The appearance of Ōmaeda Marechiyo confirmed Gilgamesh’s suspicions.
As expected, Ōmaeda Water Shop was backed by the Ōmaeda family.
Glancing at Marechiyo’s arm, Gilgamesh noticed the armband bearing the emblem of the 2nd Division.
Gilgamesh knew that at this stage, Ōmaeda Marechiyo was already the vice-captain of the 2nd Division.
All vice-captains of the Gotei 13 wore armbands with their division’s emblem, signifying their rank.
Gilgamesh wasn’t surprised by this.
What did surprise him was that Marechiyo sought him out.
The first impression Marechiyo gave Gilgamesh was one of arrogance and defiance, as if to proclaim to everyone that he was second only to the heavens.
Standing at 2.1 meters tall, Marechiyo towered over the 1.4-meter-tall Gilgamesh.
Yet, inexplicably, when their eyes met, Marechiyo felt as if Gilgamesh was the giant, looking down on him from an unreachable height, seeing through him completely.
This feeling made Marechiyo’s arrogant demeanor waver slightly.
Despite his rough appearance, Marechiyo was very sensitive to danger.
In the original story, Marechiyo often displayed a tendency to avoid combat.
As Marechiyo opened his mouth to speak, the sound of the door opening interrupted him.
Mizunaka Ichirō, holding a lantern, hurriedly opened the door and stepped out.
Seeing Gilgamesh at the entrance, Ichirō trembled and displayed a look of fear.
He knew that Gilgamesh’s visit at such a late hour was not a good sign.
However, his fear quickly turned to surprise and joy upon seeing Marechiyo.
He had never expected the young master of the Ōmaeda family to come personally.
This made Ichirō feel incredibly valued, and tears of gratitude welled up in his eyes.
Marechiyo’s presence instantly boosted Ichirō’s confidence.
Without hesitation, Ichirō ran up to Marechiyo, tearfully complaining, “Young master, this man not only destroyed our business but also intends to harm me. You must stand up for me…”
Under normal circumstances, Marechiyo might have already flown into a rage.
But now, he felt only irritation, waving his hand dismissively, “Step back.”
Ichirō, oblivious to Marechiyo’s mood, hurriedly retreated behind him.
Ichirō then shot a smug glance at Gilgamesh, thinking to himself, ‘My young master is the vice-captain of the 2nd Division. No matter who you are, this time, you’re in big trouble!’
Gilgamesh had no interest in dealing with ants.
He looked at Marechiyo and spoke calmly, “Ōmaeda Marechiyo, you came at the right time, saving me some trouble.”
Marechiyo was taken aback.
It wasn’t surprising that Gilgamesh recognized him; after all, the Ōmaeda family, while not one of the four great noble families of the Seireitei, was still a well-known clan in the Soul Society.
However, he hadn’t expected Gilgamesh to have been looking for him.
In his memory, there was no connection with Gilgamesh. He didn’t know what Gilgamesh wanted from him.
Frowning slightly, Marechiyo asked, “Who are you? What do you want with me?”
Gilgamesh didn’t beat around the bush, “I plan to build a royal city here and need the necessary architectural talent.”
The Ōmaeda family had a significant real estate business in the Soul Society and definitely had the resources and talent for such an endeavor.
Marechiyo understood and asked, “You want to cooperate with us?”
In matters concerning his family’s business, Marechiyo was very professional. Before Gilgamesh could answer, he continued with more questions, “What scale of a royal city do you want to build? What’s your budget?”
“Which family backs you? Can you make such a big decision on your own?”
Though curious and confused about the ‘royal city’ Gilgamesh mentioned, Marechiyo was more interested in the business and the profit.
As long as the money was right, anything could be discussed.
Ichirō, noticing the conversation was not going as he had expected, wanted to speak but remained silent.
Gilgamesh replied, “First, send some architectural talents to me. This is the prerequisite for our cooperation and the price your Ōmaeda family must pay for offending me.”
Marechiyo, initially hopeful for a big business deal, gradually looked angrier. He glanced at Ichirō behind him, and the atmosphere grew tense.
Squinting at Gilgamesh, Marechiyo didn’t immediately lose his temper but asked each word carefully, “Which family do you belong to?”
Gilgamesh saw through Marechiyo’s thoughts.
He knew Marechiyo had a rough idea of what had happened.
But making him admit his mistake and pay the price wasn’t something words alone could achieve.
Marechiyo hadn’t acted yet because he was wary of Gilgamesh’s background.
Gilgamesh understood that to make Marechiyo admit his mistake and pay the price, he had to either use his background to pressure him or… conquer him!
A golden ripple suddenly appeared behind Gilgamesh.
Seeing this, Ichirō recalled the scene from that day and trembled uncontrollably.
Marechiyo’s squinted eyes widened in surprise.
Marechiyo had come personally partly because he was on a nearby mission and partly out of curiosity about Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh’s distribution of free water and his mysterious methods intrigued Marechiyo.
Through Ichirō’s reports, Marechiyo knew the basics about Gilgamesh and was aware of the golden ripples.
He had guessed that the golden ripples were likely the ability of Gilgamesh’s Zanpakutō.
As for Gilgamesh’s age, Marechiyo hadn’t given it much thought.
Though Gilgamesh was young, possibly not even old enough for the Shin’ō Academy, if he was born into a prestigious or noble family, it wasn’t impossible for him to possess a Zanpakutō and have achieved Shikai at a young age.
But facing Gilgamesh’s golden ripples now, Marechiyo began to doubt his earlier assumptions.
Though he could sense Gilgamesh’s spiritual pressure, it was too weak to support a Shikai, or even to nurture an Asauchi into a Zanpakutō.
Could it be some kind of divine weapon?
Before Marechiyo could think further, his eyes widened, mouth agape, and face filled with disbelief.
Ichirō was worse, collapsing to the ground in shock.
Before them was a massive, radiant ship soaring in the sky.
Its name was the King’s Soaring Throne—Vimana!
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