Acting on instinct, Bill covered the distance in the blink of an eye and grabbed Onigumo by the wrist.
Whatever this entity was - be it a ghost, a devil or an angel - in his "third eye" Bill perceived this place as an ocean of oil.
Darkness, cut through only by the vague shapes of light bubbles that twisted into the shape of wheels, eyes or wings, or other metaphorical objects.
So Bill called the place Chaos, although he wasn't sure that was the right word.
And so, when Bill held Onigumo's wrist in real space, his third eye told him to build stone walls to hold back that oily ocean, and Bill barely noticed that he himself was covered in black shadow.
The Onigumo-shaped bulge disappeared, and in an instant the Vice Admiral realized that his wrist was no longer under his control.
When Bill began to blur the line between imaginary and real space, he didn't even realize that he was forcing reality to rebuild itself around him.
He also did not immediately realize that he had grabbed the vice admiral with enough force to completely immobilize him.
"What are you doing, Captain?!" the Vice Admiral shouted, struggling to maintain his composure after losing contact with his ability.
"Let me just show you to your quarters, Vice Admiral," Bill said politely but firmly.
Bill then began to lead the man towards the large doors and only responded when he was "ordered" to stop.
He had to remind the Vice Admiral that, despite the difference in rank, Onigumo was only a courier here, and this assignment did not give him command authority over the Science Division's operation.
After escorting the Vice Admiral to his quarters, Bill ignored the threat of being charged with assaulting a senior officer and immediately went to work.
The task had to be completed quickly, but nothing had to be damaged, so Bill only assigned Borodo, Masterson, and a few other strong men to unload the boxes.
Over the last month, while Bill had been dredging the harbor, they had been too busy cutting rock to set up the harbor cranes. Now they had to lift everything by hand.
It wasn't that difficult, Bill could have lifted the entire battleship if he had to, but the fusion reactor was so large and fragile that he couldn't afford to just lift it and carry it to shore.
The solution came from Borodo, who, in addition to being an excellent navigator, was a very resourceful mechanic. The plan was to secure ropes around the huge boxes, and while Bill lifted them, they would watch that the cargo did not tilt to one side or the other.
The plan worked and they successfully unloaded the ship, but now the question arose of how to deliver the reactor to the tunnels where the power would be generated.
However, the skies were clear, and Bill didn't want the Vice Admiral to stay around any longer than necessary, so he decided to tell him that the job was done.
As Bill walked up to the main deck of the warship, he felt the tension in the air—none of the sailors looked at him.
He immediately realized that it was not out of anger, but because these people were afraid.
What were they afraid of? Well, if we reconsider the possibility that Onigumo was particularly unhappy about waiting, then we can assume that the vice admiral was harsh over any trifle.
Bill could easily determine that none of the lieutenants or officers of higher rank had Devil Fruit powers. It was possible that Vice Admiral Onigumo was a true "monster among men."
In his mind, Bill groaned, realizing that he would have to file his own report on this matter.
The Marine Corps gave its officers broad executive powers, especially those in command of bases and ships. These powers included the power to take disciplinary action without third-party involvement.
On the one hand, Bill knew it would be a logistical nightmare if every disciplinary measure required outside intervention. On the other hand, what Bill was seeing now indicated that the vice admiral was abusing his authority. If not literally, then at least through intimidation.
Feeling uneasy, Bill headed to the captain's cabin and walked in uninvited. Onigumo was sitting at the table polishing his sword.
He used what looked like spider arms, but the ends of what were supposed to be legs acted as arms.
"Vice Admiral, the job is done," Bill said.
Without taking his eyes off the saber, Onigumo replied:
— Do you doubt Justice, Captain Ox?
Bill was puzzled by this question and, without coming closer, answered:
- I believe that everyone gets what they deserve and bad decisions lead to bad consequences.
Onigumo: - Is that so? And what do you think should happen to the one who hit the senior officer? What consequences will follow?
Bill squinted and saw the Vice Admiral's face twist into a wicked grin as he looked up from his blade. But Bill didn't rise to the bait and calmly replied,
- The job is done, Vice Admiral. Thank you for your efforts, you may now leave.