The Marine

While Vice Admiral Gion’s cigarette dropped out of her mouth and the Marines who were supposed to escort Saint Camael looked on in horror, the Island Eater swallowed [Gran Tesoro] whole, and Bill both relieved and on edge, fell into the giant toothy maw of Lord Bonbori for a second time.

He was relieved because of the impeccable timing of the Island Eater, who arrived less than 30 minutes before the Marine Escort had shown up and swallowed the floating city immediately after surfacing.

He was on edge due to the obvious fact that it was up to him, and him solely, to see that Gran Tesoro didn’t flip over and land in Lord Bonbori’s stomach acid upside-down.

Zipping through the air too fast for the eye to see, Bill ignored the crazed screams that he could hear from the thousands of people who hadn’t escaped and kicked Gran Tesoro on each side to ensure its upward position.

Naturally, this ‘stability’ was only to ensure the floating city stayed upright, for those normal humans still on the ground, unless they had listened to the calls to brace themselves, they would surely be tossed and thrown everywhere.

Because even for Bill, lifting a metropolis through the air with Moon Step was a daunting task. A task that, after his last experience, he’d rather not do unless he had to.

With people flying through the air and screaming while they fell, and the ships that were still left in Gran Tesoro’s port now free-falling, the entire city rushed down Lord Bonbori’s throat and eventually dropped down hundreds of meters once it finally entered the 1st Stomach.

*BOOOMM!!*

*SPLASH!!*

*WHOOSH!*

Almost keeling over from the impact, despite Gran Tesoro’s massive underdeck, Bill covered his arms and legs in gun-metal gray Haki and pushed the seastone hull to the side, saving the entire structure.

Breathing heavily, out of stress but also due to the fact that he had barely slept in nearly a week, as the yellow stomach acid roiled and washed over several of the smaller islands inside the first stomach, he lurched himself on top of a rounded golden tower – one of Gran Tesoro’s many seaside Ball Rooms – and laid still.

Laying there, looking up at the artificial sun, Bill couldn’t help but smile and then laugh and laugh when it finally hit him what had all happened.

In that moment he forgot all that he had to do and just wondered how he had ended up once again in the belly of the leviathan.

But soon enough, the reality of the situation hit him. And his actions over the last day had to be accounted for.

Not ‘accounted for’ by anyone else but he had to account for himself and decide what next.

‘I guess, I have a truth to tell too… huh?’ he asked himself as he lay there looking up.

In truth, even though he asked himself that, Bill didn’t believe himself to be ‘Jonah’ or any sort of prophet, he didn’t believe himself to be a ‘freedom fighter’, he didn’t believe himself to be a ‘Hero’, nor he did know exactly how he was going to proceed.

He had an idea though, an idea that reminded him of his day’s teacher. That idea that kept running through his mind was simply…

‘Magna Carta Libertatum…’

Laying there for several minutes with his clothes disheveled and hair matted with blood, dirt, seawater, and gold dust, Bill’s mind thought about Earth’s history that he was familiar with. History that he would be a fool to ignore…

Or in other words, Bill thought aloud and said: “The Great Charter of Freedoms.”

In some ways, the ‘Magna Carta’ was just one turning point in a long procession of societal revolutions that took absolute power away from Nobility, but its importance couldn’t be diminished with that fact that it was just ‘one of many’.

Whether it was due to the fact that society had already changed over time, or due to mere chance that the English Nation became so powerful later in history, the idea that even the King was subject to the Law was a genie that could never be put back in its lamp.

Laying there and thinking, of course, Bill was not naive, he knew there had to be more to it than him just writing out a legal document and asking the Levely to agree and sign. But after learning what he had about the World Nobles, he felt that he had to do his part… and he even felt that he had a chance to succeed without resorting drastic methods.

After all, even if the Nobility of local Kingdoms enjoyed being above the Law in their own homelands, then they must despise the fact that in the eyes of the World Nobles they were merely half breeds, or ‘Mutts’, and that the true Masters of the world were the Celestial Dragons.

And by this logic, a Celestial Dragon could kill a Kingdom Noble as easily as a Kingdom Noble could kill a slave – and suffer the same exact consequences.

Indeed, Bill believed that this was the way of the world because while the Celestial Dragon wouldn’t even talk to him, Saint Camael referred to Nelson as a ‘mutt’ despite the fact that [Nelson Royale] was 4th in line to the Frauce Kingdoms’ throne and had continuously beat him with no apparent qualms or justifications.

And against this humiliation, what could Nelson do? Nothing. Not even a hint of complaint passed his lips.

With this as a wedge, or a rallying cry against the Celestial Dragons, Bill thought that he could do something without having to go to extremes.

Because no matter what, even if the World Government was powerful, and even if the Celestial Dragon’s power ran deep, not even they could ignore the Allied Governments… right?

Thinking this, Bill’s mind ran, and he suddenly thought that under no circumstance did he want to support the Revolutionary Army.

In Bill’s mind, the Revolutionary Army was like any militant insurgent group. They preached high-minded ideals during the daytime but wouldn’t hesitate to slit your throat at night.

Not knowing Justice or Mercy, and only understanding the flawed theory that the ‘ends justify the means’, a revolutionary who had resorted to violence was a dangerous dangerous animal.

In fact, even if they succeeded in destroying the World Government, it was hard for him to understand how anyone could suppose chaotic anarchy to be superior to the World Government system currently in place – slaves, warts, and all.

And that was even if the Revolutionary Army was sincere in their claims and had the mental fortitude to not immediately attempt to become ‘Celestial Dragons’ themselves once they took the reins of power.

Which, needless to say, Bill didn’t have faith in that scenario one bit.

Because it was always the case that after a successful rebellion, the rebels would then purge themselves of their most fanatical supporters…

Shaking his head as he lay on the golden dome, Bill could hear noises coming from the streets and knew it was time to get up again.

There was no time to rest. Even if he had run 100 miles, he still had 1 to go.

Jumping up with fervor, Bill flew over Gran Tesoro and made a mental note of collapsed buildings and turned-over ships that had landed in the streets.

All these things that would need to be cleared up soon.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do it right away, but for now, a more important figure was in his mind, and rushing down into the Golden Prison, he found all his Marines still strapped up on the golden walls.

Some looked sick, but most were fine.

In the middle of these Marines was one particularly large set of straps, but that well protected person immediately started yelling when she saw him: “Seriously?! You fool! Tying us up was your best idea?! I almost threw up; I thought I was gonna die! And, ugh, my clothes! What about Elizabeth? Her legs can’t bend that that, baka!”

With Olga strapped down by golden bands in the middle of the group of Marines, Bill just laughed as the 200-year-old girl ran her mouth off.

She had been trapped inside a dome of gold that was meant to protect her from any flying debris, because for Bill’s plan to work, he needed her.

“All right, Alright.” Said he, and freeing her first, he kept the girl on his back as he freed the other Marines one by one.

As for the prisoners, including those of the Silver Pirate Alliance, Bill had just chucked them down into the prison and told them to hold on for dear life, which apparently, they had since there was Desire and a bunch of others hurling curses at him from down below.

 ‘Ignorance is bliss’ he thought to himself and laughed as he pulled up the last of the Marines – leaving the prisoners where they were for the time being.

With the Marines freed, and only having a minor number of injuries from raiding the control room, they were immediately sent out into the city to start organizing a search and rescue.

Having the Marines sent out, Bill was left alone with Olga and Acier inside the Command Bridge and facing the father and daughter pair, he quickly stated his intentions: “Olga before you claimed that you could understand this Island Eater, how reliable can you do that?”

Looking up at the big man in front of her, Olga’s eyes widened and when she cut them to the side, she pressed her hand to her chin and thought out loud: “Che! Che! Che! … so that’s why he summed Lord Bonbori this time, and he knows that I’m the only hope he has!

With this, I can really take him to the cleaners! After we get to the island, I’ll have him build me a house made of gold! No no! I’ll have him personally carry me around like the bullock he- “Olga!” shouted Acier, looking at his daughter bewildered.

For Bill’s part, he could only shake his head and laugh at the 200-year-old girl who looked surprised that they had heard her thoughts. Then he laughed even harder that this tiny little person could be so casual around him after everything she had seen him do!

This was something that he thought could only happen in a world where superhumans were relatively normal.

He liked it better this way, but after all, it wasn’t an exaggeration to call him a walking natural disaster.

Interrupting the father and daughters bickering, Acier standing up for Bill in this instance, he just said: “Alright, alright. I can’t promise you a house of gold, but I can promise you that when you grow up I’ll see to it that you get a house of your own – Deed and all.”

“Wah?!” started responding Olga, who had apparently never thought that she wouldn’t be given a house: “I’m 206 years old, of course I’m having my own house! Hey! Youngin! I’m old enough to be your Ancestor!”

Understanding that Olga was about 90 years older than him, even if you accounted for his past life, Bill didn’t deny her words outright but explained that she had a lot of things to learn about the outside world.

Because even if she was 206, she had lived 200 of those years inside Lord Bonbori’s stomach with only Elizabeth, the water-walking lizard, as her only company.

This reasoning made Acier cry when he thought about how much his daughter must have suffered – seemingly forgetting that he himself had lived with only carnivorous dinosaurs for that same period of time.

For Olga, she barely accepting this when Bill explained that without her help, they would spend another 200 years in Lord Bonbori’s belly and said that she could understand the Island Eater and made the outrageous claim that the Island Eater could understand them.

“He can understand our words?” Bill was shocked, but for Olga, she just shrugged like it was natural: “Yeah, you know, Lord Bonbori is ancient! He’s been around for longer than anything, he even complained one time that he was getting too big because there was so much more water around now!”

These words made Bill stumped, what did it even mean that there was ‘more water’ around now than in the past?

But putting this aside, he had learned what he needed to, and with his plan clearly taking form, he began the semi long process of salvaging the fallen buildings of Gran Tesoro and preparing the city for when it was going to be spat out – which given by his last experience, was going to be a mess.

It had been said before, but needed to be repeated, with his strength Bill was literally the best piece of heavy equipment imaginable, and with his full support the reconstruction of Gran Tesoro got underway with gusto.

The people left in the city were varied, but generally into three broad categories:

Firstly, there were several thousands of former debt slaves who worked as the staff for the city, who were too scared to leave during the rush to escape. These ranged from maintenance personnel and housekeepers to broadcasters and prostitutes.

Secondly, and who made up the most numbers in total, were tourists and merchants who had been too scared to leave their hotel rooms on the night of the Gala.

And lastly, there was a shocking number of security personnel. For Gran Tesoro, which averaged about 70,000 visitors a day, there was an outrageous security staff of 1,850 – almost all of whom had stayed on the city instead of running away, and most of whom were debt slaves themselves.

These security personnel were not all combatants but filled numerous roles from pit bosses to those men who kept watch on the Surveillance Snails.

All told, the Marines counted roughly 19,000 people including children.

Of those, nearly 7,500 people had been associated with Gild Tesoro’s tactics of debt enslavement, most had nothing else to do, and while all of that would be sorted out in time, for Bill who had finally surveyed the city, he had two massive headaches.

Those headaches were shaped in the injured form of Sabo, a Captain of the Revolutionary Army who was found unconscious and seriously injured.

But at least he was unconscious, because in front of Bill, begging for her life, was one of Gild Tesoro’s old executives.

It was the ‘Lucky’ Baccarat, who had been found trapped inside the refrigerator of a ship that had been sucked up by Lord Bonbori.

That ship, which had fallen hundreds of meters and crashed on top of the city had been completely destroyed by the impact, but she was surprisingly not harmed in the slightest.

Watching her beg for forgiveness, Bill didn’t feel much of anything.

He would find out in the future, but for now he didn’t know the intricacies of Gran Tesoro’s leadership structure, and even though the woman was stunningly beautiful, that wouldn’t move him.

So, ordering his men to bring over the seastone handcuffs, Bills arms turned gray, and he put them on her.

And she, like the rest of the criminals, was sent to spend time in the Golden Prison.

And he, as probably the first human to ever do so, was getting ready to negotiate with Lord Bonbori.