One Piece: Livestream

"I think of myself as a god!" Ren declared, ignoring the guns aimed at him from all directions. In a flash, he appeared before the lieutenant and struck him directly in the face.

Bang!

The lieutenant's head jerked backward, blood spurting from his nose as tears welled up in his eyes. The intense pain caused him to reflexively cover his nose with both hands, loosening his grip on Rika, who had been tucked under his arm. Seizing the moment, Ren reached forward and held her securely.

This little girl clearly wanted his help. He couldn't let her fall.

With Rika in his arms, Ren quickly moved, leaping to dodge a few navy soldiers as he shifted his grip. With a powerful kick, he knocked two soldiers away, picked up the girl's mother, Ririka, and carried them both out of the tavern amid the chaos.

Once he ensured they were safe outside, he set them down. "Stay here. I'll be back after I finish some business with these navy fools."

Ren walked back into the tavern, his confident stride unchanged even as he faced dozens of guns pointed at him once again.

"Kill him!" The lieutenant  roared, recovering from his pain enough to raise his weapon and fire. The room exploded with the sound of gunfire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A symphony of gunshots echoed through the tavern, mixing with the shouts and cries of the soldiers, the splintering of tables and chairs, and the shattering of glass.

---

"Mom, is he going to be okay?" Rika clung to Ririka's leg, trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. He's strong. He'll be just fine." Ririka tried to reassure her daughter, but she, too, stared anxiously at the door of the tavern, worry filling her eyes. Though she had only met Ren a couple of times, he had a captivating presence that was hard to ignore. And the way he had swept her up just moments ago had rekindled something in her heart that she hadn’t felt in a long time—a faint, but warming sense of hope.

An elderly woman passing by paused, hearing the commotion and the gunfire from within the tavern. She looked at Ririka, her expression apprehensive. "Ririka, what’s going on in there?"

Ririka shook her head, unwilling to say more.

The old woman hesitated, then spoke again, gritting her teeth. "Ririka, you know Rika’s still young. Maybe you should agree to marry Helmeppo. He might be scum, but he can give you both a better life. At least you’d be safe and stable."

Ririka remained silent, her gaze fixed on the tavern door, but tears slipped down her face, one by one.

"Mom…" Rika looked up, her large, tear-filled eyes brimming with innocence and sadness, breaking the old woman’s heart.

The elderly woman sighed heavily, shook her head, and left quickly. The gunshots still coming from inside the tavern made her feel like her heart was about to burst.

---

"Wow! The host is amazing and so cool!" Hannah exclaimed as she watched the live feed, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Anchor, did you learn some kind of bullet-dodging technique?"

"Whoa, anchor, did you really just dodge those bullets like that? This isn’t a dance-off, it’s life-or-death combat!"

"A thousand Berries for making it look so easy."

"Anchor, did you eat a Devil Fruit for speed? You’re moving like lightning!"

"Fans, send some tips to show the anchor our support!"

"Is this a live movie broadcast? I thought this was supposed to be a time-travel live stream?"

"Newbie here! Look closely and learn before commenting."

"Can someone explain the anchor’s abilities to me? I’m so confused."

"Who knows the anchor’s special abilities?"

"Let’s all pray together, folks!"

"The Empress' number one fan just tipped 10,000 Berries!"

"Mue Hehe just threw in 500 Berries!"

"Uh, is the anchor invincible? What happens if he actually gets hit?"

"Wait—who was that who said the anchor couldn’t be hit? He just got shot!"

"The anchor was shot! He’s bleeding!"

"Yikes, it’s horrifying!"

"The anchor is bleeding out, this might be the end! Start lighting those candles, people!"

"Come on, anchor, hold on! I just got here, so don’t die on me now!"

"Whoa! Even after getting hit twice, the anchor acts like nothing happened?"

---

The soldiers in the tavern were from the 16th Division—a step up from the new recruits Ren was used to, but they were still easy targets for him. Using his maximum speed, he weaved through the crowd, dodging bullets while disabling each soldier with a single, precise punch.

But Ren, curious to test his limits, purposely let two bullets hit him. One pierced his chest, dangerously close to his heart, while the other struck his abdomen, tearing open a sizable wound.

Yet instead of slowing down, the pain only seemed to fuel him, spurring him on.

"Seventy-six!" he counted aloud after knocking down the last soldier. He then appeared in front of the lieutenant, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him effortlessly off the ground.

"As a lieutenant, you must have a decent amount of cash, right?" Ren asked, his face covered in blood, his eyes gleaming like those of a devil. The lieutenant looked at him, terror in his gaze as he nearly fainted.

---

"Host, you’re covered in blood! Quick, take care of those wounds!" Hannah typed frantically, her earlier excitement replaced by genuine worry. She turned to Ingrid beside her, asking, "He’s not really going to die, is he?"

"Relax," Ingrid replied, patting her friend’s back. "Our host isn’t that foolish. He defeated the Sea King before, remember? There’s no way he’ll die facing some random soldiers."

Hannah sighed in relief, then brightened up. "The host is so strong—he could probably save Ace next!"

Ingrid laughed softly. "Luffy’s only just set sail; Ace isn’t in any danger right now. Besides, even though the host seems strong, he probably couldn’t even beat Zoro at this point. Remember, Zoro took down Captain Morgan and a bunch of soldiers with ease. The host is just fighting soldiers, and he’s already injured."

"Oh! That makes sense." Hannah nodded, understanding. "I’ll send him some extra Berries to help him buy a Devil Fruit!"

---

"Yes! Yes!" The lieutenant stammered, nodding rapidly. "We have one million Berries on the ship!"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, that’s just enough to cover the damages here. Go fetch it—I’ll keep an eye on your remaining soldiers while you do." He punched the lieutenant hard in the gut and tossed him toward the door. "Now, get lost."

"Y-Yes, sir!" The lieutenant  scrambled to his feet, wincing in pain as he hurried out of the tavern.

"Host, aren’t you worried he won’t come back?" someone in the chat asked.

"Host, you should have gone with him! He doesn’t look like the type to keep his word, and besides, losing a few soldiers won’t matter to the navy."

Ren chuckled, glancing at the screen in his peripheral vision as he answered aloud. "Trust me, he’ll be back. A million Berries is pocket change to Captain Nezumi, the captain of the 16th Division, who’s in cahoots with the Fishmen. This guy’s similar enough that he wouldn’t care about a measly million. Plus, without his soldiers, he won’t be able to make it back to the 16th Division by himself."

The comments continued to pour in as Ren walked over to grab a drink from behind the bar, his audience captivated by his cool demeanor.

Just another day for Ren, the "god" who danced through a hail of bullets, and a legend in the making for his loyal fans watching it all unfold live.