Although Bill had not been present for most of the last three days, he received general reports about the convoy's composition.
Almost all the recruited pirates were onboard the "MAKKO," except for a group of free officers. All the prisoners were on the "HINA," where Bill and the Science Division recruits were also stationed.
Bill was curious why everything was arranged this way, and according to Captain Ryudo, it was due to the threat of mutiny.
The chance of a mutiny among the original crew was small because they had volunteered for service, but the recruited pirates were another story.
If the crews were mixed, it was documented that negative morale often outweighed the sense of duty.
The argument made by Hina's petty officer, that they would only benefit from capturing three ships if everything went smoothly, was technically correct.
From Ryudo's perspective, the likelihood that the pardoned pirates wouldn't escape at the first opportunity was fifty-fifty.
If, for example, a storm started or if they were attacked by a sufficiently large sea king — two very common situations on the Grand Line.
But all this no longer mattered, as they were about to set sail, and after a short conversation, Bill went to find members of the Science Division. At this point, the biology students no longer needed to provide medical assistance, although Jerry was still trying to learn from the ship's doctor.
Sitting in the refurbished canteen, the group conversed as the ships headed to Marineford.
The rest of the journey went smoothly, and after two weeks Bill stood on the deck and saw a flock of News Coo carrier pigeons.
He had been out of events happening in the South Blue Sea for several months, but since he had no coins, he could only watch the birds fly away.
When he wasn't on deck, Bill spent time in the training hall with other Science Division recruits, as it was at the very beginning of their journey. This was where he could most often be found.
With his new understanding of his body, Bill was changing almost daily, and the main reason for this was his ability to heal.
He hadn't turned into Wolverine, recalling the comics from his past, but he wasn't too far off.
Working tirelessly, his only concern was whether he could regenerate his brain or heart if they were destroyed, and whether it would happen quickly enough to prevent death.
He had no evidence, but he thought that even without a heartbeat, he could regenerate the organ before dying. With this in mind, Bill held his breath but quickly discovered he could breathe through his skin.
This answered his question about oxygen, and his next thought was whether his body could withstand such injuries.
Unfortunately, he had no way to test this, so during the week-long journey, he decided to finally apply to learn one of the Six Powers.
The natural choice was the Iron Body Technique.
Of course, he had seen the shortcomings of this technique before. At least, when Captain Trapano demonstrated it, he had to remain completely still to use it.
For some reason, Bill didn't think that had to be a rule, given the control he had over his body. He also didn't believe that "Iron" should be the limit.
With this thought, the group of teenagers continued either discussing fish or training for the next month.
Finally, the ships docked at the vast harbor of Marineford.
Standing on the deck, Bill immediately recognized Sentomaru waiting for them.
Disembarking, there were no special farewells between Hina and Bill.
Throughout the entire journey back, the incident with the bounties only came up when he received financial reports for verification of returns.
Shrugging, Bill simply thought about how people change when it comes to money.
As the saying goes: beasts kill for food, but people kill for treasure.
Leading the group of Science Division members along the dock, Sentomaru roughly told them to follow him.
"Oks, I hope you have your report ready."
And, naturally, it was ready.
The way to the base was as long as Bill remembered, and there they were met by several instructors, including the one Vegapunk called Bonadus.
Bonadus took the new recruits from the Science Division, while the instructors took the biology students, leaving Bill and Sentomaru alone.
During this time, Sentomaru was not particularly friendly, but he wasn't cold either. When they were left alone, he turned to Bill and said, "First, let's go to my office where you'll briefly outline the situation for me. You'll submit the full report by the end of the day."
Bill had no choice or objection to this. So, with a nod, the two of them went deeper into the massive base.
As they approached Sentomaru's office, Bill heard a familiar voice, which apparently the captain in front of him also heard.
While the captain sighed in annoyance, Bill saw a large but very familiar figure turning the corner at the end of the hallway.
The figure stopped and looked at him, prompting Bill to say in surprise, "Dad?"
From a distance, father and son looked each other in the eyes.
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