Chapter 87

"STOP!"

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

Bill didn't even have time to consider that perhaps his reputation among the Marines had grown. He didn't stop but instead leaped over the line of Marines in one bound, shouting, "The cannons will handle it!"

When he reached the camp, organized chaos reigned, but the lack of manpower began to worry Bill.

Everywhere he looked, men and women were either running to the ship or...

"The ship!"

Seeing that the large frigate was now upright, Bill stopped in his tracks.

It seemed that while he had been working himself to exhaustion, Captain Hina hadn't been idle. In just half a day, this woman had constructed and armed six watchtowers and righted the ship.

He wasn't sure if they could get it back into the water, but this work filled him with respect for this woman.

After all, although her crew was experienced, no one except her and Bill had superhuman abilities; this meant that she had not only authorized the plans but had also done the physical labor that others couldn't accomplish without tools or machines.

His admiration didn't delay him long, and within seconds he grabbed one of the Marines by the shoulders, spun him around, and asked, "Where's the Captain?!"

"Huh? "Loading water back onto the ship!"

At first not understanding, Bill clarified, "The Captain is loading water onto the ship?"

"No, I'm loading water onto the ship!"

Clearly, this man had lost his ability to assess the situation calmly under stress, and normally it would be better to let him continue his work, but Bill needed to know: "I ASKED, WHERE IS CAPTAIN HINA?!"

"Uh? The Captain..." the man slowed down, and the light returned to his eyes, "Sorry, sir, I don't know. I received orders from Midshipman Zan. I'm just a carpenter's mate, second class."

Nodding, Bill released the man, instructed him to return to his duties, and ran towards the command tent.

Less than three minutes had passed since he returned to camp, and fortunately, he didn't hear any more cannon fire, but he knew he needed to hurry.

Reaching the tent, Bill found that the remaining pirates, now only six, were still in iron chains. They were in the same place where Bill had seen them first.

Of course, seeing him, they began to speak.

"Sir, over here! I told the Captain what happened in the forest, and she chained us up!"Bill didn't have time for the pirate's complaints and asked, "Where is she now?!"

"Ran away! Don't leave us! We can help!"

Bill didn't know what to make of this pirate. The man had lost two-thirds of his crew in less than a week, but it seemed to have no effect on him.

In fact, despite everything, Bill noticed that Hollandez was a good worker. The pirates, truth be told, handled the shipwreck better than most Marines did.

Trying not to feel sympathetic towards these people, Bill pushed these thoughts aside and asked, "Which direction did she run?"

"Don't know, maybe towards the ship?"

Nodding, Bill was about to leave but suddenly stopped.

"Do you know how to refloat a ship that's run aground?"

When he asked that, he understood he shouldn't have, but he reassured himself that there were at least eighty Marines defending the fort, either on the cannons or with muskets at the ready.

This estimate was already low; Bill knew that a full cannon crew consisted of ten Marines. So his assumption meant that there were only two operators per cannon.

Of the one hundred fifty survivors of the shipwreck, it wasn't an exaggeration to say they made up two-thirds of all able-bodied people in the camp.

"Yes, sir, it should be at high tide, but my guys know how to do it."

Bill didn't know if he would regret it, but his body acted faster than his mind.

Standing in front of Hollandez, Bill grabbed the iron shackles and began to pull.

Of course, Bill had seen Captain Hina use her Devil Fruit, and the process of creating these shackles seemed so simple.

But the harder he pulled, the more Bill's face twisted, and not because he couldn't move the shackles.

His face twisted because touching these shackles made him feel as if he smelled rotten eggs or sulfur.

The longer he pulled, just a few seconds in reality, the more Bill's will urged him to get rid of these things.

"UWAHH!"

With a loud cry, not noticing his hands turned black, Bill tore the shackles apart. When the iron broke, it shattered into smoke. Without any further thought, as if fulfilling a singular mission, Bill went from one pirate to another, breaking the shackles made from the power of the Devil Fruit.

The freed pirates followed Bill as he hurried to the ship. Of course, he could have left them far behind, but by freeing them, he took on the responsibility to ensure they didn't escape or do anything unauthorized.

The boat was not far from the command tent, but before he could cover half the distance, Hina materialized in front of the group.

Seeing her grim look and realizing she likely used the "Razor" technique, Bill didn't ask his intended question immediately but reflexively asked, "Is everything alright, Captain Hina?"

If you want to read more advanced chapters follow me on patreon

30+chapters

patron.com/Manofathousandskills

If you interested check out my other translations

* one piece : Started as a navy captain *

*demon slayer :Ice fruit explodes *

*One piece :A Lotus *

*One piece :Armor of Justice *