One Piece: Livestream

"Ririka!"

Helmeppo, his face swollen like a pig’s head, ignored everyone else in the tavern. As soon as he entered, he rushed to Ririka and shouted excitedly, "Ririka, I killed the Sea King! I didn’t lie to you! I didn’t drive it here—I really killed it today. I even brought its head. It's outside. Come see!"

He reached out to grab Ririka’s hand, trying to pull her along.

Ririka was stunned by the sight of Helmeppo’s battered face. Coupled with his fast and chaotic words, she froze and was pulled outside by him.

"..." Ren was also a bit confused by Helmeppo’s impulsive behavior. This was way off from the story he knew!

"Let me go!" Ririka quickly regained her senses and began to struggle, but Helmeppo still managed to drag her out.

---

"Haha, anchor, your fish head’s been taken by someone else."

"Haha, anchor, your lady boss got snatched too!"

"Haha, you lost the fish head and the lady boss—serves you right!"

"Who’s that pig-head?"

"Look at the hair, kinda looks like Helmeppo."

"Helmeppo and the boss lady are an item? Since when?"

"Haha, this real world is wilder than the anime!"

…

"Brother, don’t let that bad guy take Mom away," Rika said urgently, tugging on Ren to go after Ririka.

"Alright, alright!" Ren agreed, picking Rika up as he quickly walked outside.

"Is that… Helmeppo?" The lieutenant recognized Helmeppo’s back, surprised at first, then intrigued. He’d tried to find him earlier but failed, and now, meeting him by chance, he’d have a chance to keep most of the two million Berries.

He quickly picked up the money bags and hurried after Helmeppo, soon overtaking Ren.

"Brother, that bad guy’s trying to run off with the money," Rika pointed out when she spotted the lieutenant.

"No worries, he won’t get far," Ren said with a chuckle, unconcerned.

Outside the tavern, ten sailors were carrying the enormous Sea King Ren had discarded, holding sticks under it as they marched with proud smiles, as if they’d killed it themselves. Hundreds of townsfolk stood around, astonished and full of praise for the sailors, commending them for doing something good for a change.

"Ririka, look! This is the Sea King we killed this morning!" Helmeppo shouted, pulling Ririka in front of the creature. He looked like a young man trying to impress his crush, though his pig-headed face somewhat ruined the effect.

"This…" Ririka was horrified.

"Haha, Ririka, am I impressive or what?" Helmeppo laughed loudly, satisfied with himself. Just as he reached to hold Ririka’s hand, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.

"Helmeppo, you, you…" The lieutenant cried out, sounding as if he’d seen his savior. He threw down the two bags of money and grasped Helmeppo’s outstretched hand.

"Little mouse?" Helmeppo, having just tried to take his beloved’s hand only to have it grabbed by a man, felt slightly heartbroken. If he hadn’t seen the familiar face of the Lieutenant, he’d have lost his temper right then.

His tone carried a hint of annoyance, but seeing the two bags of money at the lieutenant’s feet made him suspicious. Why had the lieutenant hurriedly thrown his things down and grabbed Ririka’s hand? What was his intention?

I heard that this little weasel has always liked money and women!

It’s said men have wild fantasies about the women they like, and Helmeppo, with his unrequited love, was even more paranoid.

"Little mouse, what’s with these two bags?"

"Oh, money—two million Berries," The lieutenant answered excitedly. He now wanted to use his connection with Helmeppo to keep most of the Berries. This was Helmeppo’s territory, and he didn’t believe Ren would oppose the son of the base’s highest officer over a small sum. Plus, he didn’t think Ren would risk rebelling against an entire navy base alone.

"What’s it for?" Helmeppo’s tone turned colder upon hearing the amount. Knowing the little rat’s love for money, Helmeppo was sure he’d never hand over two million Berries without a hidden motive. And he had thrown it down only after grabbing Ririka’s hand—what was his game?

I heard there’s been gossip about someone pursuing Ririka—thinking this, Helmeppo’s swollen, narrow eyes turned cold.

"What’s it for?" The lieutenant glanced nervously at Ririka. "It’s just…"

Bang!

Helmeppo eyes turned red. He didn’t wait for the lieutenant to explain and punched him square in the eye. "You rotten rat, I’ll beat you to a pulp!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Punch after punch landed before the lieutenant could make sense of what was happening.

"Helmeppo, what are you doing? If you don’t stop, I’ll fight back!" The lieutenant, caught off guard, shouted angrily, feeling the blows wouldn’t stop. Soon, the two were brawling on the ground. The soldiers nearby glanced at each other, unsure of what to do.

---

"Did Helmeppo think the lieutenant was after Ririka and attack him in a jealous rage?"

"I gotta hand it to him. Helmeppo’s really got feelings for her. Could this be backstory before Luffy shows up?"

"There’s always trouble around a widow. Just leave her alone already."

"While the snail and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. In the end, Ririka will go to the anchor!"

…

"Brother, why are they fighting?" Rika tilted her head, watching the brawl with interest.

"Bad guys don’t need a reason to fight."

"Oh!" Rika nodded, looking like she understood.

Ren walked past the two scuffling men and approached Ririka. He chuckled. "Sister Ririka, this Sea King head would make a great soup, wouldn’t it?"

"Ren, is this really the Sea King’s head?" Ririka still couldn’t shake her shock. Sea Kings, according to legend, could only be killed by warships. And now Helmeppo, of all people, claimed to have killed it?

"Yep!" Ren nodded.

"They really killed it…so everything before…"

"They’re carrying a Sea King’s head, sure, but that doesn’t mean they killed it." Ren laughed. "Maybe they just found it by the roadside."

"What did you say?! Do you want me to shoot you right now?" Helmeppo shouted, aiming a pistol at Ren.

Since Ren had called Ririka “Sister,” Helmeppo had been on edge, barely aware of his wrestling match. Now that Ren was publicly casting doubt on the Sea King’s origin, Helmeppo’s fear flared, and he readied himself to shoot the gun at Ren.