"Hair gel hands?!"
Ron tilted his head and shot Aizen a sideways glance, instantly disappointed.
No smug, pretentious one-liners.
No dramatic monologue.
It just didn't hit the same anymore.
Bad review. One-star rating. Definitely.
At that moment, everyone inside the tavern froze.
Good grief.
This was straight-up transformation magic.
Just a second ago, he'd looked refined, gentle—harmless to humans and beasts alike.
But the moment he slicked his hair back, it was as if he'd turned into a king standing between heaven and earth.
But…
why were you standing next to Ron?
Looking for protection?!
Does that even match your current image?!
"Aizen… so this is your true face, then?"
"But—"
"Do you even understand what refusing an investigation means?"
The old man lowered his head and took a sip of wine, a faint killing intent seeping into his deep, gravelly voice.
"Can I assume that the crimes committed earlier by Urahara Kisuke and Tessai Tsukabishi… were all framed by you?"
"Captain-Commander," Aizen replied calmly, lifting his chin and looking down at the bald old man seated at the bar,
"Everything I've done has been for the sake of change."
"And none of you have ever truly understood who I am."
"When the Hōgyoku is finally completed…"
"The vacancy of the Heavenly Throne will come to an end."
"From that day forward—"
"I will stand at the very top."
It was true that after learning that a certain wolf—no, after discovering that Grey Wolf could complete the Hōgyoku—Aizen had already erased all traces of the Hollowfication experiments.
But…
the Menos Grandes released into the human world were far too easy to track.
Once he returned to Soul Society with the old man, everything would be exposed.
And what awaited Aizen then… would be the harshest of punishments.
So he couldn't go back.
What Aizen needed now was time.
Time for Grey Wolf to finish the Hōgyoku.
"Heh…"
"Are you trying to force my hand?" the old man asked coldly as he slowly stood up.
This time, Aizen didn't answer.
His eyes were filled with naked provocation.
As if saying: Old bastard, touch me if you dare.
"Then I suppose there's no helping it."
The old man let out a soft sigh and made to charge toward the bar.
However—
The instant he stepped forward, a fair, delicate hand and a massive claw landed on his shoulders at the same time.
They slammed him straight back into his chair.
The Sacred Lord spoke calmly,
"I hope you can restrain your battle intent."
"I'd rather not see this tavern—one of the few places where I can chat peacefully with my son—reduced to rubble."
Thor frowned and snorted coldly.
"All fighting is forbidden inside the tavern."
"Otherwise—"
"Bear the consequences yourself."
Hearing this, the old man finally understood why Aizen had been acting so arrogant.
So this was the root of it all.
After a brief pause, he chuckled softly.
"You think the two of you can stop me?"
As his words fell, the wooden cane in his hand dissipated, revealing its true form.
A plain-looking katana, with a deep-purple hilt and a brown scabbard.
The oldest and most destructive Zanpakutō in Soul Society—
Ryūjin Jakka.
Seeing this, Yoruichi shouted urgently,
"Old man Yamamoto, don't do this here!"
"I don't want to end up attending a funeral banquet!"
Funeral banquet…?
The old man froze for a moment, frowning.
"Give me a reason."
Yoruichi let out a quiet sigh.
"Look around you."
He scanned the room, his gaze eventually settling on Liang Bing, Keisha, and Hades.
In that instant—
The muscles of the man known as the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society tensed completely.
Especially the man wearing the black mask.
The pressure he gave off surpassed even Yhwach from back then.
"Yoruichi," the old man asked in a deep voice,
"Do you think I'm afraid of death?"
Before she could answer, Ron—who had been watching the show—spoke calmly:
"Not being afraid of death is one thing."
"But whether it's worth dying for is another."
"If you fight here, you won't even get the chance to use Bankai."
"And Aizen will walk away just fine."
"You can take this as advice—or as a warning."
"But compared to a meaningless death,"
"you're better off waiting until you return to Soul Society to arrest Aizen."
The old man knew when to yield.
He nodded and went along with it.
"In that case, we'll leave it at that for today."
"Aizen…"
"You're very lucky today. I look forward to meeting you again in Soul Society."
With that, he sat back down, and Ryūjin Jakka once again transformed into a wooden cane.
Yoruichi finally let out a breath of relief.
If the old man had died today, Soul Society would've plunged into total chaos.
"That day won't be far off," Aizen said coolly.
"And Captain-Commander, don't speak so recklessly."
"It only exposes your weakness."
Still pouring fuel on the fire, his tone arrogant beyond measure.
"A piece of trash hiding behind others,"
"what right do you have to say something like that?"
The old man clenched his fists, veins bulging violently along his arms.
But suddenly—
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Grey Wolf gnawing on a whole roasted lamb.
Wait a second.
The Hōgyoku?
Right—this wolf could complete the Hōgyoku!
With that thought, he stopped paying attention to Aizen, stood up, and walked over to Grey Wolf.
"Young man," he said,
"what price would it take for you not to help Aizen complete the Hōgyoku?"
Aizen's heart sank instantly.
Damn it.
This old man was fighting dirty.
His plan was flawless—
except for one massive wildcard.
Grey Wolf.
Aizen instinctively wanted to step forward to stop him, but after thinking it through, he gave up.
If the old man grabbed him and threw him out of the tavern, that would be the end of everything.
So all he could do now… was pray that King Grey Wolf held the line.
At that moment, Grey Wolf—still chewing on lamb—waved his hand impatiently.
"Old man!"
"Can you use a proper honorific before begging?!"
"Call me—King Grey Wolf!"
The old man's face twitched uncontrollably.
Every instinct in his body screamed to cut this bastard down.
Sensing danger, Grey Wolf immediately became alert.
"Old man, I know you're strong, but fighting's forbidden in the tavern."
"If you want something done—"
"Follow the rules!"
After a brief moment of consideration, the old man forced the words out through clenched teeth:
"King… Grey Wolf."
"Too quiet," Grey Wolf replied flatly. "Didn't hear you."
The old man growled low in his throat.
"KING GREY WOLF!"
"Now I heard you."
"But sorry—can't help you."
"This king has professional integrity."
"I can't just abandon a project Aizen entrusted to me."
"And besides—"
"These past few days, Aizen's been serving me pretty damn well."
"A wolf's got a conscience too."
Grey Wolf said this while picking his teeth with a bone, grinning cheerfully.
Old Man Yamamoto: "???"
Aizen: "!!!"
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