For everyone else, it was different.
Without an Asauchi as a vessel, their Shinigami powers couldn't coalesce into their own Zanpakuto.
After all, not everyone was like Ichigo, a [Miniature Soul King] born with innate Shinigami powers, Hollow powers, Fullbring powers, and Quincy powers!
Even someone like Ikkaku or Yumichika wouldn't achieve much if they didn't attend the Shin'o Academy.
As for the members of the Zero Division…
Their duty is to protect the Soul King.
As long as Kyoya didn't storm the Soul King Palace, they likely wouldn't care about anything happening in the Soul Society.
Of course, by that time, Kyoya might already be strong enough to take on the entire Zero Division alone.
After all, as a 'Marine Admiral', once Kyoya defected, he would undoubtedly be labeled a 'Pirate'.
If he sparked a revolution in the Soul Society, he might also be branded as part of the 'Revolutionary Army'.
At that point, as the leader, Kyoya would naturally receive achievement rewards spanning from the lowest to the highest tiers.
Namely-
The white-tier achievements for small-time pirates and ordinary soldiers.
The blue-tier achievements for pirates with bounties in the tens of millions and elite soldiers.
The purple-tier achievements for pirates with bounties over a hundred million and high-ranking officers.
The gold-tier achievements for Emperor-level pirates or leaders of the Revolutionary Army.
And finally, the [Pirate King] achievement.
Even among gold-tier achievements, the Pirate King would undoubtedly be the pinnacle.
Beyond the Pirate King, there was likely only the [King of the World].
Kyoya speculated that [King of the World] would be a god-tier achievement surpassing even gold-tier, on par with Imu, Ichibe, or Yhwach before absorbing the Soul King.
By then, these achievement rewards would grant Kyoya another massive boost in strength.
At the very least, even the most basic reward of training time would allow Kyoya to reach his peak.
In terms of Reiatsu, several hundred years would be more than enough for Kyoya's Reiatsu to reach the limits of a Shinigami.
Physically, Big Mom stood at the pinnacle of the world by her teens and remained one of the Four Emperors even after decades of bearing children.
Kyoya couldn't even imagine how far he could push the Steel Balloon, the strongest physique in the One Piece World, after centuries of training with weighted gear and gravity devices at maximum intensity.
Unlike Big Mom, Kyoya had no weaknesses like her [Gluttony Syndrome].
In other words, the only things Kyoya would need to worry about in the future were 'sealing techniques' and other abilities that could affect the soul.
His physical defense would be invincible.
What he needed to focus on was enhancing his offensive power and expanding both the range and precision of his Observation Haki.
"New recruits, follow me."
At the entrance of the 11th Division, Rangiku waved her hand and addressed the eleven recruits before her.
"I am the 5th Seat of the 11th Division, Matsumoto Rangiku."
"For now, I'll take you to complete your registration."
"At the same time, I'll explain the rules of the 11th Division."
A group of teenaagers dressed in white academy uniforms followed behind Rangiku, curiously observing the surroundings of the 11th Division while listening intently to her introduction.
Every place had its own 'rules', and this was a fact everyone knew.
The Rukongai had the rules of the Rukongai.
The Seireitei had the rules of the Seireitei.
The nobility had the rules of the nobility.
The Shin'o Academy had the rules of the Shin'o Academy.
The Gotei 13 had the rules of the Gotei 13.
And the 11th Division naturally had the rules of the 11th Division.
Since they had chosen to join the 11th Division, they needed to understand its rules to better adapt to its atmosphere.
Without absolute strength, violating certain rules might make their lives in the division unbearable.
Even Ikkaku and Yumichika, who usually couldn't stop bickering, were now walking silently behind Rangiku.
Though they believed their strength surpassed that of ordinary Shinigami, they also knew this was the division where that man resided.
Ikkaku wanted to stand before him again, fair and square, and hear his name spoken directly. Until then, he had no intention of being expelled for breaking the 11th Division's rules.
"The 11th Division is a combat division, and its Captain is Captain Kyoya."
"Our division's motto was spoken by Captain Kyoya himself and later acknowledged by all."
"That motto is—"
"The strong raise their blades against the stronger."
"The weak vent their violence on the weaker."
"The 11th Division is the division for the warriors who dare to challenge the strong are, not cowards who bully the weak!"
"Hiss-"
Hearing these words from Rangiku, the newly graduated recruits behind her collectively sucked in a sharp breath, feeling an inexplicable surge of determination rise within them.
Yes, the strong raise their blades against the stronger.
The weak vent their violence on the weaker.
Since they had chosen to join the 11th Division, they were now 'warriors' who must follow the 'path of the strong'.
A true warrior challenges those above them.
As for the behavior of bullying the weak, it would only earn them contempt.
Rangiku glanced subtly at their expressions and nodded slightly.
'Good. Their spirits seem unbroken.'
"In the 11th Division, strength reigns supreme."
"Our hierarchy, from bottom to top, is as follows: Regular members, elite members, seated officers, Lieutenant, and Captain."
"Your position in the 11th Division must be earned through your own strength."
"If you're strong enough, you can challenge Captain Kyoya directly."
"Win, and you become the new Captain of the 11th Division!"
"Since you've chosen this squad, I assume you've all heard the legends about Captain Kyoya."
"Let me confirm… everything you've heard is true."
"On his very first day in the 11th Division, Captain Kyoya fought his way up from a regular member to Lieutenant."
"On the second day, he challenged the former Captain, Kiganjo Kenpachi."
"And on the third day, with over two hundred division's members as witnesses, he defeated Kiganjo and became the new Captain."
"Heh. If you challenge Captain Kyoya today, you might even break his record."
"Uh…"
Seeing Matsumoto Rangiku's teasing grin, none of the recruits felt inspired… instead, sweatdropped.
'Big sis, are you joking?'
'Do you really think we're ignorant newbies?'
'Even the strongest among us, Ikkaku, stood no chance against Captain Kyoya, right?'
Noticing the recruits' gazes shifting toward the bald recruit, Rangiku's eyes gleamed mischievously.
She stepped between Ikkaku and Yumichika, slinging an arm over each of their shoulders.
"You two are this year's top graduate and runner-up, right?"
"Ever thought about challenging Captain Kyoya right now?"
"You know, this is a special 'rule' Captain Kyoya set for geniuses joining the 11th Division."
"If you miss today, you'll have to climb the ranks one by one. Only after becoming Lieutenant can you challenge the Captain."
"After all, if anyone could challenge Captain Kyoya whenever they wanted, he'd never have time to train or work… he'd be too busy fighting challengers all day."
This rule wasn't something Rangiku made up.
The 11th Division operated on strength.
Kyoya's definition of a 'warrior' was so ingrained that even weaker members constantly sought to challenge stronger ones.
Without regulation, seated officers would be overwhelmed by endless battles.
Thus, Kyoya established the rule of sequential challenges… ensuring that regular members wouldn't swarm seated officers, and elite members would only face a manageable number of duels per day.
However, for those newly joining the 11th Division, if they possessed exceptional strength, climbing the ranks step by step might feel tedious… leading them to brutalize regular and elite members in frustration.
Thus, new recruits were granted the right to challenge any rank, including the Captain, directly.
If they had the confidence, they could challenge anyone they believed they could defeat… even the Captain.
Zaraki had done exactly that… joining the division one day and challenging Kyoya the next, with their official duel witnessed by the entire division the following day.
As for Yachiru, since Zaraki had been injured and needed treatment in the 4th Division, she followed the standard rules upon her return, fighting her way up to the 3rd Seat.
Rangiku wasn't trying to get Ikkaku and Yumichika killed by provoking them to challenge Kyoya.
After all, as Captain, Kyoya never killed those who challenged him.
Even against Zaraki, Kyoya had only struck the final blow after using his Observation Haki to confirm Zaraki could withstand it.
And since Ikkaku and Yumichika were this year's 'geniuses' from the Shin'o Academy, Kyoya would be even less likely to let them get seriously injured.
At worst, they'd just waste a bit of his time.
And that was precisely Rangiku's real goal.
Perhaps because Kyoya had clearer plans for the future, he had been relentlessly strict with her training.
If she could divert his attention elsewhere, she'd have more time to slack off.
But to her disappointment, despite her 'persuasive' efforts neither Ikkaku nor Yumichika took the bait.
'Are you kidding me?'
'Do she still think we're those reckless brats from the Rukongai?'
Though their strength had increased tenfold during their three years at the academy, Ikkaku knew that even now, facing Kyoya would end the same way as before.
He wasn't even worthy of making Kyoya draw his blade.
Challenging him now would just be humiliating.
"My apologies, Matsumoto-sama," Yumichika said lightly, twirling a strand of his hair around his finger, "Rather than directly challenging Captain Kyoya, I think challenging Matsumoto-sama for the fifth seat has a higher chance of success."
"I wonder if fifth seat Matsumoto dares to accept my challenge?"
As the academy's runner-up, Yumichika had already unlocked his Zanpakuto's Shikai.
Both he and Ikkaku had also reached 6th-class Reiryoku, a level that, based on their studies, guaranteed at least a seated officer position in any division.
Yumichika figured Ikkaku might aim for the Lieutenant spot, but for himself, any seat would do… as long as it wasn't the '4th', which is an unlucky number in his eyes.
Right now, Rangiku was clearly trying to provoke them into challenging Kyoya.
In that case, he might as well make the fifth seat, Rangiku, his target instead.
"Oh? You want to challenge me?"
Hearing Yumichika's words, Rangiku raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a faint smile.
As the fifth seat of the 11th Division, while Rangiku might be a bit lazy, she had never failed a single mission.
Within the entire 11th Division, aside from Kyoya, Kenpachi, and Yachiru, even if the fourth seat, Ichinose Maki, were to fight her seriously, he might not necessarily gain the upper hand.
However, Rangiku also knew that Ichinose had just been demoted from his third seat. If she were to challenge him for his fourth seat now, it would feel like bullying.
On top of that, Rangiku wasn't particularly fond of the number 'four', so she had remained in the fifth seat position.
As for Yumichika?
He was just a fresh graduate from Shin'o Academy. While it was true that the top students of each graduating class were no weaklings, Rangiku didn't believe Yumichika actually possessed the strength to rival hers.
"Are you sure about this?"
Though Rangiku hadn't succeeded in pushing Ikkaku and Yumichika into challenging Kyoya, if she were the one being challenged, the outcome would essentially be the same.
'If I dragged out the fight a little longer, wouldn't that count as an extended break?'
With that in mind, Rangiku cheerfully patted Yumichika on the shoulder, "Good, you're not bad. I like your attitude."
"By the way, what's your name? I'll take you to complete the enlistment and challenge registration right away..."