Chapter: 03

Essence of the Merchant

* You can assess the value of anything you see. Any object, living being, or even a concept such as a person's emotions. This value can be equated to any other kind of value, whether it be a physical currency, energy, mana, etc.

* By paying the value, you can gain ownership over that thing, or cause an effect, such as spending mana to cast a spell.

* You can sense, get in contact with and appear to or summon any entity you would like to bargain with.

* You can negotiate any sort of transaction with ease, with knowledge of loopholes and clauses.

* You can establish contracts for favours with other living beings to waive or reduce the value paid for the desired effect. This can include supernatural beings such as demons.

* You may also act as a mediator between two parties, creating similar contracts and overseeing their execution impartially.

* Once a contract is signed and sealed, you are linked to the other party or parties and will know when they are fulfilling their end of the bargain. This link lasts until the contract is fulfilled or all sides agree to break it off (should you include such a capability in the contract).

...

"Here we go again." Dusting his clothes from the nonexistent dust, Gin waited as the door of the Captain Council opened, and Gin, with his nonchalant smiling face, started to walk inside as two neat rows, at either side of the room,  of the captain appeared within his vision.

12th Division Captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

10th Division Captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya.

8th Division Captain, Shunsui Kyoraku.

6th Division Captain, Byakuya Kuchiki.

4th Division Captain, Retsu Unohana.

2nd Division Captain, Sui-Feng.

5th Division Captain, Sosuke Aizen.

7th Division Captain, Sajin Komamura.

9th Division Captain, Kaname Tosen.

And 11th Division Captain, Kenpachi Zaraki.

Sitting at the opposite end of the room, at the slight elevation, sat Captain-Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, also the strongest Shinigami currently within Seireitei!

"To see everyone assembled just for me, I must say I am flattered." Gin said with a sarcastic tone, gaining a glare of disapproval and annoyance from certain captains. "Hm? Where is the 13th Division Captain Jushiro Ukitake?"

"He is ill again. That is why he cannot attend Captain Assembly this time." 9th Division Captain, Kaname Tosen replied emphatically.

"I see." A slight sadness appeared over Gin's expression. "I hope he gets well soon."

"We are not called here to discuss a sick captain." 11th Division Captain, Kenpachi Zaraki interfered with a snarky tone. "But about some pesky rats that illegally entered the Soul Society and are causing trouble."

"Oh my. That indeed is very troublesome." Gin nodded as if completely unaware of what Zaraki was talking about as if it was his first time hearing it.

"Stop with that act and tell us why you let them get away. For a captain, it shouldn't be hard to kill four or five Ryoka with ease."

"Oh." An astonished expression appeared over Gin's face, looking genuine as it could be. "They are alive?"

"What do you mean?" Zaraki asked with a slightly surprised tone.

"I was sure that all of them died when I killed them.    But it seems that people don't die if they are only killed. My instincts are really failing me. I wonder if I have gotten too old?"

"It is not your instinct, but your ability to act that is failing you."

"I wonder what you mean by that 12th Division Captain Kurotsuchi? Forgive me but I was never the best at solving puzzles."

Mayuri scoffed at Gin's acting before stating.

"It seems that you have bad memories too, 3rd Division Captain Ichimaru; that you forgot that people at our level can sense the disappearance of a being's Reiryoku. Doesn't that mean that you are simply negligent of your duty and pretend to not notice?"

'Bunch of old foxes.' 10th Division Captain Toshiro scoffed in annoyance seeing how these old captains were playing word games with each other trying to pull the other down.

"By chance… Are you saying that I let Ryoka run away on purpose?" Gin asked, his eyes glowing with an azure hue.

"You can't be more correct."

Suddenly, the atmosphere within the hall seemed to drop down and become heavy as happy Gin with his smirk stared at everyone while they did the same towards him.

"Do not cut me midway clown or I won't hesitate to cut you down instead. I am the one asking questions here so shut the fuck up."

"How stupid." 2nd Division Captain Sui-Feng with annoyance, already feeling like wanting to leave this place as fast as possible.

THUD

The loud sound of the wooden staff within Captain-Commander's hand struck the ground hard enough to be heard by everyone within the hall as his deep voice filled with authority left his mouth.

"Silence. As a captain, the act of bickering among each other is nothing but disgraceful. Stand down both of you."

He said towards Zaraki and Mayuri, causing both of them to snort before getting back to their position, going silent once again.

From this alone one could tell that these captains didn't have the best relationship among themselves.

Yamamoto looked towards Gin, his eyes opening slightly to stare down at the smirking captain as his voice resounded within the now silent hall.

"3rd Division Captain Ichimaru Gin, you acted independently without order yet committed an error unworthy of a captain by letting those Ryoka run away, I hope you have some explanation for your conduct."

'It was Captain Aizen's orders. I am innocent.' — was definitely not something Gin could say right now. He had plans of his own and he didn't want them to ruin just because he didn't want to be in this situation. So he decided to stay silent for some time before opening his mouth.

"I have no explanation."

Everyone looked slightly surprised at how clear-cut he came out of it all of a sudden while he was beating around the bush just a second ago.

"I was simply careless and will accept any punishment that the Captain-Commander deems fit without any problem."

"I think—" The moment 5th Division Captain Sosuke Aizen opened his mouth, a loud alarm started to resound in the whole Seireitei as an announcer announced that intruders had invaded the Seireitei causing all the captains to narrow their eyes as serious expressions formed over their faces.

"Could it be Ryoka?" The 5th Division Captain seriously contemplated but was disturbed when the 11th Division Captain stormed out of the hall with a killer laugh of excitement. "Wait! Kenpachi-san! Meeting has not ended yet!" Sosuke Aizen shouted at Kenpachi, who ignored him and vanished.

THUD

"Since it's an emergency, it cannot be helped. We will discuss your punishment after this matter is over." Yamamoto concluded. "All captains to their battle posts! This meeting is adjourned!"

As everyone started to leave with Gin silently standing at his position, Aizen who was passing by him stopped and muttered low enough for Gin to hear him.

"A very convenient time for the alarm to ring, don't you think, Captain Ichimaru?"

"I wonder?" Gin smiled and questioned back. He really wanted to just leave this place. He felt stiff from trying to not break away his character as much as he could.

"You cannot get away with this, Captain Ichimaru. I will warn you to not underestimate me."

After, both Gin and Aizen left the hall leaving behind the silver-haired captain with a face of contemplation as he stared at their backs in silence.

…

'How stiff.' Gin commented internally as he stretched his body coming back to the barracks of the 3rd Division. He calmly observed as the Shinigami moved in hurry and confusion, trying to track down Ryoka before he looked up at the sky, at the barrier that had a hole in it which was healing at a visible pace.

"Flashy indeed." He commented as his Observation Haki covered everything within Seireitei, tracking the position and the movement of every single being there with such precision that, to Gin, it felt like he himself was present to witness them.

Seeing this, he could not help but marvel at the magical abilities of Haki. It really was one of the must-have abilities.

'And as I had predicted, Whitebeard can indeed see the future!'

He wasn't surprised to know that Whitebeard could see the future albeit for only 10 seconds ahead. Edward was someone who had lived since Rock's era and had fought in the seas since then. It would have been more surprising to know that he couldn't see the future with his Observation Haki after being on the seas for so long and considered as the strongest man.

'But compared to The Almighty, it lacks a LOT.' Not that he was complaining. With his Essence, let alone The Almighty, there was no power that was not negotiable. He just needed enough funds and he could even become the strongest being alive with thought alone!

"Well then." Taking all the money he had on him, quite funny knowing that Gin never really used the money given to him befitting his position, he vanished—in a literal sense, he vanished and teleported just outside of the 13th Division.

He couldn't help but feel his smirk widening by a margin. Observation Haki in addition to Quincy's ability to teleport to any Shadow felt like a cheat really.

"Ca-Captain Ichimaru!" The woman with dark brown hair and gray eyes exclaimed with surprise seeing Gin walking into the 13th Division.

"Hm? You are?" Gin asked not knowing the name of the woman in front of him. She wasn't as important a character as he could remember.

"Y-Yes! I am Kiyone Kotetsu, co-3rd Seat Officer of the 13th Division!" She hurriedly saluted to not be rude to the person in front of her. She didn't want to die after all. "If I may be bold enough to ask, is there anything we can help you with?"

"Oh my. Do not be so stiff. I was passing by so thought of meeting the 13th Division Captain and checking his health. As a fellow captain, it hurts my heart to see my fellow captain in such a state."

A doubtful expression appeared over Kiyone's face not knowing how to respond to Gin. For as much as she could remember, Gin and her captain were not so close to each other. His visit and his reason were as weird as they could get to her.

"Can you inform Captain Ukitake then? I would like to personally meet him."

"I-I will inform him right away sir!" She hurriedly scribbled away, not wanting to stay in Gin's presence. It was too much for her poor soul.

While she was away, Gin was checking the value of everything around him. It still made him feel slightly weird how everything seemed to have curtain numbers floating over it, explaining its value in numbers to him.

Hell! If he focused enough, he could even see concepts such as space, time, death, life, and so on! His Essence was really broken!

'Well, for as long as I could remember, no essence is useless and every essence is broken in its own right. But still… seeing one with my own eyes really puts me in this weird giddy feeling that if I let out, I am sure that I would be labeled as some weirdo.'

Not that he wasn't already. But at least it wasn't that bad.

'But I am omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent as long as I have enough funds, aren't I? I mean, I can literally erase someone's existence by paying "the world" itself or know anything as long as I ask 'the world' itself!'

It really made it broken beyond belief and made Gin realize his poverty. He might need to start to get a stable source of funds.

"Captain Ichimaru, Captain Ukitake is waiting for you in his room." A new person, a male this time, appeared and informed Gin who looked towards him, making him tremble in nervousness.

Captains were really feared in this world huh — Gin internally thought and gave a nod, silently following after the male with his hands tucked into each opposite sleeve.

"Forgive me, Captain Ichimaru. Due to my health, I cannot personally attend to you even though you have come so far just to ask for my health."

The moment Gin entered the room, a slightly weak voice called out to him filled with slight guilt; making Gin shake his head.

"It is alright. I am the one disturbing your rest so I should be the one to ask for forgiveness."

A slightly surprised expression formed over Ukitatke's face, taken back by what Gin said before his gentle smile returned to his face.

"Please. Come and have a seat." He offered that Gin gladly took and sat on his seat while Ukitake ordered for Kiyone to bring some tea and snacks.

For captains, they could live off without eating or drinking anything and just by consuming a small amount of their Spiritual Energy which wouldn't even affect them in any way. But Ukitake liked to drink tea a lot, so seeing Gin he took this opportunity to have one for himself too.

After all, he has been ill and hasn't eaten or drank anything but medicines for the past week or so. He really wanted a cup of tea now.

"Oh." Gin raised a brow after taking a small sip from the tea. It was really good and caught him off-guard.

"This tea is made up of special leaves that I have gotten from The World of Living. It is known as the most expensive tea in the world."

"It indeed is quite exquisite in its taste." Gin nodded in affirmation, never having ever drunk such good tea.

Ukitake smiled.

"I am glad you like it. Not many like to dwell on the eating habits of the mortals… except for Kyoraku who loves to drink sake. So it is indeed a happy event to find someone else who shares the same taste as mine." He said. "It gets lonely and boring in Soul Society a lot. I would love to have a drink with you from time to time."

"You are making me embarrassed now, Captain Ukitake." Gin answered with his usual expression before he placed the cup of tea down at the table. "How is your health? I heard that you have gotten sick once again."

"Not bad." Ukitake nodded. "I will get better soon."

"It's good then."

A small silence enters the room with no one saying anything and making the Co-3rd Seat Officers sweat buckets in nervousness. Even though the talk seemed quite amicable, they could feel this strange atmosphere in the air that made them not relax for even a second.

It wasn't the most pleasing feeling to have.

"Miss Kiyone and her fellow seated officer, why don't you give us some time to spend alone?" Without looking back, Gin calmly stated back to both the poor souls straightened their backs.

They looked towards Ukitake who gave a small nod, making them bow before leaving the room.

"Now if I may ask… What is the reason for your presence here, Captain Ichimaru?" Ukitake asked with a serious face.

Gin remained silent for some time, collecting his thoughts and checking Aizen's position through Observation Haki making sure he wasn't just standing beside him staring at them.

Confirming that they were indeed alone, Gin took another sip from the cup before softly saying.

"It must be hard to live your life being sick all the time. Don't you think, Captain Ukitake?"

"It is indeed a mild inconvenience but not something that I cannot live with." Ukitake answered with a frown, not understanding what Gin was trying to say.

"Oh, I am sure. After living with such a weak body, you must have just gotten used to it by now."

"What are you trying to say, Captain Ichimaru?"

"... How about I heal your body to be pristine and remove this illness of yours?" Gin dropped a bomb casually making Ukitake's eyes widen to an extreme.

"You… Are you saying you found a cure for it?" There was slight expectation and excitement in Ukitake's voice. Why would there not be? After all, despite him getting used to his current situation, it obviously annoyed him.

"Correct." Gin nodded. "Healing you is not hard, in fact, it can be done within seconds. But the question is what you are willing to give up for."

All excitement within Ukitake died as his previous frown once again formed over his face.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing much." His eyes glowed azure as he stared at Ukitake's face. Raising his hand, he pointed his finger at Ukitake's chest and said seemingly not caring that what he said could cause chaos all over the world. "Mimihagi. I want the right hand of the Soul King within you!"

The table shook, and some of the tea spilled out of the cup and stained the table. Ukitake looked down at Gin with horror, anger, and astonishment before he asked, his voice deep and restrained.

"How did you know?"

"Does that matter?" Gin inquired while cleaning the table. "What matters is whether or not you are willing to accept my trade."

"I decline. You may also take your leave, Captain Ichimaru. I am feeling tired and would like to take some rest."

"Well, calm down. You should at least listen to my end of the bargain. Who knows, you might change your mind." Without any change of expression as if accepting such a reaction, Gin said while gesturing for Ukitake to sit down.

After taking a deep breath, Ukitake calmed down and sat back before releasing a big sigh.

"Forgive me for my rude conduct, Captain Ichimaru. I was just too shocked to find out that someone else knows about it when I have never told anyone, not even Captain-Commander."

"I understand. I would be spooked out too if someone came and told me my deepest secrets. It is good to be cautious."

"But… This tea really is good. Can I have some of the leaves? I would like to drink it in my personal quarters."

Ukitake relaxed before a smile appeared back on his face.

"I'll ask Kiyone-san to send it to you."

"Thank you." Gin nodded with a happy smile while taking another sip and enjoying it.

"As long as you are willing to trade Mimihagi and a small favour, I will heal your body and give you information that is directly connected to the existence of the world."

"Are you saying… the world is in danger?" Ukitake asked with wide eyes.

"Not now, yes, but it will be in the future. And I can assure you that everyone WILL die, including Captain Yamamoto. And no, even Royal Guards won't be able to live out of it… that includes Soul King himself!"

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Ukitake blurted out.

"Of course you will know if it's true or not after you agree to the trade." Gin answered before he raised his hand and a contract popped out in the existence out of the void as he placed it on the table. "You can read the terms."

Of course he didn't need a contract to do the trade since the verbal contract worked just as well as the written one. But Gin didn't want others to know that. If he could, he would like to make a fake impression on everyone he traded that they need to sign the contract for the trade to work.

It will give him some leeway in future trades.

"If you know such information, then why would you not inform everyone about it? Do you not care about the world?" Ukitake's eyes narrowed, staring at Gin's face which didn't change.

"I just changed my profession to Merchant the other day. So it can't be helped." Gin shrugged as if it was out of his hand. "And as you know, there is no such thing as free within a Merchant's hand. Everything has value and only something that Merchant likes can be exchanged for."

"And if you are worried that I will use the power of Mimihagi to hurt people around you then you do not have to worry about it. I can assure you that as long as I don't leave this world once, I will not hurt a single person with the power of Mimihagi."

Ukitake became silent while going through the contract. And as Gin said, there was indeed a line that stated that he won't hurt a single soul with Mimihagi's power as long as he lived and hasn't left the world once.

"What do you mean by not leaving the world once?"

"Well, if I died and was reborn after going through reincarnation with Mimihagi, I can't maintain the same terms now can I? I mean, I would be dead and it would be a new me."

Ukitake nodded while Gin remained the same. Of course, Ukitake didn't need to know that he can "leave the world" manually and come back, rendering the condition nullified.

After a long while of reading through the contract with Gin silently sipping the tea, Ukitake raised his finger and signed the contract.

To him, he didn't think much of it. Ukitake thought that he would first hear what Gin had to say before deciding what to do with that information.

As for giving Mimihagi? He might think about it but not before consulting with Yamamoto. Even for a second, he didn't think that Gin could forcefully take Mimihagi out of him.

One should know, Mimihagi had its own sentience and will. Taking it out forcefully would be the same as giving up one's life unless you are the Soul King himself!

The moment he signed the contract, a happy expression formed over Gin's face as the contract popped out of existence.

"Thanks for your patronage, dear customer." Ignoring Ukitake's face, Gin smirked. "Well then, ever heard about Wandenreich?"

...

AN: These chapters are not edited, so if you find mistakes please ignore them. It's hard to write and edit at the same time.

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