Chapter Summaries

Kenma rejected contracting all the ordinary Lost Souls and instead contracted Whitebeard, Ace, and Oars, who agreed to his terms. He used Kiritsugu to add an unfamiliar power to Whitebeard and Ace, leaving them stunned by their new bond with him.

• Kenma decided to contract only Lost Souls with the aptitude to become Shinigami and let the others fend for themselves in Soul Society.
• Whitebeard, Ace, and Oars agreed to Kenma's contract after he explained its conditions and warned that betrayal would bring death.
• Kenma released Kiritsugu and formed contracts with all three, but the thread connected to Oars faded while the threads to Whitebeard and Ace remained.
• Kenma used Kiritsugu to pull phantom fruits along the remaining threads and embed them in Whitebeard and Ace.
• Whitebeard and Ace felt their bond with Kenma deepen and stared at their hands in disbelief.

Kenma restored Ace’s Flame-Flame Fruit and Whitebeard’s Tremor-Tremor Fruit through his Zanpakuto’s connection ability, shocking the Lost Souls and the Marines. He explained how he made the fruits his own abilities while letting Ace and Whitebeard use them, leaving the two dead pirates with their powers restored.

• Ace discovered that he could use the Flame-Flame Fruit again, and Whitebeard found that the Tremor-Tremor Fruit had returned to him.
• Whitebeard’s punch shattered the air and triggered an earthquake, alarming the Marines on the island.
• Whitebeard realized that Kenma had restored their abilities through the contract, and Kenma confirmed that he had done it.
• Kenma explained that he connected himself to Ace and Whitebeard, then to their Devil Fruit abilities, making the powers his own while granting them use of the fruits.
• Kenma revealed that he had severed Blackbeard’s connection to the Tremor-Tremor Fruit before connecting himself to it.

Kenma restored Devil Fruit abilities to Lost Souls, including Ace, and prepared to bring them back to the Soul Society. Blackbeard discovered that his Tremor-Tremor Fruit power had been stolen, while Kenma arranged to seal the giant Little Oars for the return journey.

• Blackbeard realized an unseen slash had stolen his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability and concealed his anger as Lafitte and Avalo Pizarro argued.
• Kenma searched for Lost Souls who had possessed Devil Fruits and helped several regain their abilities.
• Fugaku and Shisui suspected Kenma's power was connected to the Uchiha Clan's continued access to the Sharingan.
• Ace tested his restored fire abilities, found that using them quickly exhausted him, and Kenma explained that the dead used Spiritual Pressure instead of their former energy.
• Kenma decided to return to the Soul Society and gave Shisui a Kido sphere made by Kyouka to seal Little Oars for passage through the Senkaimon.
• Kenma cleared an area, drew his Zanpakuto, and called, "Sever it, Kiritsugu!"

Kenma brought Whitebeard, Ace, and thousands of Lost Souls through the Senkaimon into the Soul Society, while assigning Uchiha Yakumi to watch for powerful souls left behind in the living world. A test of Shinigami aptitude disappointed Kenma: only Little Oars could feel hunger.

• Kenma opened a spatial rift to the Senkaimon and led Whitebeard, Ace, the Marines, and the other Lost Souls into the Soul Society.
• Kenma gave Uchiha Yakumi a scroll of Kido and authority to remain in the living world, collect powerful Lost Souls, and send suitable ones to the Soul Society.
• Kenma returned with the Uchiha to find thousands of Lost Souls gathered in the courtyards, where Setsuna and the others had kept order.
• Kenma ordered preparations for a test of whether the Lost Souls could become Shinigami and explained that they would be left without food to see if they felt hunger.
• After a day and night, Kenma found that only Little Oars among the thousands could feel hunger.

Kenma discovered that Lost Souls from the pirate world were being rejected by the Soul Society and saved them by agreeing to form contracts with them. Though Whitebeard, Ace, and the others pledged themselves to him, Kenma was left wondering whether the same rejection might apply to him.

• Fugaku reported that only Little Oars had Shinigami potential, disappointing Kenma, Whitebeard, and Ace.
• John and then many other Lost Souls began dispersing, and Kenma concluded that the Soul Society was rejecting people brought from another world.
• Kenma and Whitebeard realized that contracted people were safe because they were connected to Kenma.
• Whitebeard and Ace knelt and begged Kenma to save their companions by forming contracts with them.
• Kenma agreed to save every affected Lost Soul, prompting Whitebeard, Ace, the Marine Generals, and the others to pledge their loyalty.
• As the Lost Souls celebrated, Kenma wondered whether the Soul Society would reject him too.

Kenma saved the Lost Souls and showed Whitebeard and Ace how contracts could grant them Spiritual Pressure and let him borrow their abilities. He demonstrated the Flame-Flame Fruit and Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers, leaving everyone stunned as he wielded both at once.

• Kenma used his Zanpakuto to contract the Lost Souls, halting their decay and restoring their bodies, and Whitebeard and Ace thanked him.
• Kenma explained that contracts could share abilities, then lent Ace Spiritual Pressure, which Ace struggled to control.
• Kenma warned Whitebeard and Ace that he could reclaim their powers and took control of Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit ability.
• Kenma demonstrated the Flame-Flame Fruit's Elementalization when Shisui beheaded him, then returned to his body as flames.
• Kenma kept the flames burning on one hand and formed a sphere of Tremor-Tremor Fruit power around the other.

Kenma tested Whitebeard and Ace’s Devil Fruit powers, then discovered that some contracted Lost Souls had begun to feel hunger and could qualify as Shinigami. Suspecting the Spirit King was behind the contracts’ effects, Kenma prepared to return to the Shikokuin Family and bring capable men into the Seireitei.

• Kenma used the Tremor-Tremor Fruit alongside Ace’s flames, astonishing the assembled souls, then returned both abilities to their owners.
• A Marine told Kenma he had felt hungry only after making a contract with him, prompting Kenma to investigate the change.
• Fugaku reported that forty-three Lost Souls—nineteen pirates and twenty-four Marines—had felt hunger and eaten during the two-day test, suggesting they had the aptitude to become Shinigami.
• Kenma suspected the Spirit King had enabled the otherworldly souls to adapt to Soul Society, but dismissed his doubts and resolved to grow stronger.
• Kenma told Shisui to prepare for travel and Fugaku to select men to accompany him into the Seireitei, while ordering him to train the forty-three Lost Souls.

Kenma returned to Seireitei with four Uchiha recruits and learned that Yoruichi had been waiting at the Shikokuin estate. Yoruichi admitted defeat and asked Kenma to spare Saeaya and Kisuke, and they went inside to discuss her offer.

• Kenma brought four Uchiha recruits to the Second Division and arranged for them to join his Patrol Corps squad.
• Kenma heard from Shin'emon Maeda that Yoruichi was at the Shikokuin estate and promised to help with the vice-captain's accumulated paperwork.
• Kenma told Shisui that Shin'emon Maeda was exceptionally skilled in Kido and Flash Step, then encouraged Shisui to surpass him.
• Kenma found Yoruichi and her younger brother Yushiro waiting outside the Shikokuin estate.
• Yoruichi admitted defeat and asked Kenma to spare Saeaya and Kisuke, offering to agree to anything he asked.
• Kenma invited Yoruichi inside so they could discuss the matter privately.

Yoruichi apologized to Kenma for taking out her grievances on him and asked what he wanted in exchange for sparing Kisuke Urahara and Hachishō Ryo. Kenma secured her agreement to remove Urahara as Supervisory Squad leader and appoint Uchiha Fugaku, then demanded that Urahara and Ryo witness his sword release.

• Yoruichi sent Yushiro away and admitted to Kenma that she had wronged him by taking out her grievances on him.
• Yoruichi asked Kenma what he wanted in exchange for sparing Saeaya and Kisuke, and Kenma said Urahara was no longer fit to lead the Supervisory Squad.
• Kenma recommended Uchiha Fugaku for the squad leader position, and Yoruichi agreed to announce his appointment the next day.
• As Yoruichi tried to leave, Kenma added that he wanted Kisuke Urahara and Hachishō Ryo to witness his sword release.

Kenma revealed that his Zanpakuto’s Connection ability could bind his fate to Kisuke Urahara and Soifon, making them unable to harm him, and persuaded Yoruichi that the link would be mutual. Yoruichi agreed to release them the next day and help persuade them to accept, though Kenma privately remained willing to force the connection.

• Yoruichi questioned Kenma’s motives for wanting Saeaya and Kisuke to see his Zanpakuto, and he disclosed its Severance and Connection abilities.
• Kenma explained that Connection would link his life and fate with Kisuke Urahara and Hachishō Ryo, preventing them from harming him.
• Yoruichi accused Kenma of seeking to enslave them, but he claimed the connection would let both sides sense each other and swore he had not lied.
• Yoruichi apologized for doubting Kenma and agreed to take him to the Supervisory Squad the next day to release Saeaya and Kisuke.
• Yoruichi said she would help persuade them but would leave the decision to them, while Kenma privately considered using force if they refused.

Shisui returned to Shino Academy while Kenma and Yoruichi went to the Second Division, where Yoruichi stripped Kisuke Urahara of his posts and promoted Yanmo and Uchiha Fugaku. After Yoruichi signed the transfer order, she and Kenma prepared to visit the Worm Nest to release Saeaya and Kisuke.

• Shisui left the Shikokuin Family estate to return to Shino Academy, and Yoruichi teased Kenma about his feelings for her.
• Yoruichi dragged Kenma to the Second Division, where Vice-Captain Maeada greeted them and tried to leave.
• Yoruichi removed Kisuke Urahara as Third Seat and captain of the Supervisory Squad, promoted Yanmo to Third Seat, and appointed Uchiha Fugaku as Fourth Seat and squad captain.
• Yoruichi signed the transfer order, and Kenma clarified that Uchiha Fugaku would lead the Supervisory Squad rather than himself.
• Yoruichi told Kenma they would go to the Worm Nest to release Saeaya and Kisuke.

Kenma accompanied Yoruichi to the Worm Nest to retrieve Saeaya and Urahara Kisuke, but first he had to pass through the prison’s unarmed prisoners. After Kenma effortlessly defeated their attackers, the pair reached the deepest cells where their targets were being held.

• Kenma assigned Fugaku to report to the Second Division before heading to the Worm Nest with Yoruichi.
• Yoruichi warned Kenma that the prisoners might attack him, while explaining that most had once been Gotei 13 Shinigami judged a threat to the Seireitei.
• When a prisoner charged at Kenma, he stopped the man’s fist and asked Yoruichi whether the prisoners could be killed.
• Kenma knocked the attacker into a stone wall and defeated the other prisoners who rushed him, leaving them badly injured and unable to rise.
• Kenma told Yoruichi that White Strike had been his greatest strength at Shino Academy and that neither Kyouka nor Aizen could match him at it.
• Kenma and Yoruichi reached the deepest passage, where three cells held the targets of their visit.

Kenma visited Kisuke Urahara and Hachishō Ryo with Yoruichi and offered their release in exchange for a binding pact through his Zanpakuto. He waited for them to answer whether they would accept the pact, which tied their lives together and prevented betrayal.

• Kenma and Yoruichi visited the imprisoned Kisuke Urahara and Hachishō Ryo, and Yoruichi assured Hachishō Ryo she had come to free them.
• Kenma told Kisuke Urahara that he had lost his positions in the Second Division and the Supervisory Squad, and that Kenma would take his seat.
• Kenma said he would release Kisuke Urahara and Hachishō Ryo only if they connected with his Zanpakuto and formed a pact that let him sense their movements and bound all their lives together.
• Yoruichi assured Kisuke Urahara that Kenma's pact affected both sides equally and promised to protect him and Hachishō Ryo.
• Kenma asked Kisuke Urahara and Hachishō Ryo whether they were willing to form the pact.

Kenma secured Kisuke Urahara and Hachishō Ryo’s agreement to form connection contracts, then recruited Mayuri Kurotsuchi as well. He prepared to release the three future Captain-level fighters from the Worm Nest.

• Yoruichi urged Hachishō Ryo to accept Kenma’s contract, and Hachishō Ryo reluctantly agreed.
• Kisuke Urahara asked whether Kenma would force a contract on him if he refused, and Kenma admitted that he would.
• After hearing Kenma’s honest answer, Kisuke Urahara agreed to form a contract with him.
• Kenma offered the prisoner in another cell a contract, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi agreed after demanding laboratory supplies and equipment.
• Kenma concluded that he had recruited three future Captain-level fighters and chanted, “Connect, Kiritsugu.”

Kenma questioned Uchiha Fugaku about the Uchiha Clan and the pirates and Marines, then learned that Whitebeard, Ace, and other ability users had begun feeling hunger as their training progressed. He ordered a control experiment and revealed that he had transferred Fugaku to the Second Division because he would be getting married soon.

• Fugaku and Mikoto arrived at Kenma's office, where he asked Fugaku about the Uchiha Clan and the newly arrived pirates and Marines.
• Fugaku reported that Whitebeard, Ace, and other ability users had begun feeling hunger as they trained harder, though Whitebeard's influence and the Shikokuin Family's protection had kept the pirates stable.
• Kenma suspected that borrowing his Spiritual Pressure caused the trainees' bodies to change, and he ordered Fugaku to compare them with ordinary people training through the same connection.
• Fugaku explained that leaving the Uchiha Clan relieved him because Itachi's actions had stirred resentment against him, and he had left the elders to manage the clan.
• Kenma told Fugaku that he had transferred him to the Second Division because Kenma would be getting married in a few days.

Kenma arranged for Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto to take on duties while he prepared for his wedding, and told Fugaku he would open a passage to the shinobi world. He planned to recruit powerful souls there and rebuild the Onmitsukidō into an intelligence agency under his control.

• Kenma assigned Fugaku to oversee the Second Division's work and the Patrol Corps while he was occupied with wedding preparations.
• Kenma arranged for Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto to stay at the Shikokuin Family estate, then sent Mikoto to assist Yoruichi.
• Kenma told Fugaku that he would open a passage to the shinobi world so the Uchiha Clan could send someone to monitor events and gather powerful souls.
• Kenma planned to recruit powerful figures from the shinobi world and use them to strengthen the Onmitsukidō as an intelligence agency answering only to him.

Kenma brought Uchiha Mikoto to serve Yoruichi and saw Uchiha Fugaku appointed Fourth Seat of the Second Division. Yoruichi accepted Mikoto while growing curious about the Uchiha members around Kenma, and Kenma explained that he was arranging division personnel before their wedding kept them away.

• Kenma brought Mikoto to meet Yoruichi and warned her about Yoruichi's teasing personality.
• Yoruichi accepted Mikoto as her attendant after learning that Mikoto was Fugaku's wife.
• Shin'emon Maeda brought Fugaku to meet Yoruichi, who appointed him Fourth Seat and placed the Supervisory Squad under his command.
• Yoruichi realized Kenma had arranged the appointments to help manage division affairs while they were away preparing for their marriage.

Kenma sent Shisui to the Uchiha Clan Territory with his Zanpakuto, then descended into Shisui to open a passage to the Ninja World. Shisui recovered after Kenma’s will left and prepared to deliver the lord’s instructions to the Uchiha.

• Kenma delegated the Second Division’s affairs to Fugaku and sent Shisui to the Uchiha Clan Territory because wedding preparations kept him busy.
• Shisui showed the Uchiha elders and clan members Kenma’s Zanpakuto and explained that he would serve as a vessel for the lord’s will.
• Kenma descended into Shisui, whose body he controlled while the Uchiha knelt before him.
• Kenma released Kiritsugu and slashed through the space between the Senkaimon’s pillars, opening a passage to the Ninja World.
• Kenma’s will left Shisui, leaving him drained, and Shisui told the Uchiha that he would convey the lord’s instructions.

On the day of Yoruichi and Kenma’s wedding, nobles and Gotei 13 captains gathered at the Shihōin Family residence. Kenma reunited with his former teachers and grandfather, while Shihōin Chunyan asked him to meet a mysterious guest that night.

• Shinjī Hirako and Aizen arrived at the wedding, where representatives of the Great Noble Clans and Gotei 13 had gathered.
• Unohana Retsu reported that Shihōin Chunyan had recovered enough to attend the wedding, and Kyōraku Shunsui spoke with Aizen about marriage.
• Shihōin Chunyan dressed for the ceremony despite Yoruichi’s concern and urged her to marry Kenma properly.
• Shihōin Chunyan privately asked Kenma to visit that night to meet a special guest, and Kenma agreed.
• Kenma joined Shisui and reunited with Tenshin Shoun, Nobunaga, and Nasu Yoichi, who bickered as he greeted them.

Kenma and Yoruichi married in a solemn ceremony at the Shikokuin Family residence, then toasted the noble clans and Gotei 13 captains who attended. The chapter left Kenma wary of Ukitake Jūshirō, whose absence and mysterious nature made him the person Kenma feared most.

• Kenma and Yoruichi exchanged marriage vows and officially became husband and wife.
• Shihōin Chunyan thanked the guests before withdrawing to the inner residence because of his health.
• Kenma and Yoruichi toasted Shiba Kaien and learned from Kuchiki Ginrei that Kyouka had been confined.
• Kenma and Yoruichi greeted several Gotei 13 captains, while Kyōraku Shunsui explained that Ukitake Jūshirō was too ill to attend.
• Kenma reflected on Ukitake's mysterious identity, powers, and connection to the Spirit King, and recognized him as the person he feared most.