For the past year and a half, Bill hadn't just been busy building the New Vault; he'd been sending his lieutenants out to establish trade links.
Rance, Fia, and Miyagi went to the Grand Line, while Sasha, Rikki, and Borodo went to the East Blue.
There were many islands in each Blue, and some of them were home to several hundred thousand people, but Bill needed to penetrate several kingdoms with populations in the millions.
So far, his commanders had been reporting bad news. Every kingdom they visited wanted to see the Science Department only if they were sold advanced weapons.
Bill was not averse to revising his production line; if the need arose for water purification or even the construction of power plants, he could foresee a situation in which he would radically change his plans.
But having said that, he had no ambition to become a major arms dealer.
So far, five branches of the Marine Corps have ordered a total of twenty Royal Guns, which has been good business, but only a temporary funding measure.
In the end, using the Science Division's technology for war seemed like a terrible waste to Bill.
And if he continued down this path, Bill could easily predict a future in which soulless robots fought against the enemies of the nobility.
Bill concluded that the existence of Devil Fruits limited the tyranny of those in power. Adding powerful robots to the equation could change it too easily.
So he had to be very careful about who would receive which weapons for sale. He didn't even show the rivet guns to anyone outside his department.
After looking over his papers again, he put them away and stood up to begin his day's business.
When he went downstairs, the first thing he did was go to see Nelson, who lived in the same office building as Bill and Yoko, only his room was on the ground floor.
"Nelson! How are you today?" Bill asked enthusiastically.
Looking at his obese subordinate, he was amazed at how much weight he had lost.
Over the past year or so, Nelson had dropped from about 1,500 pounds to 700 pounds. He was still fat, fatter than anyone Bill had ever met, but at least he looked human now.
Nelson:
"I can't speak for you, Captain Ox…"
— It would be better if I could.
— ...but I'm ready to start.
- And wait until I get that Snail.
Nelson's duplicity no longer irritated Bill; on the contrary, it amused him.
First, it showed that Nelson had learned to control his words. When they first met, this "noble" Marine had been unable to keep his mouth shut.
Secondly, because at New Haven, no one ever said anything bad to Bill. They always agreed with him or presented their proposals as "alternatives," even though Bill knew perfectly well that their ideas were better than his own.
- Eh, don't be so irritated, today is a great day.
Nelson:
- Huh? Oh, no, Captain, I'm not at all irritated today!
- What a bastard, he's at it again.
"Glad to hear it!" Bill replied with a laugh. "Look at it this way: soon you won't have to swim in the sea anymore!"
Bill never started a conversation with rudeness, but he knew how to tease Nelson when he started to behave in a certain way.
Throwing Nelson overboard with a stick and a sponge was one of the most humiliating moments he ever experienced.
But what choice did he have? Bill would wash a wounded or elderly person if he had no other option, but he would never wash Nelson just because of his weight, nor would he have delegated the task to anyone else!
A shadow crossed Nelson's face after these words, and he looked down. Bill heard him muttering under his breath, and he didn't even need to use Presence Sense to notice it.
Pretending not to hear, Bill carefully lifted Nelson from behind, careful not to hurt his shoulders. It was easier now, but still dangerous, and he carefully lowered him into the wheelbarrow.
While transporting his subordinate to the Headquarters courtyard, Bill, although strict with Nelson, never tried to turn him into a laughing stock.
In fact, beyond the officers, Nelson became an urban legend among locals.
Bill didn't understand this because he couldn't imagine how anyone could go unnoticed at two meters wide, but he figured it was for the best. He thought that when people finally saw Nelson, they would simply perceive him as a very fat guy.
In the yard, Bill set up a four-legged walker, like the kind used by older people, with wheels on two of them.
He wished Miyagi were here, but Mink had gone with Rance and Fia in search of ingredients for his miracle cure.
The Goatman assured Bill that the cure was almost ready and would be "really amazing."
The first steps didn't take long. Holding onto the walker, Nelson took one step, then another.
After ten steps he began to breathe heavily and demanded:
"Well, Captain Ox, you're not going to lie to me, are you? So where is the Snail kept?"
Seeing Nelson walking made Bill smile, and he could have told him that Snail was on the second floor, but he decided not to.