Chapter 190
On the open ocean, time could either be spent productively or wasted. With this in mind, Bill organized his crew's daily routine so that they would use their time productively.
So, for the past four days, he has been helping Masterson master the Moon Step technique. He has also been teaching meditative push-ups to Danny, Danny, Donny, Yoko, and even Carol.
He stayed in touch with Ricky and the others, and to his surprise, he discovered that helping Nelson lose weight was good for him, too. Because Nelson couldn't stand or walk on his own, Bill had to support him. It wasn't easy—he had to be careful not to break Nelson's bones, and every time Bill lifted him to help him take steps, he adjusted his actions whenever he felt the pressure on Nelson's body was getting too much.
In the end, helping Nelson learn to walk again turned out to be the best weight training Bill could have hoped for instead of using hydraulic machines.
However, there was something else.
One day, Bill noticed that Nelson was not whispering under his breath, and began to listen carefully every time the former Commodore spoke. To his surprise, he saw a vague outlined form beyond reality.
He recognized this place as the very one from which the Angel or Devil who stood behind the Revolutionary Dragon came.
Lacking the right words to describe what he saw with his spiritual vision, Bill began calling the place "Chaos." He first considered calling it "The Void" or "The Distortion," but something about those names felt wrong, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Bill didn't know what this "Chaos" was and didn't want to guess.
The only thing he knew for sure was that the blurry outline he saw, which expressed Nelson's true feelings, was in the same place where the entity behind the Revolutionary Dragon was located.
This was also where Smoker's essence was, although it was much less clear.
What did this mean? Bill had no idea.
If the explanation he heard from Vegapunk was correct and the Devil Fruits were wishes made manifest, then what did it mean to replace those personal outlines?
He didn't know.
Another peculiarity was that this shadow entity was not always present, or at least not always noticeable.
For example, when Bill threw Nelson overboard to wash up, he grumbled and swore, but there was no sign that anything else was coming out of that place.
The same thing happened when Nelson was almost eaten by a small eel-like Sea King. After Bill saved him, Nelson cursed and swore at his captain, but there was no movement from the other side, which Bill called Chaos.
On his third day at sea, Bill spoke with Mayor Fabre, who was delighted to see so many new residents on his island and suggested that Bill not only build a laboratory on the island, but also establish a full-fledged Marine Corps base.
Bill was not surprised by this request, considering that pirate attacks were still occurring even after Boss Beetle took up residence on the island.
Despite this, Bill responded that he was not sure if it was within his authority, and while this was true, he was actually afraid that even more power might be placed on him.
Power was as restrictive as it was liberating.
On the one hand, it was nice not to have direct supervision. With the exception of monthly reports and quarterly financial summaries, Bill had broad authority within his position.
On the other hand, Bill already felt a sense of responsibility when he spent hours studying with Nelson. He felt it when he asked Captain Maynard to investigate the activities of Eastern Blue Branch #16. He felt it when the engineers from Clock Island approached him about simple things like the placement of water towers.
One good thing was that his friends and lieutenants were competent enough to make their own decisions, at least in military matters. Each of them had their own strengths, and together they made a great Marine team.
Although they lacked knowledge of civil administration, Bill strongly advised Fabre to continue as mayor of the city, at least for the time being, and to trust the others.
After all, with a population of just over three thousand, Bill didn't need a great statesman, just people who knew how to settle civil disputes.
At the moment, there were almost no civil conflicts on Little East Blue Island. The only problem they had was related to Boss Bug.
The creature was incredibly intelligent - it recognized the ship Frontier Run and, not seeing Yoko on it, made a fuss. The only thing that calmed the creature down was when Rance gave it a Snail-communicator with Yoko on the other line.