A few days later, in the Dōjō where Master Yama-jii practiced swordsmanship, Kyōraku was standing behind him reporting on his work...
"This was found in a workshop under the Nangong Family. I asked the shop assistant there who was in charge of selling it. They used to sell this thing secretly. It is said that it can be ignited and exploded, allowing ordinary Pluses to protect themselves slightly when they encounter voids."
"The starting point was good, but for some reason, other unusual things appeared during the subsequent manufacturing process. It's possible that he allowed his Vassal to develop these things..."
After listening to Kyōraku's report, Yama-jii fell silent. In his view, Nangong Ling was already involved.
Just for developing dangerous materials, the Central 46 will definitely not let him off easily... You know, these dangerous materials can not only blow up Hollows, but also Soul Reaper.
"Chōjirō, where is Captain Nangong right now?"
"Researching methods to remove Captain Seigen's Hollowfication while he was in the Ninth Division's prison..."
Yama-jii slightly turned his head and asked the Sasakibe behind him. The Sasakibe, who had been paying attention, reported the details. The word "Hollowfication" was also learned from Zero.
Zero explained that during his travels in the Soul Society, he had witnessed Hollows invading soul bodies, devouring their internal organs, and then transforming the soul into its original Hollow form. Zero called this phenomenon Hollowfication...
"Excuse me! My apologies."
As Yama-jii and his group were discussing something, a member of the Inner Court Squad entered. Seeing that they were clearly discussing something important, the member apologized slightly and continued reporting, "Central 46 has received a formal complaint that there are suspicious signs in Captain Nangong's home..."
After hearing the Central 46's orders and reasons relayed by the members of the Inner Court Squad, Yama-jii's old face darkened completely. "Send word: Captains of the Yoruichi Shihōin Second Division, Kuchiki Ginrei; the Sixth Division, Love Aikawa; the Seventh Division, Raito Aikawa; and the Twelfth Division Captain Kirio Hikifune— come to see me. Go!"
"Yes!"
As the Captain-Commander, Yama-jii has to eliminate any situation that could potentially threaten the Seireitei. No matter how much he personally trusts Zero, if Zero has truly seriously violated the interests of the Seireitei, then the only option is to eliminate him.
Kyōraku, who was standing to the side, sensed that something was wrong. He felt that these events were happening at a strange time, but it was his own investigation, and he had seen everything with his own eyes.
It's confirmed, but we still don't know if Zero was involved. Sending these Captains over is probably because Yama-jii is afraid Zero won't behave and will surrender easily.
At the Second Division Squad Barracks, the Inner Court Squad relayed an order to Yoruichi happened to be discussing the incident with Vice-Captain Marechiyo Ōmaeda and the then Third Seat, Urahara.
Urahara was surprised and curious when he heard about Seigen's situation. It was said that the Hollow had entered Captain Shusuke's body, causing him to unleash an unusually powerful force that seemed tireless.
Soon, the four Captains assembled in the First Division, making a total of five including Kyōraku. They were dispatched to apprehend Zero and gather evidence...
According to the original timeline, Seigen should have been killed by one of the children he adopted after he became Hollowfication. His Hollowfication state was also attributed to being invaded by a Hollow. Aizen continued to hide, searching for a way to satisfy the Hōgyoku and a perfect Hollowfication method.
However, due to Zero's arrival, the Hollowfication Seigen was brought forward. His sister didn't die of illness, he didn't take in any children, and Aizen's actions became more frequent...
The Ninth Division, which acts as jailers on a daily basis, has a large area of prisons within their Squad Barracks, which are built many times more sturdy than ordinary Squad Barracks.
There are also several prisons here, like the 'Senzaikyū,' built entirely of Sekki-seki. Seigen is currently imprisoned in one of them and cannot escape.
Zero was also in there, and he came up with another idea...
He and Blood Drink fought against Yanis in their Inner World, ultimately forcing him to submit. Could it be possible to invade Seigen's Inner World to help him defeat Xu?
"Yanis, do you think there's a chance?" Zero asked Yanis in his Inner World.
"It's incredibly difficult. Hollow Hole has even appeared. If I had corrupted you to this extent back then, you wouldn't have had a chance to resist."
Yanis stated that even so, awakening the Seigen would still be very difficult, because his Hollowfication state was too deep, and his power was only barely suppressed by Zero's Kidō.
"Regardless, let's try first. If it's too much trouble for me to go in, then you can go in for me."
'No problem, I'll do everything I can to wake him up.'
Zero, considering his own limitations, decided that if that didn't work, he would let Yanis in, awaken his consciousness in the Inner World, and then completely suppress the void.
As expected, Zero tried several Kidō that could peek into people's memories, but he still failed... He also realized that the Inner World of Soul Reaper was not as simple as just memories.
He then used Blood Drink to pierce Seigen's Hakusui, channeling Yanis's power into it.
"Roar!"
Seigen, who had previously lost consciousness, began to roar wildly. His suppressed Hollowfication stirred up again, but unfortunately, he had already been sealed and his movements were restricted by several Spirit Weapons. Unable to move, he could only roar.
Yanis successfully entered, but came out a few seconds Yanis... He failed; he couldn't awaken the Seigen.
According to Yanis, the void inside completely occupied Seigen's Inner World and body. Seigen's consciousness could not get Reiryoku and was unable to move at all inside.
Since Yanis was also a Void, the Void within Seigen's body wasn't as wary of him, which allowed him to enter.
Now another problem has arisen: Yanis alone cannot help Seigen, so Zero needs to find at least one more force that can infiltrate the area.
He first thought of the few people in Hueco Mundo, but Central 46 would never allow Zero to take the Seigen to Hueco Mundo, or go to Hueco Mundo to call them over.
After racking his brains, Zero finally remembered Kōga Kuchiki, whose Zanpakuto ability seemed to allow him to enter the Inner World of others.
The Zanpakuto's power is an extension of the Soul Reaper's own power, so it seems that Kōga still has the ability to enter the Soul Reaper's body. It's a pity that this guy is imprisoned in the 'Muken' on the Third Layer of the underground prison.
Zero felt that this might be the reason for the problem, so he quickly walked out of the Ninth Division's prison and called out to Maki, who had been guarding outside.
Just as the two were about to use Shunpo to move quickly, dozens of experts who knew Shunpo appeared around them and surrounded them.
Zero glanced around at the group of trash, ignoring them, and instead looked at the Captains dressed in white haori and tsuba.
Shunsui Kyōraku, Yoruichi Shihōin, Kuchiki Ginrei, and Love Aikawa, and actually Kirio Hikifune, she went to Zero's residence and isn't here...
"What's the reason for this commotion? Surrounding me all of you without saying a word is a little intimidating!"
Zero waved his hand, signaling Maki, who had already placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, not to be nervous.
He felt the Captains ' gazes on him, but Zero couldn't recall doing anything wrong.
"Captain Nangong, someone has filed a formal complaint accusing you of having ties to Hueco Mundo, and the recent gathering of Hollows in Rukongai is linked to your Nangong Family. How about cooperating with us on this trip?"
When Kyōraku spoke, his serious expression held no hint of jest, and Zero knew that this was a real problem.
As for his involvement with Hueco Mundo, he doesn't remember mentioning Hueco Mundo's influence to anyone, not even Maki.
If someone overheard my communication, then their methods are quite impressive, and it's also Zero's fault for being too careless... Zero suddenly became very curious about who was slandering me. Was it the guy who caused Zheng Yuan's Hollowfication Seigen?
"It's just one side of the story. How can I cooperate when you're accusing me without any evidence?"
Zero chuckled and reached for Blood Drink behind his back. Yoruichi, who had intended to use his speed to subdue him during this opening, was instead repelled by the powerful Reiatsu rising from his body.
"I don't know any evidence that you have ties to Hueco Mundo, but there are several of those Bait in your production workshops that recruit Hollows. Nangong, I personally tracked down this; someone is targeting you."
Kyōraku was genuinely a little afraid of Zero fighting them. Despite the four-on-one advantage, he wasn't confident he could subdue Zero without going all out.
"Can I see you as someone who's afraid to fight me?" Zero chuckled.
"I just want you to believe me. Give me some time, I'll investigate thoroughly, including that unfounded accusation."
Kyōraku would never admit to being afraid; the Gotei 13 does not allow fear of the enemy. He was simply considering things more carefully.
It's important to understand that when Captain-level fight at full strength, regardless of the outcome, the destruction they cause is astonishing. Spreading damage over several square kilometers is nothing compared to what's to come. Among them are many Bankai with destructive power reaching the level of a square Bankai.
There is a rule in the Seireitei that Captain-level are generally not allowed to release their Zanpakuto, because these people are not peaceful, and this prohibition is not well enforced.
The destructive power of Captain-level Shikai is already terrifying, not to mention the Bankai, which increases it several times over.
Look at Kuruyashiki's Bankai; it was directly forbidden to use it within the Seireitei, regardless of the reason.
As for the deceased Hideaki Tsunayashiro, since it was a duel, it's impossible for someone to watch themselves get killed while still retaining their strength and adhering to some ridiculous rule, that would be too absurd...
"Okay! I'll trust you this once. I hope you won't let me down."
"Big brother..."
"Put away your Zanpakuto first."
"Yes..."
Zero planted the Blood Drink Drinker in the ground, indicating that he would no longer resist. The anxious Maki was also stopped by Zero. Kyōraku breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the Squad Members put shackles on Zero and Maki.
"Don't worry, I'll find out the reason before the verdict in Central 46."
I hope so.
Kyōraku reassured Zero, but in truth, he had no confidence at all. Someone had already gone to investigate the evidence that Zero was colluding with Hueco Mundo to plot something sinister.
'He showed no sign of panic. Does he trust me? Or does he simply not care about this matter at all?'
Kyōraku had already noticed Zero's expression and was deep in thought. He didn't notice that Zero had cut his finger before releasing Blood Drink and taken a drop of blood from it.
Zero didn't resist because he was genuinely curious about who was secretly monitoring him...
He admitted that he hadn't considered many things thoroughly enough. Judging from the fact that he was being monitored when he went to Hueco Mundo, many details were not handled properly, and someone was secretly watching him at that time.
This disarmament was merely to see the guy behind it all, and if possible, to take him out while we were at it.
Meanwhile, in the Nangong Family's residence.
"So? Have you found anything?"
"Captain, does this thing count? It feels like only this one is illusory."
"Uh... I guess so!"
Hiyori held the fist-sized Hand Chicken in her hand and went to Kirio Hikifune to claim credit. This was the only thing that could be associated with Utsuro; it was specially made and could not be moved.
The next day, somewhere within the Fifth Division, Aizen, having received the intelligence, adjusted his sunglasses and said with a faint smile, "Omosiloi!"
Aizen heard about Captain Nangong being arrested by several Captains. He was certain that this was not because he had guided Kyōraku, because the game had only just begun, and those strange Baits had only appeared in the workshop, without any indication that Zero had been involved in their production.
But just as things reached this point, someone reported that Captain Nangong was colluding with Utsuro, causing Aizen's game to end prematurely... Aizen smiled on the surface, but was actually very unhappy.
Therefore, he quickly obtained some information in secret. According to the spies he had placed in the Central 46 of the Guards Corps, the informant was a member of the Tsunayashiro Clan, who reported the information directly through their connections with the sages.
This day was actually the time Kyōraku had bought to exonerate Zero, but unfortunately the evidence had already been submitted by the Twelfth Division, and the witnesses and whistleblowers had been summoned and questioned by the Central 46.
From the moment Kyōraku learned that the whistleblower was Tsunayashiro Tokinada, who was under house arrest, and that the witness was Zero's Vassal, he knew that Zero was destined for imprisonment.
In more serious cases, it might not just be imprisonment, but execution by stripping them of their Reiryoku...
"Kiganjō, what's the situation with the Captain?"
Kuluo looked anxious, followed by a dozen or so team members who were very concerned about Zero. Their entire 11th Division was under surveillance.
The Third Division, Tenth Division, and Twelfth Division were monitoring them from the outside. Their people were not allowed to go out. Only Kiganjō, as the Vice-Captain, could obtain some information.
"The trial for Central 46 will begin today..."
Kiganjō wore an embarrassed expression, but Ashido, who remained silent to the side, saw a glint of shrewdness flash in his eyes.
"This kind of thing..."
"Captain Nangong must have been framed."
"What should we do? Let's charge in and rescue the Captain!"
These team members, who worshipped Zero to the point of fanaticism, were all filled with righteous indignation, while Kuluo's face was ashen.
"Are you all crazy? There are three Squads and their Captains outside. Are you going to go and die? Trust the Captain, he'll be fine."
Kiganjō reprimanded the group. He was already terrified of Zero's overwhelming power, a power that instilled despair. He knew he could never surpass Zero in this lifetime, but this time he saw another hope...
Zero, deep in the dimly lit prison, pondered his next move. Even he himself felt that his contact with Hueco Mundo had been exposed, and he had already planned his escape route.
Zanpakuto and prisoners are kept separately; Zero is in the Ninth Division's prison, but the sword is kept in the Tenth Division's.
Central 46 didn't keep Zero waiting long either; they started the very next morning.
"Tokinada Tsunayashiro, the verdict for Central 46 is today. Shall we go and take a look?"
"Haha, look, we have to see him executed. I can't believe he didn't resist! It's hilarious! Does he think he still has a chance?"
Tokinada Tsunayashiro was overjoyed. Long ago, Tokinada Tsunayashiro had begun to plan how to deal with Zero. He had been so humiliated by Zero, how could he just swallow his anger? That was not his style.
Looking at the original timeline, this guy was reported by Kyōraku and held a grudge for hundreds of years until Kyōraku became the Captain-Commander before he began to take revenge.