"Yaaah!"
Nami let out a startled cry and instinctively threw her arms around Genrou's as she clung tightly to him in fear.
Genrou raised an eyebrow, glancing at the woman now holding onto him.
Though Nami wasn't yet in her post-timeskip form, Genrou still found the softness against his arm incomparable to that of any ordinary person.
"Alright, Nami. I already told you, they're just illusions. They can't actually harm us."
"There's really no need to be so scared."
"That said, I wouldn't mind letting you cling to my arm a bit longer."
"After all, it actually feels pretty nice."
Genrou smiled as he gave his arm a little flex.
"You're such a jerk."
Nami huffed and quickly let go of his arm, her face flushed red.
Still, as she looked at the smile on Genrou's face, Nami couldn't help but feel like maybe… he wasn't that scary after all.
'No, wait, what are you thinking, Nami?'
'This guy's an infamous pirate with an 800 million bounty!'
'Don't be fooled by appearances!'
She gave herself a couple of light slaps on the cheek. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze had regained its clarity.
Seeing this, Genrou could only smile wryly.
'Looks like I'll need to have a proper talk with Nami.'
'Otherwise, there's no way to get her to accept a Heroic Spirit template and begin training soon.'
Shaking his head, Genrou turned to the side, where Zoro stood in deep thought, still reflecting on Kokushibou's demonstration.
"Zoro, save your thinking for later."
"The 'drunkard' Matsumoto Rangiku and the 'directionally challenged' Zaraki Kenpachi are still waiting for your choice."
Hearing this, Zoro slowly turned his gaze to the semi-transparent panel in front of him, eyes falling upon the other two names.
"Matsumoto Rangiku and Zaraki Kenpachi, huh. I wonder if they're both swordsmen."
"If they are, how would they compare to Kokushibou?"
He exhaled, then glanced at the word 'directionally challenged' above Zaraki Kenpachi's name and, without hesitation, tapped Matsumoto Rangiku's name instead.
The phrase 'directionally challenged' was just too much of a deal-breaker—it made Zaraki Kenpachi his last resort.
With a familiar tremor of space, a new scene unfolded.
A curvy, mature woman with long wavy orange hair and a short blade strapped to her back was sitting at a table, drinking heavily.
In just a few moments, several bottles were already emptied into her stomach.
"She really is a drunkard. Zoro, she's just like you! Hahaha!"
Luffy burst out laughing, recalling Zoro drinking at the town tavern and comparing it to Rangiku's current behavior.
"You bastard, you've got no right to make fun of me! I heard your Heroic Spirit template includes a 'glutton', doesn't it?"
"Shishishishi, that's right! I picked the glutton Toriko. Hey, you sure you don't want to pick this drunkard Matsumoto Rangiku? I think it'd be super fun!"
Luffy grinned.
Zoro furrowed his brows and turned his attention to the newly presented scene—Rangiku now stood, having drawn her short sword and faced off against several monsters with bone-white masks.
Though her combat skills weren't on display just yet, Zoro could already sense it—Rangiku just didn't resonate with him the way Kokushibou did.
It was a swordsman's instinct.
"Let's watch a bit more."
Just as Zoro spoke, Rangiku dashed forward with her blade, striking at the masked creatures—Hollows.
Her slashes were sharp and decisive. Each swing cleaved into the faces of the Hollows, shattering their masks and causing their bodies to disintegrate into black particles.
"Sharp strikes. Strong power. But… compared to Kokushibou, her swordsmanship doesn't seem as refined."
Zoro crossed his arms and frowned.
"You can't judge it like that. In terms of raw strength, she's actually far stronger than Kokushibou."
"And aside from swordsmanship, she also possesses some rather unique powers."
"But what's most special—"
"Is her weapon, called a Zanpakutō."
Genrou smiled.
As he finished speaking, three giant Hollows over fifty meters tall suddenly appeared before Rangiku.
Her eyes narrowed, and she gently rested her left hand on the hilt.
"Whisper… Haineko!" (Ash Cat)
With a low murmur, Rangiku's short blade transformed—the metal dissolving into a cloud of ash-like dust.
With a simple flick of the now bladeless hilt, the cloud surged forward, enveloping the massive Hollows and racing to their heads.
Another swing.
A line appeared across the neck of the targeted Hollow.
In the stunned silence that followed, its head fell cleanly from its body and disintegrated.
"What… was that?!"
"What kind of blade is that?!"
Zoro cried out in shock.
"That was her Zanpakutō, Haineko (Ash Cat). It's Rangiku Matsumoto's exclusive weapon."
"It has two stages of release. What you just saw was the first one."
"And the ability it gains upon release… well, you saw it with your own eyes."
"If you choose Rangiku, Zoro, there's a good chance you'll gain her weapon."
"Of course, whether you can actually release it… will depend on your own ability, and how well you resonate with her."
Genrou grinned.
…
(End of Chapter)
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