Luffy, and slashed at them. They jumped back, avoiding Aizen's sword.
"Both of your attacks were good but your aim was predictable." Aizen said as a small diamond appeared on the back of Aizen's neck. "The back of the neck is every creature's worst blind spot. Did you two think that I would come into this battle without protecting my blind spot? Let me guess what you're thinking at this moment, Ichigo." Aizen noticed that Ichigo lessen his guard. "You think that you've made an error in judgment. And that you should've hollowified before attacking. If you would've done that, it would've increased the power in that combination attack and this would've all been over. Tell me I'm wrong."
'He's not wrong.' Ichigo thought. 'Luffy and I had to take him down with the first blow. We knew that. We couldn't look at his shikai. The only strategy was to take him down.' Then images that Ichigo's horrifying hollows appeared in his mind. 'There might not be a second chance. I was careless. Somewhere deep inside, I was scared. I thought I was going to lose control of my hollowification. It was an error of judgment.' The hand Ichigo carries his zanpakuto with started to shake in fear as Luffy narrowed his eyes at the former Soul Reaper captain.
"Attack me…"Aizen said to the two boys. "Take your best shot. It would only to prove to the both of you how arrogant you two have become."
With that said, Ichigo put his face over his face and his hollow mask appeared. "Luffy…" Ichigo said, getting the rubber pirate's attention. "Let's try this again." Luffy nodded and prepare to strike.
Aizen tighten his eyes. "That's right, come on."
"Gum-Gum…" Luffy shouted, firing his rapid fire sound punches.
"Getsuga…" Ichigo shouted, black waves danced around his sword.
"…Jet Tensho!" The two fired their combination attack towards Aizen and Aizen disappeared.
"What's wrong?" Aizen said, appearing behind them. "It didn't reach me." They looked over their shoulders and jumped back when they saw Aizen. "Is that all you got? You're wasting your time. You two can attack me all you like but your efforts will meaningless."
"Bastard!" Luffy cursed as his second gear wore off and he started to breathe heavily.
"You seen pretty confident." Ichigo said to Aizen. "So my hollowification doesn't scare you, is that it?"
"That's not what I'm talking about." Aizen said.
"Then what is it?" Luffy asked, confused. "You're making any sense at all."
"Are you saying neither of our attacks is capable of killing you?"
"Apparently, you two don't understand at all." Aizen said. "I guess I have to explain to the both of you in more simpler terms. I'm telling the both of you no matter what you do, neither one of you can touch me."
"Oh yeah?" Luffy asked, cracking his knuckles. "Wanna put it to the test?"
"It's not a test if I know the outcome." Aizen said. "But you won't believe it unless you see it for yourself."
"You got that right!" Ichigo said as black waves covered his blade. "So let's see if you're lying or not?" Ichigo fired Getsuga at Aizen. 'I don't believe it. He said he can dodge our attacks anytime he wants.' As the attack got close to Aizen, he disappeared.
"Gum-Gum…" Luffy stretched both his arms out, charging towards Aizen. "…Bazooka!" He fired a double open palm strike at Aizen and Aizen disappeared.
"What's wrong?" Aizen asked, appearing behind the two boys. "You two seem to have missed me."
Ichigo and Luffy jumped back to face Aizen as Ichigo's mask slowly disappears. 'I don't understand.' Ichigo thought. 'Our timing was perfect, I'm sure it. Is his zanpakuto that strong?'
"Just so you know." Aizen said. "I haven't been using my Kyoka Suigetsu's power in our fight so far. What you two are seeing is just my basic strength."
"What?" Ichigo said shocked. Aizen took a step forward and Ichigo took a step back.
"Ichigo?" Luffy looked at his friend confused.
"Why are you pulling away?" Aizen asked Ichigo. "If you hope to attack me, you'll have to come closer. Or maybe…you're afraid that getting any closer will put you at a disadvantage and make you vulnerable. If that's the case, then you need a reality check, the both of you. Keeping a distance between yourself and your opponent is only meaningful when you're fighting someone equal in strength and skill. It's pointless for you to do that with me." At that moment, Luffy's eyes widen in fear as he felt Aizen's hand on his chest. Ichigo's eyes were widening in fear as well "See? I can reach out and touch your heart without even breaking a sweat."
"Bastard!" Luffy threw a punch at Aizen but Aizen was already behind him and Ichigo.
"Let me just ask you something, Ryoka boy, Straw Hat. Do you two have any idea why you're fighting me?"
"What?" Ichigo said confused.
"Do you two have a grudge against me or something? I don't really think you do. I assume that the reason you two are here is that you two were successful of retrieving Orihime Inoue and Tony Tony Chopper. And by the expression on your faces, I can also assume that none of your friends have died. With that in mind, do you honestly despise me from the bottom of your hearts?" Aizen looked at the boys with a smirk. "I don't believe that. At the moment, neither of you have any deep seated hatred of me. You two are fighting me off of a misjudge place of responsibility. You two aren't motivated to defeat me. A fighting spirit that lacks hate is like an eagle without wings. You got the will but you don't have the tools to do the job. And your powerless friends are no help either. They serve as weights to restrict your movements and drag you down."
As rage was building up in Luffy and fear started to build inside Ichigo as sweat slowly come down Ichigo's face.
"Hey Ichigo!" Luffy shouted, getting Ichigo's attention. "Don't tell me you believe everything that bastard said." Ichigo didn't respond. "Fine, I get it. In that case, I'm still going to fight him with or without your help."
"You still intent on fighting me?" Aizen asked. "How foolish? You saw how easily I can reach you and you still think you have a chance to beat me."
"You said that I didn't have a reason to fight. Right now, you just gave me one!" Luffy said to Aizen, and then started to rush towards him. Then he left something grab him from behind by his collar and picking him up. Luffy looked and saw Captain Komamura.
"Concentrate you two, don't let Aizen get to you." Komamura said. "Use your heads."
"Captain Komamura?" Ichigo said, looking at the captain.
"What the…is that a dog?" Luffy asked, looking at Komamura's appearance as the captain put him down beside Ichigo. "And it can talk, too? That's so cool!"
Komamura looked at Luffy and said, "So you're the one they call 'Straw Hat' Luffy?"
"Yeah, that's me." Luffy answered.
'So he's from that world?' Komamura thought. "Aizen's a master at undermining your confidence. "If you let him do that, he'll destroy you for sure. You mustn't let your guard down. Keep your mind clear. I see why the captains in Hueco Mundo send the both of you here first. You haven't fallen victim to Aizen's shikai." Then one by one, the remaining Soul Reaper captains and Vizards started to appear Ichigo and Luffy. "Our job is to make you two aren't affected by that weapon."
"Whoa, awesome…" Luffy said, looking at all of those who appeared in awe.
"We will all fight to protect you." Toshiro declared.
Next Chapter: Even if It Mean Death! The Soul Reapers vs. Aizen! The Battle Starts!
