But what's done is done. To leave them now would not only mean breaking one's word, but also, perhaps, sending them to certain death.
Now they were his responsibility, and sitting at his desk, Bill had only two options.
The first is to force Onigumo to sign the documents.
It was the most satisfying option—after Marineford had intervened and forced the release of the vice admiral, it would have been nice to take his anger out on Onigumo. However, he knew that it would be much harder to win the tribunal that way.
The second option is to call your father.
Although he was only nineteen to his family, Bill knew that his parents would offer him unconditional support. However, it was frustrating for him at his age to have to rely on his family again when things went wrong.
Plus, his conscience tormented him when he remembered how rarely he contacted his family just to say "hello." Even to his younger sisters, who had just turned three, Bill knew he had paid too little attention.
He didn't do it on purpose, it's just that his workload steadily increased with each new responsibility he took on.
Thinking about it, Bill couldn't stand being the kind of person who only called with bad news. He tapped his fingers on the table and decided to think about how to approach Onigumo first.
He didn't have much time to think. He had been ordered to relieve the vice admiral immediately, but try as he might to think about the situation, he couldn't see any way to convince Onigumo to transfer the Marines without taking casualties.
The reason was that once Bill had abandoned violence as a means of influence, all that was left was intimidation. But was it easy to intimidate a vice admiral? No, he didn't think so.
He knocked on the table, thought for another half hour, and then decided to reassemble his table and stood up.
As he left his office and walked down the steps of the building, he heard Nelson calling him, but waved him off with a stern, "Not now."
The Marine Corps' main building had crude cells at the back of the complex, and that was where Bill was headed.
His long legs covered the hundred meters in just a few minutes, and soon he found himself in front of the cells, where Onigumo was kneeling, bound with ropes and chains.
With no sea stone available, the best Bill could do was wrap Onigumo like a caterpillar. It seemed practical, but looking at the now-awake Vice Admiral, Bill realized that he clearly didn't find it funny.
The Vice Admiral didn't look at Bill until the cell was opened and Bill pulled him to his feet. This time he made no threats, but the hatred in his eyes was obvious.
"Are you calmed down?" Bill asked, trying to pretend that nothing particularly terrible had happened. He certainly wouldn't mention that he had been ordered to release the vice admiral or that he was facing a court martial for the incident.
Receiving only a grunt in response, Bill asked:
- Are you going to attack me again if I take the ropes off you?
This time there was no answer, and unless the man was an idiot, Bill didn't think he would try anything again. Turning his back, he opened the locks and untied the ropes.
Standing in the cell, the vice admiral rubbed his shoulder and said:
— The penalty for obstruction of justice is death. I hope you are prepared to answer for your crimes.
Bill shook his head, looked down at him and said clearly:
- You attacked me and lost, stop complaining.
As this was said, the smell of ozone appeared in the air again. Using his Haki to neutralize the ability, the situation repeated itself as before, except this time Onigumo did not attack when Bill spoke again.
— Do you understand that you committed a criminal act by attacking a Marine officer?
When he said this, Onigumo did not respond and tried to leave, but Bill did not let him.
Placing a large hand on his shoulder, Bill turned him back and continued:
— I demand compensation.
Onigumo first looked at the hand on his shoulder, then at Bill, and asked his question:
— A Marine officer? Boy, I'm a vice admiral. By keeping me here, you've insulted the organization. You've made it look weak, and that means you've weakened Justice around the world.
Do you demand compensation? We'll see how your demands are considered when I return to my ship.
At this point, the conversation went as Bill had planned, although he hadn't expected the vice admiral to bring up the Marine Corps' reputation. He didn't buy the idea that "reputation is everything," but even if he had, no one outside his immediate subordinates had seen the man fail.
As Bill pondered this, he came to the main point. He had one instance where he had seen a low-ranking officer attack a senior one, and from everything he had learned about the World Government, he was willing to bet that this incident was no exception.
- Are you going to tell them that I, a nineteen-year-old captain of the Science Department, neutralized and defeated a vice admiral with one blow?
Bill shook his head and continued: