Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

His Imperial Arm is called "Asura Incarnation: Noble Chariot," and like Wood and Tatsumi's Imperial Arms, it is an armor-type Imperial Arm.

Seryu Ubiquitas, a former member of the Imperial Capital Police Force, harbors a twisted ideology while claiming to be a righteous individual. He believes that anyone tainted by evil must atone with death, regardless of whether it's petty theft or coercion.

She appears harmless, but is actually quite insane. Her master is Oni no Ouka, and it was Seryu who broke Sheele's arm.

The Imperial Arm it wields is called "Beast Transformation: Hundred-Handed Giant"—a biological, dog-type Imperial Arm.

Lan is a handsome young man with short blond hair. He is calm and can clearly analyze the situation during a duel.

Imperial Arms "Flying Forth Mostima" - Winged Imperial Arms.

Dr. Fashion, a middle-aged mad scientist, has an extremely narcissistic and arrogant personality, but also has very keen observation skills.

The Imperial Arm is "God's Hand Perfector"—capable of inducing precise finger movements hundreds of times greater, facilitating the creation of various sophisticated weapons, and also used to examine and treat human injuries.

Polus, a soldier wearing a strange mask, originally served in the Burning Force. He claims to be shy, but despite his burly physique, his actions are completely different from his appearance; he is very meticulous and gentle.

His Imperial Arm is called "Purgatory Summoning: Rubigand", which can spew out high-temperature flames.

The above six people are the Imperial Arms users that the minister summoned for Esdeath from various military units of the Empire.

Because they came from different military units, and due to the nature of their work and their own personalities, the six of them had no communication with each other even though they were in the same room.

Will, who was good at livening up the atmosphere and was new to the capital, originally wanted to chat with the two girls in the group, but he found that neither Seryu nor Kurome paid any attention to him.

It wasn't until Esdeath appeared and suppressed everyone present with her powerful aura, and announced the official establishment of the "Hunters," that this disorganized group was barely brought together.

Meanwhile, Wood, Tatsumi, Leone, and Mine, who had just arrived in the capital, began to split up and take action.

Leone had spent many years in the capital, had a large number of cronies, and possessed his own intelligence network, so he left with Tatsumi early on.

"Come on, Mine, I'll take you shopping. Haven't you always wanted to come to the capital to go shopping? Today I'll grant your wish."

Hearing what Wood said, Mine was obviously stunned for a moment. Although she had agreed to come out this time to relax, Mine had never forgotten that their main purpose was to gather intelligence.

Wood's suggestion was so tempting. Her greatest hobby was shopping, and she had long yearned for the food and clothes in the capital.

"Hmph, I'm just accompanying you for a short while. Our main task is to gather intelligence, so don't forget your serious work."

She clearly has an eager look on her face, but she insists on putting on a reluctant expression, which is one of the characteristics of a proud and aloof girl.

In a pastry shop on a street in the Empire, Mine looked at the exquisitely beautiful pastries in front of her, carefully scooped up a spoonful with a pure silver spoon and put it in her mouth, then a happy expression appeared on her face.

Just a few dozen minutes ago, Mine thought that Wood's promise to take her shopping, eat, and buy clothes meant going to the commoner areas of the capital.

However, when Wood led Mine into this luxuriously decorated pastry shop, Mine was completely stunned.

Mine is quite a homebody, but she enjoys reading magazines. Although she rarely comes to the capital, she knows about the famous luxury brands there.

The area that Wood had just led her into was clearly the most luxurious shopping street in the capital, and those who could afford to shop here were undoubtedly wealthy nobles.

Just like the small cake in front of her, its price per piece is probably enough for the daily needs of an ordinary person in the capital for a month or two.

Chapter 418 Wood, the VIP of the Noble District

"Wood, you haven't been embezzling money all this time, have you? You've brought me out to eat such good food. Are you sure you have the money to pay the bill?"

Mine devoured the high-end pastries, her little face filled with satisfaction, but soon she became puzzled again.

The assassins who raid at night don't receive any salary, since the Revolutionary Army itself is dirt poor, and they usually rely on Akame's hunting trips to obtain food.

They accept employment from ordinary people in the capital, charging only a symbolic fee to cover the organization's daily expenses.

The only large sum of money usually comes from confiscating the property of a wealthy family, just like when they wiped out a rich merchant's family before.

However, these confiscated assets are usually taken back to the Revolutionary Army headquarters by Najendan to equip the Revolutionary Army with better equipment.

Considering that Wood and Leone used to swindle money from Tatsumi to buy drinks, it's clear that Night Raid members are basically all so-called "poor bastards".

Wood is now able to take Mine to eat such high-class desserts. The only thing Mine can think of is that Wood embezzled during the raid on his home.

"What are you thinking? I'm a super VIP at this restaurant, I don't have to pay for my food at all!"

If you keep nagging, I won't bring you next time. If it were Akame, she'd probably like the desserts here too.

Upon hearing Wood's words, Mine immediately puffed up her cheeks in displeasure, then protected the cake in front of her and said, "Akame likes to eat meat, not these desserts."

“Mr. Wood, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. And this beautiful young lady, is she the daughter of that nobleman?”

While Wood and Mine were chatting, a middle-aged man in a suit slowly walked up to them and took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

When she saw a stranger approaching, Mine instinctively showed a look of vigilance, and her behavior became more ladylike.

"Arthur, you don't need to waste your time. This pink-haired but black-hearted loli is my friend. She's not some noble lady, but a poor guy like me."

We're here to eat and drink for free, so don't expect me to pay you back.

Upon hearing Wood's words, Mine first showed anger, then felt uneasy. She really didn't expect that Wood would dare to take her into such a high-class pastry shop without money, and even say in front of them that he wouldn't pay the bill.

What surprised Mine even more was that after hearing what Wood said, the middle-aged man, who was like an old gentleman, was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled and nodded at Mine, saying, "That's really rude of me. I didn't expect Mr. Wood to have such a beautiful and charming friend."

"I am the owner of this pastry shop. Miss, would you like to try some of your other pastries?"

Hearing what the old gentleman said, Mine was even more surprised. Wood had already made it clear that they wanted to dine and dash, but the other party was not angry at all. On the contrary, he was even more enthusiastic and polite to her.

Seemingly noticing the puzzled look on Mine's face, the old gentleman took the initiative to explain, "Mr. Wood is a benefactor to our family."

My wife and daughter were both saved by Mr. Wood, and the reason this shop is so successful is because Mr. Wood often brings customers to patronize it.

Those guests are all exceptionally generous, and because of Mr. Wood, they have become regulars here, which is why our business is so prosperous.

"I really didn't expect that someone as unrestrained and dashing as Mr. Wood would have a true friend, and such a beautiful lady at that."

Arthur was talking non-stop, as if he had been given a tap, but just before he could reveal some of Wood's dark history, he was suddenly interrupted by Wood.

Wood turned to look at Mine again and saw that the girl was so flattered by his repeated calls of "beautiful lady" that she hadn't heard what Arthur had just said. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Arthur, you come here right now!"

Old Arthur was quite curious about Mine, after all, this was the first time Wood had brought a real friend to his shop.

He and his wife had tried to marry their daughter to Wood more than once, but were always rejected.

Looking at the pink-haired girl in front of him, Arthur was quite curious about what was so special about her that she could win Wood's favor.

Meanwhile, old Arthur, whose goal had not yet been achieved, had been pulled aside by Wood, who had his arm around his neck, to prevent his imposing image from crumbling during the "night raid."

"What are you up to? Let me make one thing clear first: Mine is just an ordinary friend of mine, not the kind of relationship you're imagining."

And your daughter, Sylvie, is so beautiful, why does she have to set her sights on me? You know perfectly well who I am, getting involved with me won't do you any good."

In order to prevent old Arthur from seeing Mine as a potential rival for his daughter's affections, Wood had no choice but to take the initiative to explain.

“Mr. Wood, I have no choice. Please understand a father’s predicament. Ever since you saved Sylvie, she has been thinking of you every day. My wife and I are quite troubled…”

"Stop, stop, stop. Let's put this aside for now. I'll find a chance to help you talk to Sylvie. My main purpose in coming here this time is to gather intelligence."

"Is Esdeath, the Empire's strongest general, back in the capital? Do you know anything about her recent activities?"

Seeing that old Arthur looked like he was about to pour out his troubles, Wood quickly interrupted him and explained the purpose of his visit.

If Leone's intelligence gathering channels came from the diverse and unsavory lower classes, then Wood's intelligence sources were the upper-class aristocracy.

The city is teeming with all sorts of thugs and hooligans, so naturally one can hear all sorts of gossip.

Those nobles who mingled in high society naturally knew more through their daily banquets and exchanges.

Old Arthur's pastry shop was frequented by many noble ladies and young noblewomen. After enjoying the pastries and drinking some tea, the women's natural talent for gossip would naturally come to the fore. And Old Arthur, who served them, would sometimes overhear many things that others didn't know.

When she left the pastry shop, Mine packed up several portions of high-end pastries, saying she wanted to take them back to the base for others to try.

She had never experienced such a happy time, eating delicious pastries to her heart's content without spending a penny, and even being able to take them home.

And so they ate and took some food without spending a penny and left. The owner even personally saw them off at the door, saying they were welcome to come again next time.

"Wood, Arthur told me before that you often bring customers to this store? Do you have many friends? And are they all very wealthy?"

After eating and drinking her fill, Mine tossed all the packed pastries into Wood's hands and then skipped ahead.

However, as she walked, Mine suddenly remembered what old Arthur had said earlier and couldn't help but ask him a question out of curiosity.

Upon hearing Mine's question, Wood was momentarily speechless. Did he have many friends? Obviously not. Including his Night Raid comrades, he had less than ten at most.

As for the guests that old Arthur mentioned, most of them were actually noblewomen and young ladies from the capital.

Lubbock knew that Wood was a master at flirting. Not only did he have good looks, but his aristocratic manners and flirting skills were also at their peak. Ordinary women were no match for him.

When flirting with girls, Wood would usually take them to Old Arthur's shop to spend money.

Because they were all noblewomen, they were not short of money, so they were always very generous with their spending. As a result, Old Arthur naturally made a fortune. In addition, because his skills were indeed excellent, he quickly gained a good reputation.

"Don't let old Arthur's serious appearance fool you, he's actually a guy who talks a lot of nonsense."

He's surrounded by wealthy ladies and young women every day; you can't let a few compliments from him make you lose your bearings.

“But he doesn’t seem like that kind of person…” Mine had been an assassin for a while and was convinced that she had a good eye for people.

"Old Arthur's information just now was a bit insufficient. Next, we're going to other shops, one that sells clothes and another that sells jewelry. Do you want to come along?"

Seeing that Mine still wanted to ask more questions, Wood quickly said something else to shut her up.

"Clothes! And jewelry... cough cough, we're partners, so if we're going to gather intelligence, we'll naturally have to work together."

It turns out that no woman can resist desserts, pretty clothes, and jewelry, even the most proud and aloof ones.

After browsing through famous jewelry and clothing stores in the capital, Wood was carrying quite a few more bags and bags of things, while Mine, looking completely satisfied, had obviously long forgotten about the previous problems.