Chapter 91

Stopping the Marines emerging from the watchtowers, Bill gathered them and seized several unused cannons.

Listening intently, he realized that the flying man had started to taunt Hina.

Before Bill could catch what was being said, Hina unexpectedly attacked the man!

"Oh no!"

Seeing how the flying man reacted, Bill's instincts screamed that this woman was going to perish. Tossing the cannons with all his might, Bill barely managed to make the old man retreat.

Fortunately, the old man's blows changed as well. Instead of crashing down on the Captain's head, they destroyed the main mast of the ship.

Seeing this, the old man shot a malicious glance at Bill before bursting into loud laughter.

"Alright!" the old man said, before swiftly darting across the camp, disappearing from Bill's sight. In less than thirty seconds, he reappeared and said, "Well then, enjoy yourselves! Shihahaha!"

Following the old man's flight path, Bill watched as he headed towards a dying crocodile before touching it.

By this time, Bill had gathered twelve Marines around him, and they all watched in horror as the kilometer-long crocodile rose from the water, creating a massive wave in its path.

"Damn it!"

Immediately shouting the order to hold on tight, Bill could only watch as the wave engulfed the beach, sweeping him, the Marines, and the ship into the ocean.

For the second time in a week, finding himself at sea, Bill couldn't help but think about how dangerous this world was.

If there was anything he could thank fate for, it was that his previous experience helped him now.

He couldn't support the weight of twelve people using Moon Step, but Bill could drag them with him in the water.

As the ship rapidly moved away, Bill followed it.

Finally catching up when his legs began to give out, Bill boarded with the Marines, lay on his back, and stared at the sky. The ship was completely silent.

In the distance, Bill saw the island receding.

Now, being mentally exhausted, Bill couldn't even think about the Scientific Division recruits. His last thought before falling asleep was: "Like a fairy tale... truly."

When Bill woke up, it was night.

Lying on his back and looking up, he watched the moons in the sky. The night sky of this world was always amazing and, for a brief time, helped him forget the current circumstances.

They had been at sea for a week, and their water supplies were running low.

Even for a man his age, it was hard to comprehend that less than two months ago he was in one of the safest places in the world.

And now, there was a real possibility that he would have to witness more than a hundred people dying of thirst, lost at sea.

Over the past week, Bill had grown closely attached to the ship. He began to consider facts that he hadn't taken to heart before.

For instance, a Marine on full rations received a gallon of water a day after the beer ran out.

A gallon of water weighed about 8 pounds, which meant that a crew of 150 Marines needed 8,400 pounds of water a week, or roughly 18 tons of water a month. This didn't take into account the water needed for washing or cooking.

Food conditions were a bit better because the hardtack lasted a long time, and most of the sea areas were rich in fish.

Bill could drink blood and even seawater, as he could manipulate his body to only extract the necessary water without digesting the rest. Of course, he knew that an ordinary Marine couldn't drink seawater. Therefore, he discussed with the Captain the possibility of others drinking the blood of the Sea Kings. She said that for a regular Marine, it was impossible because the Sea Kings' blood contained too much iron, and even she could only drink it in small amounts.

Lying on his back, Bill began to think more about Hina. She hadn't reproached him for Hollandez's escape; instead, she praised him for saving the cannon crews. Her actions showed not the slightest hint of the anger she displayed that day. It seemed as if she had completely trusted Bill, as if that incident had never occurred.

Bill didn't know if this was cynical or not. Honestly, he thought it didn't matter. If he hadn't replaced the Marines at the camp's perimeter, they all would have died. Tactically, sending him and the pirates was the right decision.

Nevertheless, he couldn't forget the disgust that crossed her face when he told her how he had broken the chains.

Bill himself didn't even notice when it started, but his biased attitude toward Devil Fruits only strengthened.

Then, without further thought, Bill got up, walked to the ship's railings, and looked out at the open sea. As he turned, intending to head toward the ship's bow, he heard a familiar voice.

"You're already awake, lieutenant?"

Turning his head, Bill saw that Marron was also sitting up, getting to her feet. No greetings, just a barely noticeable formality in her speech.

She was tired and clearly more frightened than she let on. How could she not be afraid? Bill thought. Marron and most of the other recruits of the Scientific Division were between the ages of six and seventeen, and unlike him, they did not possess ninety years of life experience.

The simple fact was that teenagers and young adults either didn't think about death at all or believed they would live forever. But now, in just two weeks, these recruits had either personally witnessed or heard about the death of eighty Marines, some of whom were their friends