With Ope Ope no Mi in Multiverse

"Seeking death, are you?" Daniel Davis's expression turned cold as he watched the northern tribesmen charge at him. While he held back against the northern army led by the Three Beasts, considering that they were Esdeath's subordinates and not entirely vile, he felt no such restraint toward the northern tribesmen. Their history of conflict with the Empire was of no concern to him—he wasn't some saint with a soft spot for oppressed minorities. In Daniel's view, history had proven that only overwhelming strength commanded respect from these tribes.

Daniel had already begun to see the Empire as his to claim, and he wasn't going to follow in the footsteps of the current imperial leadership by being complacent. His ambitions were far-reaching; he planned to unite the entire continent. Even if the northern tribes weren't his enemies now, they would be eventually.

As for the animosity between the Empire and the tribes, and the atrocities committed by the Empire, Daniel would address those issues only after consolidating his power.

Snap.

With a simple snap of his fingers, a vast sea of flames suddenly erupted along the path of the charging northern tribesmen—Flame Alchemy.

The alchemy from Fullmetal Alchemist was both mysterious and powerful. Despite Daniel's significant growth in strength and his array of abilities, he still wore the Flame Alchemy transmutation circle on his wrist.

As Daniel snapped his fingers several more times, the landscape around him was engulfed in fire. The northern tribesmen were consumed by the flames, and their numbers rapidly dwindled. The terrifying scene, coupled with the death of Numa Seika, shattered the morale of the survivors, who began to flee in all directions.

As for the northern army led by the Three Beasts, Daniel used the flames to create a barrier, cutting them off from himself and Esdeath. The fire stretched for dozens of meters, and even Leiv, the leader of the Three Beasts, who wielded the Water Dragon's Gaze, an Imperial Arm capable of controlling water and liquids, found himself powerless in this situation. The lack of a large water source nearby left him at a disadvantage.

Though there was plenty of ice around, Leiv lacked Esdeath's ability to convert it into water.

"Stay here. Esdeath will return shortly." With those parting words, Daniel left the battlefield, taking the subdued Esdeath with him.

"This is the blood of the Ice Imperial Arm? Esdeath is truly impressive," Daniel muttered as he examined the data displayed on the large screen in front of him, his expression tinged with disappointment.

Normally, Daniel wouldn't forcibly take someone else's possessions. For example, he was curious about Chelsea's Gaia Foundation, but he hadn't stolen it from her. However, since Esdeath had repeatedly attacked him, Daniel decided to capture her and study the Ice Imperial Arm within her. Originally, he had intended to discuss matters with Esdeath before proceeding with his research.

Using the Op-Op Fruit, modern technology, and the knowledge he had acquired from the minister's records, Daniel had come to appreciate just how formidable Esdeath was.

Typically, an Imperial Arm can only be wielded by one user, but the Ice Imperial Arm was different. Because it was composed of blood, it theoretically could be used by multiple individuals, each gaining the same power.

The blood of the Ice Imperial Arm only required a sip to grant its abilities. However, despite this, in the thousand-year history of the Empire, only the first emperor's era had seen another wielder of this power. Every other attempt to create new users had ended in failure, as those who drank the blood were instantly frozen to death.

The Ice Imperial Arm was so powerful that even Minister Honest coveted its abilities, as did his son, Syura. However, neither of them dared to drink the blood, fearing the deadly consequences. They were too cautious to risk the near-zero chance of survival.

Esdeath, with her fearless nature, drank all the blood herself, ensuring that no one else would ever have the opportunity to become an Ice Imperial Arm user again. The Imperial Arm, being a consumable, could no longer be passed on.

"Sorry, Esdeath. I'll make it up to you later," Daniel murmured, his expression turning serious as he looked at the data. After a moment of contemplation, he used the Op-Op Fruit to dissect Esdeath's body into several parts, carefully extracting three unique drops of blood using his knowledge, alchemy, and modern instruments.

Ordinarily, Daniel wouldn't alter his own body lightly. Although he had access to Skye's blood and other Inhuman genetic material, he hadn't used the Op-Op Fruit to modify himself.

But this time was different. The time-freezing ability of the Ice Imperial Arm was too tempting to pass up. In the hierarchy of power, space reigns supreme, but time is the true king.

"Too bad the blood is so aggressive. Otherwise, I could have created more Ice Imperial Arm users," Daniel mused. The Ice Imperial Arm was crafted from the blood of a Super Danger Beast from the far north, known for its incredible vitality. Without this inherent vitality, extracting the blood essence from Esdeath would have been much more difficult.

This vitality was also why so many who sought the Ice Imperial Arm's power ended up frozen to death. The synchronization between an Imperial Arm and its user required a matching wavelength, making the compatibility issue a matter of life and death.

"If I could integrate the vitality of the Super Danger Beast within Gaia Foundation directly into Chelsea's body, she could essentially become an Imperial Arm herself," Daniel speculated, eyeing the three drops of blood in the preservation fluid. His thoughts drifted to Chelsea's Gaia Foundation, Leone's Lionelle, and Brand's Grand Chariot.

Daniel was well aware of these three Imperial Arms' characteristics. If their abilities could be directly transferred into a person, it would remove the dependency on the Imperial Arm, much like consuming a Devil Fruit—minus the side effects.

"This idea might be feasible, but it would require mastering the alchemy of the western tribes first."

In the era of the first emperor, the western tribes posed a significant threat to the Empire with their unique alchemy. If not for the Empire's Imperial Fist Temple and the Oberberg family, the Empire might not have been able to compete with the western kingdom.

It wasn't until the first emperor created the forty-eight Imperial Arms that the Empire gained the upper hand over the western kingdom, which has since faded into history, becoming the western tribes.

"I've lost," Esdeath murmured to herself as she awoke in an unfamiliar room, its modern design starkly different from anything in the Empire. She paid no attention to her surroundings, her face clouded with disappointment.

"You're awake. Come, have something to eat," Daniel called out, and the door to the room opened automatically. After a moment of hesitation, Esdeath stepped out.

"Where is this?" Esdeath asked as she walked over to Daniel, her sharp eyes scanning the room. She sat down across from him, her posture straight and unwavering.

"I've lost. What do you plan to do with me?" Esdeath inquired directly, her voice steady.

"I already told you before—become my subordinate. We'll discuss the details later. For now, eat something." As Daniel spoke, a robot approached, carrying a tray. It set the tray down in front of Esdeath before retreating.

Although Daniel didn't mind cooking, with high-tech at his disposal, he saw no reason not to use it. Nowadays, unless in special circumstances, it was usually the AI-controlled robots that handled meal preparation.

"No problem." Esdeath agreed without hesitation, nodding as she began to eat.

Her father had instilled in her a deep belief in the survival of the fittest, and losing to Daniel cemented her decision to follow him. In Esdeath's mind, serving Daniel was a natural outcome of her defeat, no matter what he might ask of her.

"Conquering the entire Empire? No problem." Esdeath readily agreed to Daniel's plans. She held no deep loyalty to the Empire, and her relationship with Minister Honest was purely one of convenience.

In fact, Esdeath had nearly killed Minister Honest's son, Syura, years ago. Syura, a notorious lecher, had tried to force himself on Esdeath, thinking he could do as he pleased due to his father's status. He nearly died for his arrogance, escaping only because he possessed the Imperial Arm Shambhala, which allowed him to teleport. After that incident, Syura stayed away from the capital, preferring to roam far from Esdeath's reach.

Minister Honest later promoted Esdeath to the highest commander of the northern army, using the entire army as a peace offering to prevent her from pursuing Syura further.

Similarly, Esdeath's respect for the young emperor was merely a facade to avoid unnecessary complications. Despite her overwhelming strength, many overlooked her intelligence.

"Why make it so complicated? We could just storm the capital," Esdeath remarked with a frown after hearing Daniel's plan.

In Esdeath's view, conquering the Empire was straightforward. She could simply march her forty thousand-strong northern army to the capital, and with Daniel's help, no one could stand against them. There was no need for the gradual, methodical approach Daniel suggested. Simple and brutal was more her style.

"It's too early for that," Daniel responded, having considered Esdeath's approach. With his power, it would be easy to control the young emperor and Minister Honest, and even defeat General Budo. However, doing so would make it difficult to reform the Empire's deep-rooted corruption quickly.

Daniel chose not to follow Esdeath's path because he wanted to rebuild the Empire from the ground up. The Empire was too rotten, filled

 with corruption and despair. He believed that allowing the Revolutionary Army to cleanse the Empire first would make reconstruction easier.

The Qin dynasty fell after just two generations, while the Han dynasty lasted for centuries. This was because Qin Shi Huang's rapid unification left many local opposition forces intact, which rebelled after his death.

While Daniel wasn't worried about local rebellions, as he had the power to suppress them, his goal in conquering the Empire was to access the world's resources. He didn't want to waste time quelling endless uprisings. Therefore, he preferred to let the old order collapse before rebuilding.

"I didn't expect you to have such a thought," Esdeath remarked, surprised by Daniel's reasoning.

"General Esdeath, are you alright?" The Three Beasts rushed to Esdeath's side as soon as she returned to the northern army's camp, casting wary glances at Daniel.

"I'm fine. Gather around. I have something to tell you," Esdeath said, nodding slightly before leading them into her tent.

The northern army was currently stationed at the border between the Empire and the northern tribes, a desolate area with few villages or towns nearby. The location of the camp, according to The Art of War, was far from ideal, but Esdeath's creation of a long ice fortress had changed everything.

In terms of individual combat prowess, Esdeath might not be able to defeat top-tier fighters like Gai Nie, but in large-scale battles, a hundred Gai Nie couldn't match a single Esdeath.

"I lost the battle, so now I am his subordinate," Esdeath announced bluntly, explaining the situation to her subordinates, including Daniel's plan to take over the Empire and her decision to rebel.

"I'll give you one day to decide whether to stay or leave."

"I've long sworn to follow you, my lady," Leiv, one of the Three Beasts, immediately declared his loyalty. Disillusioned with the Empire, his devotion now lay solely with Esdeath.

The other two members of the Three Beasts quickly followed suit, pledging their loyalty to Esdeath. Their sentiments were echoed by the entire northern army.

Many of the senior officers in the northern army, including the Three Beasts, had been saved by Esdeath from the minister's schemes.

"Very good." Esdeath was pleased with their loyalty.

"Hand over your Imperial Arms," she ordered.

"Yes, my lady."

The Three Beasts complied without hesitation, surrendering their Imperial Arms to Esdeath. Most Imperial Arm users would never give up their weapons so easily, but the Three Beasts' unwavering loyalty made them an exception.

It was Daniel's idea to collect the Imperial Arms for research. He needed them for his experiments.

Though Esdeath and the northern army had decided to rebel, there would be no immediate action. For now, they would continue their usual operations, while Daniel and Esdeath prepared for the future.

While Daniel researched the Imperial Arms he had taken from the Three Beasts, Esdeath embarked on a ruthless campaign against the northern tribes. Only a few tribesmen escaped her wrath by fleeing further north.

"Water Dragon's Gaze is quite a remarkable Imperial Arm, though its power has limits," Daniel remarked after studying the Imperial Arms, including Water Dragon's Gaze, March of the Dead, and Heavy Axes. His understanding of these weapons deepened, but he found them lacking compared to his current abilities.

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