Chapter 84

It seemed these men hadn't seen the cause of the shipwreck, and Bill decided not to lie but also not to burden them with the truth: "Any forest is dangerous. We don't know all the types of animals on this island."

"Stick to the markings and keep your ears and eyes open. Everything will be fine."

After sending the five to work, Bill took a shovel and began digging too. The work was exhausting, especially for the weary pirates.

Bill only needed to be careful not to break the shovel. He worked, watching the pirates around him, listening warily for the monsters the Captain had seen, and occasionally got lost in dreams.

He imagined how great it would be if Fia were here to break into the ground when Hollandez started talking to him.

Due to this man's terrible speech, Bill found it quite remarkable that he was trying to justify himself with his tale.

When the other men sat down to rest, Bill asked with slight irritation, "Let's get things straight. Are you trying to say you never stole a ship?"

Hollandez: "Yes, sir."

Bill: "And the ship you have, you just found it, floating in the open ocean?"

Hollandez: "That's true, sir."

Bill: "And when you boarded, there was no crew, no signs of disease, no traces of a battle?"

Hollandez: "That's how it was, sir."

Bill: "And when you reported the ship as a find, the local Marines decided to take it from you. Then you decided to run and got a bounty on your head?"

Hollandez: "Exactly like that, sir, I swear on my mother's grave!"

After this, Bill felt an urge to punch this fool again.

In his mind, this story did not indicate corruption among the Marines, but rather showed how little intelligence it took to become a pirate!

One must understand that most pirates sat at sea like wolves, merely waiting for a ship to pass by.

Bill concluded that Hollandez most likely seized a ship he liked and then killed everyone on board. Someone on that ship must have been an important person.

The reason for this assumption was simple: local branches of the Marines did not issue bounties. For a pirate to have a bounty of 20 million Berries, he must have committed something outrageous.

After all, in this world, an orange might cost 100 Berries, and a cheap shirt—1000 Berries. For 20 million Berries, you could build and furnish a modest house on a large island. No government would issue such large bounties lightly!

The fact that Hollandez was declared "alive or dead" didn't matter in Bill's eyes.

Nevertheless, Bill understood that this ruthless man needed to work, so he simply said, "Well, there won't be any ships on this island, so you can share your story with them."

He clearly had no intention of indulging this man, but something in his tone seemed to give him a bit of confidence.

Hollandez: "Thank you, sir. I hope all Marines will be like you."

Simply snorting in response, Bill told the thirteen pirates to rest while he went to check on the five who were digging ahead.

Exiting the pit, Bill followed the trench.

It must be said that the concept of the trench was simple, but digging it was pure hell. The issue was that a person is constantly bent over, killing their back.

These pirates, however, were not ordinary people, and that's why Bill didn't believe Hollandez's stories. After walking nearly a hundred meters through the brush, Bill immediately discovered the end of the trench and the disappearance of the pirates.

There were no signs of a struggle, probably after they dug a certain distance, the men decided to take their chances.

Bill had warned them, and now there was little he could do.

Nevertheless, he had to report the escapees, so leaping over the treetops, he kicked the air and returned to the camp faster than a bullet.

This was the first time Bill used the Moonwalk Technique without mortal danger.

He enjoyed it.

Returning to the camp, he found that work was in full swing. A large amount of sand had been dug out from under the ship, and he heard the noise of carpenters and workers everywhere.

Despite the fort being built, Captain Hina must have been preparing the ship to launch at any moment, he thought.

It wasn't long before he reached the command tent and reported the escapees. Hina told Bill not to worry about it, since guards had already been posted.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he returned to the reservoir where Hollandez and the others had resumed work.

"Hollandez, unfortunately, your comrades didn't find your story credible and have escaped!"

Though he didn't blame Hollandez or the other thirteen pirates here, he wanted to hint that the desertion of the escapees did not bring honor to those who remained.

The affected man looked momentarily confused, then disclaimed: "No, they didn't run away! I told them not to!"

Shrugging, Bill picked up a shovel and said, "Well, they did run away. There were no signs of a struggle or anything else. I warned you that these woods could be dangerous. Somehow, I don't think we'll see them again."

For a few minutes after, Hollandez fervently defended the innocence of his men, to which Bill replied that they would see about it tomorrow.

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