Encroaching on the Domain of Gods

Kenma held flames in one hand and a white shockwave in the other.

The surrounding souls, especially the Pirates and Marines, all stared wide-eyed, their mouths hanging open in shock and disbelief.

"Old Man's vibrations and Ace's fire..."

"Isn't this just like that bastard Teach?"

"This is King Enma...'s power!"

A single ability would have been one thing, but what Kenma displayed now was two different Devil Fruit powers existing within one person at the same time. Even Whitebeard and Ace widened their eyes in utter shock.

They had died too early to witness Blackbeard seizing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

This was their first time seeing such an astonishing sight.

Hearing the words around him, Ace suppressed the shock on his face and turned to ask, "Teach? What has that bastard done now?"

When he learned from his Companions what had happened after his death, Ace was instantly furious.

"That bastard Teach stole Old Man's Tremor-Tremor Fruit afterward? How is that possible?!"

"He's not a Shinigami like Big Boss. He's only flesh and blood—how can he possess two abilities at once?!"

"Damn it! I won't let him off! I'll definitely kill him someday!"

Whitebeard crouched down and patted his shoulder. Only after soothing him for a while did Ace finally calm down.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The house was shaken apart by a massive shockwave, collapsing into ruins as clouds of dust billowed up.

Kenma stood ahead, looking through the smoke at the destroyed house before glancing at the white shockwave in his hand, his eyes gleaming.

As expected of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the Devil Fruit with the greatest Destructive Power!

He had merely struck casually just now, without using any real strength, yet it had caused such devastation!

If he unleashed his Spiritual Pressure and went all out, destroying the entire Seireitei would not be a problem!

No wonder Sengoku had called it a power capable of destroying the world.

"Not bad, not bad!"

Kenma continued to experience its mysteries for a while, deepening his understanding of this Devil Fruit ability.

After satisfying himself, he returned the abilities to Whitebeard and Ace.

With that, this trip to the Pirate World officially came to an end.

Overall, Kenma was fairly satisfied with the outcome.

Whitebeard and Ace alone had already made the trip worthwhile.

Just as he was about to return inside to discuss their future plans with the Uchiha Clan, Whitebeard, and the others, a loud question suddenly came from the crowd.

"Lord Enma, Lord Shinigami, we've been standing here all day. When are we eating?"

Kenma suddenly stopped and turned toward the voice. A commotion erupted in the crowd, opening up an empty space where a Marine in a sailor uniform stood.

The Marine looked around and was startled to find that his fellow soldiers had already moved some distance away from him, making him look utterly tense and isolated.

"What did you say? You said you're hungry?"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Seeing Kenma walk toward him and question him, the young Marine immediately grew restrained. His hands and feet seemed to have nowhere to go, and he could only instinctively salute.

"What's going on? Why wasn't this mentioned before?"

Kenma frowned. His first thought was that the Uchiha Clan had been secretly defying him.

They had deliberately concealed the matter so the Uchiha Clan could become the sole dominant force under his command.

Kenma knew his thinking was dark, but this was an important matter. He had no choice but to consider every possibility.

Hearing Kenma's questioning, the Marine grew even more nervous, beads of sweat forming across his face.

"R-Report, sir, I only started feeling hungry just now. I wasn't very hungry before."

Kenma ruled out the Uchiha Clan, yet his heart felt increasingly strange.

Just now?

The only thing connected to that moment was his contract with these Lost Souls.

"Was it after you made a contract with me?"

"Y-Yes! I only felt hungry after the contract." The Marine bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, sir! None of the Companions around me seemed hungry, and I was the only one who felt hungry, so I thought I'd ask you for something to eat."

"I'm truly sorry!"

Kenma waved his hand and told him to rise, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

He hadn't felt hungry before the contract, yet he felt hungry afterward...

Was it because this Lost Soul had waited for a day and only felt hungry after enough time had passed? Or was it related to the earlier incident of souls dissipating?

Or had his contract caused this Lost Soul, after adapting to Soul Society's environment, to begin displaying traits that meant he could become a Shinigami?

There were too few examples and too many interfering factors. It was impossible to draw an effective conclusion.

Kenma summoned Fugaku and had the Uchiha Clan get to work.

"Test it for another two days and see how many people feel Hunger."

"Understood!"

Fugaku gave the Marine a surprised look. He had not expected such a development after the contract.

After having his clansmen take the Marine away, Fugaku began making arrangements.

Time was not as pressing for the Lost Souls of the Afterlife as it had been when they were alive.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Kenma sat in his room, looking over the list Fugaku had submitted.

"Are these all the people who can feel Hunger?"

Fugaku knelt at one side and answered respectfully, "Yes, sir. The count has been completed. Excluding Little Oars, there are forty-three in total—nineteen Pirates and twenty-four Marines."

"Over the past two days, these forty-three souls have eaten six meals in total. They eat just like living people, and they have quite healthy appetites. It can be confirmed that they possess the aptitude to become Shinigami."

Kenma looked over the names on the list one by one, a trace of satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

This ratio was acceptable.

It would have been far too unfortunate if none of so many people had qualified.

But looking at it this way, their Hunger was probably truly related to his contract.

The Uchiha Clan had all signed contracts, so there had been no comparison or difference to reveal this point.

These Lost Souls from the Pirate World, however, had a before-and-after comparison, allowing him to notice it.

After forming a connection with him, they could survive in Soul Society and had become like the people of this world.

With the world's rejection gone, those with the aptitude to become Shinigami began revealing themselves one after another.

"After ruling out the other factors, this is the only explanation that makes sense for now."

Kenma's brows gradually furrowed as his gaze fell upon the Zanpakuto resting on the table, doubt flashing through his eyes.

But...

Whether it was himself or these Lost Souls, they were all souls from another world.

Even if his Zanpakuto possessed extraordinary power, it should not have been able to accomplish something like this so easily.

Allowing Lost Souls from another world to rapidly adapt to Soul Society's environment and bridging the powers of two different worlds was simply unimaginable.

It could even be said to be an encroachment upon the domain of gods, no different from divinity itself.

Did his Zanpakuto truly possess such immense power?

Kenma slowly raised his head and looked toward the Rooftop.

His gaze seemed to pass through the obstruction above, seeing the five floating palaces standing high in the heavens!

"If anyone in this world can truly accomplish this, it can only be the godlike Spirit King!"

Other than the Spirit King, Kenma could think of no one else!

But...

Why?

Had the Spirit King taken notice of him?

But what could the Spirit King possibly want from a pitiful, helpless wandering soul from another world...?

By all logic, his meager strength should not have even caught the Spirit King's attention.

What help could he possibly offer the Spirit King? Or did the Spirit King think highly of his future?

"Could it be that he wants me to sit upon the throne?"

Kenma did harbor ambitions of standing upon the throne of heaven, and he had already made rough plans to develop in secret.

But he absolutely did not want to become a living stump like the Spirit King, used as a wedge to stabilize the Three Worlds!

That tragic future was not the vision he wanted.

"Ah, there's no use thinking about this. Right now, I only have a captain's Spiritual Pressure. I'm not that strong yet."

He still needed to pick up the pace, sign more talented people, expand his foundation, and grow stronger as quickly as possible.

Kenma shook his head and buried his countless thoughts deep within his heart.

"It's been four days since I left the Shikokuin Family. It's time to go back and take a look."

To see what his Fiancée had decided.

And what price she would pay to rescue those two little followers from his hands.

Kenma looked at Fugaku and Shisui before him.

"Shisui, pack some daily necessities, then make yourself look travel-worn."

"Fugaku, select some capable men. I'm bringing them into the Seireitei."

"As for these forty-three Lost Souls, train them as well. If anything unexpected happens during that time, report it to me immediately."

Fugaku and Shisui both lowered their heads and shouted, "Understood!"