Chapter #1 (— Present day | Karakura Town, Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Keigo ASANO and Mizuiro KOJIMA are walking outside, heading back home after a

Christmas party. Keigo lost a game during the party and got a mohawk hairstyle as

punishment. He isn’t exactly happy about it, but reminds himself that Robert De Niro

looked cool with a mohawk in Taxi Driver — Orihime Inoue had told him this little fact

to cheer him up. Mizuiro makes sarcastic comments and they bicker as usual. Keigo is

afraid people will think he’s some kind of delinquent. He sees a woman with black,

shoulder length hair who has a sombre expression on her face. He reassures her: "Ah!

It’s not what it looks like, miss! I’m De Niro!" But then his smile freezes — covering the

right part of her face… is a pure white skull. Cold sweat runs down Keigo’s back. He

realises she resembles the monsters that Afro-san (KURUMADANI) is always chasing.

Chan and Inoue have told him that those are evil spirits (he forgot what they’re

called). Mizuiro also notices her and tells Keigo not to go near her. Keigo agrees,

although he silently thinks that he would’ve jumped at her anyway if she’d had a

larger bust. Then the woman suddenly looks distressed and, as if melting into the air,

she disappears. Keigo freaks out and Mizuiro remains calm. However, they’re not the

only ones who had seen her. They’re on a bustling shopping street and many people

are pointing to the spot where the woman disappeared ("Did you see that!? She

disappeared!?"). Although he didn’t really want to admit it, Keigo knew he had

recently developed spiritual-sight. But it would be weird for all these people to

possess that ability as well, wouldn’t it? Why could everyone see her? Zennosuke

KURUMADANI arrives on the scene. He came because he had sensed a suspicious

spiritual-pressure, but he’s too late. She’s gone

Keigo knows KURUMADANI is a soul reaper. He notices that the other people can’t see

him. Which means that those people don’t share Keigo’s ability to see spirits. So why

could they see that woman earlier? Keigo and Mizuiro exchange a glance and continue

their way back home, felling unsettled. They didn’t know this was just the beginning.

Witness reports about a masked woman continued for over a year in Karakura and its

surrounding towns. Time and time again, Zennosuke KURUMADANI, soul reaper

supervising the other towns and the quincy Uryû ISHIDA would sense her presence,

but then she would be gone before they could get to her. Someone eventually

managed to film her. They put it on the Internet, and she became a nation-wide

sensation. Rumours flew. Was it fake? Was she a ghost? An intruder from another

dimension!? Eventually she also caught the eye of a certain spirit program producer.

The producer suggested to record a special episode in which "he" will try to find out

the truth behind this masked woman. Who will? The charismatic spirit medium: Don

KANONJI.

Chapter #2 (p21-47) — 250 years ago | Soul Society, somewhere in Rukongai

On a plain, somewhere in the outskirts of Rukongai, there’s the sound of metal

clashing. Soul reaper are the protectors of spirits in the World of the Living and Soul

Society, but they are also hunters. Hunters who slice down hollows with their

zanpakutô. These hunters are currently dancing around the battlefield, slicing down a

group of hollows that appeared in these outskirts. They’re soul reaper. They’re

warriors. They’re blade edges. They’re swords. They belong to the 11th Squad; the

squad most specialised in 'battle' amongst the 13 squads. They’re smiling because they

love to fight life-threatening battles, but also because they have absolute faith in their

leader. This man seemed to radiate "danger". The height of the spiritual-pressure

surrounding his body made the hollows' masks shake. The captain of the 11th Squad:

Kenpachi KURUYASHIKI. He was the 7th "Kenpachi", a name passed on to the

strongest soul reaper.

KURUYASHIKI fought the previous Kenpachi to the death in a duel. He has protected

his title for several hundreds of years now. He was actually quite social and popular,

even outside his own squad. A "crack" appears in the sky and a menos grande appears.

KURUYASHIKI takes it out with one swing of his sword ("Not you"). He isn’t interested

in the gillian, no, there’s something else inside the "crack". He tells it to come out.

Countless white threads fly out of the crack. They intertwine, turn into rope and then

knit together into one big net. The net wraps around KURUYASHIKI’s sword and pulls

him towards the "crack". There’s a short tug of war. Then a small hollow is dragged

out. It looks like a white spider. Its spiritual-pressure is stronger than that of the gillian,

heavier. It’s an adjuchas. Suspended on one of its threads, it hangs mid-air between

the crack and the ground. KURUYASHIKI tells it, "Not you either. There’s another one

behind you. It might be a vasto lorde." The spider doesn’t respond and attacks again.

KURUYASHIKI stabs it. Still no response. KURUYASHIKI pities it. He says, "You have no

contents, huh. I don’t have time to be cutting dolls. Come out". He tosses the spider back into the crack. He knows there’s "someone" inside there, but the crack closes.

KURUYASHIKI is disappointed for a moment, but then happily re-joins the battle on the

ground again.

— Several hours later

The battle is over and the 11th Squad is having a drinking party. The 4th and 8th

Squads arrived to offer backup, but seeing as the battle was already over, they moved

to leave again. However, KURUYASHIKI semi-forces them to join their party. The 11th

Squad members are impressed with their captain’s strength ("Only Captain

KURUYASHIKI can take on a menos like that!"). KURUYASHIKI tells them not to forget

about Captain YAMAMOTO, or 12th Squad Captain HIKIFUNE, or those from the

KUCHIKI and SHIHÔIN clans. His members respond, "But you never hear about anyone

taking down a vasto lorde like you did in the past, Captain." Shunsui KYÔRAKU is also

present. KURUYASHIKI asks him if he could take down a vasto lorde. KYÔRAKU

responds it depends on compatibility. He could win against a vasto lorde and lose

against a gillian. You never know. KYÔRAKU asks if it’s alright for them to be drinking

like this. YAMAMOTO might yell at KURUYASHIKI again if he doesn’t report back on

time. And what will Captain UNOHANA say if he gets her soldiers drunk? KURUYASHIKI

agrees that UNOHANA (he calls her Retsu-neesan) is scarier than any menos when

she’s angry. They discuss what happened earlier. It’s strange for several hollows to

appear, plus a gillian, adjuchas and maybe even a vasto lorde. Are the hollows starting

to use battle formations and organise themselves? KURUYASHIKI thinks they might in

the future, but not yet. Although he does remember the vasto lorde, which he had

defeated in the past, yelling "Baraggan-sama!" before he cleansed it. A hollow general,

hah. He’d like to fight it someday, but Ashido KANÔ might kill it before him. Ashida

disappeared into Hueco Mundo a few years ago with a few subordinates, chasing a

hollow.

The way KURUYASHIKI and KYÔRAKU spoke about him made it clear they thought he’s

still alive. KURUYASHIKI says that even if the hollows will continue to evolve, the 13

Court Guard Squads will improve as well. In two, three hundred years, all Captains and

even Vice-Captains may be able to take on a vasto lorde. KYÔRAKU jokes they may

have to retire then. KURUYASHIKI says he might already be dead by then. But that’s no

problem, the 11th Squad will always be led by a "Kenpachi". One of his members

quietly asks him if it’s true that the Zero Squad invited him. It’s true, but he refused.

He’s not suited to protecting a king, hiding away in a different dimension until the

enemy manages to get in. And it’s not like he was officially ordered to join by Central

46 either. Furthermore, as "Kenpachi", he has to wait here until someone manages to

surpass him. — "Excuse me. Can I have a second of your time?" A young man uttered those words. He spoke softly, but his words somehow resounded clearly in the

partying soul reaper’s ears. His appearance made it clear he was a noble. But he wore

the bare minimum of decoration. Even KYÔRAKU, the second son of a high noble

family didn’t recognise him. KURUYASHIKI asks the young man what he wants. A drink

maybe?

The young man hears a female voice behind him ("That’s him! That’s Kenpachi

KURUYASHIKI!"). The black-haired woman laughs loudly. She’s wearing a white

kimono, worn in a way that exposed much skin, and an excessive amount of

decorations. Two wide leather straps are crossed over her face, covering her eyes. The

man tells her to not to state the obvious and to move away. She does as he says,

although she calls him cold and says she hopes he’ll lose. — "Kenpachi KURUYASHIKI. I

heard that… if I kill you in front of over 200 soldiers, I will gain the title "Kenpachi" and

the position of Captain." KURUYASHIKI confirms this. The young man says he’d like

duel to the death right now. Although he doesn’t mind waiting until KURUYASHIKI has

sobered up. The other soul reaper laughs at his request. Does he have a death wish?

But KYÔRAKU, the worried 4th Squad members and KURUYASHIKI aren’t laughing.

KURUYASHIKI says he doesn’t need to sober up and stands up. His members are

shocked, but quickly make room when they realise, he’s serious. They send pitiful

glances towards the young man. He’ll lose. He isn’t even carrying a zanpakutô.

They form a circle around KURUYASHIKI and the young man. KURUYASHIKI asks

KYÔRAKU to act as witness. KYÔRAKU tells the young man there are other ways to

become a captain. The man responds that he has no interest in small talk. The man’s

words may appear arrogant, but KYÔRAKU notes the lack of emotion in his voice.

KYÔRAKU warns KURUYASHIKI to be careful. KYÔRAKU silently thinks that the man’s

lack of a zanpakutô doesn’t necessarily mean he’s weak. Leader of the kidô Corps,

Tsukabishi Tessai, could compete with a Captain with the power of kidô alone.

However, seeing KURUYASHIKI’s smile, KYÔRAKU knows it’s pointless to try and stop

him. KURUYASHIKI has won many of these kinds of duels. The young man asks if the

requirements for the duel have been met. KURUYASHIKI says they can start anytime.

— "I see, then your life won’t be pointless." The next moment, blood sprays out from

all over KURUYASHIKI’s body. It’s as if a tornado of blades burst out of his body. No

one saw the young man draw his zanpakutô, nor throw a kidô. He hadn’t even moved.

Even so, he was now the new "Kenpachi". A man stronger than KURUYASHIKI had

appeared, just as KURUYASHIKI had wished for.

-Somewhere in Hueco Mundo

The soul reaper weren’t the only ones who had witnessed the 7th Kenpachi’s demise.

Even though, at this point in time, the sheer concept of "surveillance camera" didn’t

exist in the World of the Living yet, there were bug-type hollows that did possess this

kind of ability. And a certain humanoid hollow, who had these small hollows under his

control, had used them to watch the duel.

He was a vasto lorde and he was the one behind the hollow attack in Soul Society a

few hours ago. — "This is Yammy’s phrase, but.. this is truly suerte." He had planned

on dissecting KURUYASHIKI’s dead body. However, he doesn’t mind this development

either. He’ll rewind the records of the recording-spirit-bugs to analyse what happened

in the duel. The man lets out an insane laugh. Then he turns his eyes to the white

spider-type hollow. He tells the spider to feel honoured. He had planned to kill it, but

these events inspired him to try a new experiment. He’ll let it continue to be his

marmot. The spider lowers its head, feeling slightly happy. It expresses its gratitude

towards the vasto lorde who will eventually become an arrancar and Espada thanks to

Sôsuke AIZEN, — "Thank you very much… Szayelaporro-sama."

— Present day

The name "Kenpachi", after being passed to its 10th successor Kenpachi KINJANGÔ, is

now held by its 11th successor, Kenpachi ZARAKI. However, there is no record of the

8th Kenpachi ever being defeated. There’s not only no record of the fight, there is no

record of the man himself either. All records were destroyed on order of Central 46.

Even so, his existence was carved deeply in the hearts of many soul reaper. He was an

extraordinary criminal who had exposed even Soul Society itself to danger.

Chapter #3 (p48-67) — Present day, Hueco Mundo

An endless sea of white sand. The home of hollows, Hueco Mundo. A young arrancar,

Nell Tu, runs across the sand near Las Noches, crying out for help. She’s followed by

Dondochakka BIRSTANNE, Pesche GUATICHE and their pet, Bawabawa. They love to

play eternal tag. Today, however, Nell isn’t the only one being chased. All four of them

of running for their lives. A group of more than a hundred arrancars is chasing them.

They say they want to play with Nell. But, considering the way they sometimes

released a Cero, Nell didn’t feel inclined to stop running. Most of them resembled

children, looking slightly younger than Nell. One of them was wearing something that

looked like white headphones. There were also some who didn’t look human, more

like small animals. Even so, they all had the number #102 somewhere on their bodies.

They were called Picarro, a name given to a group of child-type hollows. They didn’t

have individual names. They were considered one, lumped together under the number102 as Privaron Espada. Pesche curses their luck for running into them. Dondochakka

says the Picarro run free outside Las Noches now that Runuganga is gone. The Picarro

have the intellect of a child and are loyal to their desires. They originally ran free under

King Baraggan and there were briefly named Espada under the new king AIZEN, but

were demoted to Privaron Espada and sent to Tres Cifras’ Nest. Runuganga kept them

there with his endless sandstorms so they wouldn’t cause havoc in the World of the

Living. But now the Picarro were free to roam around. Whenever they found a partner

to play with, they’d play until their partner broke and could no longer move. They

were a nightmare to the weak.

— "I-Ichigo! Help us, Ichigo!" Nell met Ichigo KUROSAKI 18 months ago. Nell

remembers Ichigo being in trouble when faced with the Espada Nnoitora, but she

doesn’t remember what happened beyond that. She woke up to the sight of a scary

soul reaper and ran for her life. Afterwards she heard from the quincy and the humans

that Ichigo had already returned to the World of the Living. She had tried to go with

the humans in order to express her gratitude towards Ichigo, but she had caught the

eye of another scary soul reaper, Mayuri KUROSTUCHI, who wanted to use her as

sample. She managed to run away thanks the quincy and the others stopping Mayuri,

but when she returned, the quincy, humans and soul reaper were already gone. Until

now, in order to stave off loneliness, she hadn’t uttered Ichigo’s name even once.

Pesche and Dondochakka share a glance and decide to fight back ("Alright, brother.

Time for Plan B!"). They mix sand and Pesche’s Infinite Slime to create a quicksand-like

substance, but their plan backfires when Nell nearly drowns too. They save her, but

she’s passed out. The Picarro also free themselves.

Pesche and Dondochakka release Cero Sincrético and hit the Picarro. The attack takes

out roughly half of the Picarro. The other half release their own Cero’s in response.

Not just once, no, several seconds they each continue releasing Cero attacks, creating

a large crater in the sand. Nell and the others are nowhere to be found. Did they

vaporise? The Picarro think about who’ll they play with next. Rudbornn? Nah, he’s

been putting on airs ever since Baraggan and AIZEN left. What about Luppi? Nope,

he’s dead. Kukkapûro? Don’t know where he is. Gantenbainne? Don’t know either.

How about we go to the Firest of menos? They says there’s a strong red-haired soul

reaper there! Great! They head towards menos Forest, but then suddenly sense a

strange spiritual-pressure. There’s a lonely-looking woman with a mask covering the

right side of her face ("Who?", "I’ve seen her in Las Noches!") They head towards her

but she melts into the air and disappears. They try to find her using pesquisa and

notice there was another familiar spiritual-pressure besides hers,but they can’t

remember whose

The Picarro decide on their next game: the first one to find the masked woman wins.

They open the Garganta and, carrying their fallen fellow Picarro on their shoulders,

head into the Dangai. Silence returns to the desert. Then Dondochakka jumps out of

the sand. He had dug himself in the crater. He opens his mouth and throws up

Bawabawa, Nel, Pesche and a large amount of sand. He had swallowed the three and

dug himself deep in the sand by swallowing sand. They think this helped them to

evade being picked up by the Picarro’s pesquisa. They didn’t know the Picarro had

been distracted by someone else. Pesche decides to dub this Plan C. But then Pesche

frowns. He can sense the remainders of two familiar spiritual-pressure, but he tells

himself it’s impossible. Then, Nell wakes up, asking where the Picarro went. Pesche

can’t sense them anywhere and assumes they used the Garganta to go to the World of

the Living. Nell is worried for Ichigo, but Pesche reminds her of Ichigo’s strength, which

reassures Nell. She doesn’t know that Ichigo has lost his powers. He wouldn’t even be

able to see her now. But she also doesn’t know that there are others who can protect

the people, in place of Ichigo. A stubborn quincy. A soul reaper with an afro. And one

more person. A hero much more famous than the previous two. The hero’s name is —