Shinsengumi Headquarters.
The open space before the dojo should have been filled with the noisy morning sounds of wooden swords clashing and squad members shouting.
Instead, it was shrouded in an eerie silence.
Nearly every off-duty member was crowded in front of that old-fashioned television.
The screen was small, the picture quality crude, and it even flickered with static.
Yet what it was showing had rendered these battle-hardened Shinsengumi elites—men accustomed to all manner of strange Amanto incidents—utterly speechless.
"I am Kizaru, a Navy Admiral of Marine Headquarters under the World Government."
On the screen, the tall, thin man in sunglasses sat with one leg crossed over the other.
When he delivered that earth-shattering declaration in his infuriatingly drawn-out tone,
the broadcast immediately cut back to the morning variety show.
The extravagantly dressed entertainers on it were pulling ridiculous faces and making comical movements, but no one felt like laughing.
The silence lasted for roughly five seconds.
"Pfft—"
"Cough, cough... cough cough cough!"
Hijikata Toshiro, vice commander of the Shinsengumi, known as the Demon Vice Commander,
suddenly choked on the cigarette he had just inhaled and could only double over in a violent coughing fit.
He wore the standard black Shinsengumi uniform.
The gold trim along his cuffs and collar glinted faintly in the bright light.
At his waist hung the Cursed Sword known as "Muramasha."
At that moment, the vice commander famed for his stern, cold demeanor had completely lost his composure.
His face was a mixture of shock, absurdity, and an indescribable sense of familiarity.
"It... it really is Kizaru!"
Hijikata finally caught his breath, straightened up, and pointed a trembling finger at the television now playing the variety show.
"That Navy Admiral from Marine Headquarters. The user of the Glint-Glint Fruit."
"That was a real shock. Go