Because he was determined not to return without finding Aaroniero, Beltz ended up spending over two months in Hueco Mundo.
As for the tasks Shiki had entrusted to him before leaving, he hadn't done a single one. Oden was, after all, locked away, and in the entirety of Wano, Beltz was the only one truly capable of fighting. Even though Shiki had taken the powerhouses of the Golden Lion Pirates with him, Kozuki Sukiyaki wouldn't dare summon the Daimyos to launch an attack before understanding the situation. Besides, even if they did attack, it would be futile.
Beltz had carved out a space within the shadow of Onigashima—a laboratory existed on the island, and another lay within the shadow. Vegapunk usually conducted his research inside the shadow laboratory; Beltz only needed to pop back for a few minutes occasionally to handle certain matters. The rest of his time was entirely dedicated to searching for Aaroniero.
Hard work pays off. Today, he finally discovered traces of Aaroniero. No, it would be more accurate to say he first discovered traces of Las Noches!
Aaroniero Arruruerie was part of the first generation of Espada recruited by Aizen after his arrival in Hueco Mundo. Initially, the Espada were not named as "Blades" but represented the Seven Deadly Sins. Later, Aizen felt that an organization of seven Arrancars wasn't enough to deal with the Gotei 13, so he expanded it to ten. Aaroniero originally represented the sin of "Gluttony," which meant he had already joined Aizen's Las Noches by this time.
Of course, because Aizen had not yet truly completed the Hogyoku—possessing only half of it—his Arrancar experiments were incomplete. However, they had indeed brought incredible evolution to the lifeforms of Hueco Mundo. Since it was the early stages of Las Noches' construction, these Arrancars still had to head out on missions to help Aizen find more powerful Hollows. Once brought back, Aizen would turn them into Arrancars. This cycle continued until shortly before the Battle of Karakura Town, when the final ten Espada seen in the war were established.
After discovering Las Noches, Beltz waited for Aaroniero and finally spotted him today. But Aaroniero wasn't alone; another Arrancar accompanied him. While Hollows are typically solitary creatures, Arrancars moved in groups—perhaps one of the significant changes Aizen brought to their nature. This didn't matter, though. Beltz would leave Aaroniero to Rukia and handle the other Arrancar himself.
He brought Rukia over from Onigashima. At first, Rukia didn't know what was happening. Then, Beltz explained the connection between Shiba Kaien and Aaroniero.
"You're saying... Lord Kaien was devoured by this Hollow?"
Rukia was overcome with shock upon hearing Beltz's words. She never imagined that Shiba Kaien, whom she had personally cut down, still hadn't found peace and had been consumed by a Hollow in the end.
"Yes. I know your relationship with him, so I've decided to let you handle him." Beltz let Rukia sit on his dragon back and looked ahead. "Don't worry about the one beside him; I'll deal with him."
Rukia tightened her fists. "Thank you, Beltz."
"No need for thanks. I'll create a one-on-one environment for you. Get ready to go down."
With that, Beltz suddenly accelerated, charging toward the two Arrancars ahead!
?
At this moment, Aaroniero was traveling with Grimmjow. A look of pure impatience was plastered on Grimmjow's face. Honestly, why did he have to go looking for those nonsensical Hollows just to bring them back to Las Noches? If they encountered a strong Hollow, wouldn't it be better to just tear them to shreds?
Aaroniero wore a cloak that completely covered his body. He feared sunlight. Although Hueco Mundo only had an endless night, Las Noches featured a fake sky and sun created by Aizen. He had to wear a cloak inside Las Noches to hide in the darkness and avoid direct light, so he naturally wore the same outfit when coming out.
He could understand Grimmjow's mood. In his view, Hollows were meant to devour one another. Even after becoming an Arrancar, with his "Hollow Eater" ability, wouldn't it be a waste if he didn't devour other Hollows?
As the two aimlessly searched for Menos Grande, a massive black shadow appeared in the distant sky.
Grimmjow immediately grew excited. "Hey, looks like prey has delivered itself to our doorstep. Stay out of this."
That's my prey!
"As you wish." Aaroniero, being a mere Gillian-class at his base, indeed couldn't resist Grimmjow's will. Judging by the Reiatsu, it was a very powerful Menos; he might not be a match, so leaving it to Grimmjow was the safest bet.
Arrancarization provides a massive boost to a Hollow. For an Adjuchas, the power increase is no less than evolving from an Adjuchas to a Vasto Lorde. Although Aaroniero was a Gillian who was only promoted to the Espada by Aizen's special exception due to his unique devouring ability, his strength wasn't weak. While he couldn't compare to the other Espada, other Hollows found it difficult to threaten his position.
However, when the behemoth appeared, he realized he had still underestimated the opponent. It was a gargantuan Azure Dragon! The dragon, estimated to be a hundred meters long, slammed into Grimmjow the moment it appeared without saying a word!
!
Grimmjow instantly drew his blade and collided with the monster!
Boom!
Beltz used his massive dragon body to ram into Grimmjow, sent him flying, and pushed him forward, carving a deep trench hundreds of meters long into the Reishi desert of Hueco Mundo!
Though pushed back, a savage grin appeared on Grimmjow's face. "Such great strength! but only this much won't be enough to satisfy me!" He held his sword with both hands, resisting Beltz's dragon body, and then...
Swung forward!
Beltz didn't engage him head-on. As Grimmjow swung, Beltz retreated backward and upward, flying back into the sky. While flight is an absolute god-tier skill in One Piece, it is quite common in the Soul Reaper world. Almost all spiritual bodies in this world can "fly." Grimmjow was no exception; he flew straight up, his sword stroke following closely.
Eye of the Storm!
Beltz's eyes lit up. In the next instant, he created a terrifying hurricane. The surrounding air was disrupted, unifying into a violent gale that surged toward Grimmjow.
?
Grimmjow hadn't expected this kind of move. His swung blade could only be used against the surging gale. The heavy air was directly shattered by Grimmjow's strike. The exploding air turbulence surged wildly around them, and the sand below was crushed, forming a massive crater five hundred meters in diameter in an instant!
Trying to deal with an Arrancar in Dragon Form was still too difficult. After all, this was the "Sandbag Form"; aside from large-scale destruction, it lacked precision power. But Beltz wasn't actually intending to fight Grimmjow to the death; he just wanted to lead him away from Aaroniero. He was merely stalling for time.
At this moment, Aaroniero looked at the deep trench beside him and felt relieved. Fortunately, that guy hadn't targeted him. Let him and Grimmjow fight like dogs. Just as he was about to go watch the battle, a small figure stepped out from the front.
?
Aaroniero looked at the figure and found it familiar, then he felt that familiar Reiatsu. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. In the next moment, his body transformed, taking the shape of a male Soul Reaper!
It was Shiba Kaien!
As a Hollow Eater, he could acquire the abilities and memories of those whose souls he devoured. Through Shiba Kaien's memories, he naturally recognized that this Reiatsu belonged to Kuchiki Rukia! Though he didn't know how she got to Hueco Mundo, this was wonderful. He had been wanting to devour another Soul Reaper for a long time!
Then, Rukia stepped into his sight. It was indeed her. Aaroniero was secretly delighted and opened his mouth to say, "Kuchiki, long time no—"
"You monster!"
Rukia had indeed seen the appearance of Shiba Kaien. A flash of crimson appeared in her purple eyes. She gripped her Zanpakuto and said with fury:
"To desecrate Lord Kaien's soul in such a manner! I will never forgive you!"
Rukia charged straight at Aaroniero and slashed!
"Hey! What are you doing, Kuchiki? It's me! I'm Shiba Kaien!"
Aaroniero hadn't expected Rukia to attack immediately. He hurriedly raised his sword to block her strike. He said in shock, "Don't tell me you've forgotten who I am?"
"How could I ever forget?" Tears almost began to flow from Rukia's eyes. She spoke through gritted teeth, "It is precisely because I know who you are that I cannot forgive you!"
"I will not permit you to wear Lord Kaien's face!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?! I am Shiba Kaien! If you doubt my identity, you can ask me anything, and I can answer it! Then you'll finally believe I'm Shiba Kaien, right?" Aaroniero said hurriedly. "I don't know who told you what, but I am me!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As they spoke, the two engaged in multiple clashes, their blades emitting crisp sounds upon impact. Although Rukia's body was small, she had trained in One Piece for two and a half years; her strength had progressed by leaps and bounds.
"Damn it!" Seeing Rukia's stubborn refusal to listen, Aaroniero roared in anger:
"It seems you really want to kill me, Kuchiki! Then don't blame me! I'm going to... eat you!"