Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

After all, the "Hunters" were their enemies, yet Wood had even won over his enemies with his demeanor, demonstrating the strength of his personal charisma.

Kurome glanced at Tatsumi again, and after concluding that he was an idiot like Will, she stopped paying attention to him and went back to eating her snacks.

Coincidentally, just as Tatsumi and Will were discussing whether he could say those words to Wood, Esdeath, dressed in a white military uniform and looking dashing, also arrived.

And his purpose in coming here was quite clear. He walked straight up to Wood's iron cage and said, "Wood, I'll ask you one more time, are you willing to serve under me?"

This was the second time Esdeath had asked Wood a question; the first time was when she was on her way to pursue Najenda and her group after their defection and escape.

Generally speaking, Esdeath rarely tries to recruit people, and if she is rejected, she will never give them a second chance.

But this pattern has now been broken with Wood!

Esdeath greatly admires Wood, whether for his strength, temperament, or shared love of battle. In fact, if Wood hadn't lacked the "pure smile" that she valued most, Esdeath might have even considered him a romantic interest.

After all, Wood met all of Esdeath's criteria for choosing a partner, except for lacking that so-called "pure smile".

Although he was the eldest son of a prominent business family, his family was not actually based in the capital.

Upon hearing Esdeath's words, Will looked at Wood with anticipation in his eyes.

Through what had happened before, he had become a fan of Wood's strength. In his eyes, Wood belonged to the side of justice. He really didn't want to be enemies with someone who possessed both strength and compassion.

If Wood agrees to General Esdeath's request now, they will no longer be enemies, and may even be able to fight side by side.

"I regret to inform you that although I am now a prisoner, I still refuse your request."

Although those guys from the Night Raid were all idiots and caused me trouble from time to time, they were all decent guys overall.

"Besides, as I've said before, I enjoy fighting. If you join your side, the Revolutionary Army won't have a single capable fighter. Wouldn't that be incredibly boring?"

Esdeath left, her arrival was very sudden and her departure was very decisive. Wood's refusal was within her expectations, or rather, she would have been greatly disappointed if Wood had submitted so easily.

Esdeath never intended to kill Wood, even though he repeatedly refused her.

Just as Wood said, they were both extremely pure battle maniacs, and finding an evenly matched opponent was not an easy task. Wood was like that, and so was Esdeath.

Although the previous battle ended with Wood being captured alive, how could Esdeath, a battle maniac, accept such an outcome after what had happened?

Esdeath never considered getting information about the "night raid" from Wood. How could someone who could take on the rearguard mission twice for his comrades and return from the encirclement for the sake of a few children be forced to reveal any useful information?

Esdeath spared Wood's life, partly to use him to incite other Night Raid members.

On the other hand, he just wanted to have a one-on-one fight with Wood after everything was over.

After Esdeath left, Tatsumi wanted to try to get a chance to speak with Wood alone, but Kurome was unyielding, which gave Tatsumi a real headache.

Tatsumi is currently quite helpless. His other companions have lost contact with him, and although he is still able to move around, he is constrained in every way because of Esdeath.

He originally wanted to ask Wood, who was smarter than him, if there were any other solutions, but unfortunately, they didn't even have a chance to communicate now.

That evening, while Esdeath was on her way to the palace, Tatsumi sneaked out of the mansion and rushed back to the raid's base to check on the situation there and explain the predicament he and Wood were facing.

Many members of the "Hunter" group see themselves as Esdeath's gigolo, so they don't pay much attention to him and focus their attention on Wood, always ready to guard against any potential night raiders who might come to rescue her.

However, this also made it easier for Tatsumi to move around; as long as Esdeath left, Tatsumi still had the ability to escape.

Although Esdeath had tied his limbs to the bed with ropes before leaving, those ropes broke almost instantly thanks to the "possession of the demon".

“Crack——————!”

Tatsumi, who was sneaking out of Esdeath's mansion, bumped into a girl as soon as he slipped out. Just as he was about to apologize, he suddenly felt a figure appear behind him, cover his mouth, and drag him to a corner.

Faced with the sudden attack from behind, Tatsumi actually had the strength to fight back, but when he smelled a familiar scent and felt a very clear pressure on his back, his hand, which had just been moving, immediately fell back down.

There was no other reason than that Tatsumi recognized the person who suddenly appeared behind him. Although the other person hadn't said a word, this familiar voice, especially the powerful pressure on his back, was something Tatsumi had experienced before, so it left a deep impression on him.

"That's great! Leone, you're all safe and sound!" Tatsumi exclaimed excitedly as he looked at Leone, who was dressed in a black robe that covered most of her figure, but some parts of her body were still visible.

Tatsumi was genuinely excited. The organization hadn't forgotten him after all. In order to make contact with him, Leone had actually come to such a dangerous place in person.

Keep in mind that this is Esdeath's mansion. Leone is now wanted for showing her face before, yet she still dares to wander around in front of Esdeath's mansion.

Chapter 425 Wood's Rescue Plan!

"Not bad. You guys said before that your companion who infiltrated Esdeath's mansion was a newbie and a bit dim-witted, but now it seems that he's quite clever."

Although Esdeath had left the mansion, other members of the "Hunter" were still there. If he had shouted and attracted their attention, the plan would have been difficult to execute.

Before Tatsumi could ask anything while looking at Leone in front of him, the girl he had knocked down earlier spoke up.

Before Tatsumi could even ask who the unfamiliar girl in front of him was, she transformed, to Tatsumi's astonishment, from a little girl who was less than 1.5 meters tall into a beautiful, scarlet-haired girl who was about his height.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Chelsea, and I'm a new member of Night Raid..."

Upon hearing Chelsea's self-introduction, Tatsumi looked at Leone beside him with a blank expression, and the latter nodded in confirmation.

The reason Leone risked coming here with Chelsea this time was to act as a witness and convince Tatsumi that Chelsea was one of their own.

After all, if Chelsea had come alone and claimed to be a new member of "Night Raid," Tatsumi might not have believed her without reservation.

Of course, this was also because they had calculated that Esdeath would go to the palace today; otherwise, they would not have chosen to act at this time.

Over the past few days, Leone and the others have completely come to recognize Chelsea's skills and abilities.

Although the opponent is also a newcomer to "Night Raid" like Tatsumi, if we exclude direct combat strength, both in terms of experience and action, he is far superior to Tatsumi.

Because the capital is currently in a sensitive period, and almost all of the other members of Night Raid are on the wanted list, Night Raid's intelligence about the capital is almost entirely obtained by Chelsea alone.

Even the fact that Esdeath would leave the mansion today was something Chelsea learned about by disguising herself as a guard and standing watch for several days.

Chelsea also used her abilities to demonstrate to Leone that sometimes force is not everything, and sometimes by using one's own abilities and wisdom, one can find more and more perfect things.

A few minutes later, Leone explained their battle plan to Tatsumi.

In the short few minutes that Leone explained the plan to Tatsumi, Chelsea finished her preparations and looked at the amazed Tatsumi, asking, "How is it? Do I look any different from the real Esdeath?"

When Tatsumi first saw the blue-haired older woman suddenly appear in front of him, he was genuinely startled. However, when he saw the smile on her face and heard her words, he realized that the "Esdeath" in front of him was a fake, an impersonation created by his companion using an Imperial Arm.

"Esdeath would never show such a smile; her demeanor is even more aloof and indifferent, like that of a queen."

And... one or two more buttons need to be undone on the uniform, and the chest needs to be... a bit bigger...

Tatsumi spoke the latter half of his sentence with a flushed face, and he was even teased by Leone and Chelsea for it.

"I didn't expect Tatsumi's observation skills to be so amazing; he even noticed such details..."

Both Leone and Chelsea are older than Tatsumi and have experienced more, making them more mature.

A country bumpkin like Tatsumi is no match for them when it comes to driving. If it were Wood instead, excluding Leone, who doesn't consider herself a woman, Wood could easily make Chelsea run away in shame.

"Are you sure there are only four 'Hunters' in the manor right now?"

Chelsea, now disguised as Esdeath, walked alongside Tatsumi, asking about the enemy forces in the mansion.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi, who had been marveling at the incredible power of the Imperial Arm "Transformation Freedom: Gaia Foundation"—that Chelsea could padded her chest as she pleased without looking out of place—quickly answered Chelsea's question.

"There are six members in the 'Hunter'. Among them, Seryu has always insisted on upholding justice, so even though she joined the 'Hunter', she still insists on working as a member of the Imperial Capital Guard. She should be on patrol at this time."

Dr. Fashion is a research fanatic. The mansion doesn't have the equipment or conditions for his research, so he's usually not here, only appearing when there's a group action.

There are now four other people in this mansion, but I'm not entirely sure how strong they are.

Through these few days of contact, Tatsumi has roughly figured out the personalities and lifestyles of these "Hunters" members, but since he has not witnessed them fighting, he cannot give an evaluation of their combat strength.

In addition to Chelsea, Night Raid also brought Akame, Susanoo, and Leone, who are currently the strongest members of Night Raid, to participate in the operation.

If a battle were to break out, Tatsumi would be responsible for delaying Esdeath's advance.

Chelsea has no fighting ability whatsoever, which means that Akame, Susanoo and Leone will have to fight three against four Teigu users.

Akame is an elite among elites in the former Imperial Assassination Squad, whose strength Chelsea had long heard of. However, the biological Imperial Arm "Susanoo" was able to suppress Akame in close combat, which also shows its strength.

Although they were outnumbered, Chelsea had considerable confidence in Akame and her team's fighting strength.

"Actually, I don't think the members of 'Hunters' are as simple as we imagine, especially that girl named Kurome. I always feel that she is quite dangerous, and she reminds me a lot of Akame..."

Tatsumi was capable of judging the strength of his opponents, and he still felt that this operation had been somewhat hasty.

Although it's impossible to leave the base unguarded, even having another Lubbock or Mine would significantly increase the chances of success for the current plan.

After all, even excluding Esdeath whom he stopped, Seryu and Dr. Fashion aren't blind. Once they discover something's wrong at the mansion, they'll definitely rush over immediately.

By then, Akame and his group will not be facing a three-against-four situation, but a three-against-six situation, a difference of double the numbers, which will put them under immense pressure.

"Have you forgotten? We still have one more person here, the guy who's locked up."

Once we can get him out of trouble, do you think our fighting strength will still be insufficient?

Upon hearing Chelsea's reminder, Tatsumi finally showed a look of sudden realization.

Oh right, how could he forget about Wood? If Wood were to escape, let alone four against six, with Wood's off-the-charts strength that surpasses all limits, he could even take on the entire "Hunter" force by himself without Esdeath around.

So this time they're not trying to turn the tide against all odds, but rather they've had a huge advantage from the very beginning.

This was also Najendan's original plan: this time, they not only wanted to rescue Wood, but also to cripple the "Hunter"!

The most crucial aspect of the entire plan right now is whether Tatsumi and Chelsea's operation can succeed in getting Wood out of trouble before the battle breaks out.

Wood is their main fighting force. As long as he can join the battle, their fighting force will be able to overwhelm the 'Hunters' side.

As they approached the mansion, Chelsea had already composed herself and quickly got into character.

The "Gaia Foundation" has the ability to transform into the appearance of others, but cannot imitate their personality, so this really tests a person's acting skills.

After Tatsumi's description, and based on Chelsea's prior knowledge of Esdeath, she quickly portrayed Esdeath's usual demeanor.