Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

Upon hearing Wood's question, Mine and Chelsea exchanged a glance before giving an affirmative answer: "Then it is Esdeath, of course."

"So, what do you think is the difference in strength between me and Esdeath?"

When Wood asked the question again, Mine and Chelsea fell silent this time. Although Wood had not suffered any obvious defeats against Esdeath, they were not present during either of their encounters, so they could not make a judgment.

"If he were to use that life-draining Imperial Arm, 'Heart of God,' I think Mr. Wood might be slightly stronger than General Esdeath."

The one who spoke this time was Kurohime, who was also one of the witnesses to the battle in the arena earlier.

Before Wood decided to back down, Esdeath was indeed on the receiving end. If Wood hadn't ultimately tried to save the children, she would never have been captured.

Seeing his newly acquired lackey... his newly acquired henchman, cooperating with him so well, Wood showed a satisfied expression.

“That’s right. Esdeath, the most troublesome enemy of the Empire, is not in the capital right now, and I believe I have the combat power to match Esdeath.”

If she can directly attack the Revolutionary Army headquarters, why can't I just blow through the palace?

Before, I wouldn't have been so confident, but since Leone and the others helped me retrieve the "Winter Knight," this plan is worth a try.

"It's impossible for all the imperial troops to be stationed in the capital. If we act quickly enough, it's not impossible to catch them off guard."

"And like Esdeath, if they're just ordinary small fry, no matter how many there are, they're useless to me."

After hearing Wood's analysis, Mine and Chelsea fell silent and gradually began to think that Wood's plan might not be entirely without merit.

However, the situation regarding Akame and her group's battle against Esdeath remains quite worrying.

"Don't worry, Najenda isn't stupid. If things get bad, she'll choose to save the Night Raid members' lives."

As for the high-ranking members of the revolutionary army, that's beyond our control. Anyway, those guys aren't all entirely innocent; it's better for some to die so that the new nation won't be a mess after the empire is overthrown.

In the end, Wood persuaded Mine and Chelsea to launch a surprise attack on the Imperial Kingdom!

Will, the unlucky fellow, was simply dumped at the thatched hut, while Black Eyes, Chelsea (who was disguised as Will using "Gaia Foundation"), and Lan swaggered over to grab Wood, preparing to head straight into the palace.

There are many ways to launch a surprise attack, but choosing to charge head-on is undoubtedly the least efficient and most foolish method.

Wood considers himself a battle maniac, but not to the extent that Esdeath is. He wants a low-risk, low-cost infiltration method, so there's no reason for him to be so stubborn as to directly confront her head-on.

That would be extremely costly and disadvantageous to oneself, and would also create a huge commotion, alerting the other side in advance.

Chapter 443 The Very Senseable "Will"?

Previously, Black Eyes and Will had fought against "unknown personnel," which was no secret in the capital. Unfortunately, when the Imperial soldiers who came to support arrived, all that was left were ruins and the corpses of the Imperial soldiers killed by Wood and his men.

As for the attackers and the attacked, Kuroko and her group, they all disappeared without a trace. Naturally, the people of the Empire were unaware that Kuroko and her group had been successfully turned.

"My lords, what brings you to the palace? Without His Majesty's and his ministers' audience, we cannot allow you to enter."

The guards at the palace gates naturally recognized Kurohime and Will. After all, the "Hunter" organization had caused quite a stir before, and they knew that the two in front of them were elites of the empire and directly under General Esdeath's command. Therefore, they were very polite to them.

Throughout the entire empire, the only exceptions who can enter the royal palace without prior notice are General Esdeath and General Bud, which demonstrates just how extraordinary their status is.

As for the ministers, they were even more powerful. They were the ones being received, and the young emperor could basically decide who he wanted to see.

If Chelsea had been disguised as Esdeath, they could have entered the palace more easily.

Unfortunately, Esdeath is currently engaged in a fierce battle with the Revolutionary Army, and if she were to suddenly appear in the Imperial Capital, her secret would be immediately exposed.

"Then you should immediately report to the minister that we have captured Wood, the strongest member of 'Night Raid,' the guy he had been trying to get from Esdeath but couldn't."

"Since General Esdeath is not currently in the capital, we specifically captured her to await the minister's judgment."

Upon hearing what "Will" said, and glancing at Wood, who was bound by multiple chains, the guard realized that the man was indeed the thug who had caused a great uproar and destroyed large areas of the capital's streets some time ago. He then hurriedly ran into the palace to report.

Not long after, the guard who had gone to report earlier returned, panting, and said that the minister and His Majesty had agreed to receive them.

As a member of the Empire's assassination squad, this was the first time that Kurohime had entered the royal palace, and also the first time she had seen the legendary ministers and His Majesty the Emperor.

Although Black Eyes was once an elite of the empire, she was essentially a sharp blade in the empire's hands, without the right to make any decisions on her own. She could only be a puppet, obeying the manipulation of others.

However, when Hei Tong met the emperor of this empire this time, he was surprised to find that the so-called emperor did not seem to be much different from himself.

Although he sat on the throne, he was like a real puppet on a string, with a pot-bellied minister tearing apart a piece of fat meat at the other end of the string.

Every time the young emperor uttered a word, he would look up at the ministers' expressions and ask for their opinions. Such behavior was more like that of an obedient pet than an emperor.

There's a reason why an empire that has stood for a thousand years could become so corrupt in just a few years. With such an emperor, it would be strange if the country didn't collapse.

"Are you the remaining members of Esdeath's 'Hunters'?"

How did you manage to capture this guy? It's said his strength is comparable to General Esdeath's, right?

As the minister tore at the greasy piece of fat in his hand, he looked at the kneeling figures, including Kuro-tomi, with suspicion.

Although the minister was not good-looking, he was definitely not stupid; in fact, he was extremely treacherous and cruel.

He was already worried that it might be a trap. If one of the Black Pupils had brought Wood to pay their respects, he would never have let them in.

However, the appearance of Kuroko, Ran, and Will together dispelled much of the minister's vigilance, because even if they were turned, the possibility of the three "Hunters" being turned at the same time was not high.

Moreover, he also knew that Black Eyes had been injected with the Empire's drugs and had become extremely dependent on them, so there was no possibility that he would betray the Empire.

"Your Excellency may not know, but this Night Raid member named Wood was captured alive by us once before, and his Imperial Arms was also confiscated by us."

Without his Imperial Arms, the user's strength was reduced to less than one-tenth of what it used to be. In addition, we had anticipated his sneak attack, so it took three of us against one to finally manage to defeat him.

As for why it disappeared during this time, it was simply because it sensed something was wrong and tried to escape, which is why the three of us went to pursue it.

Chelsea, disguised as "Will," recounted the whole story in a clear and logical manner, without finding a single flaw in her account. This led the ministers to gradually begin to believe her.

"Now that you've captured this night raid member alive, why didn't you take him back for interrogation instead of bringing him here to see me?"

Despite Chelsea's reasonable arguments, the minister, being cautious by nature, couldn't help but ask again with doubt.

"General Esdeath is not currently in the capital, and we do not know what to do with her."

Furthermore, we had heard that Your Excellency was very interested in this person, so we brought him here. We also hope that Your Excellency will have the opportunity to give us some guidance in the future.

Chelsea's acting was truly superb. Even her final, ingratiating and mercenary expression was portrayed so vividly that Wood, who had been secretly observing from behind, couldn't help but sigh, "Women are indeed born actors."

Chelsea's explanation completely dispelled the minister's doubts, because he had seen far too many people like "Will" in recent years.

It's not uncommon to find people among him who deliberately try to curry favor with him and climb the social ladder, so he understands what "Will" and his group are doing.

"Working under General Esdeath must be tough. After all, she's such a dazzling figure, and those around her are always just decorations."

However, you all did a very good job this time, and I believe His Majesty will reward you handsomely.

The minister was indeed very interested in Wood because he privately possessed an Imperial Arm that could control people's minds. He originally intended to use it on the young emperor, but who knew that the emperor was even easier to control than he had imagined, so he never got around to using it.

When the minister heard that one of the members of "Night Raid" had fought Esdeath to a standstill, the minister took notice and developed a strong interest in Wood.

Esdeath's strength is too great. Even if she has no ambition to dominate, the ministers feel uneasy about having such a pawn that is not under their control.

Therefore, upon hearing of Wood's existence, the minister considered using the Imperial Arm he possessed to control Wood's heart and thus counterbalance Esdeath.

Unfortunately, when he asked Esdeath for the man, she didn't give him the time of day, which made the minister both angry and more determined in his mind.

But before he could take any further action, the minister heard that those useless "hunters" had let his chosen prey escape!

While vehemently criticizing the "Hunters" as utterly useless, the minister couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

But to his utter surprise, after many twists and turns, the prey he had his eye on was ultimately delivered to him in this way.

“Your Majesty, I believe that these members of the ‘Hunters’ should be rewarded for their continued fighting and decisive defeat of the infamous ‘Night Raid’ even while General Esdeath was away from the capital.”

Upon hearing the minister's words, the young emperor nodded blankly, then looked at the minister and slowly asked, "So, what do you think is appropriate to reward them with?"

The ministers' word was law; if they said they would reward someone, they would reward them. They even decided what to give. It was well known that the ministers held absolute power in the empire.

However, Hei Tong and Lan did not expect that the empire had been eroded to this extent. What difference was there between such an emperor and a puppet in the hands of his ministers?

"Since they are all General Esdeath's subordinates and are all so brave and skilled in battle, why not appoint them as Imperial Generals?"

"I see, the minister makes a good point. Then..."

The young emperor, who ostensibly listened to opinions but in reality had the final say, was about to reward Hei Tong and the others when "Will," who was kneeling, lowered his head and said, "It is impolite of me to interrupt Your Majesty, but I rely on Your Excellency more than being an imperial general."

If possible, could I become Your Excellency's personal attendant, protecting Your Excellency's safety at all times?

Upon hearing what "Will" said, the young emperor was stunned. He then looked up at the minister again, who looked at the bowing "Will" with a meaningful expression.

The minister never bothered to learn about such insignificant figures as members of the "Hunters".

However, it must be said that the man in front of him, named "Will," was, in the minister's eyes, a very shrewd and greedy fellow.

First, behind Esdeath's back, he offered the captured Wood to himself in order to gain merit. Now, he has given up the opportunity to become an imperial general, only wanting to make a lackey by his side his own.

Smart people know that the so-called "Imperial General" is nothing more than a matter of a word from oneself. He may look glamorous, but in reality, he is not even as good as a lackey by one's side.

This young man named "Will" was clearly a smart man, and also quite greedy.

Ministers do not dislike greedy people because they themselves are such people, and they are easier to control.

"In that case, Your Majesty, please bestow him upon me. This old minister is currently lacking a guard."

The young emperor had no reason to refuse the minister's request, and generously retained the reward for the "Will" Empire general, only adding the responsibility of protecting the minister.

Since he was a bodyguard, he naturally had to follow closely. So, after bowing his head to thank the minister for the reward, "Will" naturally walked behind him.

General Bud, who was also in the hall, looked on with disdain at the behavior of "Will"'s lackey.

He had previously heard that Will was from the Imperial Navy and was an excellent Imperial soldier, but he never expected him to be so corrupt.

In order to curry favor with the minister, he actually abandoned his dignity as an imperial soldier!