Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

Seeing her fist being caught solidly by the opponent with the same straight punch, Niu looked on in disbelief.

"Nothing is impossible. Your current physical abilities are simply enhanced by the Imperial Arms."

However, the physical abilities I possess are the result of continuous, day-and-night training. While Imperial Arms can enhance one's abilities, they are ultimately external forces.

There doesn't seem to be an ironclad rule that an ordinary person can't defeat a Teigu user, right? It's a simple principle, isn't it? Your physical abilities might be quite strong due to the enhancements from your Teigu, but I'm even stronger than you!

As soon as Wood finished speaking, a large number of clearly visible blue veins suddenly bulged on his arm, and the evenly matched situation between the two fists that had collided in the air was gradually broken.

Despite being nearly multiple times stronger than Wood's fist, Niu's massive body was gradually being suppressed. And the instant Wood exerted force with his arm, Niu's enormous body was sent flying backward at high speed!

Niu, whose body was carried away by the powerful inertia, plowed a deep furrow in the arena floor with his back. Before he could figure out why he had lost, a figure caught up with him again at an incredible speed and appeared above him.

Seeing Wood appear above her, Niu instinctively sensed something was wrong and wanted to react defensively, but her flying body was suppressed by the huge wind pressure and she couldn't move at all!

Seeing Wood suddenly clench his fists and smash them into her face, Niu could only cross her hands in front of her face to protect her vital organs as much as possible.

"boom------!"

A sound that could be described as an earthquake rang out, accompanied by a large amount of sand and dust that obscured half of the arena. Esdeath and the others standing above the arena could even feel the entire arena shaking slightly.

A short while later, a figure slowly emerged from the rising dust and threw Niu, who had lost consciousness and reverted to her petite form, onto the ground.

Without a doubt, the last person to emerge from the sandstorm was Wood, while the unconscious Niu, who was almost unharmed except for her slightly dirty clothes, provided a stark contrast. The final outcome of the battle was already clear even without a referee.

When Riva and Daidas of the Three Orcs saw the unconscious Niu, they immediately showed their unwillingness and wanted to step in to let Wood know that they, the "Three Orcs," were not weak and easily bullied.

The reason Neu lost was simply because his Teigu had very limited effect on Wood, which is why he was defeated so easily.

Both Riva and Daidas believed that if it were their Teigu, even if they couldn't defeat Wood, they could at least fight him to a standstill.

"Enough! We lost, so we lost. Do you think I'm the kind of person who goes back on my word?"

You said your name is Wood, right? I'll remember your name. My name is Esdeath. As agreed, those alien women and children are yours to deal with.

And although I failed this time, one day I will help you take her away from Najenda.

Chapter 399 Defecting from the Empire, Encountering Esdeath's Attack!

Seeing the unwilling Riva and Daidas, Esdeath directly told them to leave and had the unconscious Neu taken away, admitting defeat quite decisively.

Esdeath saw it quite clearly: the reason Neu was defeated was not only because her Teigu was ineffective against Wood, but also because Wood himself was an extremely powerful warrior.

Riva, one of the three beast warriors, may be much stronger than Neu, but Esdeath believes that if she were to actually fight Wood, her chances of winning would be extremely slim.

Don't forget, Wood, who defeated Neu, was also a Teigu user, but he was able to defeat Neu without using his Teigu.

Even Esdeath couldn't accurately assess how strong she would be if she used a Teigu, but she would certainly be considerably stronger than she is now.

Furthermore, Esdeath isn't someone who can't accept defeat. Since there was a prior agreement, it would be truly shameful to change the bet to a series of challenges if she lost.

"I never expected that you would be one of Esdeath's 'Three Beast Warriors'. That makes me quite impressed."

However, you must not act so impulsively next time. You were just lucky this time because Esdeath was in a good mood and seemed to be interested in you. Otherwise, you might have already died at her hands.

Don't doubt what I'm saying. Esdeath isn't as gentle and easy to talk to as you imagine, and her strength is absolutely beyond your imagination. She's not even in the same league as the Three Beasts.

Therefore, without absolute strength, do not presume to challenge Esdeath, for doing so will only lead to your own destruction!

Although Wood won the fight, he received a sharp rap on the head from Najendan. In Najendan's opinion, Wood's actions were far too impulsive.

Despite her anger, Najenda looked at Wood with a sense of relief.

Both Wood and Lubbock are only thirteen or fourteen years old, and Najenda looks at them more like she is looking at her juniors.

While Esdeath and the Three Beasts' brutality towards the alien races revealed the darkness and tyranny of the Empire to Najenda, she also saw hope in Wood.

At least not all people of the Empire are so hopeless; there are also those who uphold their own sense of justice and will stand up at some point.

Wood eventually released the hundreds of alien women and children he won the bet with Esdeath.

That's all Wood and his team could do; the others weren't so lucky.

Esdeath and the Three Beasts did not choose to give the remaining alien races a more humane way of dying because of this incident; instead, they continued to carry out their cruel killings as they pleased.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Najenda secretly killed the guards as night fell and released the poor foreign women and children.

According to the laws of the Empire, Najenda's actions were practically tantamount to treason.

This was actually a decision Najenda made after careful consideration.

Esdeath and her three Beast Warriors' bloodthirsty massacres of alien peoples and their armies were unbearable for Najenda. Deeply feeling that the empire had begun to decay and darken, she decided to save the country in her own way.

Najenda has made her decision: after betraying the Empire, she will join the "Rebel Army," which is currently the only force capable of opposing the Empire.

Just as Najenda released a large number of foreign women and children and was preparing to sneak away on horseback to the rebel headquarters, two figures appeared in the moonlight, seemingly having been waiting at the stables for a long time.

"Boss, if you're going to let those foreign women and children go, why not kill all the guards?"

You know, no matter how careful you are, the commotion of so many alien races escaping is considerable. But don't worry, we've already taken care of it for you.

Najendan naturally recognized the two figures waiting under the stable.

If it were before, she probably wouldn't have had a very deep impression of these two, but after what happened before, Najenda had a very deep impression of her two guards.

"Lubbock, Wood, why are you two here?" Najendan looked at the two boys in front of her with some surprise. She hadn't told anyone before she took action, and she had even chosen to act in the middle of the night, but she didn't expect that she would still be discovered.

Najenda concealed her intentions remarkably well; in fact, during the day she was discussing her return with her friend and colleague Esdeath, showing no sign of any intention to betray them.

But the key point is that she has a loyal sycophant by her side... Others may not notice Najenda's abnormality, but Lubbock observed it quite clearly, which led to the scene before them.

"You can go back now. You should already know what I want to do."

"Given your status as Imperial Arms users and your considerable strength, you'll inevitably be given important responsibilities if you remain in the Empire."

When Wood and Lubbock appeared here, Najenda didn't think they were there to stop her; otherwise, Lubbock wouldn't have said that he had taken care of the cleanup work she had overlooked.

Instead of coming to stop her, the only possibility is that they came to follow her, but that's not what Najenda wanted to see.

Wood and Lubbock are definitely under fifteen years old, and in terms of age, they are just teenagers.

Joining the rebels to fight against the empire is no joke. Even though the empire is now decaying and darkening, a thousand years of history still makes this kingdom very powerful.

In comparison, the rebel army was only recently established, and its strength was limited, as was its combat power. Faced with a behemoth like the empire, it would be easily crushed into dust.

In Najendan's view, Wood and Lubbock were both young men with good potential and talent, and they would rise to prominence sooner or later if they stayed in the Empire. There was absolutely no need for them to follow her into the deadly rebel army.

"Anyway, I've already made up my mind. If you join the rebels, I will also betray the Empire."

The guards who were watching over us were all taken down by my "Cross Tail" attack; the traces were quite obvious. If things are exposed tomorrow, I'll be found out sooner or later, so there's no turning back now.

As Lubbock spoke, he pulled a wire from the wheel assembly on his arm, which was still dripping blood, as if to show his stance.

"Thousand Transformations - Crossed Tail" - this is the Thread Imperial Arm wielded by Lubbock.

Its silk threads are made from the body hair of the legendary super-dangerous creature (dragon) that dwells in the clouds of the East Sea. They are not only strong but also incredibly sharp.

It can be deployed as a trap or a barrier to probe enemies, and it also has the ability to restrain and cut, just like its nickname suggests—it is ever-changing.

The wounds caused by the Cross Tail were very unusual, so as Lubbock said, once the investigation began, he, who was still in the army, would not be able to escape.

In fact, given Lubbock's abilities, he could have handled things flawlessly, but it seemed he had anticipated that Najenda would refuse his pursuit, so he deliberately left many loopholes to make it impossible for Najenda to refuse him.

"Then what about Wood? He must have been forced to come here by you. With his strength and Esdeath's appreciation, it's only a matter of time before he becomes a general of the Empire."

"You clearly have a bright future ahead of you, there's no need for you to follow me down this dark path. Joining the rebels means going against the empire, and the empire's power..."

Before Najendan could finish speaking, Wood, who was leaning against a stable post, took over the conversation and said, "It is precisely because the Empire is far stronger than the rebels that I want to join the rebels."

It's a very simple logic, isn't it? The strong guys are all on the Empire's side. If I were on the Empire's side, how would I fight those guys?

If I want to fight them, then I can only become their enemy, so I think I should join the rebels.

Upon hearing what Wood said, Najenda was speechless. She had seen battle maniacs before, but she had never seen one as pure as Wood.

But in reality, Wood joined the rebels partly to maintain his public image, and partly at Lubbock's request.

They were childhood friends and had a good relationship since they were young. If Lubbock followed Najendan to join the rebels while Wood stayed in the Empire, then one day they would inevitably turn against each other.

Lubbock didn't want his few friends to become enemies, and knowing Wood well, he didn't want Wood to become one of their most troublesome enemies in the future. So it took him several days to finally persuade Wood.

Lubbock's reasons for persuading Wood were similar to what Wood had just said. However, what truly convinced Wood to join the rebellion was his intuition that the rebels in this world would ultimately be the victors.

Seeing that Wood and Lubbock were prepared, and that they were valuable combatants as Teigu users, Najenda ultimately did not stop them. The three of them rode away from the military camp overnight.

According to the original plan, the three men riding fast horses were supposed to reach the rebel headquarters in three days.

The next day, however, Wood and his companions were stopped by someone who was both unexpected and yet expected.

The other person was dressed in a white military uniform, with two long, straight legs exposed to the air, arousing endless imagination. He also had a military knife at his waist. He blocked Wood and his group, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

"Najendan, I never expected you to do such a thing."

However, making this decision must have thrown your mind into turmoil. You possess a passionate heart, yet you're always so calm; have you forgotten that the military has dangerous, manned flying vehicles—faster than ordinary horses?

The only obstacle blocking Wood and his group's path was Esdeath, but Najenda and the others felt immense pressure at that moment.

In the blink of an eye, Esdeath, who had just finished speaking, had already disappeared from the three of them. As Najenda sensed the danger, the two long swords clashed at point-blank range, scattering sparks everywhere.

Esdeath, whose figure had vanished before their eyes, had somehow reappeared in front of Najenda, her saber already aimed at her.

Najendan was quite certain that in that situation, even if she had reacted at the last moment and avoided death, losing an arm would have been the best outcome.

She knew Najenda was strong before, but she never expected her to be this strong!

Esdeath hadn't used the power of her Imperial Arms; she had only moved using her physical abilities, and her speed was already too fast for her and Lubbock to react to.