Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

"Wood? Interesting. Since you say this is a friendly spar, then just sparring would be too boring. How about adding some stakes?"

I can overlook your obstruction of the execution, but what if you lose to Niu in the sparring match?

As Esdeath uttered those words, her smile vanished, replaced by an icy indifference.

"Then just treat me as a spy from another race and kill me too."

I crave battle; the loser shall die. This is my answer, and my choice.

Upon hearing Esdeath's words, Wood revealed a carefree and cheerful smile, and said with great fighting spirit.

When Esdeath saw Wood's knowing smile, she was visibly taken aback, as if something had touched her heart.

However, Esdeath's expression management was clearly quite good. That girlish expression she had just made was only fleeting, and she quickly hid it again.

"There's no need to execute you. I've become somewhat interested in you. If you lose, how about you come work for me? I don't think Najenda would have any objections."

Conversely, if you win, then as a reward, these foreign women and children will be yours to do with as you see fit, even if you choose to release them—it's entirely up to you.

The negotiations have been completed, and Najendan and Lubbock are both relieved. They had thought Wood's reckless behavior meant he was doomed.

But no one expected that Esdeath would have this side to her.

However, the current situation is probably the best. Wood cleverly changed the definition of "fighting among colleagues" to "mutual learning and exchange," and Esdeath even agreed.

If Wood wins, those women and children from other races might be able to survive.

Even if they lose, they won't die; at most, they'll just have to find a different job.

Najenda had no reason to refuse such a good thing, so she agreed to Esdeath's request.

"Kid, you're lucky. Lady Esdeath seems quite interested in you, so I guess she won't be able to kill you."

But even if I can't kill you, I can still make you pay for what you said before. Prepare yourself!

Having already obtained Esdeath's approval, Neu naturally didn't restrain herself. She directly revealed an extremely broken and cruel smile on her seemingly girlish face, and took out an instrument that looked like a bone flute and began to play it.

The Imperial Arms "Military Music Fantasy: Shriek" can control the emotions and feelings of listeners through sound, and is more effective for those with weak willpower and those who understand music.

Wood comes from a wealthy local family, and his aristocratic upbringing naturally gave him a considerable appreciation for music. Therefore, the influence of this Imperial Arm on him is actually quite outstanding.

A variety of extreme emotions surged into Wood's brain in an instant, accompanied by the music, and as Niu watched Wood's face twist and change, a smug expression appeared on her face.

While playing her bone flute, Niu took out a small knife and kept approaching Wood, attempting to stab him through the kidneys and end the fight while Wood was under the influence of "Military Music Fantasy: Scream".

"They hyped it up so much before, I thought they were someone important, but it ended so quickly, how boring."

Chapter 398 Still awesome even without Imperial Arms!

Niu gripped the dagger, his expression full of disdain as he looked at Wood. He had thought Wood might put up a fight, but it turned out he was just a show-off.

Normally, Niu would have killed Wood outright, but considering that Lady Esdeath seemed to quite admire the pretty boy in front of her, she only stabbed Wood in the kidneys, where it wasn't fatal.

"It was a very good performance. I, who hadn't heard music in a long time, was almost completely captivated by it."

It's clear you're not an ordinary person, otherwise you wouldn't be able to play such a high-level piece of music.

But even music played by the Imperial Arms is far from sufficient to influence my thoughts.

Niu's short knife, which was originally aimed at Wood's waist, stopped in mid-air because his wrist was now locked tightly by another hand like an iron clamp, making it impossible for him to advance an inch.

Compared to Niu, who looked surprised and had veins bulging on her forehead, clearly exerting all her strength, Wood appeared quite relaxed and at ease.

"That's impossible. You were clearly affected by my 'Military Music Fantasy - Scream' before, so why are you still able to stay sober now?"

Just as Wood could tell that Neu had a certain level of playing ability, Neu, as a performer, could naturally tell that Wood had a certain level of music theory and could understand his music.

Such a person is practically a natural captive to his Imperial Arm, but Conneu doesn't understand why Wood was able to break free from his control so quickly.

"Are you wondering why I was able to break free from the influence of your Imperial Arms so quickly?"

That's right, your Imperial Arms ability is indeed very strong. I was indeed affected at first. But when a person trains to a certain limit, even if they lose consciousness, their body will instinctively react to danger.

For a swordsman, cultivating one's mental state is essential, so your Imperial Arms is really nothing special to me.

As Wood finished speaking, Niu, whose wrist was being held by him, was violently thrown by Wood and slammed against the walls around the arena.

"I once heard a rumor in the Empire that the Empire possesses 48 Imperial Arms, each of which is unique."

If Teigu users were to fight using their Teigu, one of them would inevitably die.

Unfortunately, I am also a Teigu user, but since we've agreed it's just a friendly spar, it would be quite a headache for me if you died because of this rule. So, I'll refrain from using my Teigu this time.

That's right, Wood is also a user of Teigu. The Teigu he uses is the kind that allows possession. When not using its power, it is just a seemingly ordinary sword.

At that moment, after throwing Niu away, Wood caught the sword at his waist and clenched his fist.

The so-called "Imperial Arms" were actually created about a thousand years ago by the founding emperor of the empire, who, in order to maintain his long-term rule, used the empire's enormous wealth and power to summon the highest-level craftsmen from all over the world.

Using legendary, extremely dangerous species as materials, along with rare metals such as Ohari Steel and numerous long-lost secret techniques, forty-eight powerful weapons that could not be replicated were developed and called "Teigu".

The abilities of the Imperial Arms are varied and diverse, but without exception, they all possess great power and capabilities.

Those who use Imperial Arms are also known as Imperial Arms Users. Imperial Arms are not something that everyone can use easily; rather, the user needs to have a certain degree of compatibility with the Imperial Arms.

Imperial Arms choose their own masters. Those whose temperament is incompatible with the Imperial Arms cannot use its abilities. If one forces its use, either the Imperial Arms will not be able to function properly, or it will harm the host.

The function of Imperial Arms is often consistent with the user's way of thinking, temperament, and strengths, thus giving Imperial Arms users abilities beyond those of ordinary people.

More than a thousand years ago, a total of forty-eight Imperial Arms were made, and many more were lost in the long river of history.

However, Esdeath and her three subordinate beast warriors, Najenda, Lubbock, and Wood, are all Teigu users.

The strength of a Teigu user is largely determined by the Teigu they wield. Wood's behavior of not using a Teigu, despite being a Teigu user, clearly indicates that he is not only underestimating his opponent.

"Stop looking down on me, you bastard!"

As a thick cloud of sand suddenly burst from a dent in the arena wall, Niu's body, which had almost swelled to several times its original size, kicked against the wall with both feet, instantly creating numerous spiderweb-like cracks in the arena wall. At the same time, her body shot towards Wood!

Previously, Niu was definitely no more than 1.5 meters tall and had a petite figure. She liked to wear super short shorts and jackets, which is why Wood jokingly called her a "cross-dresser".

But now, Niu's body is like it's been injected with hormones. Not only has her originally short height suddenly increased to over two meters, but her muscles have also swelled up to be as solid as rocks.

To put it simply, Niu used to be a cross-dresser who looked like a loli, but now she has transformed into a so-called "muscle Barbie".

"boom------!"

Using the arena wall as a springboard, he launched himself down from the air at high speed, easily shattering an area of ​​tens of meters in radius with a single punch, leaving a concave crater nearly five meters in diameter where Wood had just stood.

"Don't think that my Imperial Arms can only affect others; the ability of 'Military Music Fantasy: Scream' can also be used on myself."

Now that I'm in the "Summoning Demon" state, even if I encounter a high-level dangerous species, I can still use melee combat to brutally kill it.

"You were lucky just now, otherwise I could have smashed every bone in your body with one punch!"

Looking at the empty pit in front of her, and then at Wood whose figure had already appeared in another place, Niu clicked her tongue in extreme displeasure.

Having enhanced himself using the Imperial Arm's secret technique "Demon Summoning," Neu is now bursting with confidence. Admittedly, the force with which Wood threw him was quite astonishing, but it was definitely no match for him now using the secret technique.

Once a user of an Imperial Arms has mastered the use of their Imperial Arms, they can use the "secret techniques" contained within the Imperial Arms. However, some Imperial Arms' "secret techniques" have severe side effects, and using them even once can lead to death.

However, some Imperial Arms' "secret techniques" do have certain side effects, but these side effects are not enough to kill. Clearly, Neu's "Demon Summoning" is one such technique.

However, regardless of whether a technique has severe side effects or mild side effects, mastering the techniques of an Imperial Arms is something that ordinary Imperial Arms users cannot do.

To use a Teigu, the user must achieve a certain level of compatibility with the Teigu. To use the "secret techniques" of a Teigu, not only is a very high level of compatibility required, but also a sufficient understanding and mastery of the Teigu.

Throughout history, less than 30% of Imperial Arm users have been able to use the secret techniques of Imperial Arms, so Neu certainly has every reason to be proud.

Niu, who had achieved a decisive victory with a single punch, turned her gaze back to Wood not far away. She stomped her feet into the ground, creating deep craters, and her figure shot out at lightning speed in an instant.

Wood could tell that although Niu had acted like an artistic young man when she played music earlier, it was not hard to see from her punching posture that she actually possessed a considerable level of fighting skills.

This is not surprising, after all, the other party is one of the "Three Beast Warriors" who are highly valued by Esdeath, and has been fighting alongside Esdeath for many years. If he only knows how to use Imperial Arms, it would be a bit unreasonable.

"Wood is being too reckless. How can a Teigu user fight without using Teigu?"

While it's an ironclad rule that battles between Teigu users will result in death, this rule won't be triggered unless one harbors murderous intent.

Najenda knew something about Wood, the guard, but not much.

All she knew was that Wood and Lubbock were both new recruits who had recently joined the army, but they were both rare "Teigu users". In addition, they had successfully completed several missions assigned to them, which was why they were promoted to her bodyguard position.

"Otherwise, the big guy will definitely win once he gets bigger, and he'll probably suffer a loss soon."

Most Teigu users' strength does indeed come from their own Teigu, but there are always some oddballs in the world who, even without Teigu, are strong enough to overwhelm 99% of people.

Compared to Najendam, Lubbock looked relaxed as he saw Neu rushing towards Wood.

As one of Wood's childhood friends, Lubbock is definitely one of the people who knows Wood best.

His Teigu, "Cross Tail," was acquired earlier than Wood's Teigu. It's possible that Lubbock used his Teigu to spar and fight Wood before he acquired his Teigu.

However, each time, the final result was failure. The reason was simple: Wood was the kind of ridiculously strong freak that Lubbock had mentioned before. Even without using his Imperial Arms, his own strength was enough to defeat 99% of people.

Just as Lubbock had predicted, the battle in the arena was unfolding in a way that he had anticipated, but which was unexpected by everyone else.

Inside the arena, Niu's exceptionally strong arms were poised to deliver a punch, but although his fist struck Wood's body as he had anticipated, the result was far beyond his expectations.

At this moment, Niu's fist, now the size of a sandbag due to her swollen body, collided with another fist in mid-air.

Despite being fists of completely disproportionate size, the instant they exchanged blows in mid-air, they created a situation of evenly matched strength.

The ground beneath Niu and Wood's feet cracked extensively from the impact, and a powerful gust of wind swept across the entire arena in an instant.

"How is this possible... I used the Imperial Arm's secret technique 'Summoning Demons,' but you didn't even use an Imperial Arm."