He initially hoped to establish his workshop on an island under the control of the World Government, such as the Pole Star, or even in a kingdom where he would have access to a large workforce and existing infrastructure.
Little East Blue had great potential for housing a laboratory and could serve as a central command post, but it would take time to build all of this, even with his superhuman strength and endurance.
Thinking about it again, Bill showed no emotion and continued to gaze at Loguetown as it slowly approached.
As the convoy reached the outskirts of the port, the ships furled their sails and dropped anchor, while the "Frontier Run" headed toward the dock. Bill, of course, couldn't just unload dozens of ships and thousands of people onto the city docks, so he decided to meet with Captain Smoker first.
Loguetown was a somewhat unusual island since it didn't have a mayor. This was because Gol D. Roger, the man who started the Pirate Era, was born there, and the World Government couldn't allow the place to become a shrine for those wanting to emulate him.
Bill didn't know what to think of this, as the city had essentially been under military rule for twenty years.
On one hand, Bill didn't appreciate the idea of the military operating directly on the streets. On the other hand, the island was clearly not repressed, with shops selling Gol D. Roger-themed goods on every corner.
When the ship docked, it facilitated the organized reception of refugees from the Island of Mechanisms.
Since Bill wasn't sure of the help he would receive, a plan was already in place.
Fia was tasked with going to the local merchants to find out about purchasing a few tons of pepper, dried fruits, and flour. The general consensus was that the Sea Kings would be the only real source of sustenance for such a large number of people, but they needed more than just meat, as about forty percent of the refugees were under ten or over fifty years old.
Sasha was to accompany Bill to the local Marine Base to gather information about pastures on the island. The five hundred sheep couldn't remain on the ships, and if there were no pastures, they'd have to be slaughtered.
Rans was tasked with finding new crew members. Due to the unique conditions of the Island of Mechanisms, there were no experienced sailors. Although some locals expressed a desire to learn to sail and even fight, Rans had been forced over the past four days to jump from ship to ship to keep everything in order.
This was simply unsustainable, and there was a pressing need for experienced sailors. Unfortunately, given the limited funds, Bill thought they could afford only about twenty recruits, and these recruits needed to have sailing experience.
Finally, the most challenging task fell to Ricky. He had to sell the caravels at the highest possible price and also find and purchase ships with sea stone hulls, which they needed.
Bill told Ricky that the minimum price for a ship was 10 million Beli. If they couldn't get this amount, Bill would simply set up his workshop somewhere in the East Blue and use the caravels as his trading fleet.
Bill didn't want to do this, as it would complicate life for Yoko, but if necessary, he would offer to relocate the remaining residents of Little East Blue.
When the ship was docked, Bill shouted to his crew:
"Alright, we all know what needs to be done. I'm sure I don't need to remind you, but time is money."
As he said this, three of his crew members jumped off the ship and hurried to their tasks, while Sasha followed him to the Loguetown Marine Base.
Walking down the narrow street, Bill noticed white smoke rising from around the corner. Turning his head, he said: "I'll talk to Captain Smoker, and you can go straight to the office."
With a brief "Understood," Sasha went ahead, and a Marine, smoking a cigar, appeared before Bill.
Speaking in a gruff tone, Smoker spoke first, before Bill could greet him: "Captain Ox, I received a message that a naval frigate is leading a convoy of more than thirty armed ships. Care to explain the situation?"
Bill had intended to be friendly with the renowned captain of the East Blue. After all, Captain Smoker had an impeccable reputation for capturing pirates, and Bill generally respected him. However, upon hearing the accusatory tone, his friendliness somewhat cooled.
Taking the Eternal Log Pose out of his pocket, Bill tossed it to Smoker and calmly said: "Captain Smoker, following my duties as directed, I went to the Island of Mechanisms to hire engineers. To my surprise, I found the island had been taken over by local pirates"
Hearing this, Smoker's face darkened, but Bill didn't stop and reiterated his point: "They took over the island almost ten years ago."
"Impossible!" Smoker said in a gruff but puzzled voice.
"The Island of Mechanisms is only a week's sail from here. We would have noticed if it was occupied! And even if they managed to hide... ten years? Impossible"