Jiraiya once said that the protagonist of his novels would achieve a glorious feat—
and in the end,
die as a great ninja.
Perhaps the hint had always been there.
To Jiraiya, the value of a ninja's life was never decided by how one lived—
but by what one accomplished before death.
Sneaking alone into Amegakure.
Facing Pain and the Six Paths head-on.
Dying to deliver crucial intelligence back to Konoha.
That—
was the purpose of his death.
And the ninja way he chose to uphold.
At this moment, Silvers Rayleigh also fell silent because of Ron's words.
Yes.
What Jiraiya sought was no different from Roger turning himself in.
One gave his life to ignite the Great Pirate Era.
The other gave his life for his village.
Ron smiled and tried to lighten the mood.
"Old man, everyone has their fate."
"Who knows—maybe you'll die on the battlefield tonight."
Rayleigh exploded instantly.
"Brat! Can't you say something nice for once?!"
"Looks like selling you Devil Fruits and giving you Ace really was a mistake!"
Ron laughed.
"You look exactly like Roger cheated on you, the kid isn't yours, and even your coffin money got scammed away."
"Since you're so heartbroken, I'll treat you to a good drink."
At the first half of that sentence, Rayleigh's anger had already turned murderous.
But the moment he heard the second half—
his wrinkled old face instantly bloomed with a smile.
No way around it.
After decades as a pirate,
one must have flexible moral standards.
Ron turned, took a bottle from the liquor cabinet, poured a full glass, and handed it to him.
"Rejuvenation Wine. Heavy tonic."
"Drink it slowly—your body's too weak to handle too much at once."
"Don't blow up this half-rotting body of yours."
Rayleigh took a cautious sip of the brownish liquor.
Gulp.
The instant it went down—
a warm current slowly rose from his abdomen.
Then—
his kidneys felt as if they had come back to life.
The irritability, depression, and anxiety caused by long-term deficiency vanished in an instant.
Even the sickly yellow in his face began to fade, replaced by color.
"Good—this is good!" Rayleigh said in shock.
"This works even better than tiger-whip wine!"
"You'd better drink less," Ron sighed.
"Too much and you'll build resistance."
Rejuvenation Wine—
brewed from epimedium, angelica, acanthopanax, poria, wolfberry bark, atractylodes, and other yin-nourishing, yang-strengthening herbs.
With system enhancement, the effect was multiplied several times over.
Unfortunately—
Rayleigh let Ron's warning go in one ear and out the other.
He downed the glass in one go, slammed it down, paid Jiraiya's tab—
and bolted out of the tavern.
The way he ran—
it looked like he was determined to cut down the enemy general tonight and reclaim his honor.
Seeing this, the tavern guests swarmed forward.
Grey Wolf ignored Sōsuke Aizen's resentful stare and trotted up eagerly.
"Boss! Sell me a cup too!"
"I'll bring you a brand-new gadget tomorrow!"
"I'm going home to grind a new character tonight!"
"Take care of your health," Ron chuckled, pouring him a glass.
Then he poured one each for Homelander, The Deep, Chaton, and Escanor.
As for Donquixote Doflamingo—
he scoffed.
For him, that kind of energy was better spent figuring out how to overthrow the World Government.
Aizen felt the same.
Suddenly, Demon Xiao Long sneered when he saw the Holy Lord itching to drink.
"My foolish father."
"Why bother grinding a new character?"
"Why not just pass the throne to me?"
The Holy Lord snorted coldly.
"You're already useless—always plotting patricide!"
"I must hurry up and have another one to keep you in check!"
After teaching his idiot son a lesson yesterday, the Holy Lord had planned to let off some steam.
But he'd miscalculated—
Demon Xiao Long's revenge came fast.
That bastard had placed a curse on a female demon.
Once touched—
both mentally and physically, everything would instantly go limp.
Furious, the Holy Lord had spent the entire night giving his son another round of fatherly love.
Now—
the Holy Lord took the Rejuvenation Wine from Ron and downed it in one gulp.
Demon Xiao Long's lips curled upward in a sinister smile.
Old bastard—you're dead.
Tonight I'll spend a fortune and have hell witches curse every female demon.
Grinding a new character?
Keep dreaming.
...
Elsewhere—
Aizen watched Grey Wolf sip Rejuvenation Wine while gnawing on a lamb leg, frowning deeply.
"Grey Wolf."
"At this pace, when will the Hōgyoku be completed?"
Grey Wolf thought for a moment, then grinned.
"Let's see how effective this drink is."
"If I can grind a new character, I'll need to stay home with my wife."
"Completing the Hōgyoku will have to wait."
"Two months for childbirth, two years to raise the kid…"
"All in all—about five years."
Aizen's face twitched.
Damn it.
It was supposed to take months—
now it'd become five years?!
Wait—
Aizen suddenly realized something was wrong.
Grey Wolf… damn it, I'm used to calling him that.
Did he know that once the Hōgyoku was finished, I'd immediately kill him?
Was he deliberately dragging this out?
Damn it!
Aizen felt the urge to draw his blade—
but suppressed it.
After all, Shinigami had one thing in abundance.
Time.
Still—
the thought of calling him Grey Wolf for another five years made Aizen feel physically ill.
Just then—
Ding-ling…
The tavern bell rang.
The instant the door opened—
a terrifying pressure swept in from outside.
Aizen's heart sank. He immediately reclaimed the Hōgyoku from Grey Wolf.
The black cat curled in Ron's arms jolted awake.
Cautious.
Resigned.
Speak of the devil…
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Steady footsteps echoed.
A bald old man walked in calmly.
His bearing was dignified, his brows kind, dressed in a white haori with a deep purple inner robe.
The moment she saw him—
the black cat slapped her paws over her face, silently chanting:
Can't see me… can't see me…
Then—
a deep, aged voice rang out.
"Yoruichi. I didn't expect to meet you here."
"Oh? And Aizen as well?"
"Heh… it seems the alcohol here must be quite good."
The cat leapt onto the bar and spoke solemnly,
"Long time no see, Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
This old man was none other than the pinnacle of combat power in the Bleach world—
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
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