Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 487 The Unlucky West Coast Bureau?

Soul Society, Seireitei.

Half a year has passed since Zoro and his companions arrived in the Pure Land.

During the past six months, Bane has been traveling back and forth between the Pure Land and the Soul Society. Fortunately, his house has a door, which makes things very convenient.

The Ninth Division barracks.

Bane was sitting at his desk, while Hirako Shinji, unusually relaxed, stood in front of Bane's desk, holding documents and reporting on some matters.

Hirako Shinji is extremely grateful to his retainers and subordinates, whose captains are still in the Pure Land and have not yet shown their faces.

Because they didn't know what had happened there, after they arrived at the Pure Land that day, their captain, who usually liked to be a hands-off manager, suddenly became "busy".

As if deliberately avoiding Captain Unohana and Captain Shutara, she spends all her time immersing herself in official duties.

When the Captain-Commander left, he entrusted many important matters of Seireitei to his captain. However, at that time, Bane had no intention of meddling in other people's business. He thought that if there were any things, as long as they were not particularly urgent, he would just leave them there and wait for Yamamoto Genryusai to come back so he could arrange them himself.

But things are different now. After all, the Ninth Division doesn't have that many official duties, and it's impossible for Bane to be immersed in them 24/7. So he took over the pile of Seireitei official duties, the things that were originally the responsibility of the Captain-Commander.

Because Bane had started working, Hirako Mako immediately relaxed and finally got to enjoy the leisure of being a 'vice-captain'.

"So, the war between the modern world and the Quincy will last until at least the end of the year?" Bane looked at the documents in his hand, then looked up at Shinji Hirako and asked.

"Yes, that's the feedback from the front lines," Hirako Mako replied earnestly.

"With the Captain-Commander leading the team, and Kyoraku Shunsui and Hikifune Kiryu also there, they should have a huge advantage in terms of combat strength, right? Why is it taking so long?" Bane muttered as he flipped through the documents in his hand.

Hirako Shinji explained from the side, "The main reason is that the search is not easy. After the three battles in Edo's Chongling Land, the Quincy have realized that they cannot defeat us, so they have adjusted their tactics. Now they have broken up into smaller groups and no longer engage in direct confrontation with the Captain-Commander. Instead, they launch scattered raids and counterattacks in various places. As a result, the Second Division and the Eighth Division have also shifted from frontal attacks to intelligence gathering, which is the reason why it takes time."

"What's this 'Western Frontier Bureau' all about? Does the Captain-Commander mean that the Quincy should be driven to the Western Frontier Bureau's territory, which is Europe in the modern world, as far as possible? Once they're there, we don't have to worry about them anymore?" Bane asked curiously.

He had heard of the Western Bureau, but he knew absolutely nothing about it.

He had heard of it because he knew that Seireitei was the "Eastern Frontier Bureau".

This term is sometimes included in important documents to show its importance.

For example, in the original story, Rukia Kuchiki gave Ichigo Kurosaki the power of a Shinigami in the human world, which was a serious crime at the time. The Seireitei internal documents contain a description of this crime by the East Section.

Back in the present day, when Yamamoto Genryusai first introduced himself, he also mentioned the concept of "Eastern Frontier Bureau".

For a long time afterward, Bane never came into contact with this concept again. However, as the captain of the Ninth Division, he basically knew that in Soul Society, apart from Seireitei, there was another governing body in the far west called the Western Bureau of the Inner London.

It is said that Chojiro Suzaku even went to the West Shore Bureau to "study abroad" back then, which is why Chojiro Suzaku is very fond of all kinds of Western things.

In this respect, he and Genryusai Yamamoto were two extremes. Genryusai Yamamoto particularly disliked Western things, yet the two of them had a very good relationship.

"You haven't heard of the West Coast Bureau?" Hirako Shinji asked in surprise. "It's a required course that takes up a significant portion of the history and culture curriculum at the Shinigami Academy!"

"I didn't graduate from the Shinigami Academy," Bane said, glancing at Shinji Hirako with obvious displeasure.

What do you mean? Are you mocking me for being uncultured?

Do you know that I am the headmaster of the Ghost Path Academy?

Hirako Shinji smiled and then explained, "The Western Frontier Bureau and the Eastern Frontier Bureau were established at the same time before the dawn of time, both under the jurisdiction of the Spirit King Palace. However, the far west has always been remote, sparsely populated, and culturally underdeveloped, with people living like hunters and hunters. Therefore, it was disliked by nobles in the early days and was ostracized everywhere. In addition, the Spirit King Palace is located in our Eastern Frontier Bureau area, which also changes the influence. It's like we are the capital here, while the Western Frontier Bureau is a harsh and desolate frontier. Even if people from the Seireitei can't make it there, they don't want to go to the Western Frontier Bureau. Everyone generally looks down on the Western Frontier Bureau."

After a slight pause, Hirako Shinji continued, "In fact, the Western Frontier Bureau is really not that great. They are generally weak and lack strength. People at the level of seat officers and vice-captains could have been their captains in the past."

"So weak?" Bane asked in surprise. "I thought this organization, which is nominally on par with the Eastern Frontier Bureau and Seireitei, would be quite powerful."

Upon hearing this, Hirako Shinji said in a low voice, "These are all accounts that have been circulating in our Seireitei for about a thousand years, but there are also rumors that the Western Frontier Bureau was also very powerful about fourteen or five hundred years ago, but..."

"But what's wrong?" Bane asked quickly.

He loves listening to this kind of gossip and rumors!

"It is said that the Quincy who once stained the Seireitei with blood and pointed their swords at the Soul King's Palace established the Empire of Light in the human world. They developed from the territory of the Western Frontier Bureau. Later, when they became powerful and wanted to invade the Soul Society, they first attacked the Western Frontier Bureau. It is said that the people of the Western Frontier Bureau were all killed. Yhwach led the Empire of Light and after completely stabilizing their 'Western Headquarters,' they developed for many years before finally coming to the territory of our Eastern Frontier Bureau. In the end, they were defeated and crushed by the first generation of the Gotei 13 led by the Captain-Commander," Hirako Shinji said vaguely.

"Oh, I see." Bane said with a look of sudden realization.

Hirako Shinji's words are now considered mere gossip and rumors; whether they are true or false is up to individual judgment.

But for Bane, he preferred the idea of ​​"more realism" because he had the impression that Yhwach was born into a poor Viking tribe.

That guy definitely didn't come from the Dongshaoju area.

It is possible that a thousand years ago, Yhwach wiped out the Western Frontier, which then declined. It was only after Yhwach suffered a crushing defeat in the Eastern Frontier that the Western Frontier was able to recover.

For this reason, people from the East Outpost generally look down on those from the West Outpost.

There are even rumors that Yhwach's Empire of Light was able to grow so powerful in the mortal world thanks in no small part to the Western Bureau's leniency. Perhaps the Western Bureau wanted to "raise a bandit to enhance its own power," or even use Yhwach's Empire of Light to severely damage the Eastern Bureau and seize some interests related to "legitimacy."

As a result, they either mismanaged the situation or underestimated Yhwach's strength and abilities, ultimately ruining themselves.

I learned from Hirako Shinji that the current state of the Western Frontier Bureau is extremely weak. It can only deal with some so-called "dragons" that are similar to "hollows" but completely different from them. In Hirako Shinji's description, these dragons, which the Western Frontier Bureau defines as "extremely dangerous", might not even be as good as the Great Hollow Gillian in the Eastern Frontier Bureau.

Overall, it was a "bitter and cold land" that even Hueco Mundo wouldn't bother to give a second glance.

In terms of spiritual particle concentration, it is considered the place with the lowest spiritual particle concentration in Soul Society.

The latest novel is first published here!

Therefore, the Western Bureau lacks the strength and ability to handle major matters. The Spirit King Palace also rarely contacts the Western Bureau, only occasionally observing them to see if they have caused any trouble.

The most obvious case is that none of the members of the Zero Division in the Spirit King Palace are from the Western Frontier Territory.

They all came from the Eastern Bureau.

None of the five great noble families that have been passed down through the ages have a territory in the western border region.

The difference in quality and class is immediately apparent.

In short, the West Coast Bureau's level and ability were insufficient, so Yamamoto Genryusai planned to strengthen them and send the remaining Quincy, who had been scattered and crippled and were left with only a few 'conservative' forces, to the West Coast Bureau's territory as much as possible.

Letting them fight amongst themselves and continue their internal strife is a good thing for the Eastern Bureau.

For the Quincy, it was like "returning home".

After finishing these related matters, Bane looked at the sky outside and, seeing that it was already getting dark, breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "I really am a diligent person."

"Spirit Lord, you haven't been doing well for the past six months. Although I really hope you can maintain this momentum, I'm still very curious. What's wrong with you?" Hirako Shinji couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Sigh, your captain here is in a dilemma. I don't know what to do, so I can only try to stall for time and see if any opportunity will arise." Bane sighed bitterly upon hearing this.

"It seems to be related to Captain Unohana and Captain Shutara? After all, you've been avoiding them for the past six months," Hirako Shinji asked again.

"Hmm," Bane responded, but didn't know how to begin.

"That must be because your family members came to the Pure Land together. Maybe after a while, they will arrive in the Soul Society just like Orochimaru did back then, and then run into Captain Unohana and Captain Shutara. You are afraid because you can't handle this situation, right?" Hirako Shinji said with a bit of a laugh.

Bane glared at Hirako Shinji, who was trying not to laugh, then reluctantly asked, "Since you're so smart and can guess everything, do you have any good ideas for me?"

Hirako Shinji immediately shook his head and said, "There is no solution. I am not some philandering radish. But even if I am not, I can at least see that the longer this matter is delayed, the worse it will be. So I suggest that you, Spirit Lord, face reality as soon as possible, so as not to regret it in the future."

After a slight pause, Hirako Shinji added, "It would be best if you handled this matter while the Captain-Commander and the others are still in the mortal realm."

"Why?" Bane asked in surprise.

"In my opinion, if you want to enjoy the blessings of having multiple wives, you'll have to lose face either way. How can you enjoy the blessings without paying these prices? Now that the Captain-Commander and the others can't see us in the mortal world, isn't that better than losing face in public when they come back? Besides, we in Seireitei don't care about these things. Perhaps you're overthinking it. Look at Tenseiin and Shihouin, aren't they all very open-minded?" Hirako Shinji comforted him.

Bane listened to this and felt that it made a lot of sense!

Since half of the people I know are still alive, why not seize the time to solve these problems? Otherwise, I'll become a laughingstock when everyone gathers around!

(End of this chapter)