Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

"Aren't you enjoying it yourself now? And I haven't heard you mention these things before."

While watching Tatsumi dominate the ring with great interest, Wood reached for some snacks from Mine's bag, perfectly embodying the characteristics of a spectator.

“What you said doesn’t seem to be wrong. Anyway, even if Tatsumi doesn’t catch Esdeath’s eye, we won’t lose anything.”

For Tatsumi, this was also a good training opportunity.

Hearing what Wood said, Leone laughed heartlessly, then picked up the wine she had made and started drinking it, while also reaching for the pastries in Mine's hand.

"That's enough for you two! If you want more, just go buy some yourself. The real fun hasn't even started yet, and you've already eaten all my snacks!"

Seeing the bag of pastries in her hand visibly shrinking, Mine flew into a rage, snatched the pastries back from Wood's hand, and ate them in a fit of rage.

Poor Tatsumi, after a rather disastrous defeat of his fifth opponent, still surveyed the audience with high spirits.

Because there were so many people watching the game, he couldn't pinpoint Wood's exact location, but the boy knew that his companions were watching him!

After all, Wood had told him last night that he was now the hope of the entire Night Raid, and that his mission was crucial in defeating Esdeath and the "Jaws." Brand would be pleased with that.

Unfortunately, what the newbie didn't know was that at that moment, his teammates were paying less attention to him than they were to a piece of pastry...

There aren't many contestants who make it to the finals and have the opportunity to perform in front of Esdeath. If you remove the big, burly ones, then remove those who are older than her, and finally remove those who got into the finals through connections, there are only a handful of decent guys left.

Since entering the finals, Tatsumi has maintained a winning streak, and his skills and actions are quite remarkable. He has also attracted Esdeath's attention.

In the final match, Tatsumi finally encountered the strongest opponent he had faced in the competition so far.

The other person was nearly two or three meters tall, and his forearm alone was thicker than Tatsumi's thigh. Judging from this size alone, it was clear that the other person was not a citizen of the Empire, but one of the ethnic minorities on the border.

The opponent was physically imposing, with muscles as hard as rock. No matter how Tatsumi attacked, he could not budge the opponent's massive physique.

Adding to the significant energy depleted from the previous battles, Tatsumi ultimately had to exert tremendous effort, along with some mental support, to barely defeat his opponent.

Because the victory was extremely hard-won, and recalling that if he won, he would have the opportunity to infiltrate the "Hunters," become the most outstanding member of the Night Raid, and become the hope of the entire organization.

Thinking of this, Tatsumi couldn't help but smile from the bottom of his heart.

And it was precisely this smile that moved Esdeath, who was already quite interested in Tatsumi!

No, it should be said that the moment she saw Tatsumi's smile, she almost burst into tears, her face flushed, and she walked straight towards Tatsumi in full view of everyone.

Tatsumi quickly noticed Esdeath's actions, and as he watched the enemy's big boss approach him, Tatsumi's mind remained tense.

In fact, not only Tatsumi himself, but also Wood and his two companions in the stands who were watching everything were on edge and ready to make a move at any moment.

Although Tatsumi defeated his formidable opponent, he had not yet achieved final victory. However, Esdeath, the sole referee, walked towards the ring as if no one else was there, which was somewhat unexpected.

The other viewers were just puzzled by Esdeath's actions, while Wood and the others, along with Tatsumi himself, were speculating whether her identity had been exposed, so Esdeath was preparing to take him down herself.

Chapter 420 The Exposure of Wood and His Group

"Tatsumi's identity has been exposed? That shouldn't be the case. He shouldn't have been wanted by the Empire, and the nobles who saw him should have all been killed."

Could it be that during the fight, Tatsumi revealed some weakness, allowing Esdeath to spot the problem?

As Esdeath drew ever closer to Tatsumi, Leone even reached for her belt, preparing to unleash her Teigu.

It is obvious that if Tatsumi's identity were exposed, he would have no chance of escaping Esdeath's clutches given his strength.

Ultimately, the crisis Tatsumi is facing is their fault, so naturally they can't just ignore Tatsumi's predicament.

"Wood, if it were you, how confident would you be in stopping that woman?"

Leone had never truly met Esdeath before, but this time, having only met her once and without even making a move, Leone knew that what Najenda and Wood had said was true: Esdeath was an extremely dangerous being.

Because of her Imperial Arms, Leone possesses instincts comparable to those of a wild beast, allowing her to intuitively sense danger and analyze the strength of her opponents.

When Leone looked at the blue-haired mature woman on the field, she felt a sense of crisis that made her whole body bristle, as if every pore and every cell on her body was warning her that the person in front of her was extremely dangerous!

“Wait a minute, something seems wrong… I didn’t sense any hostility from Esdeath, there might be other changes.”

Seeing Esdeath's blushing face, Wood felt that things were not quite as they had imagined, so he quickly held back Leone and Mine, who were already poised to attack.

Leone and Mine, who were initially puzzled by Wood's actions, soon witnessed a scene that almost left them dumbfounded.

Esdeath, who had approached Tatsumi on the ring, did not attack him as they had expected. Instead, she took out a collar with chains and put it around Tatsumi's neck.

Then, like a queen, she loudly and directly announced that Tatsumi was now her property!

Not to mention Wood and the others, even Tatsumi was completely dumbfounded, looking at the collar around his neck and the chain that Esdeath was pulling on.

This isn't what we agreed on before. Wood said that if he won the martial arts tournament, he could infiltrate the Empire's "Hunter" organization.

As for whether he could become Esdeath's love interest and obtain more information, Wood said that Tatsumi should just do his best and not be too demanding.

After all, in Wood's eyes as a "dating expert," Tatsumi is clearly a complete novice when it comes to romance, while Esdeath's character is that of a cold and aloof queen, not someone who can be easily won over.

Given Tatsumi's level of romantic skills, it probably won't be an easy task for him to raise Esdeath's affection level.

When he heard Wood's analysis, Tatsumi breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Because even if Tatsumi was incredibly confident, he simply couldn't do it, having never been in a relationship before, suddenly try to seduce the enemy's big boss.

It must be said that Wood's previous statement that he wouldn't force things reduced a lot of pressure on Tatsumi.

However, looking at the pretty face so close to his face and listening to her domineering CEO-like remarks, Tatsumi was truly stunned.

This is completely different from the script Wood gave him before! What happened to the other party being an unapproachable, aloof character?

He, Tatsumi, hasn't even made a move yet, but the sadistic queen has already conquered herself...

"General Esdeath, what does this mean?"

Although he felt completely bewildered, Tatsumi could only grit his teeth and look at the chains in Esdeath's hands as he asked a question.

"As I just said, you are now my property."

Starting today, you will begin a relationship with me with marriage in mind.

Esdeath answered Tatsumi's question quite frankly, completely unconcerned that they were saying such things in front of thousands of spectators.

"Dating... but wasn't the purpose of this martial arts competition to select suitable people to serve as your subordinates?"

Tatsumi wants to infiltrate the "Jarmen," but he doesn't want to be Esdeath's love interest. The reason is simply that the pressure is too great!

This is a woman that even Wood and the BOSS are wary of. Just standing next to her now, Tatsumi feels that he cannot withstand the pressure of her aura.

He already had little experience as an undercover agent, and if he were to spend every day with a dangerous being like Esdeath, he was very worried that he would be easily exposed.

"There's not much difference between the two. You can be my subordinate and my lover at the same time."

After all, my ideal romantic partner is someone I can easily control.

Hearing this distorted view of love, and recalling what Wood had said about Esdeath's sadistic queen personality, Tatsumi couldn't help but hesitate and said, "But the martial arts tournament isn't over yet, and I haven't become the final victor."

Tatsumi has figured it out: when he faces his next opponent, he will simply throw the game and lose.

Esdeath gave him a very bad feeling. Looking at the collar around his neck, even Tatsumi, who had little experience in dating, couldn't help but want to complain. This wasn't about finding a romantic partner; it was about finding a pet.

This task was too difficult, and Comrade Tatsumi said he was truly unable to help.

Moreover, if he's chained up, how can he search for and gather intelligence? If his freedom is restricted, he won't even have the ability to transmit information, making the undercover mission meaningless.

"It's alright. This martial arts competition was originally decided by me. Since I said you won, then you won. No one can question my judgment on this point."

Tatsumi wanted to run away, but Esdeath clearly wouldn't let him. After seeing Tatsumi's "pure smile" just now, Esdeath was obviously healed in body and mind, and now she was determined to be with Tatsumi.

Tatsumi: "(╯﹏╰) So, is it too late for me to withdraw from the competition now?"

Esdeath: "What do you think?"

Seeing Esdeath's expression, Tatsumi immediately showed despair. Although he had indeed attracted Esdeath's attention and infiltrated the enemy's ranks as planned, the results were far worse than expected.

Tatsumi wants to be a member of the "Hunters," not a kept man...

"What's your name?" Esdeath asked Tatsumi earnestly, gripping the chain in her hand.

"Tatsumi..." When Tatsumi heard the other party ask his name, he subconsciously gave his name.

“Very well, Tatsumi, you wait here for me. I’ll deal with a few rats that have infiltrated this place first, and then I’ll take you back with me.”

Tatsumi was initially confused by Esdeath's words, but he was instantly stunned when he heard what she said next.

"I never expected to meet you here again after that battle, Wood."

Now that you're on my turf, are you sure you don't want to come down and spar with me, continuing that unfinished battle from before?"

Hearing Esdeath's words and following her gaze, Tatsumi quickly found his companions in the audience.

Seeing Esdeath, the woman from the rumors, looking at them with a playful smile, Leone and Mine were also surprised, because they really couldn't understand how they had been exposed with so many audience members present.

"She must have sensed the fighting spirit and hostility that Leone just revealed."

Top-tier swordsmen are extremely sensitive to auras; clearly, she had just sensed hostility, which is why she was looking in their direction.

At this moment, the other civilian spectators around Wood and his two companions began to shun them as if they were avoiding a plague, which made the three of them even more conspicuous.

"What should we do? Should we fight here? While the other imperial guards haven't reacted yet, the chances of breaking through should be high."

Leone had already entered the state of using the Imperial Arms "Lion King" and was looking at Wood with a fighting spirit, her fists clenched.

“Leone, you take Mine and go first. I'll help you hold her off. Otherwise, once the members of the ‘Hunters’ and other Imperial soldiers surround this place, none of us will be able to leave.”

"Mine's physical abilities are limited, so I can only leave it to you. As for me, I'll find a way to leave after you successfully escape."

Upon hearing Wood's words, Leone and Mine's first instinct was naturally to refuse, as they simply couldn't bring themselves to abandon their companions and run away.