More irritated than he probably should have been, Bill calmly replied, "Will you still be here in six months?"
With another laugh, the stout Sailor said, "Young man, my name is Captain Trapan, and as the Chief Instructor of the Southern Blue, I'm permanently stationed here."
Bill: "And if I do all this, will you turn a blind eye to me using this facility?"
Waving his hand dismissively, Trapan answered, "I won't see anything, you can be sure of that."
Turning toward the door, Bill realized it was still early.
Bill: "It's still early, so I'll start right today. Remember, six months."
With these words, Bill ran as fast as his legs would carry him.
Throughout his life, Bill excelled at hard work and sticking to a routine. He was determined to follow Trapan's advice because now it was only a matter of time.
Quickly racing down the long ramp, Bill covered fifty meters, barely touching the ground.
Tomorrow would mark exactly six months since he made the deal with Captain Trapan, and true to his word, Bill had been running as fast as he could every day, swimming as diligently as he could, and doing as many push-ups as he was able.
The first time Bill went to the docks, it took him just under three hours. Starting from the hospital, it took around forty-five minutes to pass each level of the fortress.
Now he could reach his swimming spot from the third level in less than an hour.
While Bill was surprised by his speed, what impressed him the most was the reflexes he had developed. He couldn't help but laugh when he barely managed to dodge a Sailor carrying crates or leapt over a cart suddenly turning the corner in front of him.
He had also become an excellent swimmer. He was not yet ten years old, but he could propel half of his body out of the water by using only speed to launch himself upward.
Though he was still not allowed to leave the base, Bill's abilities were growing every day, and he found it truly fascinating to see how his progress could be measured week by week. At night, he fell asleep tired, and in the morning, he woke up refreshed and ready for new achievements.
This feeling of progress made him appreciate the challenge Captain Trapan had given him. Because in a way, he had already begun to penetrate the world of superhumans.
Continuing to run, Bill sharply turned at the largest intersection on the lower level of the base. Every ramp was huge, but the largest was on the lower level. This was something Oliver had shown him once long ago.
The lower level of the base was connected to the shipyard, which in turn housed most of the base's heavy equipment.
The SB-T Marines branch, or simply Base SB-T, was the largest Marine shipyard in the South Blue, and at any given time, half a dozen ships were being built there. Based on what Bill had read when he was in Headquarters, this base could build a Blue Sea ship in less than six months and fully construct and equip a massive Grand Line ship in just over a year.
Putting this thought aside, Bill was not heading to the dry docks. Instead, at the intersection, he turned left to run past the docks to a place where the Marines had a small private beach.
The beach was a medium-sized lagoon, and Bill couldn't tell whether it was natural or not. It was just a few hundred meters from the docks, but thanks to its shape and location, it boasted picturesque crystal-clear water and white sand.
Although it was impossible to say for sure, Bill guessed that the lagoon was about four meters at its deepest point. He came to this conclusion after seeing a giant of a man, who, as it turned out, was not a real "Giant," wading through the middle of the lagoon where the water only reached his chest.
Running along the beach, Bill began to take off his shirt and shoes. Hopping on one foot and then the other, Bill had become skillful at undressing while still on the move.
As he dashed into the water, someone shouted, "Hey, Bill!Looking around but not stopping, he saw Ricky and Sasha building something in the sand. Seeing them, Bill raised his hand and shouted back, "Hey, guys!"
Ricky shouted back, "Can you play with us today?"
Bill replied, "Yeah! Just give me a little time, or let's swim together!"
Sasha said, "I can't swim today! I need to go home soon!"
By this time, Bill had already reached the water and began lifting his legs high as he waded in, and he replied, "Okay! I'll try to be quick!"
Bill sometimes spent time with Ricky and Sasha outside of classes, and they had even accompanied him to Headquarters a few times. However, he generally considered them to be like little kids.
This meant he cared for them, was friendly, and tried to get along with them, but they weren't his "friends" in the traditional sense.
He met them on his first day at the kindergarten, and by now, the other kids in the class had already moved away. Some things never change, and it seems one of them is that soldiers are often transferred to new locations.
Running through the water until it reached just above his waist, Bill began to swim freestyle. He didn't have any specific technique because, although he swam in his previous life, he wasn't a "swimmer" in the full sense of the word. He lived in a state that didn't have access to the sea, and he didn't have a pool, so he rarely had the chance to swim.