For Sengoku and the older generation of Marines, stability on the seas outweighed everything else.
Yes—the World Government's order had countless flaws.
But in their eyes, flawed order was still better than total chaos.
As for revolution?
Not everyone had the courage—or the nerve—to flip the table.
After all, no one could guarantee that breaking the current system would lead to something better instead of something worse.
Sengoku and Garp belonged to the cautious camp.
If even monsters at the very top of the world hesitated…
Then it was no wonder that those rare individuals who truly changed the course of history were remembered as great men.
—
Sakazuki officially assumed the position of Fleet Admiral.
The announcement sent shockwaves through Marine Headquarters.
But the second piece of news that followed detonated like a bomb.
Admiral Kuzan—Aokiji—had resigned from the Marines.
In an instant, sympathy surged across the ranks.
Many believed the World Government had gone back on its word—snatching away the Fleet Admiral position that rightfully belonged to Kuzan and forcing him out.
During private conversations, Smoker and Tina began openly discussing the World Government's view of the Marines.
Their words spread.
Among mid- and lower-ranking officers, dissatisfaction toward the World Government quietly grew.
—
"Just a casual move on the board… and yet it's having quite the effect."
Inside the Navy's Science Unit, Sōsuke Aizen listened to a report from a Marine officer, a faint smile curving his lips.
The World Government wanted the Marines to act like obedient dogs?
Then he would quietly plant a few landmines.
Once seeds of doubt took root, every future overreach by the World Government would only deepen the Navy's resentment.
And when it finally exploded…
It would already be too late.
The Five Elders probably believed Aizen was under tight watch—restricted, unwillingly cooperating with research.
They would never imagine that from the moment he arrived, he had already placed everyone under the control of Kyōka Suigetsu.
He could even influence the political climate at Marine Headquarters from afar.
As for the Science Unit's security?
Aside from the occasional visit from Admiral Kizaru, the strongest person on-site was Sentomaru.
The man who boasted he had "the tightest lips in the world" was, ironically, terrible at keeping secrets.
At best, he was Vice Admiral-tier.
Against Kyōka Suigetsu, he had no resistance whatsoever.
The only real nuisance was the laboratory's surveillance and recording equipment.
Hypnosis didn't work on machines.
Fortunately, with everyone present already under illusion, nothing incriminating was ever recorded.
—
"Aizen-san!"
A balding man with wild white hair shaped like an apple stem rushed in excitedly.
It was none other than the World Government's chief scientist—
Vegapunk.
Vegapunk waved a stack of papers enthusiastically.
"Incredible! Simply incredible! This 'Reiatsu'—it appears to be a form of soul-based energy. It's similar to Haoshoku Haki… but not quite the same!"
"Unlike Conqueror's Haki, Reiatsu can be actively cultivated. It can even take on different forms and applications. In terms of development potential—it far surpasses Haoshoku!"
Aizen listened with genuine interest.
At first, he had no intention of seriously assisting in any research.
But after meeting Vegapunk, his thinking changed.
This man was a true scientific genius.
On par with—if not rivaling—Urahara Kisuke himself.
Perhaps he really could uncover something worthwhile.
So Aizen had provided a small sample of Reiatsu—and a bit of biological tissue—for study.
Even though it was Vegapunk's first time analyzing a Shinigami…
He had actually made progress.
"Although Reiatsu originates from the soul," Vegapunk explained eagerly, "analysis of your cellular structure shows your body contains a high concentration of elements uniquely compatible with spiritual energy."
"It's because of these elements that you can train Reiatsu the same way ordinary humans train their muscles."
"For people like us, however… those elements are extremely scarce. It would be nearly impossible for us to cultivate Reiatsu naturally."
Aizen immediately understood.
Reishi.
In the original Bleach universe, everything in Soul Society was composed of spiritual particles.
Shinigami possessed bodies formed from high-density Reishi—giving them naturally immense spiritual pressure.
In the Human World, individuals with high Reishi affinity could see spirits… or even become Quincy.
The root of it all was Reishi.
For Vegapunk to deduce the existence of spiritual particles on his own—
Truly worthy of being called a scientist five hundred years ahead of his time.
After a moment's thought, Aizen decided to share just a bit more.
"In the Holy Spirit Empire," he said smoothly, "these elements are known as Reishi. They are a gift from the Soul King himself."
"If you can decode their principles… perhaps you could harness this power."
Vegapunk's eyes lit up.
"You're saying this could be a form of biological enhancement technology?"
"More or less," Aizen replied. "Though it's nothing like the enhancements you've worked on before."
After all, Aizen himself had once researched the Hōgyoku—merging Shinigami and Hollow powers.
He had more than a passing understanding of spiritual body modification.
"Excellent! That gives me a direction!" Vegapunk exclaimed, already rushing back to his lab.
Aizen simply smiled faintly.
Modification was indeed possible—
But not in this world.
Any true Shinigami or Hollow transformation required an environment saturated with high-density Reishi.
Compared to Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, this world's spiritual particle concentration wasn't even half as dense.
Trying to recreate spiritual bodies here?
That was a pipe dream.
"Research all you like," Aizen murmured softly.
"As long as it looks like I'm cooperating."
If they couldn't achieve results, that wasn't his problem.
—
While Aizen was effectively under soft confinement within the Science Unit…
Marine Headquarters launched the World Military Draft in full force.
Sengoku retired.
Aokiji resigned.
Sakazuki became Fleet Admiral.
In a short span of time, the Navy had lost two top-tier powerhouses.
They desperately needed fresh blood.
If Sengoku hadn't forcefully rejected Garp's retirement request, the Marines might have been left dangerously thin at the top.
Who would've thought?
The Navy—long pushing to abolish the Seven Warlords system—would one day find itself short on manpower.
—
Sith Oguro, meanwhile, had no intention of interfering with the draft.
At most, it would produce Fujitora and Ryokugyu.
Ryokugyu was… unreliable.
Fujitora, however, carried genuine justice in his heart.
There was no need for Oguro to meddle.
What interested him far more…
Was the whereabouts of the Straw Hat crew.
According to a report from Rob Lucci, most of them had ended up exactly where they had in the original timeline.
Except for one.
Monkey D. Luffy had completely vanished.
Sith Oguro even contacted Boa Hancock personally to confirm—
Luffy had never appeared on Amazon Lily.