(Li Yun - Qingcheng)
"Hadō #4: Byakurai."
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō."
"Hadō #32: Ōkasen."
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui."
"Swish, swish, swish..."
On the hill, a young man with flowing silver hair—Qingcheng—chanted incantations under his breath while launching wave after wave of attacks toward the approaching Whitebeard.
"Boom! Boom!"
Amid the explosive sounds, Whitebeard's tall and burly figure constantly shifted positions, rapidly charging toward Qingcheng.
"Damn, he dodged all of that," Qingcheng muttered, curling his lip. Suddenly—whoosh—a Tang sword glowing with a cyan light appeared in his hand, and he rushed forward to meet Whitebeard.
"Bring it on! Take this!" Whitebeard roared as he swung his massive naginata, creating a loud whoosh as it sliced through the air toward Qingcheng.
"Clang!"
A sharp metallic clash rang out as their blades collided, sending a shower of sparks flying. Qingcheng's hands, tightly gripping his sword, bulged with blue veins under the tremendous pressure of Whitebeard's strength.
As Qingcheng looked at the smiling face of Whitebeard in front of him, a flush of red crept onto his face—not from embarrassment, but from strain.
"Damn you, Old White… You've gotten even stronger."
"Big bro, watch out!" As Whitebeard shouted this, the force through the blade suddenly intensified. Qingcheng was pushed back violently, his feet dragging along the ground with a screeching noise.
"That's it! I'm done fighting!" Qingcheng shouted irritably as he shook his aching arms.
"Gurararara~" Whitebeard laughed and put away his weapon. "Big bro, you're just too weak. You should stick to being a doctor."
…Upon hearing those words, Qingcheng felt like he was back five years in the past. Yes—it had been five years since he awakened his Zanpakutō. He had thought that with that power, he could finally surpass Whitebeard. But in these five years, only the first three allowed him to somewhat hold his own. The last two years? Completely one-sided. He had been left in the dust.
Damn it, guess I'm really not the main character.
"Big bro, I need to talk to you about something." The now over two-meter-tall Whitebeard walked over.
"What is it?" Qingcheng looked up at the much taller man.
"I want to go out to sea," Whitebeard said.
"Nani?!" Qingcheng was shocked.
"I said—I want to go sailing," Whitebeard repeated calmly.
"Oh, oh, oh..." Realizing what was said, Qingcheng quickly calmed down. "If that's the case, I'll go with you!"
In truth, Qingcheng didn't want to go. He knew he wasn't strong enough. Even though he had learned the name of his Zanpakutō, he still hadn't unlocked its Shikai. His original plan was to wait until after mastering Shikai to go out to sea—since it would mark a qualitative leap in power.
But Whitebeard unexpectedly brought it up now.
"No." Whitebeard firmly rejected the offer. "Even though I've learned a lot about navigation these past two years, with my current knowledge and strength, I still can't guarantee your safety. So this time, I'll go alone."
Qingcheng was touched. "I don't need you to protect me. Don't forget, your big bro can fly!"
"Even so, it's a no," Whitebeard said seriously. "Big bro, how about this? Give me two years—at most. I'll come back and get you."
"Really? You're not lying?" Qingcheng looked skeptical. This was crucial to his side quest—if Whitebeard left for good, he might as well cry in the bathroom.
Whitebeard rolled his eyes. "Big bro, come on. When have I ever lied to you?"
Qingcheng thought it over. "Yeah... you haven't. And based on how the original Whitebeard's character was written, he doesn't seem like the lying type." After some thought, he nodded. "Alright then."
"Good! Then just wait. In two years, I'll come back for you—and I'll bring medical materials from all over the world for your studies," Whitebeard shouted cheerfully.
"Great," Qingcheng nodded. "So when are you setting out?"
"Right now," Whitebeard stood up, laughing his signature gurarara.
"So soon?"
"Yeah," Whitebeard said. "Uncle Mand is setting sail on his merchant ship. I decided to join him while chatting yesterday."
"Then why did you even bother asking for my opinion?" Qingcheng rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Remember what you said. If you lie to me, I'll beat you so bad even you won't recognize yourself."
"Gurararara~" Whitebeard laughed. "Don't worry. If I lie, I won't even fight back. I'll just stand still and let you vent."
"Let's go. I still have some hemostatic powder and life-restoration powder I made at home," Qingcheng said as the two walked down the hill.
"Oh, right—take this," Qingcheng suddenly removed the pendant from his neck and handed it to Whitebeard.
Whitebeard looked at the wooden skull carving and asked, "Big bro, what's this? It kind of looks like a pirate flag."
Of course, Qingcheng wouldn't tell him it was the future emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates. So he said, "Aren't we building a family? This will be our family emblem. Of course, if you don't like it, I can change it."
"Our family emblem, huh?" Whitebeard stared at the pendant, then smiled. "No need to change it—I like it."
"As long as you do," Qingcheng replied as they walked together.
Time passed quickly. Thirty minutes later, standing at the harbor watching the ship disappear over the horizon, Qingcheng finally turned around and headed home.
Along the way, Qingcheng wasn't too worried about Whitebeard going to sea. After all, that man would become the strongest in the world. Even though he was only 17 now, his strength was already formidable. And pirates were still rare these days. In all the years Qingcheng had lived here, he'd only heard of one merchant ship getting attacked.
"Crack."
Back home, Qingcheng immediately sat cross-legged on his bed and began communicating with his Zanpakutō.
In an endless grassy plain, a man dressed in white lay lazily on the ground, gazing at the drizzling sky. Suddenly, Qingcheng appeared before him.
The man wasn't surprised. He continued lying there, looking at the cloudy sky, and said slowly:
"You don't seem to be in a good mood, my master."
"Parting always feels bitter. But enough of that," Qingcheng replied. He glanced up at the azure barrier keeping the rain at bay and asked, "So, is this your power, Sokaze?"
"Yes," Sokaze replied, looking at the barrier. "This is my power—the ability to control the natural element of wind. I am also the strongest among all wind-type Zanpakutō."
"Then can you finally tell me the Shikai release phrase?" Qingcheng asked.
Sokaze sat up. "Not yet."
"Why not?" Qingcheng asked.
Sokaze explained, "Even though I'm the strongest of the wind-types, you'll need at least a Third Seat-level spiritual pressure to use my Shikai—and that's just barely the minimum. Without that level, you wouldn't even be able to hear the release phrase, let alone activate Shikai."
"How would I know unless we try? Maybe I can hear it. It's not like you'd lose anything," Qingcheng suggested.
Sokaze sighed. "Fine. My Shikai phrase is…"
"What is it?" Qingcheng asked.
Sokaze's mouth moved, but no matter what he said, Qingcheng couldn't hear a single word.
"Told you so," Sokaze said.
"Alright, alright… I give up," Qingcheng muttered. He couldn't help but make a face like he'd just stepped on a landmine. After all, it had taken him years to go from Twelfth Seat to Tenth. At this rate—barely one level every two years—how long would it take to reach Third Seat?
No wonder there are so many extras in Bleach… If I actually ended up in that world, I probably couldn't even beat a Hollow. Guess I'll just have to focus on learning Kido until then…