How was Aizen building up the Espada before getting the Hogyoku?


In Season 10, after Nnoitra survives the Cero Doble that Nelliel ate and shot
back, Nnoitra said that it had been years since Nelliel was an Espada.

From my understanding the Espada only started to form after Aizen got the
Hogyoku and I don't see how it's been years since he took the Hogyoku out of
Rukia.

So how was Aizen building up the Espada before getting the Hogyoku?




I believe the scene in question is from chapter 291 and episode 192, so this
is what I'm going to work off of.

According to the [wiki](http://bleach.wikia.com/wiki/Espada#History):

> The original Espada were already in existence sometime before Aizen's
> defection from Soul Society and acquisition of the Hōgyoku.

So this would mean that Aizen did not have either Hōgyoku before the Espada
were being gathered.

Then to answer the second half of your question, in the scene you mentioned
Nnoitra is talking about how it has been years since Nelliel has taken her
full form as an Espada due to the trama he inflicted on her long before
rendering her appearance to that of a small child.

[!["Nnoitra said that it had been years since Nelliel was an
Espada."](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kRfB0.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kRfB0.jpg)

[![It was because she had "vanished" from Las
Noches.](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nSyb5.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nSyb5.jpg)

So in this instance he was not saying that it had been years since Nelliel had
_become_ an Espada, but that it had been years since she _returned_ to being
an Espada.

