The Ten Dons were currently being guarded by a group of over 100 men and the Shadow Beasts, so one could only concluded that trying to attack them head on would be close to madness. Even with a plan the power that they held was close to that of a small army, nothing that a small group of people should try to attack, however there were those who could accomplish such a feat.
The path that lead to the gate, which divided the Ten Dons from the outside world, was surrounded by trees and was nothing but dirt not what one would imagine being used by such powerful men. The Moon shined down on the four individuals walking through this path on their way towards the gate, they were all wearing similar outfits since they had arrived at the city just a few hours back, black shoes and with clothing, all of them wore hoodies to hide their faces.
"Are these guys strong?" asked the taller and bulkier of the individuals, he was the one to the further left if one was to view them from the front
"They are nothing but small fry." the figure to the further right replied in a muffled child-like tone, the larger man simple grunted in reply
"Their strength resides only in their arrogance." said the figure to his left
"Remain focused." the remaining individual said, in an emotionless voice and hands in his pocket
They were arriving at the gate when the first form of resistance emerged from the ground in the shape of Worm of the Shadow Beasts. The alien looking bodyguard, looked down at the strangers, ignoring the fact they were using hoodies to hide their faces, he could tell they were Nen users, he had no knowledge of someone having an appointment for this hour, but as a soldier he did not know everything.
"What is your business here?" he asked
"Can I be the one to answer?" the larger man asked, looking up at Worm
"You may." replied the one to his right
A single wet sound echoed through the area, followed by the thud of something hitting the ground, it was caused by Worm falling to the ground, to be more specific his head being removed with a single blow and his body collapsing.
"Tall bastard." his killer growled, removing his hood
"Good work, Yammy." the man who had once spoken with a child's voice remarked, now with a deeper voice
He also removed his hood, revealing a white mask with four small holes around the area where the eyes would be. The man to his right only lifted part of his, so his forehead was still hidden, but it allowed the others to see a dark-skinned man with skull-shaped earrings and a thick bony necklace. The final member of the team also lifted his hood slightly, revealing his pale skin, green eyes, part of his raven hair fell between his eyes the teal lines that descend from the lower part of his eyes.
"Is it time, Ulquiorra?" Yammy asked, with an eager smile
"Yes. Remember the one known as Owl is your responsibility Aaroniero, and the Ten Dons themselves are yours Zommari." he said
"What about the others?" Yammy asked once more, his grin wider
"Trash. And yours to take care off."
What followed could only be described as a massacre, no one not even the Shadow Beasts were ready for the power held by these four men. Originally the plan was to use Zommari's ability Amor, to make it seem as if the Ten Dons were still alive, but with the latest changes to the plan they now only had to wipe them out, with no clear restriction on how much damage they could do. It didn't take long for them to clear out the area and begin the process of searching for the merchandise, with it on their side the next part of the plan began, attracting the Phantom Troupe.
It was in the same night that the Spiders received an interesting message, this message was in the form of a large heavy bag crashing through one of the windows to their hideout. While Phinks and Feitan mobilized to find who ever had thrown the bag, Nobunaga was the one that went to open it. Had it been someone else, he would have possibly been disturbed by the blood-stained bag that laid before him, but given his experience this was nothing. Opening the bag, he found 10 different heads and a plastic bag with a folded paper inside, removing the paper he saw written on it "For the head of the Spider".
"It's for you, Boss." he announced, looking up a Chrollo who was still reading
"What does it say?" Chrollo asked, finally shifting his attention to him
"We have eliminated the Ten Dons for you, and are now in possession of the missing merchandise. If you want information on its location send two of your legs to meet me at the abandoned Fish Warehouse, tomorrow morning. Owl."
"Owl!?" Uvogin growled, remembering him as the Shadow Beast who took the merchandise to begin with
"What else was inside the bag?" their boss asked
"Ten heads." Nobunaga replied
"Each belonging to a Don." Chrollo concluded
"You think he killed them?" Nobunaga asked
"Maybe the Shadow Beasts turned on their masters." Shalnark suggested
"Either way, why send us this?" Franklin added
"Who cares!? Let's go after him!" Uvo excitedly shouted
"You're not going anywhere." Machi mumbled, next to him
"I agree with Uvo. We should take this opportunity to find the merchandise." Nobunaga said
"Do we have any information on this Warehouse?" Chrollo finally spoke
"I can get us some." Shalnark replied, already tipping away on his laptop
"Then we will wait, and decide later. However, I personally do not see a problem with going to this meeting." Chrollo said, going back to his book
The Captains were still in the middle of a meeting when Chōjirō Sasakibe rushed into the room, ignoring his previous order not to disturb them, and presented himself before those present.
"I apologize, for my behavior. But we just received troubling information." he announced, kneeling before the Captain-Commander
"Speak." Yamamoto said
"The Ten Dons, are dead."
No one uttered a word, not even a sound, if Yamamoto was unfazed by the news it was the other Captains duty to mimic his reaction and wait for their elder's words.
"What of the merchandise?" Yamamoto asked
"So far we only know of their deaths."
"This is most likely the work of the Phantom Troupe." Shunsui suggested
"Then we must act quickly. Captain Ukitake you will oversee that the guests safely leave the city. The rest will work to find both the Troupe and the merchandise." Yamamoto announced
"But isn't it possible that it was at the Ten Don's hideout, and it has already been taken?" Ukitake asked
"Preposterous! Even creatures as simple minded as the Ten Dons would know better than to keep it near them." retorted the Captain that was wearing a lab coat over his suit, and had his face painted black and white
"Even if I disapprove of Captain Kurotsuchi's choice of words, I agree that the merchandise must be hidden somewhere else." the tallest Captain spoke, he had long blonde hair and light brown eyes
"Why are we concerned with that? Shouldn't our main priority be the Troupe?" Tōshirō added
"If we have the merchandise we could use it to catch them." Gin replied
"Correct. That is why, we will be sending out teams to find both the Troupe and the merchandise." Yamamoto said, reinforcing his previous instruction
"What should we, the Captains, do till then Yama-ji?" Shunsui asked
"For now nothing, all Captains will continue on as if nothing happened, till we have concrete information no unnecessary movements will be made. Till then, you are all dismissed." the elder replied, ending the meeting
Gin scratched the back of his head, he couldn't say he wasn't expecting the order to evacuate the guests, but this only made things more difficult for him. Given the fact that the Kurta was one of the bodyguards of the Nostrade family, he too would have to leave the city. He would have to do something right away, but given the recent deaths and how tense the situation was, going to take care of this by himself may cause some unwanted attention.
Walking to his room, he "randomly" crossed paths with his fellow Captain Aizen, they stopped for a moment just enough for the other Shinigami to say "Don't worry.", which was enough for Gin to drop the issue with the Kurta.
Squala lazily rested on the sofa surrounded by his dogs, when someone knocked at the door, he raised an eyebrow at this since no one was supposed to come by at this hour, still he got up and walked up to the door.
"Who is it?"
"I'm here to speak with Kurapika. I have a message from Captain Gin Ichimaru." spoke an emotionless voice
At that moment Dalzollene appeared, being the leader of the team and having heard the reply, he took it upon himself to handle the situation. Motioning Squala aside, he opened the door just enough to get a good look at the messenger, the boy was wearing a black suit just like a Shinigami. The bodyguard's eyes met the man's green eyes and he felt a chill going down his back.
"N-Name?" Dalzollene asked
"Ulquiorra Cifer."
The bodyguard, forcefully ignored the uneasy feeling he got from the boy, he opened the rest of the door and motioned Ulquiorra to enter, but he did not move even when Squala made a comment of him being rude the boy did not move. Finally, Kurapika was informed of his presence and came to meet the sinister changer, who at first glance he couldn't help but distrust.
"You have something to tell me?" the Kurta asked
"You may not yet know this, but the Ten Dons and the Shadow Beasts are dead." Ulquiorra replied, in a monotone
"Was it the Troupe?"
"We are not yet sure. But that is not why I am here for. Those who were supposed to attend the auction will soon be evacuated, since you are with the Nostrade family, you would also have to leave."
"Then he sent you, in order to keep me here?" Kurapika asked, even if he was sure this was the reason
"Correct." Ulquiorra replied, removing his hand from his right pocket taking out a phone and a key from it
"This key is for a room in a motel indicated on the one, of the two, message on that phone. Keep it near you, all communications will be made through it." having fulfilled his role, Ulquiorra began to walk away
"What am I supposed to do about my current job?" Kurapika asked, the pale boy stopped and turned slightly to the right
"That is the purpose of the second message on the phone."
Aaroniero sat in a dark room, a single dirt lamp hanged from the ceiling shinning down on a wooden chair where a naked man sat with his head hung low. Aaroniero sat on a cleaner chair with a table to his right, on that table were all kind of instruments that one could use for torture. These tools, the wooden chair, the ground around it and the man sitting on it were all covered in blood, this man had been gutted and his head removed something that must have happened after torture. The one that committed the act was still wearing his mask, but was wearing a single cloak to avoid getting his other clothing dirty.
The silence came to an end when the door that lead into the room, creaked open when Zommari walked in, he was wearing a white cloack over his own clothing, matching gloves, he wore nothing on his head exposing the eight small tattooed eyes on his forehead. The new arrivals expression shifted violently when the smell of death went up to his nostrils after he opened the door.
"Have you delivered the message?" the masked man asked, in a deep tone
"I have. However, I failed to see the point of doing something as gruesome as taking the Dons heads from them and showing them to the Troupe." Zommari remarked, even if his tone didn't change his outrage and disgust were evident
"The Spiders needed evidence of their deaths." Aaroniero chuckled, with his childish voice
"What about him?" his comrade pointed to the body on the chair
"We still had some use for his image."
"Then at least tell me he revealed where the merchandise was, before you did this? Having lied to the Troupe won't make things easier." Zommari asked, his eyes going back to the masked figure
"He revealed it rather fast, I had just broken two fingers and he was already speaking. I sent Yammy to get it."
"Then if you are finished with him, get ready. We leave after Yammy arrives."