Chapter Summaries

Soi Fon investigated the concealed circumstances behind Duan Mu’s battle and ordered closer surveillance, while Duan Mu recovered at the Shiba Clan and trained after defeating Gen'nai Kura. The chapter left Duan Mu wary of a possible unseen observer.

• Soi Fon questioned the Onmitsukidō about the missing battle data and the interference that had obstructed its investigation.
• Marechiyo Ōmaeda reported that Duan Mu had killed two Great Villains from southern District 80 while protecting two fugitives, and that Duan Mu was recovering at the Shiba Clan.
• Soi Fon raised Duan Mu’s supervision priority to seventh level, ordered civilians to live near his shop, and canceled Marechiyo Ōmaeda’s vacation for misjudging Duan Mu’s strength.
• Three days after fighting Gen'nai Kura, Duan Mu resumed training at the Great Kūkaku Training Hall and reflected on his recovery and the battle’s gains.
• Duan Mu sensed that someone might have secretly watched the battle and decided to stay alert.

Soi Fon reviewed six months of surveillance on Duan Mu and found that, despite his strength and influence, he had shown no intent to threaten Seireitei. She decided to keep monitoring him and began considering approaching him herself.

• Soi Fon read reports showing Duan Mu spent six months doing odd jobs, helping women for free, and maintaining peace around his tavern.
• Soi Fon weighed Duan Mu’s strength, reputation, and ties to the Shiba Clan against the lack of evidence that he posed a threat.
• Soi Fon realized her subordinates’ fixation on finding dirt had made her focus too much on arresting Duan Mu.
• Soi Fon decided to continue surveillance and resolved to get close to Duan Mu and interact with him.

Duan Mu spent a rare day off thinking through how he might defend himself against Aizen and Kyōka Suigetsu. A Shinigami from the 2nd Division arrived with a commission in the Seireitei, leaving Duan Mu to consider an assignment that would require him to be monitored.

• Duan Mu reflected on his training and resolved to strengthen both his Spiritual Power and combat skills.
• Duan Mu considered ways to counter Kyōka Suigetsu, including developing a targeted Bakudō to detect Aizen.
• A Shinigami in uniform approached Duan Mu at the Yorozuya and asked whether he would accept a monitored commission in the Seireitei.
• Duan Mu was surprised by the offer and recognized that the 2nd Division would issue his temporary pass.

Duan Mu arrived at the Seireitei to clean and repair the 2nd Division barracks, hoping to expand the Yorozuya’s business there. The Onmitsukidō confiscated the Small Cards he had packed, but Duan Mu secretly kept some hidden in his underwear and was allowed through.

• Duan Mu reached the Seireitei cordon for his first job inside its walls, after Kūkaku had approved his decision to go.
• Duan Mu unpacked his cleaning, gardening, and repair tools and told Jidanbō that he had taken a job cleaning the 2nd Division barracks.
• Members of the Onmitsukidō’s Punishment Force inspected Duan Mu’s bundle and found the Small Cards advertising the Yorozuya.
• The leading member of the Punishment Force refused to let Duan Mu bring the Small Cards inside, and Duan Mu reluctantly gave them up.
• Duan Mu passed a cursory search because he had hidden extra Small Cards in a pocket sewn into his underwear.

Duan Mu entered Seireitei under Punishment Force escort and secretly scattered Small Cards along the way to attract customers. He reached the 2nd Division’s sprawling barracks, where he learned the complex included the Maggot's Nest—the very place the Onmitsukidō wanted to send him.

• Duan Mu saw Seireitei’s vast streets and shops while residents kept their distance from the Onmitsukidō escorting him.
• Duan Mu secretly threw Small Cards toward the Commercial Street and into courtyards as the Punishment Force members led him onward.
• Duan Mu questioned the escorts when they stopped at the enormous walled complex and learned that the 2nd Division was inside.
• Duan Mu saw the barracks’ palace buildings and a moat-surrounded structure, then learned the complex housed the Onmitsukidō and its facilities.
• Duan Mu discovered that the moat-surrounded institution was the Maggot's Nest, where the Onmitsukidō intended to imprison him.

Unohana Retsu discovered that Duan Mu’s Yorozuya had become popular among Fourth Division members, while Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru found one of his advertising cards. They headed toward Yorozuya after Yachiru suggested its proprietor might be strong.

• Kotetsu Isane thought she had spotted Duan Mu in Seireitei, then admitted to Unohana Retsu that she had been secretly encouraging Fourth Division members to study Kido at Yorozuya.
• Unohana Retsu showed Isane an advertising card from Yorozuya and said she was not upset that division members studied there.
• Unohana Retsu recognized that the spiritual pressure on the card was far greater than an Academy student’s and suggested Isane did not understand Duan Mu.
• Yachiru found a Yorozuya card in an alley while she and Kenpachi Zaraki searched for their barracks.
• Yachiru persuaded Kenpachi Zaraki to visit Yorozuya by arguing that someone willing to take on any job for money must be strong.

Duan Mu finished cleaning the 2nd Division barracks and accepted Omaeda’s offer to hear about an additional commission in the prison. Soi Fon’s proposal was to have him clean the Underground Special Supervision Building in exchange for an Onmitsukidō pass and regular long-term work, but the dangerous conditions left the commission’s outcome uncertain.

• The Punishment Force and Omaeda praised Duan Mu’s meticulous cleaning, while watching him use Zanpakuto, Kido, Hakuda, and Shunpo to finish the barracks.
• Omaeda invited Duan Mu to eat in the 2nd Division cafeteria, where Duan Mu was impressed by the lavish food and learned about Omaeda’s wealth.
• Duan Mu told Omaeda that his Yorozuya accepted many kinds of paid commissions, though he refused to offer to fight a captain.
• Omaeda revealed that the Onmitsukidō had monitored Duan Mu and asked whether he would clean the Underground Special Supervision Building, where prisoners could attack him and weapons and Kido were forbidden.
• Omaeda explained that Soi Fon’s proposed long-term commission would give Duan Mu an Onmitsukidō pass for free travel in and out of the Seireitei, provided he reported regularly to the 2nd Division.

Duan Mu accepted Soi Fon's Maggot's Nest cleaning assignment for the Pass Token and entered the prison, where its violent inmates attacked him. He began fighting them with Hakuda while restraining his strength, leaving the confrontation underway.

• Soi Fon explained to Omaeda that Duan Mu's assignment was a test and that she wanted to keep him under watch while making him clean the Maggot's Nest.
• Duan Mu decided to accept the job for its Pass Token and payment, then entered the Maggot's Nest carrying cleaning supplies.
• Duan Mu recognized a prisoner he had seen captured years earlier, but ignored him and began preparing to clean as the inmates gathered around him.
• A giant prisoner attacked Duan Mu, who stopped him and knocked him unconscious without crippling him.
• The prisoners charged again, and Duan Mu fought back with Hakuda, keeping his strength limited while sending the inmates flying.

Duan Mu fought his way through Maggot's Nest, overwhelming the prisoners with his Hakuda, Kidō, and spiritual pressure. After healing the old lieutenant captain he had beaten, Duan Mu forced the prisoners to clean their rooms, leaving Nikai En and the others terrified of another beating.

• The Supervision Team watched Duan Mu fight and marveled at his extensive Hakuda skills and controlled spiritual pressure.
• Duan Mu beat the prisoners near the entrance, provoked the old lieutenant captain into attacking, and repeatedly slammed him into the ground.
• Duan Mu charged into the depths of Maggot's Nest, defeated waves of prisoners, and interrupted their Kidō attacks with his Lightning Rope.
• Duan Mu realized he had knocked down everyone and healed the old lieutenant captain, striking him again whenever he woke in a frenzy.
• The old lieutenant captain finally stopped fighting, and Duan Mu ordered him to clean his room; Nikai En and the other prisoners hurried to clean as well.

Duan Mu overwhelmed Maggot's Nest's prisoners and impressed Soi Fon, who decided not to report his strength to the other divisions. As he repaired the prison and planned to expand his Yorozuya business, Duan Mu stopped a mass escape and ordered Nikai En to bring the escapees back for treatment.

• Duan Mu used his Hakuda, Kido, and Shunpo to crush the prisoners, then led them in cleaning Maggot's Nest.
• Soi Fon recognized that Duan Mu had created a Kido combining Seikaku and Byakurai, judged him suited to lead the Supervision Team, and declined to report his details to the other divisions.
• Duan Mu repaired the prison while checking his system gains and planning to use a Pass Token to expand his Yorozuya business in Seireitei.
• Duan Mu easily opened the prison gate, prompting prisoners to rush for freedom, but he sent them flying back into their cells.
• Duan Mu sat by the gate and told Nikai En to drag the escapees over so he could treat them.

Six months after Duan Mu and Gen'nai Kura's battle, the Yorozuya Tavern thrived as Habutae helped unify villains under Nishijin-ori. The tavern's banter ended when Nishijin-ori saw a tall man carrying a pink-haired little girl enter.

• Habutae dragged a blood-covered customer out of the tavern for trying to drink without paying.
• Shiba Ganju boasted about how easily he could unify southern District 80, and Habutae mocked him about Duan Mu dragging him home.
• Uzuki accused Iwao of stealing Duan Mu's hidden alcohol, and Iwao admitted that Nishijin-ori had shared it with him.
• Nishijin-ori stood up when a tall man carrying a pink-haired little girl entered the tavern.

Duan Mu received permission to live in Maggot's Nest and broad authority to manage its conditions after impressing Soi Fon with his diligence. On his way to Commercial Street, he spotted a silver-gray-haired lieutenant captain rehearsing how to ask Omaeda about him.

• Omaeda gave Duan Mu a Special Pass Token and explained its restrictions, then confirmed he could live in Maggot's Nest.
• Soi Fon appeared and approved Duan Mu's residence in Maggot's Nest, while Duan Mu tried and failed to get closer to her by mentioning Kūkaku.
• Duan Mu proposed replacing the prisoners' bedding and uniforms and adding moisture-proof spell arrays, and Soi Fon granted his requests.
• Soi Fon's favorability toward Duan Mu increased by one, and she authorized him to manage most matters concerning Maggot's Nest.
• Duan Mu noticed the tracking array in his Pass Token but left it untouched before heading toward Commercial Street.
• Duan Mu found a silver-gray-haired girl crouched near a corner, rehearsing how to meet Omaeda and ask him about Duan Mu.

Duan Mu confirmed his Onmitsukidō pass was genuine, and Kotetsu Isane invited him to visit the Fourth Division. Meanwhile, Kenpachi Zaraki searched for Duan Mu at the Yorozuya tavern but left after learning he was away, setting up a possible challenge for the next day.

• Duan Mu returned to Kotetsu Isane and explained that the Onmitsukidō had hired him for a confidential long-term commission.
• Kotetsu Isane examined Duan Mu’s Special Pass Token, confirmed its Onmitsukidō mark, and invited him to the Fourth Division’s Comprehensive First Aid Station.
• Kenpachi Zaraki waited at the Yorozuya tavern while Nishijinori Boss remained unconscious after challenging him and losing in one slash.
• Kenpachi Zaraki asked the tavern’s patrons about Duan Mu and learned that Duan Mu had defeated Gen'nai Kura.
• Uzuki told Kenpachi Zaraki that Duan Mu was away, so Kenpachi Zaraki left and said Ikkaku should visit the next day to test Duan Mu.

Duan Mu visited the Fourth Division’s Comprehensive First Aid Station with Isane and learned about the spiritual illnesses treated there. When injured members of the 11th Division flooded in after a training battle, he helped treat a patient wounded by Captain Kenpachi and promoted his Yorozuya before moving on to help others.

• Isane explained that the Fourth Division treated routine ailments and spiritual power stagnation, which could be fatal when the Core of Spiritual Pressure was affected.
• More than a hundred injured members of the 11th Division arrived, and Isane organized additional rescue squads and medical staff.
• Miyaku invited Duan Mu to help in the examination hall, where he found a nurse unable to stop a patient’s bleeding.
• Duan Mu used Kido to heal the patient, whose wound had been kept open by Captain Kenpachi’s lingering spiritual pressure.
• The patient explained that Captain Kenpachi had attacked the division during combat training after failing to find someone to fight.
• Duan Mu gave the patient and Sugi Natsuhane Yorozuya cards, gained experience from Sugi, and went to look for other patients who needed help.

Duan Mu studied Soul Reapers’ Cores of Spiritual Pressure and arranged to keep treating them at the Comprehensive First Aid Station, giving him a cover for his research and a chance to earn experience. After a productive morning with the Fourth Division, he returned to Rukongai to prepare supplies for his work at Maggot’s Nest and planned to visit the 2nd Division soon.

• Duan Mu concluded that he needed to study many Soul Reapers and their Zanpakuto to develop a way to increase Spiritual Pressure more quickly, while keeping his research secret.
• Duan Mu asked Kotetsu Isane to let him treat injured Soul Reapers at the Comprehensive First Aid Station when he had no commissions, and Isane agreed.
• The next morning, Duan Mu told the gathered Fourth Division members that he had not joined the division but would return to work and exchange Kido insights with them.
• Duan Mu gained experience by working with Fourth Division members, then decided not to join the division and left Seireitei for Rukongai.
• Duan Mu ordered cloth and cotton from a textile mill and planned to visit Maggot’s Nest to replace the prisoners’ furniture once Omaeda delivered lumber.

Ikkaku Madarame arrived at Yorozuya and defeated the outlaws gathered there while waiting for Duan Mu. When Duan Mu returned, Ikkaku challenged him, and their fight ended with Duan Mu demanding that Ikkaku try to kill him.

• Ikkaku Madarame beat the outlaws in Yorozuya’s backyard and asked when the tavern’s owner would return.
• Iwao tried to keep Ikkaku away from Duan Mu, fearing their fight could draw Kenpachi Zaraki back to the tavern.
• Duan Mu appeared and caught Ikkaku’s wooden sword, then accepted his challenge despite insisting the tavern was not a place for fighting.
• Ikkaku and Duan Mu battled with wooden swords, and Ikkaku knocked Duan Mu backward with a blow to the abdomen.
• Duan Mu dispelled the Kido protecting his abdomen, revealed his fierce battle intent, and charged at Ikkaku, telling him to try to kill him.

Boss Duan Mu used his first real sword fight with Ikkaku Madarame to rapidly improve his Zanjutsu, while Ikkaku held back and tested him. When Duan Mu unleashed lightning and sent Ikkaku crashing through a wall, Ikkaku drew his Zanpakuto and released Hozukimaru.

• Duan Mu and Ikkaku exchanged rapid wooden-sword attacks, and Duan Mu gradually adapted to real combat despite Ikkaku's superior experience.
• Nishijin-ori and Ayasegawa Chikao explained that Ikkaku was drawing out Duan Mu's potential while Duan Mu was restraining his instinctive Hakuda counterattacks.
• Ikkaku pinned Duan Mu's cracked wooden sword beside his neck and demanded that Duan Mu grant his wish.
• Duan Mu seized Ikkaku's blade amid a burst of lightning, shattered it, and vanished without following up with an attack.
• Ayasegawa Chikao threw Ikkaku his Zanpakuto, and Duan Mu struck him with Flash Cry, blasting him through a wall.
• Ikkaku recovered, introduced himself as the Kenpachi Division's Third Seat, and released Hozukimaru.

Duan Mu fought Ikkaku Madarame after Ikkaku released Hozukimaru, testing his lightning-based techniques against the weapon’s spear and three-section staff forms. Both stopped at the same time and called the fight a draw, leaving Ikkaku eager to challenge Duan Mu again.

• Ikkaku released Hozukimaru and explained that it could switch between a spear and a three-section staff.
• Duan Mu dodged Ikkaku’s attacks, countered with lightning and Kido techniques, and found a way to enter the spear’s range.
• Ikkaku blocked Duan Mu’s lightning attacks with rapid spear thrusts, while Duan Mu recognized that his own power and stamina limited his chances of winning.
• Duan Mu dispelled his lightning and said he would stop fighting just as Ikkaku called the match a draw.
• Ikkaku returned to the tavern with Kiyone and Ayasegawa Chikao, saying Duan Mu was the right opponent for him and asking someone to carry his numb-handed sword.

Duan Mu reflected on the strange, exhilarating state he had entered while fighting Ikkaku Madarame, then asked Omaeda how he could obtain an Asauchi. Omaeda explained that Asauchi were tightly controlled, leaving Duan Mu disappointed but unwilling to risk making an enemy of Seireitei.

• Omaeda questioned Duan Mu about his fight with Ikkaku Madarame and warned him that the 11th Division often sought trouble.
• Duan Mu admitted that he had lost to Ikkaku and noted that the battle had sharply improved his Zanjutsu.
• Duan Mu recalled feeling unrestrained and exhilarated during the sword fight, and decided to use Flash Cry more often to strengthen his physique.
• Duan Mu asked to speak with Captain Soi Fon, but Omaeda said she had left matters concerning him in his hands.
• Duan Mu asked for an Asauchi, and Omaeda explained that they were tracked and generally obtained through the Soul Reaper Academy.
• Duan Mu accepted that he could not safely obtain an Asauchi by force or theft.

Duan Mu delivered furniture to Maggot's Nest and forced the prisoners to cooperate, then promoted Yorozuya around Commercial Street. He met Gin Ginjiro, the lieutenant-captain-level owner of Silver Dragonfly Eyewear, and wondered why an eyewear shopkeeper had such formidable spiritual pressure.

• Duan Mu brought furniture into Maggot's Nest and threatened the prisoners when they failed to respond to his room-number calls.
• A prisoner pointed out that the people Duan Mu had beaten were piled beside the furniture, so Duan Mu healed one of them and withdrew his spiritual pressure.
• The prisoners lined up by room number and accepted their furniture, leaving Duan Mu disappointed that he had no excuse to use them as sparring partners.
• Duan Mu handed out Yorozuya's Small Cards on Commercial Street, prompting people to discuss its Pass Token and its reputation in West Rukongai.
• Gin Ginjiro introduced himself as the owner of Silver Dragonfly Eyewear, and Duan Mu sensed his lieutenant-captain-level spiritual pressure.