Bill still couldn't believe what he heard from his lieutenant commander.
Rance described to him the strange situation in which the crew was immediately expelled from the kingdom by the captain of the royal guard.
- After he told us to leave, this man started spinning like a ballerina!!
It was very strange, Bill thought, but after all, what could they do?
The fact was that they had no authority to demand a meeting with King Cobra, and they were turned away by other kingdoms without explanation.
This left him in a difficult position: his purchasing department currently had about 35 million belli in cash, but they were spending almost 7 million belli a month on salaries.
The situation was even worse than it seemed, because, in addition to the fact that he was paying the factory workers only half their wages, he was expected to make the Scientific Department an annual profit by the end of the year.
Sitting in his office, Bill leaned back and wondered what to do next.
His expenses were far greater than his income because he had expanded his operations too quickly; he had realized this long ago, but what could he do?
When Clock Island was destroyed, he felt partially responsible and couldn't just leave those people to their fate.
These men may have been slaves of the Bear King, but Bill was determined to give them a chance at a new life, starting by paying them a wage.
Thinking about this, when he received news from Rance, it was decided to drop anchor at a nearby island instead of turning around.
When he gave orders to his confused navigators, Bill didn't go into detail and only discussed it with Nelson, who told Bill that he should stop procrastinating and start collecting bounties.
He knew it was the only immediate solution, but it hurt him because he wanted to believe he could build something great with his mind, not go back to his fists.
Bill knew that if it weren't for the few small bounties Sasha and Rance had caught and the sales of the Royal Cannons, he would already be in debt.
They didn't know where they were going, but if Borodo was following Log Pos, he was sure they could meet up with another ship.
Taking a deep breath, Bill left the office and continued his routine for the next few days. Yoko and the Beetleborgs practiced their Iron Body technique, while Boss flew around the ship.
On the third day after Rance's message, Bill and the others saw land ahead.
The island was not visible, but the huge pillars rising on the horizon clearly indicated their approach.
When the ship entered the rows of pillars, the entire crew was called upon. The MSS Victory was a massive galleon, and even a slight impact could damage one of its sides.
Bill hovered above the ship, ready to intervene if necessary. He laughed at the thought of simply pushing the ship aside if necessary.
He usually didn't think about how strong he'd become: like when he was digging up a section of the seabed near New Haven—it was just a job. It was usually the little things that made him pause, like when he uprooted a tree or held a pallet-sized boulder.
Yoko joined him in the sky, riding on Boss. Bill wasn't particularly bothered by the constant company, but the buzzing of the beetle's wings was a little irritating. Worse, they were so loud that Yoko had to shout for him to hear her.
Luckily, the crossing of the pillars didn't take long, and once he landed on the ship, Bill put aside his irritation, thinking, "Well, that's life."
Standing on the bow of the ship, he was the first to see the city.
The city seemed to be built of stone and rose up the mountainside. A huge tower rose to the side of the city, far larger than any lighthouse.
As the ship approached the harbor, Bill noticed that the docks were just wooden piers, so he decided to drop anchor without getting too close.
After weeks on the open ocean, his men were eager to set foot on solid ground, but first they had to make sure the water was deep enough to moor.
Quickly assigning responsibilities, he boarded the boat, accompanied by Yoko and four Beetleborgs.
Nelson was now able to move independently, but Bill decided to keep him on the ship in case of unforeseen circumstances. He didn't yet consider Nelson one of his lieutenants, but he couldn't deny his tactical skills, and he had no choice.
They didn't bring their rivet guns. Bill decided it was too risky to go armed to an unfamiliar, but apparently civilized, island, so he only allowed them to take their Pulse Boots and Gloves. Even Yoko had to leave her war hammer behind.
When the boat landed, Yoko asked Bill why they were doing it this way when he could have just flown over, and Bill replied:
"There are two reasons for that. First, you should always keep your maps to yourself. Second, we want to make a good first impression on the locals. If I were to dive to find out the harbor's depth and then fly over and announce our arrival, people might appear friendly, but deep down they'd either be scared or suspicious."