I do not own either One Piece or Bleach.
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Beta read by the wonderful lincoln time, mellra, and MasterQwertster, whose own stories and art you should definitely check out! Also thanks to other readers who have given incredible help, like scl04, BlantonM, Crossovernaru, KyonSmith13, and Creation Teller.
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Guest Review answers :-D
HUNTER202002
This following chapter is all thanks to you . . .
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Nobody
Really appreciate hearing how well the different fandoms come together!
Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Nobody Styles
Well, for starters I am honestly unsure if I will be having the Arrancar with Zanpakuto spirits. While similarities between them and Shinigami, their swords are presented as being pure seals for their power, nothing more. No indications in canon of such spirits either.
. . . I can see it now. Zoro and Kenpachi hacking at each other, with Unohana standing there constantly healing them until the entire area is coated in blood and body organs as the two men fight it out for blood, violence, and to bed the beautiful healer, with all of them becoming increasingly ecstatic the longer it goes on. Until finally one of them delivers a mortal blow to the other (Zoro) that even she cannot heal, which leads to, yeah, that, amongst the carnage . . . I may need brain bleach now :-P
Oh, I have PLANS with the Visoreds. But yes, if they met on friendly terms, Luffy and Mashiro would hit it right off!
Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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doraemax
Yeah, many readers were hoping for Straw Hat shenanigans-and for good reason, as One Piece is the superior series. However, this story is not just about them. After all, it would quickly become a bland story if they were the sole individuals driving the plot, with the Bleach cast doing nothing but reacting. Make no mistake, they will be active participants in what is to come, and while the Straw Hats may have started the AU ripples, many of decisive decisions to come will also be made by Ichigo and Co. and the Shinigami, and it was important to lay the foundation as to HOW they will come to those opinions-for better or worse. Plus, it was a good opportunity to show the beginnings of said AU ripples. Finally, there is character development I want to see done for the Bleach cast, and it would be impractical and unlikely for them to be all connected to our favourite pirates.
Yep, Yoruichi was the Head of Clan Shihoin, which Kisuke grew up within, which would have had an impact upon their relationship. He was still the guy who did all the different plans and contingencies, but she comes off as being the one who would take the actual initiative for serious stuff. However at some point during their exile he grew to become the man in charge, and more active.
Not sure about how Shakespeare would help Ichigo's fighting philosophy, but I confess I am not really all that familiar with the Bard.
Got a few plans for Ganju. ;-) Open to suggestions though.
Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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dani1361
Glad you enjoyed seeing how the Bleach cast was handling things. :-) But yeah, many readers were hoping for Straw Hat shenanigans-and for good reason, as One Piece is the superior series. However, this story is not just about them. After all, it would quickly become a bland story if they were the sole individuals driving the plot, with the Bleach cast doing nothing but reacting. Make no mistake, they will be active participants in what is to come, and while the Straw Hats may have started the AU ripples, many of decisive decisions to come will also be made by Ichigo and Co. and the Shinigami, and it was important to lay the foundation as to HOW they will come to those opinions-for better or worse. Plus, it was a good opportunity to show the beginnings of said AU ripples. Finally, there is character development I want to see done for the Bleach cast, and it would be impractical and unlikely for them to be all connected to our favourite pirates.
You will be seeing a lot more of both to come, which I am sure you will enjoy :-)
Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Seas of Souls
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Chapter 7: Omake 1
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What if: The Straw Hats reached Hueco Mundo later?
(So this is an AU of the overall fic, not a continuation of the previous chapter.)
(As you will see, this idea grew to the point it really required its own chapter.)
—Seas of Souls—
Languidly, Aizen reclined in his seat, awaiting his newest guests. Shortly after Inoue Orihime had been brought to Las Noches, invaders had breached the outer wall, and had proceeded to make their way through his fortress.
His Espada had been scattered around as per protocol, and unfortunately those who had been in the way of the intruders, or had moved to engage them, had all been picked off one by one.
A miscalculation perhaps, he acknowledged. No matter, soon these newcomers will serve me in turn. Given the strength they have displayed, they will be quite valuable for the inevitable response by Kurosaki and the Seireitei. After a little discipline to learn their place.
I believe one of their first chores will be cleaning up the mess they've made in blasting through my walls, rather than following the corridors. I'll adjust the labyrinth to make it more difficult of course.
A minute later, Gin stalked into the room, taking up his spot standing beside Aizen. Thoughtfully, he had brought some tea and snacks. "Why thank you, Gin. I missed lunch after all."
"No problem, Aizen-taichou. Shame about ol'Baraggan though."
"Yes. Although he failed to use his Resurreccion in time."
The fool's hubris had predictably been his downfall. Whoever these newcomers were, they kept their Reiatsu tightly contained, hiding their true potential, and making people underestimate them until it was too late. A depressing number of his followers had recently died that way. Oh well, an object lesson for the survivors.
"Sure yah don't wanna call in Ulquiorra? I mean, tha only reason he isn't fightin', is 'cause 'is palace is away from the Ryoka's path. What with yah tellin' 'em to remain in their own palaces."
"It's of no concern. Ah, and here they are now."
The door was kicked open, and in sauntered an assortment of Arrancar. Natural ones at that, which was indeed fascinating. Given how calm they were, and the lack of blood, or damage to the rags they wore as clothes, it meant they had not sustained any serious harm. Yet they had still torn their way through all the Perfect Arrancar he had spent so long assembling and crafting. Fascinating indeed. Yes, they would prove immensely valuable after he broke them in.
"Greetings," he suavely said, picking up a little sandwich. "Welcome to Las Noches."
"Who're you?" asked the one in the front, wearing a straw hat of all things.
"I am Aizen Sosuke, King of Hueco Mundo," was the polite reply as if they had not just barged into his domain. His unconcerned attitude was clearly unnerving some of these Hollows, although their apparent leader was equally unfazed. "What can I do for you?"
Tilting his head with an idiotic expression on his face, the spokesman asked, "What are you?"
"I? I am a Shinigami. I do believe, however, you already encountered poor Kaname on your way here. He was a Shinigami too."
"Dark skin, long 'air, an' a visor," Gin helpfully prompted.
"Oh. We thought that was part of a mask fragment or something."
"No, he was a Shinigami." Ah, now more and more of the Hollows were becoming concerned by his own utter lack of distress. Idly, Aizen wondered what the next moronic question would be.
"Do Shinigami poop?"
The total and utter absurdity of it caught Aizen off guard just as he was chewing a bite of sandwich, a chunk of it going down his throat.
Horrified, he found himself choking, and staggered up, grasping his throat as he struggled to breathe. He glanced at Gin who was staring at him stupefied, utterly useless. How do I dislodge food again!? he desperately tried to remember. Right, ram my stomach against a table!
Except there was none in this Spartan room of his. By the time he thought to use the side of his chair, his legs had already given out.
Vision going black, he collapsed to the ground, without anyone moving to save him.
Aizen Sosuke died alone.
—Seas of Souls—
"Huh," mused Luffy, before turning to the guy with white hair. "Now what?"
Eyes fully open, Gin stared at them with equal mixtures of disbelief, fear, and utter worship.
—Seas of Souls—
Later
"Come, woman."
"Eep!" Orihime jumped in the air as she realized Ulquiorra had silently entered her room. My cell! she furiously reminded herself. She was a prisoner, not one of Aizen's servants. "Where am I going?" she asked.
"Come," he flatly repeated.
Knowing there was no sense in arguing or resisting, she dutifully followed, even if she tried more questions. "What was happening earlier, with all that Reiatsu flying around?" None of it had been familiar to her, and besides, she knew there was no rescue party coming after her. Not after having had to follow Ulquiorra's instructions on how to leave her friends and family behind.
"You're about to find out."
They went through a maze of endless corridors, before finally arriving at the throne room she had been in earlier. Except now there were some . . . alterations.
To all appearances, someone had given a bunch of pre-teens several different buckets of bright-coloured paint, hopped them up on sugar, and told them there would be no parent supervision.
Orihime was frankly awestruck as she took in the riot of mismatched colours.
"Lord Luffy," Ulquiorra called out. "What is to be done with the woman?"
"Stop calling me that. And what woman?"
Again Orihime jumped in the air in shock, except she also caught the sense that Ulquiorra was hiding he was equally surprised. Spinning around, she found herself looking at someone about her height, wearing a straw hat, and carrying a bowl of . . . popcorn? She could tell he was an Arrancar given the white fragment on his face, and the hole, yet he was certainly not acting like any Hollow she had met before.
(It had already been several seconds, and so far there had been a distinct lack of threats or homicidal behaviour.)
"She was Aizen's prisoner."
Wait. "'Was,'" she repeated. "What happened to him? Aizen?"
"There is a new ruler of Las Noches," was all Ulquiorra said.
"He was pretty stupid, and didn't chew his food properly," elaborated the apparent Lord Luffy. If he did indeed kill Aizen, she had to agree to Ulquiorra's choice of title. "So why're you here?"
"Yeah," said another voice, and Orihime took a step back in fright. The man ambling towards her reminded her dangerously of Kenpachi, and not just because he had one eye scarred shut. Though I think Ichigo said Kenpachi just wears the eye-patch for a handicap. "I mean," the newcomer said as he continued to stalk over, "we can't just have freeloaders hanging about. Are you good for anything?"
"Uhm . . ."
—Seas of Souls—
Later
Gasping, Ichigo fell to his knees for a break.
It spoke a lot of how exhausted they all were, that Rukia had not hit him, while berating him for being weak.
Him, Ishida, and Chad, had all set out to Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime from Aizen, with Renji and Rukia joining them later. Those two had arrived pretty close by fortunately, even several hours later, because apparently Hats-an'-Clogs was able to lock on the first party's Reiatsu and dump the reinforcements closer. Then the five of them had continued onwards.
That was a week ago. Maybe. It was hard to tell when there was only a moon and black sky 24/7, and none of them brought a watch or phone.
What they did know, was that they had been running through this stupid desert for days! Honestly, they wished they had snagged Kisuke's flying carpet or something. Or found some convenient Hollow who could make the trip across the desert in only a matter of hours.
(Although what were the odds of that last one happening?)
If he went Bankai, and used Shunpo, he could probably make the trip quickly, yet it would mean going in alone while leaving the others behind. Even worse, raising his Reiatsu like that would probably alert all the Espada he was coming, and exhaust a dangerous chunk of his reserves.
Panting, his once impeccably tailored white outfit having submitted to grime and sweat stains, Ishida finally voiced what they had all been thinking since day one. "Maybe we should have planned this out a bit more carefully."
"Doesn't matter," Ichigo bit out. "We're almost there." Indeed, they were only a few dozen meters away before they had all collapsed.
Honestly, he did not know how they had lasted so long. Not like there was food or water here. Ishida and Rukia theorized they were all somehow living off all the Reishi in the air, but were also equally sure that it was unhealthy to do that any longer than absolutely necessary. Even Ichigo was noticing his Reiryoku was getting low.
Fortunately, they had not run into any Hollows along the way.
After they were all rested, the rescue force made their way to the wall. Without saying a word, Ichigo drew his sword alongside Renji, each ready to vent some frustration by breaking their way in. Once they were inside, they could use their hard-earned experience storming the Seireitei to save one friend to now save another!
"Over there!"
The rest of the group whirled with weapons raised to see Chad pointing at something hovering in the air, seemingly staring at them.
It was Ishida who caught on, firing before he even explained. "It's a surveillance drone," he yelled while it exploded. "They know we're here!"
Without a moment to lose now that they had lost the element of surprise, Ichigo and Renji furiously started to work on the wall.
—Seas of Souls—
"Well, that answers that," rumbled a resolute Jinbe, standing in the middle of the new command center.
It was a recent addition that let someone oversee all the defenses of Las Noches, monitor the locations of the residents when under attack, and redirect their forces accordingly.
Tapping a button, his voice went out over the (also) new intercom system. "Attention everyone. The party of five we detected approaching a few days ago, have proven themselves hostile. You know the plan. Engage."
Turning to Sanji, he said, "Make sure Lilynette has Starrk awake for reinforcements, and take your people to the other side of Las Noches in case this is a diversion. Possibly for some real scouts."
Nodding, the blonde ambled off to call her, figuring that was the most likely scenario. For all that the orange-haired kid supposedly had 'Bankai,' it beggared belief that they honestly thought they could invade the entire fortress on their own.
Well, Luffy or Mosshead might be dumb enough. Except they've got people helping them, who'd make sure they did it smart.
—Seas of Souls—
"What was that?"
Ichigo and Renji paused as now Ishida seemed concerned and looking around. The former knew his friend well enough to know that when the prideful guy actually seemed worried, it was pretty bad. "What!?" he snapped.
"I thought I heard—"
All along the looming outer wall, seams suddenly appeared in formerly pristine surface, and massive doors opened up. Three to the left. Three to the right.
Out of the darkness emerged six massive metal figures, each easily the size of Gillians.
"Wh-what are those!?" gasped Rukia.
"Mechas," breathed Ichigo, as he took in the bristling weapons.
—Seas of Souls—
"Franky," grunted Jinbe, as the man in question sauntered into the command center.
"What's up? I hear you're activating my SUPER little babies!"
"When you said you'd installed a few defenses, why didn't you mention that you somehow —and no, I don't want to know how you made all those, all along the walls, in just a week— created giant robots?"
Looking at his friend as if he were crazy, Franky simply said, "Huh, what're you talking about? Those things're piloted! I just taught Rudbornn how to do it, and poof! All his mini-me's know too! They did great during the simulations.
"As for the how, well, I had all of Pinkie's old infrastructure, and other stuff Aizen had laying around to work with to make it easier. Plus lots of eager helpers for the menial stuff. Besides, what else would I build to keep our new pad secure? A moat? That'd be ridiculous!"
Sighing, Jinbe just shook his head.
—Seas of Souls—
"This is from the Living World!?" shrieked Renji, while his Bankai was contemptuously swatted aside by an oversized hand.
"No! I mean yes! It's complicated!" yelped Ichigo, also in Bankai as he dodged around a massive laser beam (or maybe it was a Cero?), firing off Getsuga Tensho after Getsuga Tensho. Unfortunately, they were only denting the monstrosities.
Small dents on that scale. I need to put more power in them, except I don't have the spare time to charge!
Rukia had gotten in close to one of them, and was trying to pin or trip it with giant columns of ice. In response, another of the mechas unleashed a flamethrower which unleashed a massive torrent of fire. "Rukia!"
"I'm fine!" she snapped, appearing beside him with a Shunpo, left sleeve singed. That was too close. Meanwhile the mecha she had tried to take down was mobile again with the ice melted.
A more distant one unleashed a barrage of missiles which Ishida shot down, only for the detonation of the explosions to still send everyone but Ichigo tumbling off their feet. "This is ridiculous!" he yelled. He was almost ready to use his Hollow mask, except he knew he needed to save it for the real fights later with the Espada. For Ulquiorra.
Also, the mask was pretty draining, and he remained more than a bit worn out from the seemingly-endless trip through the desert.
Suddenly he felt himself being dragged forward. Quickly searching, he realized one of the mechas was sucking up air and sand into one of its gun barrels. "Oh no no no no!"
Turning up his speed, he grabbed Chad, while Ishida snatched Rukia, with Renji right beside them. Running flat out, they fought against the suction.
Suddenly it stopped.
"Huh, guess it filled up," Renji said, feeling relieved.
Ishida on the other hand, looked outright terrified.
—Seas of Souls—
"Doesn't the sand cause trouble?" Jinbe idly asked.
"Nah," Frankly replied, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It's all sealed up tight inside. Besides, dontcha know what happens when a whole wave of sand hits you at hundreds of kilometers per hour?"
—Seas of Souls—
"RUN!" screamed the Quincy, just as the oversized air cannon fired.
K
AA
BBB
OOOO
OOOOO
MMMMM
!-!-!-!-!-!-!
Acting on pure instinct, Ichigo managed to hold onto Chad even as the sheer concussive force hit them, and grains of sand tore at their skin. Shielding his friend as best as he could as they flew through the air, calling on a wave of Reiatsu to shield them.
He never even noticed they had hit the ground until the world stopped spinning. Groaning, he pushed himself up, and seeing Chad motionless, checked his Reiatsu, and was relieved to see his friend was alive. Granted he may be out-cold in hostile territory, yet he seemed largely unhurt.
Movement out of the corner of his eye made him realize Ishida was approaching, limping and clutching one shoulder. His mouth was moving without any words coming out, only for Ichigo to register the loud ringing in his ears.
With some effort, he pulled himself to his feet, seeing Renji check on Rukia, who was also unconscious.
Grimacing, Renji pulled his Hihio Zabimaru back around him, the bone snake's segments defensively circling around him, reading to strike against whatever attacked them next.
There was a tall man behind Renji.
Eyes bugging out, Ichigo pointed behind the Fukutaichou, who whirled to see the figure facing away from him. Seemingly ignoring the Shinigami, the man merely sheathed his cane-sword—
—and blood burst out of Renji, leaving him to collapse.
"Getsuga Tensho!" roared Ichigo, unleashing a vicious blast of black and red energy, only for the attacker to dodge to the side.
Brow also furrowed in a protective rage he would deny later, Ishida drew back his bow—
—and his arms and jaw went slack as his eyes bugged out, before dropping as if a puppet whose strings were cut. On the back of his dirty white outfit, Ichigo could see a growing stain of blood in the middle of his back. Standing over him was a raven-haired woman, tucking something into her long, pristine white sleeve. She gave him a cold smile which sent shivers down his own spine.
Before he could vent his fury though, his reflexes made him spin around to block Ulquiorra's outstretched hand, Zangetsu failing to even cut the bare skin. The sheer force of it sent Ichigo stumbling back several meters.
With effort he stabilized himself, glaring at his enemy, only to catch something out of the corner of his eye.
An Arrancar he could only describe as a 'drag queen' with purple hair, was holding Rukia and Renji's Zanpakuto, and what looked like Ishida's Quincy medallion. The owners of them were in the arms of a guy with a van-dyke beard and mustache, a man with a massive afro, and a woman in a puffy dress. In a blur, they and his friends were gone.
For all that Ichigo wanted to scream at them to come back, he knew he had to stay focused on Ulquior—
Grimmjow was with him. Only he had two arms again, along with an all-too familiar, nasty sneer.
Along with a dark-skinned woman with wild, blonde hair.
Not to mention the tall man with the cane-sword and the raven-haired lady were still here.
And lest he forget, there was still those mechas to worry about.
Hefting his sword in readiness with one hand, while reaching to activate his mask with the other, he muttered to himself, "Alright, maybe we should've planned this out a bit more."
—Seas of Souls—
Franky and Jinbe were outright wincing at the scene before them. Honestly, it had never even been a fight, and had now devolved into a thrashing that was more embarrassing for the Arrancar —barring Ulquiorra— than anything.
"I love me an underdog," Franky groaned as the kid went flying —again— in a spray of blood, "but I wish the carrot-top would just stay down. How many times have they even hit him over the head?"
"He's determined to save his friends, even after they took away his Zanpakuto," noted Jinbe with a touch of respect. "Unfortunately for him, without it he has no other abilities."
"Yeah. Oh, wait. There he goes."
"Hmhmm. Took them long enough to just sever his muscles."
"Looks like he can't use that mask without his hands either, which is convenient." While none of their friends or allies had bothered with their Resurreccions, it helped to be cautious.
Seeing as how it was all over now, Jinbe tapped a few controls. "Luffy, the invaders have been dealt with. Can you sense anyone else?"
"No, no one at all. Looks like it's just those five. Which is stupid." They could both imagine Luffy's pout as he tried to imagine sending in such an ill-equipped team.
(Which yes, was probably hypocritical.)
(Counter-argument: Luffy's friends would have done something to ensure the plan was halfway sane.)
"Agreed," grunted Jinbe. "We'll have to figure it out later though."
—Seas of Souls—
"—!"
"—o!"
"—go!"
"ICHIGO!"
"Waaah! I'm up!" The teen in question jolted awake at Rukia's yelling, only to find himself strapped to a table. Straining his neck, he looked around and was relieved to see the rest of his friends. Sure, they were also restrained with none of their weapons in sight, and no sign of Orihime either, yet what mattered was that they were still alive.
Like himself, they were all wrapped up in bandages, so someone had obviously taken the time to heal them. Given how even Ishida's arms and legs were tied in place, it must mean they also healed his severed spine.
Whoever 'they' were.
Oh no . . .
"What happened to us?" he quietly asked, unsure if they were being overheard, trying to sort through his memories while pushing down a growing dread.
"We got schooled like a bunch of Academy students," deadpanned a shamefaced Renji.
"How'd this happen!?"
"Basic strategy?" Ishida cuttingly answered. "Strike hard with overwhelming force. They even felt secure enough to take us alive."
Pausing, Ichigo had to concede to that. Aizen was clearly a lot more on the ball than the Seireitei. He had taken note of their previous experience in rescuing their friends, and flawlessly anticipated them accordingly. "And I led you guys right into it like a cocky idiot," he groaned.
"EXCUSE ME!?" snapped a furious Rukia. "WHO LED WHO!? We were right there beside you. Don't you dare take credit for our decisions!"
"Yeah!" cried an indignant Renji.
"Besides, if anyone's to blame, it's Mr. Fukutaichou-with-no-sense-of-strategy!"
"Yea—hey!"
"Instead of giving into despair," Ishida bit out before the bickering could continue, "why don't we focus our efforts on escaping our restraints? Hmmm!?"
Pausing in embarrassment like the rest —except for Chad, who had been calmly straining to break free the entire time, even if he was strangely unable to activate the powers in his arms— Ichigo struggled to engage his brain some more. "Huh, that's a good point. Why would Hollows take us prisoner?"
"Well how else are we supposed to ask you questions?"
Almost giving himself whiplash at the speed, Ichigo craned his neck to see a teenager only a little older than him. He was resting his back atop of a tall, bulky piece of (unknown) equipment, which was why he had gone unseen before. The stranger's head was dangling off the edge so that he was staring at them inquisitively from upside down. Then he smiled. "You guys were pretty stupid trying to break in here. But did you like the mechas?"
"They were a blast," said Ichigo, sarcasm dripping off every syllable.
"Oh good, Franky'll be glad to hear that! Do you have any suggestions to make them better? I wanted them to have giant laser swords, except he said he didn't know how. Although, that was before he found Four-Eyes' laser swords, and he's planning on later taking 'em apart to figure 'em out!"
"He took my Seele Schneider!?" sputtered Ishida, who was ignoring the return of his nickname. "And they're arrows!"
"Swords," repeated the youth.
"They're special arrows!"
"Swords."
"Enough!" snapped Rukia. "What do you want from us!?"
Pursing his lips, the teen squinted at her. "You really are stupid, aren't you?"
"What!?"
"We wanted to know why you guys attacked us."
"To save our friend!" yelled Ichigo, a familiar anger resurfacing. As bad as things were, he could not lose sight of his goal. He had to save Orhime and the others from this nightmare.
"What friend?" now there was genuine confusion.
"Orihime!"
"Who?"
"Inoue Orihime," and now Ichigo froze at that flat voice, and twisted his head to see Ulquiorra had arrived. "She was the woman that Lord Zoro deemed a 'freeloader.'"
"You!" snarled Ichigo, refusing to be cowed by this man. "Next time fight me fair!"
"I did not need help taking out trash like you," the pale-faced man neutrally said. "I was merely ordered to cooperate with the others."
"Aizen scared then?" taunted Renji, regaining his bravado.
"Aizen is dead. He no longer gives orders here."
His friends were stunned silent, while Ichigo's mind raced. "A coup against the Shinigami, huh?" he concluded, eyes narrowed at Ulquiorra. "You're top dog here, aren't you, and you turned on him!" Maybe they could work with that . . .
"You are mistaken, and hard of hearing if you missed my earlier words." Now it seemed like there was a flavour of amusement in that usually lifeless tone. "If the Espada ranking system still remained, I would be ranked closer to number ten."
Well, that was a blow to his pride.
Not to mention vaguely horrifying, as his blood ran cold. A Monster greater than Ulquiorra!? Nine Monsters!
"Then who's in charge!?" spat Rukia.
"Lord Luffy," and the ex-Espada pointed at the guy who had been lying down and chatting with them earlier.
. . . Oh.
Huh.
Ichigo honestly did not know how terrified he should be. Because on the one hand, this 'Lord Luffy' had done nothing that screamed 'Evil Overlord;' while on the other hand, Ichigo had seen how casually Aizen crushed a Taichou, only for him to lose to this new guy, and Ichigo and his friends never even noticed he was right behind them the whole time! There was no telling what vast power Lord Luffy was hiding! Plus, given how effortlessly he had handled Ichigo and his friends, he was clearly a far greater leader and general than the Gotei 13.
Pouting, Luffy whined, "I told you not to call me 'lord.'"
Eyes closed, Ulquiorra merely said, "You are now the master of Las Noches. Respect is due to you."
Rolling his eyes (with his head still upside down, making it weird), said 'master' turned his attention back to his prisoners. "Besides, we returned Ori-girl a week ago."
"WHAT!?"
—Seas of Souls—
The picture of steely control and composure, Kuchiki Byakuya barged into the Urahara Shoten.
Going into the back, he came across the sight of a clearly drunk Urahara Kisuke sprawled over a table, empty bottles of sake scattered around him. "Oh, hey, Bya-kun," mumbled the man. "How're you? Me? I'm doing great. Only just spent a hundre' years plannin' tah kill ah guy, doin' monstrous thingies fer 'greater good,' only fer for 'em tah choke tah death. Yah 'ear me! CHOKED TAH DEATH! If'yad wanted 'im killed, I shoulda jus' sent 'im a gift basket!"
With that, the drunk mad scientist/assassin, broke down sobbing into his hands.
"Indeed," was all the stone-faced Byakuya commented. Suffice to say, it had been a considerable surprise when Ichimaru Gin and Inoue Orihime suddenly appeared back in the Seireitei, just after he had sent Rukia and Renji off to help Kurosaki. Obviously, everyone had been highly suspicious at first, but eventually they had all been convinced the war was over before it had really even begun.
Aizen's corpse had helped there, with it still being recognizable, and preserved for a thorough autopsy, despite Gin's post-mortem mutilations.
The man in question was currently in prison as they tried to sort this out—his fox-face endlessly smiling.
Inoue was currently helping out in the 4th Division, doing community service on the recommendation of Ukitake-taichou, with Unohana-taichou's approval.
"I am here because neither my sister, nor my Fukutaichou, have returned. You did bring them back before drowning yourself in spirits, correct?"
Urahara froze and paled.
Brow pinching, Byakuya tried next, "You did provide them with the means to come home on their own, correct?"
Shooting upright and suddenly sober, Urahara broke out in a cold sweat.
—Seas of Souls—
More Arrancar had joined the interrogation, and they were all having trouble believing that five people had thought they could stage a rescue attempt:
a) Without knowing their friend was already rescued.
b) Thinking they could actually pull it off.
Finally, c) they thought they could do it without having any means to actually leave Hueco Mundo.
"Ichigo, you idiot!" raged Rukia.
"Well you came too!"
"I thought you got a way to get you out of here from Kisuke!"
"Fine then! We'll just punch Hats-an'-Clogs when we get outta here!"
A cough made them break off, as Chad wanted to speak. "Could you please let us go?" he asked. "This was all a big misunderstanding."
"Well, sure," shrugged Luffy . . . still upside down. Beaming a smile full of teeth, he said, "I can respect people wanting to help their friends. Also—"
A massive figure with blue hair barged in. "Hey, Luffy, we're all set!"
"Oh, excellent!"
"All set for what," Ichigo warily asked.
"Huh? Oh, well, we're all moving to the Human World since it's funner there. Except we didn't want to just leave this palace lying around, so we're sending it elsewhere."
". . . Where?"
—Seas of Souls—
In the Rukongai, North District 40, with a dull thump, there was suddenly a massive dome in what had previously been an empty (and scouted) field.
The residents looked up to see painted in colossal letters on the outside was: "NEW FREE HOME! WELCOME TO ALL!"
In waves, people from all the Districts migrated to settle into the oversized . . . the word 'building' did not really do it justice. Seriously, it was like a self-contained nation state, all on its own.
—Seas of Souls—
"SPAIN!?" yelled Ichigo.
"Simmer down," Ishida snapped, slapping his idiot friend over the head—he was well and truly out of patience. "At least they brought us with them."
Indeed, the Arrancar were all busy now settling themselves in for a permanent vacation, starting in sunny Spain.
"Don't worry," assured Renji. "I can open a Senkaimon to get us to Soul Society, and from there you can go back home."
—Seas of Souls—
It had taken the Seireitei a few days to realize the Rukongai was emptying out as people immigrated to their new palace home.
(Yes, it was just that massive it could hold a good-sized chunk of the Districts' population.)
With the war over, the Central 46 was restored to full authority, and their first order of business was to have all the vagrants evicted from the place. The Gotei 13 supported this decision, as Gin had identified it as Las Noches, the former home of Aizen, and last seen in the possession of assorted Taichou-class Arrancar. Fortunately, said Arrancar had now been detected in the World of the Living, and no strong Reiatsu was detected from the place. Recon by Onmitsukidou operatives, only found squatters, and low-level Souls to worry about.
It would be a simple matter to repossess the massive fortress. Either for the glory of the Seireitei, or to remove a tainted reminder of Aizen's treachery from history.
When several hundred Shinigami, none over 10th seat, stormed up to the front gate, swords drawn as a 'warning,' they were unprepared for massive doors opening up across the walls.
They were even less prepared for the mechas that came out . . .
—Seas of Souls—
"You left the mechas behind!?" yelped Usopp.
"Well, I thought they could use some security," defended Franky, hoisting up a tankard of alcohol which was so massive, that for aesthetics it had an actual umbrella sticking out of it. It was very pleasant at the beach. Who knew dunes of sand could actually be entertaining? The ocean was the selling point of course. Being Arrancar, they did not even need sunscreen!
Behind him was sombrero-wearing Starrk having a siesta. Meanwhile, Luffy, Lilynette, Chopper, and Nel, were clearly conspiring to bury him in the sand.
"Did you leave anything else behind?" groaned Nami into her hands.
"Probably. Why?"
—Seas of Souls—
Weeks later
Truly and utterly furious, and nurturing an uncharacteristic grudge, Ichigo kicked open the door of the Urahara Shoten. Rukia and Renji stormed in right behind him, looking no less agitated. Even Chad and Ishida were frowning a little.
"Uhm, what happened to you guys?" asked a nervous Jinta. The 'rescue party' were all wearing ragged versions of what they had left in, and smelled like they had not washed since then either. He was sure the Quincy was really regretting his dedication to wearing white now. "It's been three weeks."
"Shut. It," hissed Renji.
Being stranded across the planet had been . . . an experience. What with how Chad and Ishida had been highly visible to any potential witnesses, and without any money or ID to help them get home. Now, technically the merry little band could have called for help, except Ichigo did not want his family, or Tatsuki, or whomever, to know and worry; and in a stilted voice, Ishida said he had no one to call, and Chad grimly agreed. Except for Hats-an'-Clogs of course, if not for the minor detail no one knew his phone number, and his shop was not mentioned in any directory.
So by the time everyone got back to Japan, they were simmering in frustration. That Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji were all utterly starving did not help matters, having run out of the food the Arrancar had given them.
Slamming open a door, Ichigo paused on the threshold to the room he sensed Hats-an'-Dead-Man-Walking-Clogs in. He did not know how this was all the man's fault, but he just knew.
Except the shady man was not alone.
The Visoreds were there too, Tessai, Yoruichi, Toshiro, Rangiku, and some other guys he figured he should know, yet in a haze of exhaustion and frustration, could not name off the top of his head. And his dad!? What was Goat-Face doing here!?
"Ah, Ichigo," Hats-an'-Dead-Man-Walking-Clogs nervously said from behind his fan. "I'm glad to see you're all alright."
"We got dropped off in Spain by the Arrancar," he managed to bite out, and could tell some of the others were nervous by his tone and expression. "It took us another two weeks to get back here, because the useless Senkaimon WOULD NOT WORK!"
Stopping, he tried to regain his composure with some deep breathing. Hats-an'-Dead-Man-Walking-Clogs' eyes kept shifting towards Renji and Rukia, he was not the only one struggling.
"That's because it was shut off as an emergency measure," explained Toshiro. "Although there are still a few ways to sneak out of the Seireitei to the World of the Living."
"Huh? Why's that Toshiro?"
"It's Hitsugaya-taichou!"
"Uhm, we're kind of in the middle of a civil war," Rangiku nervously said. "And losing."
"Against who!?" gasped Rukia.
"The Rukongai."
(Ichigo did not know it at the time, but that was the point Rukia and Renji were clued in to the fact that everyone present were either exiles, high ranking officers who had grown up in the Rukongai, or Ichigo's idiot dad.)
"How's that possible?" demanded Rukia. "The Rukongai don't have anything they can fight the Gotei 13 with!"
"Giant robots," gritted out Hitsugaya-taichou.
"KUROSAKI-KUN!"
Any reaction by the 'rescue force' to Hitsugaya-taichou's revelation, was cut off as Orihime barrelled into the room from the other door, leaping forward to hug the target of her affections. "Thanks for trying to rescue me!" she gushed. Face flushed she quickly pulled back and tried to divert attention from what she had just done. "Oh, and I'm glad you're not in Soul Society with the ghost samurai fighting the cyborg zombies!"
". . . What?"
—Seas of Souls—
Yesterday
Yamamoto Genryusai-soutaichou himself had been forced to take to the field as casualties mounted.
At first it had just been the mechas, yet as time passed, the rebels had rapidly demonstrated the depths of their depravity. Mechanical parts had been grafted onto their bodies, making them stronger, faster, and able to spit fire, shoot concentrated beams of energy gathered from Reishi batteries of some kind, and even missile launchers.
Kurotsuchi-taichou would have been fascinated, if he had not been among the first fatalities.
(The initial reports had been spotty at best, and he had been too overeager in his desire to confirm the initial reports by grabbing residents as subjects for experimentation. Or any 'specimens' really, as he would have been more free to do so under the cover of suppressing an insurrection. Unfortunately, he set off so quickly that nobody was aware in time of how unwise it was to send a man whose Bankai specialized in shooting poison gas, up against in self-contained, mechanized suits of armour, with their own secure air supply.)
The Gotei 13 were outnumbered, and while the Taichou had won victories here and there, even they could not keep fighting forever, with attrition taking its grim toll.
Disgraceful.
Here was the Soutaichou of all people, being forced to fight, because there were no other Taichou to call upon. Regrettably, this was in part because the Central 46 had panicked as defection increased, and ordered the arrest of those Fukutaichou and Taichou who had come from the Rukongai. The majority of said officers had taken that as their cue to submit their retirement forms, and head for the hills. Grudgingly, he had to admit their reasons were not unfounded—it was truly a bitter pill to be condemned despite genuine loyalty and service. What Taichou he had left under his command, were unfortunately too exhausted, or too injured, to contribute any more. The rest were dead, or missing in action.
In all grim honesty, Yamamoto did not see how they were to resolve this newest crisis without a massive headache which would persist for centuries. The nobles had vastly underestimated the rage and embitterment within the Districts, as well as how many of their own soldiers would betray their oaths to join to the rebels.
Directly ordering the Soutaichou to personally raze an entire District as a 'demonstration,' had only enflamed matters to even greater heights.
Thankfully, as best as they could figure, there were only a few dozen or so mechas left. Although even he was surprised that he actually had to put in some effort to take them down.
"Soutaichou! Soutaichou!"
He glanced away from tearing open one of the mechas with his bare-hands, fixing the annoying messenger with piercing look. "What?" he grunted.
"Sir! The Seireitei! This is a distraction! They're attacking the Seireitei itself!"
Eyes widening in horror, Yamamoto realized he had been lured out by a diversion, depriving the capital of its greatest protector, and leaving the remaining nobles vulnerable.
—Seas of Souls—
Present
"By all accounts, there were nearly no survivors in the Seireitei," Toshiro stiffly reported. "The 4th Division escaped, along with Orihime," a sad look entered her eyes, "and a handful of others. Right now the remaining ranking nobles, and also the new clan heads, are Omaeda Mareyo, Kasumioji Rurichiyo, and," he gave a level look at one Shinigami in particular, "Kuchiki Rukia. Everyone else is dead, or unaccounted for."
(Shihoin Yuushiro was among the unaccounted, yet his big sister knew he was safe.)
"What about Kukaku and Ganju?" asked a worried Ishida.
Looking away with a pained expression, Yoruichi said, "They're among the leaders of it. Although I'd say the wholescale destruction of the city was led by one of the more radical factions. There's no way they'd have condoned that if they'd known beforehand."
Now Ichigo and his friends were all somehow more concerned. The idea of possibly fighting a friend, especially when they understood the sheer rage within the Districts, was far from comforting. No wonder their usually unflappable mentor was so distraught.
"The situation is dire," Hats-an'-Clogs heavily said. "We don't know what's happening in Soul Society now, and we need to be sure the Balance of Souls is maintained, or all the worlds may be destroyed."
Ichigo, Chad, Ishida, Rukia, and Renji all shared pained looks. Groaning, Ichigo said, "We may know a guy . . ."
—Seas of Souls—
"MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT~!"
Grinning at his ring-tone, Luffy answered his cell phone. "Hello, this is Luffy! Oh, hey Ichigo! What's up?"
—Seas of Souls—
Author's Notes:
Death by choking is not a joke by the way. Not unless it happens to evil mass murderers.
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Aizen's fate though, was heavily inspired by chapter 22 of "An Incomplete Potter Collection," by Racke Ouran. I recommend it even if you are, like me, unfamiliar with High School Host Club.
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Changes have been made to previous chapters by the way, to make Nel's speech more consistent. Also, the Straw Hats, thanks to Nel, now regard the Espada as the 'Ethpada' X-D
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The part about Kisuke tracking Ichigo and Co. by their Reiatsu is my explanation as to how he managed to dump the next two waves of Shinigami so conveniently close. Because the alternative is that he was blindly dumping them in an unknown world, and it was luck that got them to the right place in time.
Honestly, this was all started from a scene from "True Warriors Never Die," by Kenchi618 which showed Ichigo's (moronic) thought process in which he thought attacking Las Noches on his own was a good idea. What really sold me though, was my laughing at how stupid it was running through the desert like that, as shown in episode 25 of Bleach (S) Abridged, by Project Mouthwash on YouTube. However the more I thought about it, the more and more the outright stupidity of this rescue plan came out.
In all seriousness, an alternate premise for this chapter could be: what if Ichigo and Co. never met Nel, and (especially) never got a ride on Bawabawa? They would have spent days trying to survive in the desert, with the reinforcing Taichou likely coming to join them in slogging through the sand. Meanwhile, Aizen could have just grabbed all his Espada to skip on to (fake) Karakura Town!
*Deep breath*
*Another deep breath*
So yeah, invaded Hueco Mundo was not the highlight of Ichigo's career. It was only dumb luck, and Aizen (either to intentionally help Ichigo or not, because always take the psychotic liar's words with a grain of salt) giving commands that hindered his forces, that helped them survive. Here though, Ichigo is up against Luffy's luck, and Luffy actually has people to talks to about things, and encourages them to take the initiative.
. . . I have essentially just said that Luffy is a better leader than either Aizen, Ichigo, and the entire Seireitei, and I do not think I am wrong either.
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Do not read too much into Ulquiorra's comment about what his new ranking in the Espada would be. Ignoring how people (not unreasonably) state he should have been higher than Halibel even without Segunda Etapa, he does not really know how strong Luffy and Co. are here. All he knows is that they are alive, and Aizen is not, ergo they are in charge. Plus, the Straw Hats are not given to showing off their power, so Ulquiorra genuinely does not know how he would compare.
In fact, I very deliberately made sure to not reveal anything too much here about the main storyline, sticking to what was not hinted at in previous chapters.
Unfortunately there will be no more mechas D-':
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. . . You know, this was originally supposed to just be a joke/satire about the Straw Hats doing a better job defending Hueco Mundo. Somehow it turned into a story with the rural peasants revolting against upper class by using mechas, and turning themselves into cyborgs . . . X-P
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Next Chapter: "Settling In-Daytime"
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