Hearing this, Henzo nodded, and realizing that he didn't have much time, Bill asked about the weapons the soldiers were using.
To his surprise, all the weapons on the island were made by Henzo, including things Bill had never seen before, such as the so-called "battle suits."
Bill didn't know if he had gained the old man's trust or if he was grateful not to be ridiculed, but before leaving, the old man gave him a whole stack of blueprints describing the firearms, combat suits, and grenades used by the island's soldiers.
After saying goodbye, Bill listened to the sounds outside, and when he was sure that there was no one nearby, he rose high into the air and returned to the ship.
He had been talking with Henzo for almost four hours, and now it was past breakfast and approaching lunchtime.
The remaining two days passed as usual: Bill saw Rance and Akisu a few times, but neither of them showed any sign of knowing the others.
Akis was already twelve, and Bill was shocked by how much the former "thief" had grown. He walked in Borodo's shadow and already surpassed many adult Marines in the department in navigational skill.
On the second night after Rance's arrival, they agreed to meet in one of the taverns.
Due to his size, Bill couldn't easily remain unnoticed, but thanks to what he had learned from Fia over the years, he managed to sneak into the tavern unnoticed.
Inside a bar on the outskirts of town, Bill encountered Rance and Akisu, sitting at a table in the corner of the bar. Sitting down next to them, the two old friends began discussing what Rance had discovered.
Things turned out badly: Bill would have described Wetton as more of a dictator than a mayor. The soldiers were his personal army, not the island's residents, and he used his power to tax literally everything.
It was all terrible, but since Ruluka Island was a Union government, Bill and his Marines could not legally remove Wetton from office without some kind of referendum from the people.
Each allied island that wasn't under the direct control of the World Government had certain rights as long as it paid tribute. One of these rights was that local governments could not be overthrown by force by the World Government.
As the trio sat at the table, Rance and Bill discussed what to do next.
They could temporarily impose martial law, but if the citizens wanted to leave Wetton, it would cause serious problems with Marineford.
"Partner, I'll stay undercover and gauge the mood of the residents, while you keep Wetton occupied," Rance suggested. "We'll see what we can do."
Just as Bill was about to agree to this, a man in a yellow jumpsuit approached them.
Bill knew where every person in the place was, and when he saw the man walking towards them, he paused the conversation.
As he approached, the huge Marine glanced over his shoulder and asked what was wrong. To his surprise, he received an answer.
- My friend, we both have problems. How about I help you, and you help me?
Turning his head a little more, Bill looked at the young man.
He looked about twenty years old and had a scythe tattoo on his face. Bill looked him over and asked:
- And who are you?
With a sly smile, the man said slowly:
"Shuraya Baskud, but you may have heard of me by another name. They call me the Pirate Executioner."
As he watched the so-called "Pirate Executioner" leave, Bill recalled their conversation.
"And what can you do for us?" he asked, having learned the man's name.
To this question the man smiled with humble self-respect and answered:
"I have information that will greatly assist you in your fight against the mayor of this city. I assure you, it wasn't easy to obtain."
Bill had a hard time not rolling his eyes; he didn't like cryptic speech or people who thought too highly of themselves, but since the man had come up to him, Bill still asked what he wanted in return.
"I just need your help catching the pirates with the bounty. I'll give you the information you need, and all you have to do is do your job to get it. How about that?"
- Bill, this man is clearly crazy if he came here and... mmph...
Seeing the unknown man acting like this, Akisu opened his mouth before Rance could close it.
Bill was grateful to the boy for standing up for him, but later he would have to explain to Akis that such comments were inappropriate during negotiations and that his job was not to interfere.
A similar incident had happened earlier with Yoko when she was talking about the city's mayor, and Bill briefly wondered if he should have acted more "normally" with the children of his Section.
Like all men, he wanted to be respected and admired by the younger generation, but it was a delicate balance. The last thing he wanted was to create a personality cult.
Bill believed that his men should follow orders but still keep a clear head.
He wasn't always right, and there had been too many instances lately where subordinates praised him for minor achievements.
After thinking about Akisu for a moment, Bill asked what the man in yellow wanted and heard him talk about a pirate race that an ordinary bounty hunter couldn't handle.
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