Zoro wore a turban on his head and a cloth belt around his waist. His appearance wasn't much different from the manga, still possessing that familiar face. However, in this live-action version, he exuded a stronger aura—more of a swordsman, less of a directionally challenged guy.
Ren stood up, smiling at Zoro. "How come the feared bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro has become a stutterer?" Without waiting for Zoro to respond, he introduced himself with a serious tone, "Nice to meet you, my name is Ren."
"Roronoa Zoro." Zoro, still in shock from Ren's unexpected revival, absent-mindedly replied.
"Alright, got it. I have something to do. See you." Waving, Ren turned and walked toward the base building.
"The live broadcast system's cheat code is already set up, and the task to start the stream has been issued. Priority one is to complete the task and begin the live broadcast."
As a former streamer with over a hundred viewers, I dreamed of becoming a big-name anchor with millions of fans. Now that the opportunity is here, I can't afford to waste a moment.
As for Zoro… Though I admire the character, he's destined to become a pirate, and I'll be joining the navy once the system mission is underway. Different paths, so we'll just get acquainted and build a good rapport.
Converting Zoro to a marine? Ren found the idea tempting and believed he could pull it off. But doing so would strip the world of its excitement. Plus, if his audience included people from before his time travel, he'd surely be bombarded with criticism.
It would be like ruining half of "One Piece". Best not to meddle in it too much!
"If I've traveled through time and brought an incredible cheat code, why not try something different? No point fixating on a few protagonists. There are plenty of people across the ocean worth knowing, like Kaya, Nami's sister, Hina, and the Empress."
After introducing himself, Ren left without hesitation, exuding a cool, nonchalant aura as he walked. Only a confused Zoro remained, unable to process Ren's strange behavior.
Ren had walked a good ten steps before Zoro suddenly seemed to snap back to reality. "Hey, could you loosen this rope for me?"
Ren continued walking, answering casually, "In a few days, a man with a straw hat and sandals will come to rescue you. Hold tight until then."
He responded offhandedly, but internally wondered, "At this point, Zoro should still be committed to his agreement with Morgan's son. Could my presence have altered the plot?"
"In a few days?" Zoro murmured to himself, a hint of relief in his voice. But his expression quickly changed as he shouted, "How do you know what's going to happen in a few days? Get over here and untie me!"
"Not interested!" Ren shot back, ignoring Zoro as he entered the base building.
After receiving no further responses, Zoro called out a couple more times before giving up. He looked up at the sunlight, thinking about Ren's mysterious powers. "An incredible ability to come back to life… Is this the power of a Devil Fruit user?"
"This Axeman Morgan doesn't even care about his son's life—what an arrogant idiot. If he becomes a new recruit, things could get troublesome."
Ren muttered as he kicked open the door to Morgan's son's quarters. Without further ado, he kicked the man in the face before he could scream.
"Ahhh…" The scream echoed, but Ren didn't even flinch, relishing the satisfaction of delivering that kick.
Ten minutes later, with his frustrations vented, Ren pushed open the door to the handyman's room, visibly relieved. The room was tucked away in the most inconspicuous corner of the base building, shared by eight handymen. Ren had been living here since he arrived in this world.
"Ren, where were you last night? Don't you need to clean this room? Or wash our clothes?" A voice shouted as soon as he entered. It came from a tall young man two years older than him, who was the most experienced handyman, having picked up some basic naval martial arts. He was the self-proclaimed boss of the handymen, responsible for assigning chores and demanding everyone address him as "boss."
Ren glanced at him indifferently, not wanting to waste any time. He headed straight to his bedroom to find some clean clothes, as he'd soon need to change into a new recruit's uniform.
"Ren, the boss is talking to you. Are you deaf or something?" someone chimed in, trying to please the leader.
For Ren, life here was a daily grind of heavy, tedious chores, exploited and bullied. For the 31 days he'd been here, he'd done the hardest and most thankless tasks, gritting his teeth and enduring it all just to survive.
The handyman leader smirked and sneered, "Ren, today's work includes washing 300 sets of clothes, mopping the first, second, and third floors, and scrubbing the colonel's statue. Remember, it has to be spotless. If not, don't blame me for not warning you."
Scrubbing Morgan's statue was today's unique assignment, known to be the most dangerous task. Any accidental scratch or imperfection could result in facing Morgan's wrath. It was a dreaded job, and when the foreman assigned it to Ren, the others breathed sighs of relief.
"Ren, aren't you going to thank the boss for his kindness? With your lazy attitude, how would you get by without his reminder?" someone taunted, eager to curry favor with the leader.
"Brother Zek, you're too kind. Let him wash five of your 300 sets of clothes!" another person added, patting Ren's shoulder, looking like he was very loyal.
"Ren, remember to finish the other tasks before cleaning the colonel's statue. Don't die on us and leave us with extra work."
"Brother Ren, you've always been a good person. If you're gone tomorrow, I'll feel lost without you," someone else joked.
"Ah, living in a collective dorm like this only to end up with a group of roommates like them…" Ren shook his head, unwilling to waste a single word on them. Changing his clothes, he headed for the door, intending to leave quietly.
But the foreman blocked his way. "Ren, do you have a problem with the tasks I assigned you?" He smirked, not interested in a silent exit.
Ren chuckled. Though these past days had been hard, it had been an experience. He hadn't planned to argue with them but now felt a bit inclined to indulge them. "If they're this eager, why not give them a little time?"