Due to some facial issues, Ren decided not to start the live broadcast. Bored after hours of being beaten, he began to study the tattoo on his hand in more detail. Beyond his initial understanding of its abilities, he finally realized that the previous "lv1" referred to the tattoo's level.
"If this snake-like tattoo has levels, does that mean it can be upgraded? Maybe evolve like a Digimon and eventually turn into a dragon?" Ren wondered, glancing at his tattoo as it flashed with newfound power.
Finally, after over ten hours of enduring, the tattoo leveled up to "lv2." The tattoo expanded slightly, but it was subtle and not easily noticeable unless you looked closely.
At this point, Alvida, exhausted from the prolonged beating, no longer cared about Ren's strange body changes. She sat on the haystack with her hefty form, panting, her mind dazed.
"Give me back the mace!" Ren said as he stood up, stretching his hand toward Alvida once his body had almost recovered.
In a trance, Alvida passed the mace to him without question, looking surprisingly obedient for a feared pirate captain. She resembled a mesmerized schoolgirl rather than a feared captain.
"Bang!"
"Ahhh!"
Ren casually swung the mace, which elicited a dull thud, followed by a loud scream from Alvida.
Outside the cell, two soldiers overheard the noise, excitement evident in their whispers.
"Ren really is something else. Lasting more than ten hours with the pirate leader herself... I wonder if I can ask him for his secret."
"That pirate captain is something else, too. She lasted more than ten hours before... well, you know. Ordinary people could never manage that!"
Back in the cell, Ren shook his head as he looked at his torn clothes. Ignoring Alvida, he patted the cell door, signaling the guards to open it.
As soon as the door creaked open, the two soldiers peered in, stunned to see Ren and Alvida both disheveled but not seriously injured. Their gazes at Ren were filled with awe and admiration.
"Brother Ren! You're incredible," one of them stammered, passing him a cigar with a look of reverence.
Ren, not being a smoker, politely declined the offer, handing back the mace. "Don't tell anyone about what happened in the cell."
The soldiers nodded fervently, "Of course, Brother Ren! Our lips are sealed." Their grins hinted at a shared but unspoken understanding.
Puzzled by their reactions, Ren brushed it off and started to leave.
"Brother Ren, may I ask you something?" one soldier hesitantly inquired as they walked down the corridor.
Ren glanced over. "What is it?"
"Well... how did you manage to last so long in there?"
Ren raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'last so long'?"
"You know... how did you, um, endure so much time with that pirate captain?"
Ren frowned, catching the implication. After a moment, he let out a low chuckle. "Simple. Grab a mace, and with some stamina training, you too can last as long as you'd like. Just keep practicing until you can handle it easily."
The soldier's eyes sparkled with determination. "Thank you, Brother Ren! I'll work on it, I swear."
From that day on, the base gained two new recruits who trained with maces daily, inspired by their idol.
Ren emerged from the underground prison and headed toward the town's tavern.
According to the plot, the Buggy Pirates would soon attempt to steal Captain Morgan's Grand Line navigational chart. If things proceeded as planned, they might already be in town, which meant there was a chance Ren would encounter them tonight.
Thinking about the Buggy Pirates, Ren decided to turn on his live broadcast, knowing that the audience interest had likely skyrocketed since his last session. As he checked the live broadcast interface, he saw more than 3.2 million Berries in accumulated rewards. He was eager to see the viewership growth and was optimistic that meeting the Buggy Pirates could help him reach his goal of 10 million Berries.
Earlier, the live-streaming world had already been stirred by Ren's unexpected time-travel broadcast. And the situation only grew more chaotic after one of the platform's biggest stars, Goddess Snow—a super-anchor with over 80 million fans—made an unexpected announcement.
A well-known entertainment account later summarized the unprecedented chaos her announcement had caused.
Goddess Snow, a daily live streamer with millions eagerly awaiting her sessions, hadn't gone live the previous night. Her fans had been disappointed and concerned, questioning her absence. Then, in the morning, she finally went live and, smiling, reassured her audience, "Sorry for worrying everyone. I'm fine. I just got caught up watching a fascinating live broadcast last night."
The audience was curious, as comments flooded in. "What broadcast, Goddess Snow?"
Goddess Snow, smiling sweetly, replied, "As you know, I'm a big fan of *One Piece* and enjoy live broadcasts. Last night, I was lucky enough to witness a real live broadcast of someone traveling through the world of pirates."
Her response had an explosive effect on her viewership, much like an atomic bomb going off. The comment section filled with a frenzy of questions and disbelief. Screens were flooded with curious comments, and even seasoned viewers were taken aback.
The live-streaming industry fell into turmoil. Many rivals of Goddess Snow saw an opportunity to criticize her statement, while others used it to fuel conspiracy theories. Water armies and trolls swarmed her broadcast, forums exploded with debate, and accusations of deceit filled her page.
But Goddess Snow, unfazed by the negativity, left her audience with one powerful statement, saying, "If that live broadcast wasn't real, I'll quit streaming altogether."
Her words hit like a thunderclap, and the whole live-streaming community went silent, tens of millions of people waiting anxiously for the next broadcast to begin.
With that, Goddess Snow firmly established herself, and her audience waited in hushed anticipation for Ren's next live broadcast, now tuned into what felt like the debut of a new era in the world of entertainment streaming.