C15: Years of Time Skip |Part 10|

• (Near the Flower Capital, on Udon's border of Wano Country) {Year: 17.9} •

The young handsome man walked to the Flower Capital's circular wall. He still wore clean light blue kimono with a similar cloth hiding his eyes, with a katana attached right side of the white belt around his hip. The kimono and cloth covering his eyes only helped to increase his devilish charm, revealing his upper of sculpted chest.

Ichigo nonchalantly 'looked' at the entrance of the Flower Capital, as if he was just there for a tour. He ignored the Beasts Pirates and Orochi's corrupt samurais standing guard. They didn't get in his way at all, instead they stood in a way where there was only a path for him to go through. Ichigo, being a 'kind' man, followed the path. The people around them twitched their mouths, it was as if he really was here for a tour... Suddenly!

*CHHH*

His Sword Aura burst out heavily, causing those around them to wet themselves. Taking back his Sword Aura, Ichigo scrunched his nose. "Ugh, I didn't know that the Flower Capital had such awful smell, no wonder only dirty people are in here..."

Veins popped up on their heads. 'Bastard! You're the one who f*cking scared us into wetting ourselves!'

As much as they would like to angrily shout at him, they couldn't because of the consequences. They could only glare angrily at him. Ichigo took that in as if they were nothing, making more veins to pop up. Deciding to stop playing with them, he started to continue walking the path.

...

After a very slow walk to the end of the path...

"Oh, is this the end?" He said as there wasn't any other path other than back.

The people behind him were tired and pissed off. Ichigo had walked so slow that they had to stand longer than expected, he didn't even start attacking, and yet they were already tired. 'F*ck! At least he'll be weakened now!'

"Hey~!" He lazily yelled, waiting for something or someone to appear. He already knew what their plan was now, he had used his Observation Haki while slowly walking.

It took him some time to understand what the f*ck those chains were. They had the potential to weaken him, he agreed. But he still didn't understand how it was possible, or what kind of material it was.

*Rumble*

A rumble was felt as Ichigo watched around him. The buildings around him had moved away from him, creating a spacious arena. After that, there was now a second circular wall, outlining the spacious arena.

*Woosh*

*RUMBLE*

A booming voice came as a huge eastern dragon appeared from the sky. "Haha, you willingly came in without making things difficult for us, Ichigo! Or should I say, Ryu!"

'Can this f*cking villain get anymore cliche?' Ichigo(Ryu) thought, snickering. "Yeah, why not? You all had worked so hard on making a trap for me. I can't just up and ruin it in one move, could I?"

Twitching his right eye, Kaido commanded his Disasters and Orochi to appear. "Disasters, come! Orochi, start the plan!"

*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*

All of the three Disasters appeared from the sky, looking menacing. Well, at least to others, not Ichigo. King and Queen looked the same as before. Jack was a man of massive stature, however, while still being immensely muscular, Jack's limbs were small when compared to his enormous torso. He wore a metallic jaw mask and has a pair of horns on each side of his head. His blond hair is worn in a ponytail and a pair of long braids. He wears a dark, sleeveless, feathery coat similar to Kaido with spiked pauldrons on his shoulders, circled by a belt bearing his crew's Jolly Roger.

Ichigo just casually brushed off their cool appearance. "Hey, little Kingie! Skinny boy! And whoever that little stupid blondie is, maybe your illegitimate child?!"

"...Bastard!" Both King and Jack shouted angrily at him as they started to morph with their devil fruits. Queen just stood away with Orochi, preparing for something.

King changed into a full black pteranodon, and started to fly in the mid aid, while Jack changed into a huge mammoth. His metallic jaw mask somehow disappeared... Ichigo thought that this was related to logics of the world, chuckling to himself.

"Now, hold on!" Ichigo shouted, as he brought up his 75% full Sword Aura out. The world seemed to go colorless, black and white around him. Anyone in his vicinity felt like they would die if they moved a single bit, not daring to breathe. Ichigo controlled his Sword Aura so that only those in Wano would feel it, not the whole world. Kaido was shocked at this! He, a eastern dragon, was fearful of Ichigo! They immediately expected that their trap wouldn't work.

(AN: No shit, Sherlock.)

"I came here to willingly be trapped by you all, so no need to attack me, yeah?" Ichigo's voice came out as a chilling sharp voice, as they all felt like they were being stabbed by his voice itself. But they got confused, was he saying he'll let them use the trap? Seeing their confusion, Ichigo continued. "Yes, I'm here to willingly take your trap. Go ahead and use the chains."

Taking back his Sword Aura, he made his durable katana to rust away, disappearing into air as dust. He then stood still, with his arms like a T.

Ichigo stood like that for awhile, no one else moved either. They were doubting him, why would he just surrender himself? He must have a plan, they thought. Starting to be impatient, he shouted. "Are you guys going to f*cking do it or not?!"

Taking that as a challenge, Kaido boomingly commanded Queen and Orochi. "Do it!"

"Yes!" They started to bring the unknown golden chains, but they were also wearing a different kind of gloves as they held it. They then started to put force into the chain as they aimed the chain's sharp ends to Ichigo's body.

*PUU*

Ichigo really didn't move as it went into his right shoulder. Blood didn't come out of it strangely. He felt like his strength was being sealed as his body was fighting it. Kaido seeing that it looked like it worked and he really didn't move, started to laugh crazily in his eastern dragon form. "Haha! Looks like it works! Continue!"

Orochi then started next, he aimed for his left shoulder. It went in, Ichigo didn't move at all! He just simply stood there, taking it. Queen and Orochi continued took turns aiming, making sure they completely rendered him immobile.

*PUU* *PUU* *PUU* *PUU*...

...

After that day...

"Hey, have you heard rumors of what happened to the Lone Blind Swordsman?" A man said to people in the restaurant he was eating in. He was the very same man who had eaten with Ichigo, at the same restaurant. "It seemed that he surrendered himself there for some reason..."

"What?!", "No way!", "Why would he surrender after conquering all lands but the Flower Capital and Onigashima?!", "Where did you get this rumor from?"

Commotions were heard in the restaurant. They couldn't believe that at all, why would he surrender? They started to be angry at the man who said it. The man receiving those angry glares didn't falter at all as he continued.

"I heard this from a reliable source, who had saw Ichigo himself going into the Flower Capital. Didn't you all feel a burst of immense power from there a week ago? That was him! But after he released such power, his katana dusted away and then he just stood there with his arms out. He looked like he was willing to surrender, as if he planned this."

He told the others in the restaurant, as more people started to gather there to listen to his story. They for one, knew who the man was, he was reliable for information gathering, but they couldn't believe that the conqueror just willingly surrendered. Wanting to know more, someone told him to continue. "And?"

"Kaido of the Beast ordered Queen the Plague and Orochi the Shogun to shoot out some kind of large gold chains, that seemed to glow gold too, at him. Guess what happened? The Lone Blind Swordsman just stood there, taking it! When they realized he was serious about surrendering, they started to ridicule him as the Shogun and the Plague kept shooting the chains towards his body!"

"No way...", "H-he just took them?", "What happened next?!" The people started to tear up. Their savior had willingly took the golden chains for some reason! They couldn't understand why, so they could only draw up assumptions of their own. Weak-willed people had already cried hearing him.

"Yes... He just took them, standing in the same spot. He now had chains in his hands, shoulders, legs, feet, arms! After the eighth chain, the blood didn't come out of his body at all, as if the chain had made it so! But when the ninth chain struck him into the center of his torso... he finally splurt out blood out of his mouth! He then went down, on his knees in front of Kaido of the Beast. But Ichigo didn't look angry, he just looked tranquil as he stared back at Kaido!"

The man looked around as he spoke. The people had quietened down, listening carefully and tearing up. He himself teared up too when he found out, but he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the others as the person who told them.

"After they finished chaining him, Ichigo just did nothing the whole time. He just kept staying on his knees as b-blood kept fl-flowing out of h-his mo-mouth only..." The man finally choked up as he had tears rimming his eyes. He swiftly looked up, not wanting them to see. Unfortunately for him, the people listening had paid attention carefully that they had already noticed it.

Clearing his throat, he continued. "H-he was left there as Kaido and Orochi wanted him to stay there and use him for themselves... Then! That bastard King started to torture him as if it wasn't enough that chains had already harmed him!" He shouted angrily at the end, boiling the audience's blood. "King kept torturing Ichigo as he enjoyed it! Ichigo just stayed motionlessly, taking it! I don't know why Ichigo didn't resist at all, but it boiled me so hard that I got angered at King the bastard!"

"Damn it!", "So cruel...", "Why didn't he resist at all?!", "Damn! I feel so weak than before now!" Everyone had similar emotions as each others as they voiced out their thoughts. They wished they had some power to save him, and yet, miracle wouldn't just suddenly happen.

"Apparently Orochi and Kaido has been trying to make Ichigo turn over to their sides... There was also a rumor that Ichigo was being made mindless, forced to follow their every orders." The man calmed himself as he continued telling more of informations. "But... I myself think that Ichigo has planned something huge, for himself to willingly surrender to those bastards..."

The large audience started to voice out their assumptions to each others. The group were united in this moment, discussing.

...

A certain young lady...

*Sob*

Sobbing sounds were heard from inside the young lady's room. Her maid were also tearing up, but she forced herself to stay strong for her young miss, trying to ease their emotions.

"Why?!" The young miss hoarsely shouted as she cried. "Why Ichigo?! Why did you willingly surrender yourself!"

She had received accurate reports about him, from a very reliable source. She knew those were true, because the past reports about Ichigo she had received, were all accurate.

"Y-young miss, he might had planned something huge..." The maid sputtered out a thought just to try ease her. Unfortunately...

"Then why did he have to sacrifice himself?!" She angrily roared at her maid. The maid cowered before her, she had never seen her young miss like this! It seemed that she really fell in love with him. Realizing what she just did, she just turned. "G-go away, leave me alone."

Sighing, the maid obeyed. Bowing, she left the room. "Yes..."

"Wait," The young miss stopped the maid when she was about to close the door. "If any more reports come, immediately bring them and.. sorry for my outburst."

"Yes." The maid didn't mind it, as she fully closed the door-slide. "It's alright. After all, we're childhood friends right, Rin?"

• (Wano Country) {Year: 17.11} •

Near the Kuri's Border Defenses...

"Damn!" A Beasts Pirate shouted as he kept punching the indestructible barrier. The Beasts Pirates kept trying to break into the border barrier, but they couldn't break it a single bit. When they remembered that Hakumai had letted the citizens going there in, they also tried to enter, but they couldn't.

The Strongest Creature in the World and the Shogun now realized they had been effectively trapped in the Flower Capital! Ichigo had lured them into one spot and they fell for it. They could fly, but they still couldn't get into any land that Ichigo had conquered, except Ringo for some reason.

They now only could either stay in the Flower Capital and Onigashima or leave the Wano Country. They had tried to force Ichigo into releasing the barrier, but he didn't respond at all. He just stayed quiet, ignoring them. The residents in Wano, who kept a watch out for more information, started to respect him more, he refused to let the citizens be harmed at all, taking the torture!

Kaido, Orochi, King, Queen, Jack, anyone who had personally experienced his stubbornness for keeping the citizens safe, had even already started to respecting him. Which is precisely why Kaido the Yonko had wanted Ichigo to join him, he would be a valuable asset for his crew. Such loyalty and toughness made anyone wish that he was on their side.

They also found out Ichigo refused the citizens to leave the barrier out of their free will too! He had made the border barriers prevent anyone from leaving. It seemed that he had expected that people would try to save him, so he changed it. The respect seemed to keep increasing as they started to realize his goal bit by bit.

Unfortunately for them... Ichigo just simply didn't want any annoying pests to ruin his plan. They'd regret the tears they had shed for him if they find out about his plan.

...

In the Flower Capital of Wano...

A disheveled bloodied man kneeled on the floor that had his dried blood on it. He had golden chains in his body. Two in hands, two in feets, two in both shoulders, one wrapped around each arms and legs, and one in the center of his torso. 11 golden chains in total.

They seemed to be weakening him in overall, as his body was full of cuts. It wasn't easy cutting his skin, it was like cutting a iron skin to them. After countless tries, they finally became able to cut him with cursed swords.

The Beasts Pirates had kept torturing him, more specifically King took a lot of pleasure into torturing. King had been ridiculed by Ichigo a lot, and here he was! Being tortured by him, King! But even he started to respect him for having such iron will.

The samurais and Orochi at start had enjoyed watching Ichigo be tortured, but as time went on, they started to respect him. They started to feel like they did something wrong, so they left, not wanting to see him at all otherwise they might change to righteous. Ichigo had a huge effect on them, showing such iron will, stubbornness, and not showing any signs of breaking down!

"Hm." King said as he walked in the Beasts Pirates torturing Ichigo currently. "Enough! You fools can't even properly do it!"

Backing off, the torturers heaved a sigh. They had been awake, torturing Ichigo for almost a week never sleeping. They all had their fair share of torturing people, but they never met someone like Ichigo. He even willingly surrendered himself.

• (Flower Capital of Wano Country) {Year: 18.2} •

'It's coming!' As a glint appeared in Ichigo's bright green eyes, he moved for the first time ever since he surrendered himself. He turned his head to the direction of Ringo. There he saw a huge thundercloud hovering there as the center. The pitch black cloud seemed to cover the whole Wano Country with Ringo as the center. Golden thunders manifested as crackles were heard.

*RUMBLE*

*CRACKLE*

Ichigo seeing that, finally understood why the Sword Aura had appeared back then! His Sword Intent was preparing him for the tribulation of next realm of the Sword Intent! If the Sword Aura hadn't appeared, he wouldn't have been able to take those thunders. But now? He could easily dominate it! He had successfully took over all of the Sword Aura, even the remaining 25% abstruse energy (Desolate), making him more stronger than ever.

*CRACKLE*

A golden thunderbolt came striking down the Ringo!

*BOOM!*

"Kuku." Ichigo started to laugh crazily much to the fear of those around him. "HAHAHAHA!! IT'S STARTING!"