Agreeing, Bill walked with the other captain to the docks located on the other side of the island.
Along the way, they discussed what the refugees needed. Smoker believed they could provide enough drinking water and even help with food, but medical assistance would be at its limit, and there would be serious problems with housing.
The most contentious moment between the two captains arose when they discussed the possibility of relocating the refugees to an uninhabited island nearby. Even if Smoker promised frequent supply deliveries, Bill was naturally reluctant to leave a couple of thousand people in the wilderness while he and the others would be away for at least a month and a half.
This thought worried him even more because of the plans he had developed with the engineers. The first wave of settlers to Little East Blue was supposed to consist mainly of young and adult people. This was necessary so that by the time children and the elderly arrived, they wouldn't be sleeping in tents.
As they turned the corner to the docks, Bill saw the ship Smoker had mentioned—its majestic figurehead of a gargoyle was built directly into the hull.
Without hesitation, they climbed up the gangway to the deck. To get a better look at the ship, Bill said, "I'll go up to get a bird's eye view, alright?"
Saying he'd be back, he used Moon Step to lift himself into the air and survey the ship.
Although the ship wasn't as tall as the immense battleships in the harbor of Marineford, its main deck was just slightly lower than that of the "Frontier Run." Despite this, the ship was so wide that it housed three towers, each the size of small apartments, and dozens of cannons on each side.
It resembled more of a small floating city than a ship. Bill thought the only reason this colossus hadn't sunk was its hull made of Sea Stone.
Sea Stone was extraordinarily expensive, regardless of its purity level, and the hull of this galleon probably cost around 400 million Beli, if built to standard.
Hovering around the ship, Bill carefully examined it from the outside. Smoker wasn't lying: the ship was damaged. There were holes in the towers, and the deck was broken in several places.
The most significant damage was inflicted on the ship's main battery—an enormous cannon that had apparently misfired and exploded, tearing through the side.
Shuddering at the thought of how many lives this disaster had claimed, Bill decided he had seen enough and headed to the captain's cabin.
When Bill entered, Smoker was sitting on the steps of the platform and immediately asked:
— So, what do you think?
Looking around before answering, Bill couldn't help but be amazed at how large this room was. The door was wide, but not so wide that it was a giants' ship.
— There's a lot of damage, and I need to see all the ship's facilities before I can make a decision, — Bill replied, then added: — I saw the rigging, but I'm curious how the sails are raised.
On such a large ship, the sails were simply gigantic. Bill understood that his crew might handle them, but expecting the same from ordinary sailors was unrealistic.
Smoker nodded and offered Bill to follow him. They discovered that the sails were raised using gears installed on both sides of each mast.
It was ingenious, Bill admitted, but if a sail tore, the ship would have to return to the shipyard for repairs unless there were superhuman abilities onboard.
The last problem Bill considered was the lack of a crew. Even if he and Rans were to transfer to this ship, leaving the rest on the "Frontier Run," it would be extremely difficult to manage.
According to observations from Rans and Borodo, about eighty former residents of the Island of Mechanisms showed interest in maritime affairs and even wanted to learn to fight, but Bill couldn't count on all of them joining his unit.
To operate this ship, he estimated it would require a minimum crew of 150 people. He didn't have that many people nor the money to maintain them.
As Bill was about to refuse, without even offering a price, Smoker stood up and said seriously:
"This ship won't cost you a single Beli. You just need to take on one problem."
Raising an eyebrow, Bill was skeptical of offers that seemed too good to be true. However, Smoker had already proven trustworthy, so Bill decided to hear him out.
"What's the problem?" he asked.
Taking a deep drag from his cigars, Smoker looked at Bill and said sternly:
"You'll have to take on the former captain of this ship."
"This must be some kind of joke..." thought Bill, standing next to Smoker and looking at the largest man he had ever seen in both his lives.
The man in front of them frowned and demanded their attention, but Smoker ignored him and continued, "His name is Nelson Royal. He lost half of his fleet and came back with tales of dragons. When Headquarters sent out patrols, they found nothing. Now, after his demotion, he's stationed here."
Nelson shouted, "There were dragons, you fool!"