Within Beltz's mind, his consciousness split into three, granting him three distinct perspectives simultaneously. At the same time, his own aura grew significantly withered, while the presence of the woman and the monstrous entity surged.
CRACK!
The incubation tanks shattered under the pressure of this leaking power, the nutrient fluid spilling out across the floor. The Superego stood barefoot on the cold lab floor. She took the clothes Beltz handed her; as she dressed, she finally felt the tangible reality of existing in this world.
"Your name shall be..." Beltz looked at the stunning woman and named her: "Keiko. Keiko Tsunayashiro."
In the world of Bleach, a name represents one's entire power—it is of paramount importance. Beltz choosing "Keiko" for his Superego clone felt natural, surfacing from his subconscious without need for revision. With the identity of Keiko Tsunayashiro, she would step directly into the ranks of the Five Noble Families of the Soul Society.
Keiko nodded, accepting the name.
Beltz then turned to his Id clone. "And you are Erensig."
Strictly speaking, there was no need to speak aloud; the three were one mind in three bodies. Speaking was merely a formality to mark the occasion.
Now came the critical part. Beltz had prepared "birth gifts" for both. He drew two Devil Fruits from his shadow: the Age-Age Fruit and the Munch-Munch Fruit. He gave the Age-Age Fruit to Keiko and the Munch-Munch Fruit to Erensig.
As they consumed them, demonic power welled up, but this was only the beginning.
"Vegapunk's Azure Dragon Fruit might take some time to replicate—at most another half year," Beltz noted. Once Erensig consumed that top-tier Mythical Zoan, his strength would skyrocket, utilizing the trait of a "Hollow Eater." While his consumption ability wasn't as broken as Aaroniero's infinite devouring, holding two or three abilities was more than enough. In practice, only a few top-tier powers truly mattered.
To put it in numerical terms: If Beltz originally had a power value of 10, and his two clones started at 1, Beltz took 2 from his own power to give to them. Combined with the Devil Fruits, the clones were now at 3. Though Beltz dropped from 10 to 8, he now had two clones at 3, bringing the total collective value from 10 to 14. While a single 10 is stronger in a direct fight than an 8 and two 3s, all three could eventually grow back to 10.
Currently, Erensig was the strongest of the two clones. As a Hollow, he was naturally more potent than a fledgling Shinigami. Combined with Lunarian genes, his defense was top-tier—given time to grow, he would become a "Seraphim" level threat.
"I have an idea I've always wanted to test..." Beltz reached out, touched Erensig, and teleported him directly to Hueco Mundo.
The barrier between worlds did not hinder them. Even across dimensions, he could still perceive Erensig's perspective. Unlike Imu's Depths Covenant, which temporarily severs the link across worlds, Beltz's connection to his clones was absolute. This confirmed that he didn't need to worry about a clone's consciousness collapsing if they were in different worlds.
He left Erensig in Hueco Mundo to find Harald. With Harald's protection, Erensig could feast on the endless supply of Hollows to rapidly increase his spiritual power.
Shinigami growth was trickier. It was usually a slow, methodical process. While Keiko could train her Haki in the One Piece world, it was still too slow. Beltz had reached the top in four years through a perfect storm of a Mythical Zoan, Yhwach's empowerment, and Subconscious self-hypnosis. The Age-Age Fruit didn't offer the raw stat boost of the Azure Dragon Fruit.
This was where his collection of Soul King Fragments came in. They were the "Power Supplements" he had prepared for Keiko. Even if she couldn't digest all the Soul King's power immediately, it would at least bring her to an entry-level Captain's power, with the potential to reach Schutzstaffel levels upon full assimilation.
As Keiko absorbed the fragments, a divine radiance began to emanate from her.
"Next... all that's left are the Op-Op Fruit and the Dark-Dark Fruit," Beltz murmured. The Op-Op Fruit was reserved as Keiko's second ability. The Dark-Dark Fruit was for himself; if he could consume it, he could recover the 20% of his power he had sacrificed to birth the clones. He had already allowed Teach to "escape" six months ago specifically so Teach would lead him to the Dark-Dark Fruit. Since Beltz existed outside of "Fate," he didn't trigger the fruit's self-preservation mechanism, but he also couldn't attract the fruit like a "Child of Destiny" could.
With the pieces in place: Erensig would devour Hollows in Hueco Mundo under Harald's wing; Keiko would return to the Soul Society with the Soul King's power to claim a Zanpakuto; and Beltz would replenish his Haki and hunt for the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Beltz then handed Enrakyoten to Keiko. She swung it twice, and a change occurred.
"Distorted Future: The Future of the Tsunayashiro Head!"
She activated the Age-Age Fruit. The fruit's power depends largely on the user's imagination. Children have the strongest belief in their imagination (believing they can be Ultraman or a Super Saiyan), a conviction adults often lose. But for Beltz, this was irrelevant. As a master of the Subconscious, he could use hypnosis to reinforce Keiko's conviction. If she believed with absolute certainty that she was the Head of the Tsunayashiro, she could bypass the requirements to wield the blade.
With her Tsunayashiro bloodline, Soul King fragments, and Captain-level Reiatsu, the blade accepted her.
"Drink the four seas, coil around the ends of heaven, all things in creation, overwrite and carve—Enrakyoten!" She chanted, releasing the Zanpakuto.
She wondered: if the blade could copy Zanpakuto in Bleach world, could it copy Devil Fruits in the One Piece world? While it couldn't copy Quincies or Hollows in its home world, it seemed the "logic" of the One Piece world was broader. When Beltz entered his Azure Dragon hybrid form, Keiko felt the blade successfully copy the ability.
The only drawback was the blade's tendency to shave away the user's soul. Keiko felt the weakening immediately. She retracted the blade, frowning. "The power of Enrakyoten wasn't meant for ordinary Shinigami."
"Indeed," Beltz replied. "It likely belonged to the Tsunayashiro Ancestor, a 'Transcendental' who didn't fear the side effects. To use it without cost, one must transcend being a Shinigami. Or..." Beltz's eyes lit up. "The Soul-Soul Fruit!"
Big Mom's fruit allows for the collection and distribution of souls. While it can't grant souls to humans, it can take life spans to heal the user or strengthen them. For Enrakyoten, this was perfect. If she could steal souls during a fight, she could offset the soul-shaving cost of the blade—achieving a perfect balance of "income and expenditure."
"Distorted Future: The Future where I ate the Soul-Soul Fruit!"
As Keiko visualized this future, her aura shifted again. It was that simple. As long as she believed in a specific future, the Age-Age Fruit could manifest it.
"Liltotto's gift is truly useful," Beltz smiled. He hadn't initially considered the Age-Age Fruit, but once he acquired it, he realized how perfectly it synergized with his Subconscious powers.
With the Soul-Soul ability, she could wield Enrakyoten without restraint. It was now her primary weapon. Beltz patted her shoulder and teleported her to Bleach world. Her mission: infiltrate the Soul Society and seize control of the Tsunayashiro family.
Only Vegapunk knew of the clones' existence, and Beltz intended to slowly erode those memories from the scientist's mind. The clones were his ultimate trump card—a secret for him alone.