Ren had thought he would finally get some applause, maybe a "wow" or a "nice move" from the viewers. But instead, the chat screen was eerily quiet, like the moment after an overconfident magician fails a trick. The emptiness weighed on him, making him feel like he'd scored perfectly on an exam only to get an unenthusiastic "oh" from his parents.
"Is everyone just too shocked to type, or what?" Ren muttered, scratching his head. He recalled the heart-stopping moment when the King of the Near Sea broke through the water, roaring, its monstrous form looming. His nerves had been tested then, but he'd prevailed. Still, the total silence from the dozen or so spectators had him wondering if they'd all fainted.
"Well, whatever," he sighed, defeated. "Looks like I'm the only poor sap who's gotten lucky enough to time-travel but unlucky enough to get zero rewards."
Just as he resigned himself to this lonely victory, he noticed something on the screen—a sudden surge in viewer count. The numbers climbed like wildfire, and then the chat lit up like fireworks.
——
"I heard from Little Round Face that this is a time-travel broadcast. Let's see which eccentric billionaire decided to mess around with time travel."
"Bro, the host is literally floating! Is he a Saiyan? Show me the wires!"
"And what's with the blood-red sea? Did someone spill a tanker of paint here?"
"Wait a sec, is that a monster corpse in the water? Did he just punch it to death? Is he channeling One Punch Man?"
"This anchor just killed a giant beast. Dude's got One Punch Man-level hacks!"
"Okay, the sea monster looks way too real to be CGI. Did the host actually…time-travel?"
"The tech's way too advanced for this to be fake. Who's the expert here? Anyone care to debunk?"
"Listen, if you're here to doubt, then leave. Don't ruin this for us believers who are burning incense for the time-traveling anchor."
"I'm Little Round Face, by the way. I swear, this is real! The anchor really time-traveled into the One Piece world! That sea monster there? It's the King of the Near Sea. I freaked out so hard last stream that I nearly fainted!"
"Bro, you're the one who got scared, huh? Well, I shrieked so loud my neighbors heard. By the way, any cure for flinching every time I see blood? Old Man's here to say, if this is legit time travel, I'm stripping down and running through the streets. Otherwise, give me a cig and let me cry."
"I'll throw in a thousand Berries for proof!"
"Little Round Face, how much did you pay to get people hyped for this? Time travel? Come on, get real. I'm out, unsubscribing."
"Seriously, a big live show, and you're getting fifty dollars? Not even worth the spectacle."
Despite the doubt, the viewership soared to over a hundred. But because Ren's camera was showing a wide-angle of the scene—just him and the bloody water with the King of the Near Sea's corpse—the skepticism only deepened. Several of the original viewers were passionately defending Ren's authenticity, but the newcomers heckled them as shills, unwilling to believe.
Three people, fed up, each threw down a 10,000 Berries tip just to shut up the doubters. Yet the suspicion persisted. The more the believers argued, the more the newcomers insisted they were paid actors.
"Where's that Princess Snow who promised 100,000 Berries if this turned out to be real? Where's she hiding now? Let's see some serious cash thrown at this supposed time-travel stream!"
"Yeah, Princess Snow, show us the big bucks if you're so sure. Let's see you shell out for this time-traveling anchor."
"Is 100k even a big deal? Come on, we got any high rollers here?"
"A 100,000 reward? Seriously, give me a million while you're at it. Is this broadcast even legit? It better be, or it's just a well-made sci-fi movie. Besides, how many times have people fallen for 'time travel' streams?"
"After Nezha's fake time-travel stream conned me out of three months' rent, I can't stand anyone talking time travel to me. I swear."
Amidst the chaos, a private chat between two viewers unfolded.
——
Ingrid glanced at the words "Princess Snow" on the screen, smirking as her right hand slid under Hannah's clothes, holding her close. "So… 'Princess Snow' is my alias here, huh?" she asked, laughing.
"Uh-huh!" Hannah replied with a playful wriggle, making herself more comfortable in Ingrids's arms.
"Well, I might just reward him for being such an unintentional entertainer," Ingrid whispered, pressing her lips to Hannah in a private moment that, were it broadcast, would make half the viewers collapse in ecstasy.
——
Ren, on the other hand, was contemplating the absurdity of the situation. "If someone suddenly told me they'd time-traveled and started streaming, would I believe it?" He shook his head, grinning. He knew the audience would be a hard sell. Without another word, he floated over to the massive corpse of the King of the Near Sea, grabbed one of its colossal teeth, and gave it a powerful twist, snapping it off with a satisfying crunch.
Blood sprayed from the beast's broken neck as Ren held the tooth aloft, giving the viewers a clear, up-close shot of the still-dripping, lifelike gore.
"Alright, you skeptics, check this out. This isn't a special effect—this is the real King of the Near Sea, straight from the One Piece world."
——
"WHAT DID I JUST SEE? Did I just wet myself? I'm 18, for crying out loud!"
"Someone, please, real or not?"
"I'm shaking. No matter what, I believe it. Ren, This old man bows to you!"
"Forget everything, anchor, guide me to the world of One Piece!"
"The live stream has hurt me a thousand times, yet I keep coming back. Host, take my loyalty!"
"BIGBen rewards you with a thousand Berries!"
"Nami fan here, 500 Berries to you!"
"Luffy's fan here, 10,000 Berries! Here's to you, Ren!"
"Little Round Face rewards a thousand Berries, keep going, anchor!"
The screen exploded with donations, and the viewer count shot up once more. Those dozen or so original viewers—who had believed in Ren from the start—suddenly felt vindicated, swelling with pride as the room buzzed with excitement.
"You doubters, look who's right! Do you see it now? Who's laughing now?"
"I am Little Round Face. If you want the full scoop on the host's adventures, come to Sstream Live Room xxx, and I'll tell you all about it."
"Got an HD clip of the anchor slaying the King of the Near Sea. Five Berries to view. WeChat: xxx."
The doubters were all but silent, and the believers basked in their victory. Ren was now, officially, the first-known live-streamer to document his adventures in a time-traveled world.