Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

To avoid any complications, Renji decided not to linger in the ruins for too long.

Though Silicobra indicated that numerous treasures were still buried underground, Renji simply had it memorize the location. 

With their goal in mind, the group of three discreetly made their way back to the Shin'ō Academy. 

At the academy, between the male and female dormitories, lay a no-man's-land—a secluded area rarely traversed by anyone. 

The trio found a quiet spot there to ensure privacy. Renji then summoned Silicobra once more, instructing it to dig through the ground toward the ruins and continue treasure hunting. 

The snake would bury its findings in hidden pits underground, and Renji planned to exchange the items for points at regular intervals. 

Although this plan was rudimentary, it was effective enough to help Renji amass points quickly and grow stronger in a short time. 

Of course... 

Due to Rukia's past experiences, even if Renji grew significantly more powerful, he had no intention of drawing attention to himself. 

Though Hermes could not disclose details about other customers, it had assured them that Rukia was relatively safe for the time being. 

This news gave Renji a much-needed sense of relief. 

The Next Day 

"What did you just say?! Your Asauchi were stolen!?" 

In the kendo class, the instructor stared at Renji and his two companions with a mix of disbelief and irritation, his brow furrowing deeply. 

For a Shinigami, losing one's sword was nearly as grave as losing one's life. Normally, the instructor would have berated them without mercy. 

However, just as he opened his mouth to scold them, the instructor paused, reconsidering. 

It wasn't that he didn't want to lecture them. 

But under the current circumstances in Seireitei—with panic spreading—and given that the three involved were some of the top students of the 2066 cohort (aside from Rukia), the situation felt peculiar. 

The instructor couldn't help but feel something was off. 

After a moment's thought, he decided to limit his reprimand to a few stern words. Then, to the trio's surprise, he agreed to apply for replacements for their stolen zanpakutō. 

Though some might find deceiving such a well-meaning teacher distasteful, the priority now was to secure as much power as possible.

Meanwhile 

In the human world, far from Soul Society, in Karakura Town... 

Inside a modest and slightly cluttered grocery store, Rukia sat cross-legged at a low table, holding a steaming cup of tea in her hands. 

She took a small sip, only to grimace immediately. 

Sticking out her tongue in exaggerated disgust, she muttered, "What terrible tea~!" 

Across from her sat a blond man wearing a dark green jinbei and a green-and-white-striped fisherman's hat. 

This man was none other than the owner of the store and the infamous Kisuke Urahara—the same Urahara who had led the Visoreds(Masked Army) out of Seireitei and into the human world. 

Hearing Rukia's complaint, Urahara gave her a helpless look and retorted, "Oh, come on. You should be grateful to have anything to drink." 

"Do you still think you're the princess of the Kuchiki family? You're just like me now—a wanted criminal hunted by Seireitei!" 

"No, no, no!" 

Rukia set down her teacup with a sly grin. Pulling out her Rotom phone, she gave it a playful shake and said teasingly, "We're not just wanted criminals, Kisuke. We're also dimensional traders in this world." 

"…That's true," Urahara replied, his lips curling into a faint, nostalgic smile. 

But when his gaze shifted to the brightly flashing [VIP6 Level] on Rukia's Rotom phone screen, the smile froze, and the corners of his mouth drooped dramatically.

"Yes, yes, esteemed VIP6 member," Urahara said with mock deference. 

"There's no need to keep flaunting your status. I already know what I need to do." 

With that, he picked up the tea set from the table and headed to the kitchen. 

He emptied the low-quality tea leaves from the teapot, then carefully retrieved a stash of premium tea leaves he had treasured for years. 

Each time he added a pinch to the pot, it felt like a stab to his heart. 

These weren't just any tea leaves—they were a rare, high-grade variety smuggled from Seireitei through his connections. Even the noble families of Seireitei would find it difficult to obtain them. 

But today... 

He had no choice but to make the sacrifice for Rukia. 

Why? 

Because he needed her help.

A Few Days Earlier 

Following his deal with Shinji, Pinocchio, a Homie sent by Linlin, had appeared in Urahara's store to deliver an unexpected message. 

At first, Urahara had been skeptical. The idea of dimensional traders seemed absurd to him. But as Pinocchio explained the concept, disbelief gave way to curiosity, and curiosity turned into conviction. 

Finally, Urahara, the seemingly unremarkable owner of a humble grocery store, joined the ranks of dimensional merchants. 

Thanks to his decades of accumulated knowledge and resources, he started at VIP5, a remarkable feat. However, he was still far from the coveted VIP6 level that allowed for personalized transactions and greater privileges. 

Initially, he planned to spend several more decades creating valuable items to boost his membership points. Once he accumulated 100,000 points, he intended to use the privileges of a custom transaction to further his research on the Hōgyoku(Crumbling Orb). 

But everything changed the previous night. 

A mysterious figure had crashed through the ceiling of his shop, landing right in the middle of his cluttered living room. 

That figure was none other than Rukia Kuchiki, who had escaped from Soul Society via a custom transaction. 

After a brief exchange, it didn't take long for them to realize they were both dimensional traders. 

Rukia, who had asked Hermes to take her to a safe location, harbored no suspicion toward Urahara and candidly shared her experiences. 

In return, Urahara offered her his silence. 

Her story left Urahara astonished. He hadn't expected Aizen to act so boldly—attacking Rukia immediately after finishing his schemes in the real world. 

Still, Rukia had managed to expose Aizen's actions to a few people in Seireitei before fleeing. 

Now, it was up to Seireitei to decide whether they believed Aizen or Rukia. 

At the very least, the Sixth Division, led by Byakuya Kuchiki, would surely keep a closer eye on Aizen's activities moving forward. 

As for Yamamoto... 

Urahara's hopes weren't high. 

If Yamamoto had been capable of decisive action, Urahara and the Visoreds wouldn't have been forced to flee decades ago. 

This was why, even with the newfound power of dimensional trading, Urahara knew it would be unwise to confront Aizen directly. 

The true enemy wasn't just Aizen—it was also the collective might of Seireitei. 

This reality weighed heavily on Urahara, giving him endless headaches. 

But everything changed when he learned that Rukia had achieved VIP6 status. 

If... 

If they could unlock the latent power of the Hōgyoku... 

Perhaps they might finally stand a chance against Aizen and Seireitei.

Present 

"Here you go—this is some premium tea I brought from Seireitei. Please, give it a try," Urahara said with an almost comical grin as he placed the freshly brewed tea before Rukia. 

"Mmm..." 

As soon as he set the teapot down, a delightful aroma wafted into Rukia's nose, prompting a satisfied nod from her. 

She glanced at Urahara with amusement. 

The whole "bad tea" complaint was merely a jest—a lighthearted moment between two fugitives from Seireitei. 

After all, as someone branded a criminal, Rukia hardly had the luxury to worry about tea quality. 

Her earlier quip had simply been a way to inject some levity into her life, which had been full of chaos since her escape. 

Now that she had the "good" tea, it was time to get down to business. 

Rukia tapped on her Rotom phone and selected the [Apply for Transaction] button. 

Whoosh! 

A magical light filled the room, and in the blink of an eye, a puppet dressed in overalls appeared before her. 

"Good morning, Miss Rukia." 

"I am the dimensional merchant assigned to oversee this world's reality. My name is Pinocchio. It's a pleasure to meet you." 

"Hello, Sir Pinocchio," Rukia replied. 

Although this wasn't her first encounter with the unusual forms taken by dimensional merchants, she couldn't help but feel surprised as the wooden puppet spoke with the fluency and expression of a real person. 

Rukia glanced briefly at Urahara, exchanged a meaningful look with him, and then turned her attention back to Pinocchio. With a respectful tone, she said: 

"I apologize for troubling you, Sir Pinocchio. The reason I summoned you today is to seek your advice on a matter." 

Rukia's demeanor was noticeably more formal when dealing with Pinocchio compared to Hermes, her usual dimensional merchant. Her unfamiliarity with Pinocchio made her unconsciously adopt a tone of deference. 

Pinocchio, however, seemed playful, wearing a bright smile reminiscent of a mischievous child. 

"No need to apologize, Miss Rukia," he said cheerfully. "It's an honor to assist a VIP6 member." 

"You're too kind," Rukia responded, a glimmer of relief flashing in her eyes. 

After a brief pause, she finally asked the question that had been on her mind: 

"Sir Pinocchio, is it possible to use someone else's points to conduct dimensional transactions, provided I have their permission?" 

Rukia's current point balance was running dangerously low. If she wanted to repair the Hōgyoku, she would need to rely on Urahara's substantial reserves of points. 

Urahara, through a series of shrewd exchanges, had amassed an impressive 80,000 points. After spending 30,000 points to acquire a stockpile of inexpensive ghost-type Pokémon—likely to aid his scientific experiments—he still retained a balance of 50,000 points. 

Rukia couldn't help but admire Urahara's restraint. To her, holding onto points without impulsively spending them was akin to standing unmoved in the face of overwhelming temptation—a feat she found both admirable and terrifying. 

Her plan was simple: use Urahara's points to conduct a custom transaction for the Hōgyoku's repair. 

Upon hearing Rukia's question, Pinocchio tilted his wooden head slightly, as though lost in thought. 

In reality, the branches within his body were rapidly typing on a Rotom phone, seeking advice from her "Mother." 

Moments later, a notification buzzed through. 

After reading the reply, Pinocchio smiled and spoke cautiously: 

"In principle, such a transaction isn't allowed. However..." 

His smile widened mischievously. 

"Since Miss Rukia is the sole VIP6 member in this world, I can make an exception. With the other party's explicit consent, you may use their points." 

"Really?!" 

"That's wonderful!" 

Rukia and Urahara both jumped to their feet, their excitement palpable. Exchanging triumphant glances, they silently celebrated the possibility of using the Hōgyoku's power to thwart Aizen's plans. 

Thus, a massive transaction worth 50,000 points was processed under Pinocchio's supervision. 

---

However... 

Neither Rukia nor Urahara anticipated the twist that followed. 

The Hōgyoku's power was so immense that 50,000 points could only restore half of it. 

To fully repair the Hōgyoku, they would need a total of 100,000 points. 

While such a price was minuscule compared to the Hōgyoku's potential, the harsh reality was that neither of them had the means to amass that many points in the near future. 

In the end, they had to settle for an alternative: using the 50,000 points to unlock three limited uses of the fully restored Hōgyoku. 

To Rukia, this outcome felt like a bittersweet compromise. If she could've held out and gathered an additional 50,000 points, she would have gained permanent access to the complete Hōgyoku. 

But Urahara had other plans. 

From the start, he had no intention of allowing such an overwhelmingly powerful artifact to remain in the world indefinitely. 

To him, the Hōgyoku was akin to a nuclear bomb—an instrument of catastrophic potential that would inevitably detonate. The only uncertainty was where and when. 

Urahara was determined to destroy the Hōgyoku entirely after defeating Aizen. 

For now, the three uses they obtained would suffice to fill the gaps in their strength, ensuring they could challenge Aizen and his ambitions. 

Despite the bond between Rukia and Kyuubi granting them strength rivaling Aizen's, they still lacked the overwhelming power needed to tip the scales in their favor. 

With three chances to wield the Hōgyoku's full power, they now had a fighting chance to bring Aizen's schemes to an end and restore peace to the realms.

[Note: For those who don't know, the Hōgyoku's true power is the ability to absorb the desires of those around it and manifest them into reality. However, this power is not without limitations. The Hōgyoku itself is merely a guiding force - it can only manifest the desires of those with the strength to carry them out.]

  ...

  ...

A few days later... 

Under Urahara's guidance, Rukia and Kyuubi entered a peculiar sleeping chamber, one after the other. 

With a series of precise operations by Urahara, an unknown liquid swiftly filled the chambers. Moments later, Rukia and Kyuubi drifted into a deep, tranquil sleep. 

"I hope this works," Urahara murmured, his expression serious. 

He focused his spiritual energy, forming a condensed palm of reiatsu, and carefully retrieved the Hōgyoku from its sealed container. With deliberate movements, he placed it into the compartment between the two sleeping chambers. 

In an instant, a surge of energy erupted from the Hōgyoku, light trails bursting forth chaotically, as though the artifact itself had gone wild.

Truthfully... 

Even now, Urahara did not fully comprehend the true nature of the Hōgyoku's abilities. 

In his research, the Hōgyoku was a mysterious tool capable of erasing the boundary between life and death, between Shinigami and Hollow. 

However... 

The Hōgyoku's powers were far more terrifying than he had ever imagined. 

It possessed the extraordinary ability to manifest the deepest desires of one's heart. 

This overwhelming potential explained why even 50,000 points could only grant access to three uses of the Hōgyoku.

Of course... 

The Hōgyoku's power was not infinite. 

There were limits to its capabilities, though these limits far exceeded the comprehension of anyone in the Soul Society. 

For now, all they could do was wait and hope for the best.