Sea Stone was extremely expensive, regardless of its purity, and the hull of this galleon likely cost around 400 million Beli, if made to standard.
Circling the ship, Bill carefully inspected it from the outside. Smoker hadn't lied: the ship was damaged. The towers had gaping holes, and the deck was broken in several places.
The main damage was to the ship's main battery—an enormous cannon that seemed to have misfired and exploded, tearing apart 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 spacious the room was. The door was wide, but not wide enough for this to be a ship for giants.
"There is a lot of damage, and I need to see all the ship's quarters before I can make a decision," Bill replied, then added, "I've seen the rigging, but I'm curious about 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 regular sailors was unrealistic.
Smoker nodded and suggested Bill follow him. They discovered that the sails were raised using gears installed on either side of each mast.
It was ingenious, Bill acknowledged, but if a sail tore, the ship would have to be returned to the dock for repairs unless someone on board possessed superhuman capabilities.
The final problem Bill contemplated was the lack of crew. Even if he and Rans transferred to this ship, leaving the others on the "Frontier Run," it would be extremely challenging to manage it.
According to observations by Rans and Borodo, about eighty former residents of the Island of Mechanisms were interested in the maritime profession 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 a minimum crew of 150 people would be necessary. He didn't have that many people, nor the money to support them either.
Just as Bill was about to decline without even making an offer, 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 deals that seemed too good to be true. But Smoker had already proven himself trustworthy, so Bill decided to hear him out.
"What does the problem involve?" he asked.
Taking a deep drag on his cigars, Smoker looked at Bill and said sternly:
"You'll have to take on the former captain of this ship."