A few weeks had passed. Over the span of several weeks, he slowly called back his Sins from their positions.
Alongside their lesser Sins, this was for a very good reason. He wasn't so petty as to summon them for no reason—he wasn't that petty or that bad of a king.
Plus, once this was over and the man was handed his platoon of Arrancar and Adjucha—hm, Gabriel had gotten better at mass-producing Hollows.
He hadn't turned every Plus into a Hollow. Some of them, he let escape after wiping their memories. Some served as involuntary spies for him.
Sleeper agents, one might even say.
Anyway, he had shit to do. And some wonderful chocolate to eat later.
Now, to finish this shit.
"Why are we all here?" one Arrancar muttered.
"Did one of the Sins lose their spot?" another asked, eyeing the lineup warily.
Grimmjow scoffed, crossing his arms. "Tch. If it's anyone, it's gotta be Aaroniero. Guy's a weakling. No way he was gonna last long."
Shots were fired.
And the man those shots were directed at knew, in his bones, that Grimmjow would make him his bitch. And thus, like a good boy, he said nothing.
Yet, when their eyes scanned the lineup, Aaroniero was still standing there.
So if it wasn't that... then what?
At the front, Gabriel stood tall. He was as confident as always as he raised his hand.
Instantly, the murmurs ceased.
"Welcome, my dear subordinates," he began, his voice carrying through the halls. "I've gathered you all here today not for punishment, nor for execution—" he paused, glancing at Grimmjow with a smirk. "Yet."
Grimmjow clicked his tongue but didn't retort.
Hey, maybe Grimmjow may or may not have slaughtered all the Hollows who showed even a bit of defiance. It wasn't his fault, really. They started it.
Did it matter if he instigated it?
Gabriel continued, "No, today is a day of progress. A day of evolution. Our kingdom has grown into something powerful, something unparalleled in Hueco Mundo's long history."
The Arrancar listened intently. Even the most reckless among them knew Gabriel wouldn't waste their time with empty words.
Most of the time, when he did shit like this, he had a reason. Either that, or he was unlocking some Hollow's hidden potential.
"And with this growth comes the need for something greater," Gabriel went on, his smirk widening. "Which is why it brings me great joy to announce the selection of the first member of the Four Horsemen."
A collective shift in the atmosphere occurred.
Everyone already knew who it would be.
Their eyes turned to the man in question—Starrk.
The Primera Espada, the embodiment of Sloth, stood off to the side, his posture as lazy as ever. But despite his usual disinterest, when he felt the weight of every gaze on him, he sighed and stepped forward.
His steps were slow, casual, yet somehow carried an authority none could deny.
He approached Gabriel and, to the surprise of many, offered a polite bow.
"Well, look at that. You can be formal when you want to be," Gabriel said dryly.
"Didn't have much of a choice, did I?" the man sighed.
Laughter rippled through the audience.
Gabriel raised a hand, and an orb appeared in his palm—shining with raw, condensed power.
"Take it," Gabriel said, offering it to Starrk.
The lazy Espada stared at it for a second before shrugging. 'If it meant getting stronger without training, why not?'
This man was maxing out his nonchalant dreadhead aura, huh.
He took the orb and, without hesitation, consumed it.
Immediately, power exploded from his body.
A deep hum of energy filled the room as his Reiryoku surged, thick and overwhelming. Even the weaker Arrancar in the crowd took a step back.
Then, as the light settled, Starrk remained standing, looking just as bored as before. But something had changed.
Gabriel grinned and, in front of everyone, reached into his pocket and pulled out a red ring.
The mark of a Horseman.
The tattoo... it was gone.
He held it up for all to see before tossing it to Starrk. The Espada caught it effortlessly, slipping it onto his finger.
"From this moment forward," Gabriel declared, his voice filled with authority, "Coyote Starrk is no longer the Sin of Sloth. He is now the Horseman of War."
A stunned silence followed.
Then, the reality hit.
The Seven Sins were already the strongest force in Hueco Mundo. But now?
Now, they had the Horsemen.
And that meant one thing.
The Sin of Sloth's spot was now vacant.
And everyone in Starrk's group wanted that spot—even though they could have challenged Starrk for it while he was still there...
Hahahaha, funny idea. Why would anyone have coveted his position before now?
Anyway, it would be a free-for-all to find the rightful heir...
Hm.
Until a certain emo, Arrancar showed up and beat them.
A/N Mind you current Grimmjow is as strong as the version of himself who fought Ichigo, the one with the hollow mask, the version that only got a scare after the Getsuga Tenshou, so the version who lost to Shinji.
Canon is roughly...like 50-ish years away by the way.
The United States forced Japan to open its ports to American trade in 1854, following the arrival of Commodore Matthew C. Perry's fleet in Edo Bay in July 1853. Perry demanded that Japan open its ports for supplies, and when he returned in February 1854, the Japanese, aware of the inferiority of their armaments compared to Perry's warships, agreed to admit U.S. ships to the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate and to accept a U.S. consul at Shimoda. This agreement was formalized in the Treaty of Kanagawa on March 31, 1854.
Somewhere during this time period, his dad came there, so roughly around 1880 or some shit. Had him around 1885.
He died at 19, so roughly 1904. If this screenshot is anything to go by Ichigo is born in 1985 and turned 15 in 2001.
And 17 by like 2003.
Hm....fuck, Gabriel would be op, holy shit Ichigo might be turned into a Nephilim. I could advance the timelines.....hm, He would be 116 when Ichigo is 15 and like 118 when Ichigo is 17.