Chapter 16: Equipping the Zanpakutō

### **

"Finally, I've taken this step!"

Staring at the two newly unlocked system panels, Kyle's heart surged with excitement.

After all, his crew's strength was his strength.

As long as he spent another 25 million Berries in the system, he could even gain 20% of his crew's total combat power!

Thinking of this, Kyle eagerly opened his captain panel.

**[Captain: Kyle]**

**[Level: 1]**

**[EXP: 25/50]**

**[Total Combat Power: 3.5]**

**[Skill: Ultra Instinct (A)]**

Originally, his combat power had been at zero. But after successfully assigning a character panel to Tashigi, a proper number had finally appeared—3.5.

Seeing this value, Kyle's eyes flickered as he pondered:

"It seems the combat power displayed by the system only reflects the strength added by individual character panels, rather than the crew members' actual power."

Given his current abilities, if he had gained 10% of Tashigi's full strength, his body would have undergone a significant reaction.

Yet, after just assigning her character panel, while Kyle did feel a warm current flowing through his body...

That power was incredibly faint. Had he not been paying close attention, he might not have noticed it at all.

This meant that his path to getting stronger would be slightly slower than expected.

Although not being able to directly gain his crew members' strength was a bit of a letdown, it was still within an acceptable range.

After all, as long as he could continuously draw character cards, he could grow indefinitely without any limits!

This feeling of getting stronger just by sitting back was what made the system so overpowered!

"Next, I need to figure out how to enhance my crew's combat power."

Kyle shifted his gaze back to the **Crew Interface**.

In the corner of the interface, a glowing **[Development]** tab caught his attention.

With a thought, a brand-new screen popped up.

The first thing that caught his eye was a semi-transparent illustration of Tashigi overlaid with Rukia's image.

However, this time, the usual stats panel on the right had disappeared.

In its place were three selectable options:

**[Level Up]**, **[Weapons]**, and **[Awakening]**...

Kyle examined them in order.

The **[Level Up]** tab was first.

This section allowed him to use experience items obtained from the gacha to instantly grant his crew a massive boost in experience points.

Kyle was quite familiar with this mechanic—it was standard in almost every mobile game.

Unfortunately, out of the 11 draws he had performed, aside from getting Rukia and a Zanpakutō, all he had pulled were some useless items like uniforms and stockings...

Making Tashigi wear those wouldn't improve his combat power—if anything, it might increase the enemy's morale instead.

Best not to think about it.

That said...

If she were to wear them for his eyes only, he wouldn't mind at all!

Now that he imagined it, short-haired Tashigi in a sailor uniform did have a certain innocent charm.

And if she added some silky black stockings...

—Ahem.

"Maybe I can have Tashigi try them on sometime."

"Purely for testing purposes, of course. Since these are system-generated items, they might have hidden effects."

"It's not like I *want* to see her in high stockings or anything."

Shaking off his stray thoughts, Kyle closed the **[Level Up]** tab and opened **[Weapons]**.

Compared to the previous system interfaces, this one was much simpler.

At the center of the screen was a single square frame with a green "+" symbol inside.

Realizing what it meant, Kyle immediately selected it.

A **[Equipable Weapons]** window popped up.

Inside, only one weapon was marked as **"Equippable"**—an **A-Rank Zanpakutō**.

Without hesitation, Kyle equipped the Zanpakutō to Tashigi.

—At that moment, in the real world—

A simple-looking katana suddenly appeared in Tashigi's hands.

She blinked in confusion, wondering what had just happened...

Then, a strange bond surged from the blade in her grasp.

"This is... a Zanpakutō?"

Tashigi froze.

Thanks to her knowledge as a Shinigami, she immediately recognized the weapon.

And she could clearly feel that this Zanpakutō was now spiritually connected to her.

It was as if it had been born from her very soul—she wielded it as naturally as breathing.

Even her beloved **Shigure**, which had accompanied her for years, had never given her this level of familiarity.

But…

This was way too weird!

Just a minute ago, everything had been normal.

Now, she had not only gained knowledge about an entirely new power system but also learned a technique called **Hadō #1: Shō**, and even obtained a Zanpakutō out of nowhere.

Could Devil Fruits even do something like this?

For the first time, Tashigi felt like she hadn't read enough books—she had no idea whether Kyle was lying to her or not.

Just then, Kyle—who had been focused on the system—slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing the dazed Tashigi, he smiled.

He had briefly glanced at the **[Awakening]** tab.

As expected, it was something he wouldn't be able to use for a long time.

The Awakening menu allowed characters to evolve their forms based on their rank.

For example, an **A-Rank** character like Rukia could undergo two awakenings—**Shikai** and **Bankai**.

Currently, Tashigi had inherited Rukia's base abilities.

As she leveled up, she would gradually learn more Kido spells on her own.

But after awakening, she wouldn't just gain a massive boost in combat power—she would also automatically unlock **Rukia's Shikai and Bankai techniques**.

However, awakening required a significant number of **Awakening Stones**.

And those were **B-Rank** items, only obtainable through the gacha.

Speaking of the gacha...

Forget it.

No need to think about that cursed thing.

He had no hope of getting Awakening Stones anytime soon.

Rather than dreaming about the future, it was better to focus on what he could do now.

As the saying went—**out of sight, out of mind**.

With that thought, Kyle exited the system.

—

"So, do you like the gift I gave you?"

Seeing Tashigi tightly clutching the Zanpakutō while letting her **Shigure** hang at her waist, Kyle chuckled.

**Shigure:** *So love *does* fade, huh?

"...I do."

A bit flustered, Tashigi nodded.

"As long as you're happy," Kyle said, smiling. "The power you have now comes from another world—one that exists in my imagination. So, it might feel different from what you're used to."

"You'll need to figure it out on your own."

"I've given you the key to unlocking this power. How far you go depends on you."

Kyle placed a hand on her shoulder, his expression serious.

"Only by becoming strong enough can we complete our mission safely."

"Train hard and become someone useful to me."

"Yes, Captain Kyle!"

Now wielding new abilities, Tashigi straightened up and responded firmly.

"Good."

Kyle nodded, glancing at the Zanpakutō in her hands.

The **[Weapons]** feature had turned out to be more powerful than he expected.

Equipping an **A-Rank Zanpakutō** had increased Tashigi's Strength, Stamina, and Agility by **10 points each**, while her Spirit had increased by **20 points**.

Her total stats had jumped from **350 to 400**.

Her combat power had risen from **35 to 40**.

The change was subtle for now.

Tashigi, still adjusting to her new power, hadn't noticed it yet.

But as she leveled up, **these stats would become crucial**.

And speaking of leveling up...

Kyle smirked and beckoned her.

"Come with me into the cabin."

"Huh?"

Tashigi hesitated for a moment.

But seeing Kyle already opening the door, she quickly followed.

For some reason, the fear and anxiety she had felt earlier had faded.

Now, she felt an inexplicable trust in Kyle.

And an increasing sense of belonging to the **Twilight Pirates**.

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