Morning.
Samui had gone out to buy something, telling Hancock to head to the palace on her own.
By now, Hancock had completely treated Samui as her long-term meal ticket, eating all three meals a day at her place.
However, when Hancock arrived at the attic of the palace, she encountered an unfamiliar woman.
A blonde, just like Samui—dressed in a professional business suit, with an equally voluptuous figure and striking beauty.
Ding—ling—
What was that sound?
Hancock asked directly, "Who are you?"
A flicker of admiration flashed through Tsunade's eyes, but she quickly fell into thought.
Instead, she asked, "What are you here for?"
Hancock initially wanted to say that she was His Majesty's servant, but the word servant felt too difficult to say aloud.
Instead, she replied, "What does that have to do with you? Who are you?"
She had already forgotten what Samui told her the day before.
"I'm His Majesty's assistant," Tsunade introduced herself.
Seeing how beautiful Hancock was, she could already guess—this was probably another one of Makoto's new favorites.
"Assistant?" Hancock blinked, and then suddenly recalled what Samui had said yesterday—about how she would meet someone today.
So it was this woman… She really was beautiful, though still a little inferior to herself.
She furrowed her brows in thought.
Assistant sounded much better than servant...
"I am…"
"You're here to serve His Majesty too, aren't you?" Tsunade interrupted, seeing Hancock's hesitation.
"…Mm."
"I'm Tsunade."
"Boa Hancock."
Tsunade could guess why Hancock had trouble speaking—her status was probably something along the lines of a servant.
But at the end of the day, a title was just a title.
What did it really matter?
Even if Makoto declared her his wife right now, her mindset wouldn't change in the slightest.
Hancock's gaze continuously roamed over Tsunade, filled with curiosity about this woman.
Samui was the secretary, and now this woman was an assistant…
Hancock couldn't help but ask, "Has His Majesty married? Does he have a wife?"
"Yes."
Hancock had already guessed as much, so she didn't find it surprising.
Instead, she continued asking, "Then, His Majesty's wife must be very beautiful, right?"
"Mm, they're all very beautiful."
All…
Hancock was momentarily stunned. "Eh? His Majesty… has many wives?"
"His Majesty has five wives."
"F-Five?"
"For now, it's five."
"..."
Hancock stood there, lost in thought, while Tsunade started cleaning the room.
After a while, Samui arrived.
Seeing Tsunade, she greeted her, "Morning, Tsunade."
"Morning."
She brought two drinks for them.
Hancock took a sip and was immediately astonished.
"This is amazing!"
"It's from the west side of the New City food street. If you like it, you can buy it yourself next time."
As Samui sat at the table and began reviewing documents, Hancock walked over and asked, "Samui, what kind of people are His Majesty's wives?"
Samui replied calmly, "You'll have the chance to meet them in the future."
Hancock asked the question that mattered most to her: "Are they as beautiful as me?"
Samui glanced at her. "His Majesty has never lacked beautiful women around him. And he never will."
Hancock failed to grasp the deeper meaning behind these words.
While Samui reviewed official documents and Tsunade continued cleaning, the occasional crisp sound of a bell echoed through the room.
Hancock kept glancing at Tsunade, wondering if she had a bell hidden on her somewhere.
With nothing else to do, she could only wait for the emperor to arrive.
...........
Soul Society.
After the construction of the Solarity Tower, nothing had yet occurred to validate Head Captain Yamamoto's concerns.
Instead, the empire from the living world had sent numerous technological items that Soul Society previously lacked.
He had personally inspected them and found nothing suspicious—most were household appliances and communication devices.
Unlike the technology of their original world, these devices did not rely solely on electrical energy.
Yamamoto had initially considered holding off on implementing the communication equipment, but the Central 46 had already issued an order, demanding that Seireitei rapidly advance its technological capabilities to match those of the living world within a set timeframe.
This directive left him feeling helpless.
He could not understand why Central 46 was treating the living world so favorably, especially when its emperor remained an enigmatic and potentially ambitious figure.
For now, all he could do was strictly instruct Kurotsuchi Mayuri to rigorously monitor and regulate the technologies coming from the living world.
..............
At the Senkaimon (World Penetration Gate)
Kyoraku Shunsui, accompanied by his lieutenant Ise Nanao, was stationed at the Senkaimon, awaiting the latest arrivals from the living world.
Before long, Hyuga Hakumen emerged from the gate, leading a squad of his own people.
"Aah, Hakumen, it's you again." Kyoraku walked up in a familiar manner, slinging an arm around Hakumen's shoulder, as if the two were old friends.
Hakumen, clearly used to this, sighed and pushed Kyoraku's arm away. "This batch of appliances is ready for inspection. Go ahead and verify them."
Kyoraku grinned and waved a hand lazily. "Just take them straight to Squad 12. You know me—I wouldn't be able to tell if something was off even if I checked. It's better to let Captain Kurotsuchi handle it."
Hakumen scoffed. "Then why did they send you here? Wouldn't it have been more efficient to just call Captain Kurotsuchi?"
Kyoraku immediately put on a dramatically heartbroken expression. "Ouch, Hakumen, that really hurts. And here I thought we were good friends."
He gestured for the seated officers to take over the cargo crates brought from the living world.
"I don't recall us being that close," Hakumen ignored Kyoraku's dramatic display and replied in a calm tone, his gaze drifting toward the distant Solarity Tower.
Kyoraku had initially planned to continue joking, but noticing where Hakumen was looking, he asked, "What are you staring at?"
Hakumen responded, "With the Solarity Tower now in Seireitei, it feels more familiar—almost like I'm still in the empire."
Kyoraku laughed heartily. "You do realize you're in the world of the dead now, completely separated from the living world, right?"
Still grinning, he added, "Surely the empire doesn't plan on meddling with the affairs of the dead too?"
Hakumen replied, "Have you forgotten that negotiation? The empire only concerns itself with the living. The dead are under your jurisdiction."
Kyoraku chuckled, "Well, we're just doing our job—keeping this world stable."
With that, the group, led by Kyoraku, departed the Senkaimon, heading toward the 12th Division Barracks.
The streets of Seireitei were remarkably clean, and the surrounding buildings were well-maintained and orderly.
Hakumen didn't come here often, so he asked, "Where do souls go after death?"
Beside him, Nanao Ise explained, "The souls of the deceased in the living world, after receiving a konso (soul burial), are guided to the Rukongai, where they continue their lives."
Hakumen was slightly surprised. "Rukongai?"
"It's the area outside Seireitei."
Hakumen pondered for a moment. "Then what about the people who live in Seireitei?"
"Only Shinigami and the noble families reside there," Nanao replied calmly.
She saw nothing strange about this—nor did most people.
After all, the Soul Society's order was originally established by the nobility and Shinigami.
The residents of Rukongai were the outsiders.
Giving them a place to live, the chance to become Shinigami, and the opportunity to survive under their rule was already a great mercy.
Hakumen didn't comment on the morality of it.
He simply said, "I see."
Right or wrong didn't matter—Hakumen didn't care about such things.
He was just here to carry out His Majesty's orders.
Kyoraku chuckled and asked, "Why the sudden interest, Hakumen?"
Hakumen replied, "Someone I knew recently passed away. Since souls come to the Soul Society after death, I was wondering if there was a chance I could find him here."
Kyoraku immediately said, "That's an easy matter. I can have someone help you look for him."
Hakumen hesitated. "Would that be… inappropriate? I'm still a living person. Wouldn't this disrupt the order of Soul Society?"
Kyoraku laughed. "You're overthinking it, Hakumen."
To someone of Kyoraku's level, they were the ones maintaining the world's order.
Concerns about the division between life and death were rules meant for ordinary people.
"Once we finish the handover with Captain Kurotsuchi, why don't you come have a drink with me? I'll have my subordinates handle the search—all I need is the person's name."
Konoha was a key observation area for Seireitei, monitored by an elite squad composed entirely of seated officers.
The moment someone died, they immediately conducted konso, ensuring no chance for Hollows to form.
After all, given the current relationship between the Empire and Seireitei, if a Hollow were to cause havoc in Konoha, although Konoha could handle it on its own, it would still be a blow to the reputation of Seireitei's Shinigami.
................
Biotechnology Research Institute
"Among the three types of Devil Fruits, the Zoan-type is the easiest to analyze, while the other two are more troublesome."
"Can they be cloned and mass-produced now?"
Kabuto pondered for a moment before replying, "It's possible, but the cloned Zoan-type fruits will be significantly weaker."
Makoto asked, "If an ordinary person eats one, what level of power can they attain?"
Ordinary person?
Kabuto was utterly shocked—were these fruits meant for ordinary people?
He had assumed that His Majesty wanted him to research Devil Fruits to enhance the Empire's strength.
Adjusting his glasses, Kabuto thought for a moment before answering, "Devil Fruits provide an immense power boost. If an average person eats one, they will immediately gain the strength of at least a Chunin—probably much stronger. With training and mastery, reaching the level of a Jonin wouldn't be difficult."
Makoto was satisfied. "Then start mass production immediately. The more, the better. I have only one requirement for this batch of Devil Fruits—they must be controllable and suppressible through the Solarity Tower."
Kabuto responded, "That won't be difficult."
Leaving the Biotechnology Research Institute, Makoto leisurely made his way back to the Imperial Palace.
He had come straight from home to check on Kabuto's progress.
Upon arriving at the loft, he found Samui, Tsunade, and Hancock all present.
"Your Majesty," the three greeted him in unison.
Makoto went straight to the lounge chair and lay down.
Tsunade knelt beside him, gently massaging his legs.
Though it was still early in the morning and he hadn't walked much, so he wasn't really tired, what he enjoyed was the experience itself.
Just like in his previous life—how many people went for a foot massage just for the sake of cleaning their feet?
Samui approached with a stack of documents. "Your Majesty, these require your review."
Hancock watched Tsunade's skilled movements and suddenly realized—this woman had probably done this countless times before.
Meanwhile, she herself was merely a latecomer.
She quickly turned around and went into the inner room to prepare a fruit platter, snacks, and tea.
Makoto then began another day of exhausting work.
............
Around 9 AM, Terumi Mei finally woke up, took a shower, washed up, got dressed, and made breakfast.
By the time she finished all that, it was already close to 11 AM.
The workload of the Ten Crown Guards wasn't particularly heavy.
Since they were the Emperor's confidants, they mostly carried out special assignments, but such tasks were rare.
Moreover, His Majesty seemed to prefer using Hakumen, Kakashi, and Shisui instead.
This made Mei's days rather leisurely, but she didn't enjoy the idleness.
She wished for more opportunities to meet the Emperor and prove her abilities and dedication in front of him.
As she stepped out after carefully dressing herself to perfection, she happened to see her neighbor returning and unlocking her door.
"Miss Konan."
"Lady Mei, what a coincidence. Are you heading out?"
The woman had short blue-purple hair and an elegant, cool demeanor.
Her residence was right next to Mei, and when Mei had first moved in, she had taken the initiative to visit.
Konan had a pleasant personality, and as they often saw each other, they gradually became familiar.
Sometimes, when Konan hosted gatherings at her place, she would invite Mei to join.
Their floor only had the two of them, and Konan's friends were all good-looking men—one with orange hair, another with red.
This made Mei view Konan even more favorably.
Through their conversations, Mei learned that the orange-haired man, Yahiko, was actually a high-ranking official in the Empire and had previously been the leader of Amegakure.
Although her heart was set on His Majesty, Mei was well aware of the great distance between them.
It was always good to keep her options open—getting to know handsome men was never a bad thing.
And Yahiko was definitely top quality.
Mei smiled and said, "I've told you, no need for honorifics. You just got back?"
Konan replied politely, "Yes, I came back to prepare lunch. If you're free, why not come over and eat with me?"
Mei hesitated. "Uh… I just finished breakfast."
It was already close to noon.
She couldn't help but feel a bit lazy.
Konan covered her mouth and chuckled. "Alright then, go take care of your things."
She then opened her door and waved to Mei before heading inside.
Mei, on the other hand, made her way downstairs.
Another member of the Ten Crown Guards lived here—the former Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, Pakura.
Pakura had moved in after Mei, and over time, the two had grown close.
She was one of the few people Mei considered a true friend.
Among the female members of the Ten Crown Guards, Mei had initially wanted to get closer to Anko and Tsunade as well.
However, after several attempts, she realized she was only met with cold indifference, so she stopped trying to force it.
Fortunately, members like Hakumen, Guy, and Shisui had great personalities, which made her still feel that the Ten Crown Guards was an amazing group to be a part of.
Pakura had been awake for a while already.
She was an extremely disciplined person, and during her time as Kazekage, she had managed Sunagakure well.
She kept her daily schedule packed.
When there were no missions, she spent most of her time training.
Ever since she received the Sage Seal, she felt her potential for growth had expanded significantly, rekindling her passion for improvement.
When Mei arrived, Pakura had just finished showering.
She was sitting on the couch wrapped in a bath towel, reading a book.
Since hardly anyone other than Mei ever knocked on her door, she didn't bother changing.
Mei had to admit—Pakura's figure was absolutely perfect.
Every part of her was well-proportioned, and her smooth, flawless back gave Mei an unexpected impulse.
Pakura looked up and said, "I have a lecture to give at the Ninja Academy this afternoon, so I won't be able to keep you company."
Mei's interest was piqued. "The Ninja Academy? Can I come with you?"
--------------
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