Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

"There isn't much discussion about Tatsumi in the capital, but by using the Imperial Arms to disguise himself as an Imperial soldier, he managed to find out that he seemed to have been taken back to Esdeath's mansion."

Based on the intelligence gathered, Tatsumi likely didn't reveal his identity as a Night Raid member; otherwise, as a prisoner, he would have received far better treatment than Wood.

Upon hearing Chelsea's words, Leone quickly added, "We also gathered some intelligence in the capital before. Now it seems that Tatsumi is indeed favored by Esdeath, just as Wood said."

Najendan: "(Д)"

Chelsea: "(°_°)"

Susanoo: "~_~;"

Apart from Susanoo, who remained expressionless, Najenda and Chelsea both showed stunned expressions when they heard what Leone said.

Esdeath is well-known, and both the Empire and the Revolutionary Army have some knowledge of her, not to mention Najenda, her former friend and colleague.

But they really hadn't expected that a woman like Esdeath could have such a side. When Leone explained to Najenda and the others Esdeath's criteria for choosing a partner to the young emperor, Najenda was truly dumbfounded.

"So, Tatsumi went to participate in the martial arts tournament intending to infiltrate the 'Jarmen,' but ended up seducing Esdeath instead?"

Najendan was truly shocked. The impact of this bombshell news even surpassed that of Wood's capture, to the point that she now needed a cigarette to calm down.

"However, this should be considered good news for us. After all, if Tatsumi infiltrates the enemy's headquarters, he can not only provide us with intelligence, but also greatly help us in rescuing Wood."

"The biggest obstacle to rescuing Wood is probably Esdeath. Perhaps, if necessary, we could have Tatsumi use his body to get rid of her?"

Leone made this suggestion without any guilt, and her words were instantly met with unanimous agreement from everyone in the Night Raid.

Anyway, there was no danger to her life. Although Esdeath was stronger and had a sadistic personality, she was still quite charming to women.

With his good looks and long legs, Tatsumi's sacrifice of his looks is not a bad deal. You know, there are many people lining up for this opportunity to do so.

------Dividing line

Meanwhile, Tatsumi, who had been brought to Esdeath's mansion, was also in a panic and didn't know what to do.

Esdeath's residence as a general was very large, and a portion of it was set aside by Esdeath as a base for the "Hunters".

So strictly speaking, Tatsumi and Wood are both currently at Esdeath's mansion, the only difference being that they are treated completely differently.

After defeating Wood, Esdeath took a bath after the fierce battle. After bathing, she was about to execute Tatsumi, whom she had brought back to her room.

Fortunately, Tatsumi had a flash of inspiration and suggested that if Esdeath really wanted to experience a real marriage, she should start with a normal romantic relationship, which barely managed to calm Esdeath down.

Although Esdeath brought Tatsumi back to the mansion, she also gave him considerable autonomy. Apart from being worried that Tatsumi would escape and not allowing him to leave the mansion, Tatsumi was still able to move freely within the mansion, including the 'Jarmen's' office.

"Tatsumi, what are you doing here? Aren't you going to stay with General Esdeath?"

Because he had lost contact with his companions and was now in a difficult situation, Tatsumi was at a loss and could only come over to see Wood and see if he had any good ideas.

In Tatsumi's eyes, Wood has always been an all-rounder. Although he is a bit unconventional, he is no less capable than the BOSS in terms of strategy and decision-making.

Unfortunately, although Tatsumi successfully met with the captured Wood, things did not go smoothly, and he didn't even have the chance to speak with Wood alone.

Many people witnessed the battle between Wood and Esdeath; a large area and even streets of the Imperial Capital were destroyed.

Because of Wood's extreme danger, he must be guarded in real time. Today, Will and the emotionless black-haired girl, Kuro-tomi, are in charge of guarding him.

In addition to being closely guarded by two "Hunter" members every day, Wood himself was also restrained by various shackles to restrict his movements.

First, his arms were tied behind his back, and his body was wrapped with several chains as thick as a baby's forearm. Then, his legs and neck were also chained, and the other end of the chains was nailed to the wall with huge iron nails.

Besides the first cage, Wood was also imprisoned in three iron cages, each made of fine steel, so that ordinary swords and knives could hardly leave a mark on them.

After that, two members of the "Hunter" class, who were also Teigu users, kept a close watch on Wood every day. With this triple protection, not to mention prisoners, even if the other party was a god, it would be difficult for him to escape.

Perhaps because they both came from the countryside and had similar personalities, Will and Tatsumi quickly became good friends.

Seeing Tatsumi coming over, Will was a little surprised, but also quite happy.

Guarding prisoners is no easy task, especially guarding extremely dangerous prisoners, because you're always afraid that something might happen if you doze off for even a moment.

Normally, if there were two people guarding the place together, they could relieve the boredom and loneliness by chatting and joking around, but his partner was Kurohime, which made Will quite helpless.

The black-haired girl is beautiful enough; she's a rare beauty. Will has no complaints about working with such an attractive girl.

But unfortunately, while the girl was pretty, the other person was a total loser. Half a day passed by, and all the other person did was wipe their knife and eat snacks.

Whenever Will walked over and tried to strike up a conversation, the girl would clutch her bag of snacks tightly, indicating that she wouldn't share her snacks with anyone else!

Chapter 424 The True Hero, The Reason for Defeat

With Tatsumi coming over, Will was naturally happy to have someone to talk to and relieve his boredom.

After seeing Kurohime's personality, Tatsumi patted Will on the shoulder to show his understanding, because there was a similar character in their organization.

Shifting his gaze from Will to Wood, Tatsumi clenched his fists in anger at the sight of Wood's miserable state.

It would be strange if Tatsumi, witnessing his companion being treated this way, didn't feel anything.

However, just as Tatsumi felt anger, Kurohime, who had been eating snacks, suddenly raised her head and looked at him.

That's why Tatsumi realized he had just made another mistake.

His current identity is that of an undercover agent, not a member of "Night Raid." Wood is a complete stranger to him, and if he were to express anger over his situation, it would certainly arouse suspicion and distrust from others.

Realizing this, Tatsumi quickly suppressed his anger, hatred, and hostility towards the Empire, trying his best to appear calm.

Unfortunately, his intense emotional fluctuations were only momentary, but for Will, an assassin and a former member of the Imperial Navy, it was enough for them to notice.

Seeing the way Kurohime looked up at him, just as Tatsumi thought he had messed up again, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder and said with a sigh, "I knew we were a good match. You also think he shouldn't be treated like this, right?"

Hearing what Will said next to him, Tatsumi was dumbfounded. He had thought he had been exposed, but what was Will saying now?

Was he testing me? Or was he one of my own?

"There's no need to be so taboo about it. General Esdeath is different from others; she's quite open-minded."

Moreover, besides myself, Lan also believed that Wood shouldn't be treated this way among the "Hunters."

Although Wood was captured alive, there was a reason for it, and it was because of his actions in the battle that he earned the respect and admiration of Will and Lan.

In the battle between Wood and Esdeath, with both using their Imperial Arms at the end, no one could intervene.

And when the battle reached its climax, both of them used their strongest techniques.

Wood used his last trump card, "Heart of God," in the battle, which caused his physical abilities to surge so dramatically that he forced the invincible Esdeath to retreat in defeat.

Using the power of the "Heart of God" while wielding a Teigu caused an astonishing change in Wood's Teigu.

It's important to know that the core power of the "Heart of God" is amplification. This amplification can be applied not only to the user but also to skills and techniques. Naturally, Imperial Arms can also be a target of amplification.

Having used the "Heart of God," Wood's full-body armor and Imperial Arms became even more magnificent and dazzling. Not only did a pair of icy bone wings grow on his back, but his body size also increased by more than two times.

The longsword in his hand transformed into a particle pulse longsword, and the overall shape of the armor became more dragon-like, making him look like a small dragon-man.

Furthermore, its ability to wield the power of ice has been greatly enhanced; a single flap of its dragon wings can even unleash a powerful blizzard.

In this state, Wood was truly invincible. He not only suppressed Esdeath and forced her into a retreat, but also caused her to suffer a lot of injuries in a short period of time. He even easily wiped out more than 10,000 Imperial soldiers who surrounded him.

Considering that he was already exhausted in this state and unable to sustain a prolonged battle, and that there were also six other members of the "Hunter" group who were also Teigu users watching him closely.

Therefore, after suppressing Esdeath, Wood did not linger in the fight but planned to escape.

But it was at this very moment that the cries of several children caught Wood's attention.

His battle with Esdeath affected several surrounding streets.

The Empire was only focused on arresting the rioters as quickly as possible, without considering evacuating the crowd. In a building affected by the aftermath of the battle, several children, only a few years old, were trapped in the collapsing building.

Seeing the children about to be buried by the collapsing ruins, and looking at the large number of pursuers and Esdeath behind him, Wood gritted his teeth and rushed directly to the crying children.

For Wood, the reason these children suffered such an undeserved misfortune was largely due to him.

Besides, he was just a Sim, so even if he died, it wouldn't matter. Trading his life for several younger lives on the other side was a deal that wasn't a loss at all!

With a single punch, Wood shattered the falling boulder. His dragon wings, spread out like a parasol, completely shielded the children from the falling debris.

Almost at the same moment, Esdeath also used her strongest move, "Makabotomo," which she could only use once a day.

The terrifying technique that can completely freeze the surrounding space-time, although it can only last for a very short time, is enough for a strong person and a battle maniac like her to do a lot even in a moment.

Esdeath, who was closing in on Wood, saw Wood spread his dragon wings to protect the children in the frozen space-time. She instantly pulled back her arm, forcibly stopping the military knife that was about to cut Wood's neck, and instead placed it against Wood's neck.

The battle thus came to an end, but Esdeath felt no joy at victory; instead, she felt extremely frustrated.

So much so that when the minister later sent people to demand Wood's return and take him away, Esdeath killed all of them.

It was also because of Wood's final move that Will and Lan in "The Hunter" became huge fans.

One was a righteous country boy, and the other was a rural teacher. They joined the "Hunters" only to investigate some things and avenge their students and lovers.

Aside from a few exceptions, the Hunters are not really bad people; they are simply in different positions.

Just like Wood now, in Will and Lan's eyes, he is a true hero. Even though he is an enemy, it does not stop them from admiring him.

Not only is he powerful, but he also has a compassionate heart. Only such a strong person can be considered a true strong person!

Even though they had already escaped the encirclement, they were willing to risk their lives again for the safety of the children.

Such behavior is undoubtedly foolish in the eyes of most people, but one has to admit that it is quite admirable.

For this reason, when Will and Lan were in charge of guarding Wood, they would do their best to meet Wood's needs.

Although they cannot let Wood go due to their opposing positions, they will still pay the highest respect to a true hero.

Seeing that Will's admiration and respect for Wood seemed genuine, Tatsumi breathed a sigh of relief and his admiration for Wood grew even stronger.