Chapter 74

Nodding to show he understood, Bill headed to his cabin. He decided to spend the rest of the day quietly reading books.

The next morning, Bill was ready to set sail. He had a large bag with materials for two courses, a guide to Lunar Walking, as well as his personal items.

He didn't need to bring clothes, as they were already packed on the ship.

Bill learned from Captain Maynard that despite the large size of the Marines' warships, space was always limited. There simply wasn't enough room for each sailor to have their own sea chest.

Therefore, there were special storage areas on the ships for clothing, footwear, and other essentials. Beyond that, sailors were only allowed to bring a simple bag with personal belongings.

Not that it mattered much, as the Captain explained: most sailors didn't have much they wanted to bring with them to sea.

Hoisting his bag, Bill turned off the light in his cabin and headed to the dining hall.

When he arrived there, he saw a few familiar faces, but most of the people were strangers to him.

"Hey! Lieutenant!"

Seeing the girl who called out to him, Marron ran up and joined him.

"They said you'll be in charge of the security of the Scientific Division!"

Chuckling slightly, Bill replied, "Well, most likely, we'll be relying on the Captain from headquarters... but if things get extreme, we all have to show the valor of the Scientific Division!"When he said this, the girl beamed with a smile.

Joining the group, Bill greeted everyone in turn. He was grateful to know three of the researchers who were accompanying them.

"Tom, Jerry, Samantha! I'm surprised it's you."

Hearing his voice, the trio turned, and Samantha spoke: "Hi, Bill! Yes, we're going with the professor. Half the class wanted to come, but they chose the three of us."

After that, Bill introduced Marron, and the five teenagers continued chatting until Sentomaru approached, accompanied by a shy man with glasses.

Seeing the Captain, Bill excused himself and stepped forward to face him.

The expedition was relatively straightforward, but Sentomaru emphasized the need for caution. Then he introduced Bill, or rather, Lieutenant Ox.

"On the ship, you will follow the Captain's rules, but if you encounter any issues, first approach Lieutenant Ox."

From his side, Bill remained neutral. After all, causing trouble on the ship could become a significant issue.

After all the instructions, Bill led the group through the base and the city of Marineford to the docks.

The ship was exactly where it was supposed to be; it was a large frigate from the Marine Headquarters.

As Bill crossed the gangplank, he saw a pink-haired woman whom he assumed was the captain, and he approached her, asking, "Captain Hina?"

Removing a cigarette from her mouth, the pink-haired woman looked Bill over and replied, "If you're here, then Hina is ready to set sail."

With no other clues about this woman, Bill thought it was going to be a long journey.

Standing on the ship in the middle of the open ocean, Bill skimmed through the newspaper.

Apparently, Kid's pirates were still on the loose in the Southern Blues, miraculously escaping capture by a task force sent by the Southern Blues' Headquarters.

Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of local authorities, their atrocities had temporarily ceased.

Bill was somewhat surprised that such a notorious crew could roam freely, but then he thought they'd soon reach the Archipelago of Vallipo, where his father would deal with them.

A month had passed on board, and one of the things that struck Bill was the presence of a training area on this large ship.

Although the space was small, he was able to practice Moonwalking daily without risking breaking the floor. At one point, Marron and other recruits from the Scientific Division joined him.

Almost all the recruits used some kind of weapon. Bill was familiar with fencing thanks to his interactions with Sasha and Ricky, but aside from a few stances, he wasn't knowledgeable enough to help with that.

Instead, Bill taught the group Meditative Push-Ups, which he had mastered many years ago.

Unfortunately, apart from this technique, his options were limited. None of the other recruits practiced martial arts, and by law, he couldn't teach them Moonwalking unless they signed an extended contract.

Of all the recruits, Marron was the strongest, but Bill immediately noticed the difference between those who led relatively ordinary lives and those who, like him and his friends on Vallipo, had been trained since childhood.

This sixteen-year-old girl was faster and stronger than any Olympic athlete on Earth, but compared to Bill, who could easily lift several tons, the difference was vast.

He hoped that with Meditative Push-Ups, she would start gaining the strength necessary to survive in this world, and he also suggested she learn the Shaving Technique.

Of course, signing an extended contract was no small price, but an ordinary Marine recruit could learn one of the Six Powers and still retire at the age of thirty-six.

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