Zanpakutō, Kurikara!

Shihōin Naraku held Tensa Zangetsu in delight and gave it a casual swing. The pitch-black blade sliced through the air with a piercing wail, its keen edge seemingly cutting space itself apart and leaving only an invisible thread behind.

"I like this sword. Stylish and sharp!"

With Shihōin Naraku's resources, he certainly had no shortage of quality weapons. In fact, he had collected several fine swords, but none could compare to the Tensa Zangetsu before him.

"Wait, Tensa Zangetsu is a Zanpakutō, and this appearance is its Bankai state. Then the one in my hand..."

"And when the reward appeared, Tensa Zangetsu had 'can be renamed' listed after it..."

"System, what does that mean?"

[The rewards that appear in every Lottery draw are influenced by the host's subconscious...]

[For example, when the prize was a Devil Fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi appeared under the influence of the host's subconscious!]

[One of this draw's prizes was a Zanpakutō. Because of the host's fondness for it, Tensa Zangetsu was drawn. This blade also inherited some of its original abilities.]

[For example: holding this blade can increase the host's strength, movement speed, and attack speed, allowing him to enter a combat state beyond his limits. It also possesses a unique ability: Getsuga Tenshō, which compresses the host's chakra to its limit at the tip of the blade before releasing it, forming an extremely powerful crescent-shaped Blade Light!]

[Note: the specific designation 'can be renamed' means that after being renamed, this blade will truly become the host's Zanpakutō and possess more wondrous abilities. Its original abilities will remain after renaming, and because of the host's preferences, the Zanpakutō's appearance will change only slightly.]

"So that's what it means..."

Shihōin Naraku understood, but he scratched his head, somewhat puzzled. His subconscious really liked the Mera Mera no Mi?

Seriously?

With so many wondrous Devil Fruits in the world of One Piece, no matter how he thought about it, the Mera Mera no Mi couldn't possibly be his favorite.

Could this subconscious... mean that because my talents in this life are well suited to Fire Release, I unconsciously chose the Mera Mera no Mi?

Forget it. I can't figure it out.

I'll deal with the Zanpakutō first. Since the system made it clear that renaming won't affect its original abilities and will add new ones, there's nothing to hesitate over.

"System, how do I rename it next?"

[Hold the Zanpakutō, host, and its name will appear in your mind!]

Shihōin Naraku thought for a moment, then sat cross-legged, gripped Tensa Zangetsu with both hands, and closed his eyes to meditate.

A name?

A name!

What will my Zanpakutō's name be?

The room gradually quieted until the only sound was Shihōin Naraku's steady breathing.

In and out...

With his entire mind immersed in his sea of consciousness, Shihōin Naraku seemed to hear a call...

His deep eyes snapped open, and Shihōin Naraku shouted the name he had heard.

"All Things in the Universe, Hundreds of Laws Converge, Kurikara!!!"

The Zanpakutō gripped in Shihōin Naraku's hands suddenly began to vibrate. Before he could lower his head, the vibration had already stopped.

A brand-new Zanpakutō appeared before his eyes!

Plum blossoms dotted its pitch-black scabbard, and a golden dragon coiled around it, its scales and claws flaring in majestic, unrestrained splendor.

The formerly black-and-red hilt now bore many fine, almost invisible patterns resembling fish scales, making it look exceptionally intricate.

Clang!

The blade left its sheath, and Shihōin Naraku nodded in satisfaction. Although the original Tensa Zangetsu had looked straight at first glance, it had actually possessed a slight curve. Now, however, this sword had become completely straight.

The pitch-black blade seemed unchanged, but a closer look revealed that even light seemed unable to illuminate its appearance. The blade itself even seemed to have become a black hole, swallowing one's gaze and leaving anyone who looked at it unwilling to turn away, as though bewitched.

And faintly, a black dragon seemed to roam within the pitch-black blade, though unfortunately, it was difficult to make out.

[Ding! Congratulations, host. The Zanpakutō Kurikara has successfully awakened!]

"Both the scabbard and the Zanpakutō itself are exactly to my taste!"

Holding Kurikara, Shihōin Naraku automatically learned everything about the blade.

First, as long as Shihōin Naraku held Kurikara in battle, the sword would automatically help him recover his stamina and chakra. Kurikara would also increase the power of every Ninjutsu Naraku used. There was also an ability he found rather strange: from now on, no snake or dragon could inflict even the slightest harm on him.

Finally came its most important ability: Kurikara could devour any Zanpakutō to strengthen itself. In other words, if Shihōin Naraku drew other Zanpakutō in future Lottery draws, he could let Kurikara devour them to gain new powers.

Of course, it might not be limited to Zanpakutō. As for what else it could devour, Shihōin Naraku would have to explore that himself.

"This Lottery draw was incredible! All those brain cells I killed weren't wasted!"

Kurikara alone had greatly increased Shihōin Naraku's strength, to say nothing of the other prizes.

Shihōin Naraku hung the sword at his waist, then discovered that Kurikara had vanished along with its scabbard. When he rested his hand at his waist, the sword appeared again. Once he let go, it vanished once more.

"This is good. It won't interfere with combat or everyday activities."

After all, it was a Zanpakutō, forged from Shihōin Naraku's soul, not an ordinary sword.

Although Kurikara possessed no sentience, it acknowledged only Shihōin Naraku as its master!

He wasn't afraid of losing Kurikara, either, because only he could use this blade. Anyone else who used it would die, and anyone who dared claim it as their own would be burned to ashes.

"Let me see what else I got in this draw..."

"One Fire Release, one Lightning Release, and Explosive Tags. Wait, why is there a thirty-percent-off coupon for Ichiraku Ramen among the rewards? And more importantly, it's expired. What use is this to me?"

With a look of utter disbelief, Shihōin Naraku picked up the discount coupon and checked the date. Sure enough, it was from nine years ago and had long since expired.

"Seriously, why not just give me one from ten years ago? Maybe I could treat it as an antique and give it to Naruto Uzumaki as a birthday present."

Well, thinking about it that way, Shihōin Naraku found a use for the discount coupon.

After all, Naruto Uzumaki was a loyal Ichiraku Ramen customer. Perhaps Ōtsutsuki Ichiraku would honor it if Naruto brought it in.

"Observation Haki! This came just in time. Combined with the Mera Mera no Mi's elemental transformation, no one will really be able to ambush me anymore. It'll be a huge help in combat."

Shihōin Naraku tested his Observation Haki. The instant he entered that state, his five senses became extraordinarily sharp.

It was as though he had gained a superpower. Though he stood inside his room, he could "hear" outside: a breeze blew, petals swayed, and bees beat their wings; a leaf slowly drifted from a tree onto the water, sending out rings of ripples; on a distant street, children chased one another at play, their hems fluttering and flying, while amid the vendors' cries, the pinwheels in their hands turned with a creak.

All these vivid, delightful sights seemed to unfold before his own eyes, letting Shihōin Naraku experience a special world.

"So this is the world of Observation Haki!"

Shihōin Naraku reluctantly withdrew from his Observation Haki state. That wondrous sensation of grasping the world in an instant truly left him yearning for it.

"Of the Three Types of Haki, I only have Observation Haki right now. Who knows when I'll see the other two?"

"But it seems I've only mastered Observation Haki's basic abilities. I can't use any of the more advanced ones, like foreseeing the future, hearing people's inner voices, or reading memories."

"I'll have to see whether I can develop those advanced abilities through training later. Some seem to be innate, though, but with the system, it's not necessarily impossible for me to learn them someday."