Senjumaru's peril II

Double surprise motherf*kers....

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(Senjumaru POV)

I am attacking Doflamingo with my six arms but he just takes the hits with his body leaving no visible wounds. His defence is no joke but neither is his speed. 

I have to dodge one of his fists that is just about to impact with my face. I manage to dodge out of the way but then his left leg, which I didn't see hits me in the sides. 

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I feel and hear the cracks that my ribs make and taste the blood in my mouth. What strength! He has speed that doesn't make sense for someone of his height. And how does he have such spatial awareness? Is it a technique?

I can see how he is a Captain. Is he the strongest in his world? No, I guess he is just this strong to challenge me and make me truly earn the rewards for the Special Quest (2). And at the moment he is doing a lot of damage. 

The first mistake, where I was arrogant is now coming to bite me. 

Nevermind that. It is time for me to go all out now, or I'll lose this fight badly. He doesn't even look ruffled. Instead, he has that abhorrent smile on his face that sends shivers down my spine. 

All right this is not just a physical fight, it is also a fight of skill and wits. I have the power of the Ito Ito no Mi, just like he does. I have to push him to show me how he uses it and then make them better. My other skills are still available. I should be able to have a good fight. 

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Once again. I use Shunpo to attack him. I go for a feint and slash my blade at his neck. At the last moment, I changed the trajectory from his neck to his thorax. But just as my blade reaches his thorax it bounces off and makes a metallic sound. 

I wasn't able to draw blood. On the other hand, he has gained an opening due to me calculating this attack to hit and do some damage. He punched me in the face again, and this time I could feel my brain hitting my skull and putting my balance off. 

I fell to the ground, bleeding and unable to do anything. 

Doflamingo again walked towards me slowly and for a moment I thought that I saw a red glint behind his glasses. What happened next was ... unclear. An unknown pressure fell on me and it felt like ... I was being forced to ... obey or something like that. It took all my willpower not to fall unconscious.

"Why do you fight? You're a Shinigami right?"

"Y-Yes."

"Then why are you fighting me? I'm a human. Shouldn't you be protecting humans?"

"No ... Shinigami aren't protectors of the humans ... we keep the ... balance and ... kill Hollows..."

"Why do you kill Hollows? Is it because they are evil?"

"They consume ... souls."

"So because of their nature, they consume souls. Are they evil because of that? Who decides who is and who isn't evil? Is it the Shinigami? Are Hollows evil? Are Shinigami righteous? 

Those views change as often as the tides! Kids who have never known peace have different values from those who've never known war and poverty.

Those who stand at the top can decide the definition of "evil". Fufufufufu. Justice will triumph ... it always does girl ... The winners will become justice!"

"Fufufufufu ... don't you see? I also had a terrible childhood and was forced to act and kill to survive. Am I worse than your Hollows because they consume to survive? Or am I better because I'm a human? Is the balance of souls truly that important to ignore the wishes and needs of the individual? Can I now do with you whatever I want because I beat you?

The answer to all of these questions can only be answered ... by the most powerful. All the others are essentially sheep to be slaughtered when the strong want them to. 

Fufufufufufu ..."

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I am transported out of the dungeon and lie there. I think about the fight for a moment. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Donquixote Doflamingo ... his demeanour, his actions, his words, the way he walks ... it all leaves a terrible taste in my mouth. 

His devil fruit, strength and the weird energy he used are not the most dangerous and scary thing about him ... it's his words. His intelligence and his way of words are what make this man dangerous. 

He managed to make his way into my head, with nothing but his words. Because he is not wrong. The strong are those that establish the status quo. If Hades hadn't been strong, he would not be where he is today. This strange power of his was the thing that helped A LOT, but still ... he manipulated me ... 

He talked down on me, called me names and made me feel ... powerless. He is a charismatic evil man.

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... I see ... so that's how it is. 

I see why this is my first dungeon after the first special quest. Hades is trying to teach me again. Not just about my powers or abilities ... about human nature and things that I will meet in the future. He wants me to confront my inner fears and beliefs now ... I see.

I have to face these truths sooner or later and he wants to make me face them sooner. I understand this Doflamingo. Life essentially forces us to choose sides. Good or evil. And yet these terms are determined by the victors. What Ichibe says comes from the Soul King and that is always correct ... not because he never lies, but because he is simply the strongest and no one can say anything against that. 

| +1 Intelligence |

There it is again. This quest will be harder than I anticipated. I best get familiar with the power of the Ito Ito no Mi and train my physical abilities as well. I am also allowed to use puppets, as that was not banned in the quest. 

I better get to work.

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(3rd Person POV)

Hades smiled when he saw the notifications of the system. He chose Doflamingo for a reason. Not only did he use all three types of Haki and had the power of Ito Ito no Mi, but he was also one of the truly dangerous characters. Not due to his strength, but because of his manipulations.

What he says is not wrong, but it takes a different kind of strength to face him in that regard. Senjumaru will now be forced to understand her beliefs and motivations before she can face Doflamingo again. If her will is not strong enough, she won't be able to defeat Doflamingo. 

The Ito Ito no Mi had a lot of versatility and Doflamingo was very creative in the use of his power. Senjumaru could only profit from that. He also made Doflamingo a lot stronger than he was in the story. Senjumaru would smoke him otherwise. It's not even close to how fast the fight would be over. 

But this Doffy hit differently. He was in another league entirely. All the quests were for Senjumaru to grow after all. She didn't want to be handed power on a silver platter, so Hades wasn't going to do that. The curse has been removed from the Ito Ito no Mi. 

Theoretically, Hades could have just granted Senjumaru the skill of Thread manipulation but that came later. It was not the main focus of this quest. He wanted Senjumaru to use Doflamingo as a whetstone. He was convinced that she would brush past this failure and take it as an experience. 

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Time passed again and then it was finally time for Yamamoto to open up his Shinigami Academy, as he called it. It was a place for young souls to go to and if they had the potential to become Shinigami and fight, then they were allowed to enter. 

The Shinigami Academy is located in the Seireitei, the academy trains Souls with spiritual powers for each of the three military arms of Soul Society. So it wasn't that different from the future version. Except for the names, only the instructors are different ... probably. 

There is also a difference in the curriculum. Right now there are no classes on calligraphy like the one that Sosuke Aizen will eventually teach. Right now survival and the basics of being a Shinigami and fighting Hollows were taught. 

The Academy is a sprawling, multiple-story building with architecture similar to that of Seireitei. It has an open courtyard, many classrooms, dormitories and practice areas for Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō.

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Kido was not really that important right now and it wasn't necessary to learn it, apart from the most basic spells. But that would become more and more important down the line because Kido was a major part of being a Shinigami. 

Yamamoto approached Hades with the request to become the Kido instructor and overlook all things that are Kido-related. Hades agreed to the motion but said that he was not interested in filling that role forever. 

So Hades began to teach young souls how to use their Spirit power correctly and how to use it to make Kido. He told them the theory behind Kido and demonstrated what Kido could do when mastered, by killing a Hollow with it. 

That got the student's attention and the reputation of Kido rose after that. Hades found out that he was really good with kids. He had taught Shigekuni already for quite a few years and he also overlooked some of Yachiru's training, before she left to do her own thing. Nobutsuna didn't count as he was already a grown man when he fought Yamamoto and then came to Hades. 

It was a good way for Hades to spend his time and not think about Senjumaru all the time. He would sometimes pick a very talented student and have him learn more things that the others can't do. He wanted to see if he could change certain things or not. 

It was Hades' way to pass the time. 

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"So you think because I used to teach Yachiru for a short period, you are entitled to the same training?", Hades asked the young pink-haired woman, who was standing in front of him.

"Who cares about something as boring as training? I want to learn how to beat that stupid-faced Nobutsuna. I know that you taught him, and I want to have all of that too, so that I can beat him!", she screamed.

"I see. Would you tell me your name before you continue making a fuss? Otherwise, I won't know who to throw out of my home."

"I am Furōfushi Saitō, and I will be the strongest female Shinigami, believe it! First is that dumb-faced Nobutsuna and then the rest of the male Shinigami. I will work my way up until I reach the level of the dumb Shigekuni.", Furōfushi Saitō said.

"I see. You have a good goal and I can respect that, but it is bad manners to just barge into someone's home and demand something from them. If you wish to learn anything from me, then come back tomorrow in the morning and bring some manners with you.", Hades said and then waved.

Furōfushi was about to protest but as Hades waved, she suddenly felt herself... move somehow. She looked around and found herself outside of the mansion she just entered. How did he do that? Could she also learn this? Maybe it was worth it to come back here. Then she could become stronger and have something over Nobutsuna, that dumb idiot.

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Next chapter on the 2nd of December. Sorry but I gave you all I had today, so I'll have to make more...