After four and a half months on the island, this was the first time Nelson himself raised the issue.
Without addressing the subject directly, Bill spoke in a way he hoped would help both men.
— Pumping can help, but I wouldn't recommend it. The essence of all the Six Forces is mastering the fast twitch muscle fibers in your body. The only reason I said that the Iron Body and the Finger Punch work on opposite principles is because when you use those fast twitch muscle fibers, you stop moving.
Since Bill had mastered the technique, and Masterson and Nelson had permission to study it, he could speak about it directly:
- This is both the strength and weakness of the Iron Body as a technique. On the one hand, it significantly increases a person's defense, but this defense depends on how strong their fast muscle fibers are.
Hearing this, Nelson chuckled and replied:
- What nonsense!
Bill raised an eyebrow and said calmly,
- What I said is true.
Nelson: - Even if that's true, that doesn't mean you're right! Look, Iron Body is a great first technique because its real use is to show new recruits how to train their fast-twitch muscle fibers! Of course, Captain, you're strong enough that that won't be a problem for you. I wouldn't even be surprised if you mastered Life Return before you even tried learning any of the Six Forces!
This was true, and Bill did not interrupt Nelson because he wanted to hear what he had to say next.
"But people with normal strength can't do that. If you give the Shave technique to a person with a normal build, their body simply won't be able to handle it! If you could, you'd see Marines everywhere flying through the air with Moon Step or darting across the decks with Shave. But let me ask you this: how many Marines have you actually seen using any of the Six Powers?"
Bill admitted that was fair. He had seen Captain Hina use Shave, but that was all. Smoker and Maynard were probably able to use at least one of the techniques, but he hadn't seen it.
Masterson must have been thinking about it too, and when they didn't respond, Nelson continued his tirade.
"It's a real trap they use to lure people in, calling it the Six Powers. A normal person can't learn the Shaving or the Moon Step without first mastering the Iron Body or the Paper Art, but the commoner recruits who know nothing want to sign a contract to learn the flashier Storm Strike or the Moon Step. And then they find out…" Nelson gave a wry smile. "They find out they'll never be able to do it. Their only chance is to sign a lifetime contract and try to learn the Iron Body technique. But since they hate it and are usually too old to learn it, they never master it. Which means the Marines get a career soldier with virtually no risk. They get a guy who won't even care if he ends up as some artillery lieutenant, because that commoner already knows he's failed."
Bill was about to reply that this was a cynical point of view, but Masterson spoke first:
- What about your failure?
Hearing this, Nelson lowered his head and did not answer.
Shaking his head, Bill said calmly:
- Don't worry, Nelson. By this time next year, you'll be able to walk on your own two feet, and I'll help you with that.
Nelson did not respond, and the situation between Masterson and the former Commodore became a little tense.
But as they traveled to Loachtown, Bill noticed that Masterson began training less with Shave and more with Iron Body.
Bill admitted that his advice may have been wrong. As Nelson said, Bill was already superhuman when he began studying the Six Forces, and this could well have skewed his understanding.
A few days later the Blue Bird entered port and the small crew went ashore and headed for the warehouse.
Bill hadn't been there for months, but Masterson, Denny, Donnie and Danny checked on him almost every week during their rounds.
Six elderly people had died from age-related complications, but now all the pregnant women had given birth and the warehouse was once again full of life despite the losses.
After the big meeting, Bill told everyone that they would be leaving in about a week and advised them to start packing up gradually. Not surprisingly, after six months in the warehouse, the building had changed beyond recognition.
Although the building had no electricity, everything moved on gears and springs. Chairs and tables rose up from the floor, and little mechanical birds chirped in the common area—all of it a work of art with soft, rounded edges.
Outside, a playground and seating area was created for children, and pressure plates were installed that raised the walls, preventing children from getting too close to the water.
On the way to meet Smoker, Bill laughed, wondering if he should charge him for all these improvements.
On the way to the Marine detachment, he, Yoko, Masterson, and Carol met new Marines that Bill didn't expect to see again.