Below this article were several others about the kingdom of Alabasta, most of which concerned the Lord of the Seas named Crocodile.
In fact, there were so many articles that Bill suspected the newspaper had only published the story because the Lord of the Seas was involved.
Rolling his eyes, Bill stood up and handed the newspaper to Nelson to read. A few minutes later, Nelson joined him at the ship's railing.
"If we're going to Alabasta, we'll have to be careful, Captain," Nelson said, leaning most of his weight on the railing.
It was still a significant improvement, considering that he could walk at all—that in itself was a miracle.
Thinking about this, Bill looked at his subordinate for a moment, then turned back to the ocean and said:
- This is the World Economic Herald, who knows what's really going on.
Nelson:
"The newspaper is indeed prone to sensationalism, but in any case, we cannot interfere in the affairs of the Lords of the Seas or the nobility. Under no circumstances can we act unless we are expressly invited."
Bill knew the rules that applied to Marines interacting with the Allied Kingdoms. With rare exceptions, these kingdoms were autonomous territories governed solely by their own governments.
This was the main difference between the kingdoms and the other islands, and this was why Bill sent his lieutenants to meet with the authorities in person.
"I'm not going to join the rebels, Nelson," Bill said.
Hearing this, Nelson laughed and slowly returned to his chair.
- No, I don't think so! But damn, it would be a sight!
Sitting down in his chair, Nelson stopped laughing and said:
"But I don't know how you'll deal with the Lord of the Seas. Listen to me, Captain, these seven are extremely arrogant. Half of them wouldn't bat an eye if they attacked the captain of the Science Department, and one of them would even try to kidnap you."
Rolling his eyes at this comment, Bill turned around and asked:
- Really... Nelson, do you really believe that I could be kidnapped?
Seeing his subordinate shake his head, Nelson replied in a calm voice:
"No, Captain. I don't think you'll be kidnapped; I believe you could defeat four of the Seven Lords of the Seas if it came down to it, but Captain, the consequences of fighting just one of them would be disastrous."
Nelson sighed and continued:
"The World Government cannot accept the loss of one of these Sea Lords; it would upset the balance of power in the world. You must remember that."
Bill shook his head, inwardly hating the very idea of the Lords of the Seas, but in a world of superpowers, decisions had to be made based not on morality, but on real circumstances.
Not wanting to get into a debate about what was right and what was wrong, Bill simply asked:
— Do you know any of these seven personally?
What he heard in response surprised him.
— I was at the Marineford Cadet Academy when the proposal for the Seven Sea Lords was accepted.
Nelson then paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and continued:
"It was a little less than twenty years ago, but back then we had too many pirates to handle. Gold Roger was just executed a few years ago, but who would have thought his last words would turn the world upside down?!"
Red-haired Shanks, Dracula Mihawk, Marco Phoenix and many others began to appear out of nowhere.
This period was supposed to be the time when the Marines would establish order on the seas! But in reality, we were attacked from all sides, and so many people died—it's impossible to even list them...
Nelson fell silent again, and then continued after a minute:
— The Sea Lords system is a disgrace.
Do you know when they decided to adopt this system? After they visited the academy. We were supposed to be the best... but... what are tactics compared to pure strength?!
Bill assumed Nelson was saying this to himself. Despite being a brilliant tactician, Nelson never achieved superhumanity.
It didn't justify his actions when he was in command, but now Bill began to understand how his downfall had begun.
"I remember Instructor Zephyr's face when Sengoku left the academy that day. He didn't blame us. He should have."
That's why, Bill, you can't get into trouble with the Sea Lords. They're not like ordinary vice admirals. Trust me.
After hearing what Nelson said, Bill didn't object.
He didn't think Nelson was lying or wrong, but he knew he would do what he thought was right.
Bill had no intention of fighting the Lord of the Seas or anyone else.
But if he is forced...
Purururu PurururuThe snail's ringing in his office interrupted his thoughts, and after telling Nelson he would be back, Bill went to answer it.
When Bill picked up the phone, the snail turned into a white cowboy hat, and he heard Rance's voice on the other end.
- Bill! King Cobra just kicked us out of the country!
There was still a week of travel left, and Bill, frowning, answered his lieutenant:
— Tell me exactly what happened.
They were only a week's sail from the kingdom of Alabasta, where Bill hoped to secure much-needed trading contracts to keep himself financially afloat, but he was informed that the offer had been withdrawn.