One Piece: Livestream

Well, this crowd was quite a sight. When Ren was about to say something, the proprietress Ririka approached him with a plate of food and a drink. "Sir, please enjoy your meal," she said with a warm smile.

Ririka set down the food, preparing to leave, but Ren called out, "Wait."

"Sir, do you have any other instructions?" Ririka stopped and looked nervous. The navy frequented this place daily, and their visits were rarely pleasant. Recently, every time they came, it was for one thing only.

"I'm here to collect today's tribute!" Ren stated, his voice firm.

Ririka's face turned pale, and her body swayed slightly at his words. 

"Host, what are you doing? Are you really planning to set the plot in motion?"

A voice chimed in his mind.

"The next plot point—Ririka didn’t have any tribute to hand over, and the anchor made unreasonable demands. She agreed with tears in her eyes, and then they both entered the room, pushing the live broadcast to its climax."

…

"Bang!"

Before Ren could fully comprehend Ririka's reaction, a loud slap echoed across the table, followed by an explosive roar.

"You're going too far! I'm going to fight you!" 

The sudden noise startled Ren, causing him to instinctively look toward the source of the commotion. A middle-aged man stood there, glaring at him with a fierce intensity, as if he wanted to devour him whole.

"What's going on?" Ren was confused. Had he really provoked such anger simply by mentioning tribute? Although he had read in the comics that collecting tribute from this town was a challenge, they never mentioned that the navy would resort to forceful means. Perhaps, in the real world, the navy's tactics had grown increasingly brutal, leading the townsfolk to resent them deeply.

But even if the navy were truly benevolent, in a world where they held such overwhelming power, the townspeople had no choice but to kneel and beg for mercy. Why, then, would they be so determined to fight back?

"Could it be that I've been sent to collect tribute in a trap?" Ren pondered, recalling the lieutenant colonel's expectant gaze when assigning him to this location. Suddenly, he felt that the world of One Piece, which seemed straightforward and based on strength, was far more complex than he had anticipated.

At that moment, the barrage of comments flooded the live broadcast room.

——

"Anchor, not only are you forcing a decent woman into a corner, but now you're also going to play the bully against an innocent person. This plot has strayed too far from One Piece! I just want to see a girl cosplay, not this complexity."

"Fight! Since we're talking about time travel, this fight should be real, right? If it doesn’t result in blood or lost teeth, what’s the point? Just wait for the anchor to get beaten."

"Wait for the anchor to get beaten +1!"

Hannah frowned slightly, sensing that the plot development in the live broadcast was diverging from her expectations. With the current viewer count, it seemed a performance was about to unfold.

"This is pointless. Thirteen people can't contribute much, even if you're trying to gather followers. A face-slapping show at this point is not what a streamer should aim for."

"Is he planning to have us recruit followers while he pulls off a face-slapping show?"

Thinking along those lines, Hannah revealed a sly smile, typed a message, and sent it.

"Brother anchor, it’s time to showcase the strength of a time-traveling anchor. Beat the old man and continue to tease the lovely young woman. I'm counting on you!"

"When did a girl come into this? The number of viewers hasn’t changed!"

"You don’t have to be a girl to call the anchor 'brother.' A younger brother can do that too."

"Is there a brother in women's clothing? Please start a live broadcast."

…

Despite the fact that an angry townsman was an unexpected twist, Ren didn’t mind. More pressing was his desire to understand why reality was diverging so dramatically from the comic’s plot.

His gaze casually swept across the middle-aged man's face before he turned back to Ririka. "Is there any problem with this tribute?"

Ren's voice remained calm, but it was clear that Ririka was visibly shaken. "No, no problem at all. I’ll get ready right away."

As she began to turn away, the roar sounded again, cutting through the air like a knife. "Ririka, where do you expect to get the money to pay the tribute?"

The middle-aged man was clearly furious and showed no respect for Ren. He pointed an accusing finger at him, launching into a tirade. "These navy officers come here daily to collect tribute. They're as disgusting as maggots feeding on carrion. Everyone is struggling due to the issues at sea, yet these navy officers still refuse to relent for even a day. They are no different from pirates. We can’t tolerate them any longer!"

"Yes! This is unacceptable! Madam boss, we won’t pay the tribute anymore. We’ll just fight them head-on!" shouted a man behind the middle-aged man, echoing his sentiment.

"Brother Kaida, please calm down. The situation at sea will resolve itself soon. We just need to be patient a little longer." Ririka forced a smile, trying to defuse the situation. She knew that confronting the navy would lead to dire consequences. After losing her husband, all she wanted was a stable life to raise her daughter.

However, the middle-aged man, clearly hiding something, was not interested in calming down. He had been waiting for the arrival of young recruits like Ren for days, hoping for a confrontation.

"Sister Ririka, how can things at sea possibly get better? The King of the Near Sea was sent here by Helmeppo. If you don’t comply with his demands, how will the King of the Near Sea ever leave? These navy officers are trying to force you to submit. I won’t let them have their way!"

"The King of the Near Sea?" Ren was taken aback. "The sea king that bit off Shanks' hand? Was he punched by Luffy and sent here? The timeline of this plot doesn’t seem to align. And what does Helmeppo want from you, Ririka?"

"Wait!" Ignoring the furious Kaida, Ren stopped Ririka just as she was about to leave. "Forget about the tribute for now. Tell me about you and the sea."

"You…" Ririka’s face flushed with shame and anger, her eyes dimming with defeat. Everyone in the town knew what Helmeppo had done to her. Did Ren really need to remind her of her pain? Was this truly an insult?

"Boy, do you think I won't kill you right now?" Kaida, sensing his authority being undermined, grew furious. His gaze turned icy, and a large knife materialized in his hand.

"If you don’t want to die, shut your mouth." Ren shot Kaida a cold glance, completely disregarding the threat posed by the knife.

Turning his focus back to Ririka, Ren's expression shifted from cold to slightly warm. "I was just a handyman at the naval base before, and I don’t know much about this town. If you're willing to share, perhaps I can help you."

Ririka hesitated, her gaze darting between Ren and Kaida. The tension in the air was palpable, and she could feel the weight of their desperate situation pressing down on her shoulders. She took a deep breath, steeling herself to speak.