His eyes turned into binoculars, and he saw a small brig with a Jolly Roger depicting two forks.
"Perfect timing."
Bill turned to Ricky: "What do you think, which island is nearby?"
Bill already had a hunch, but he needed a second opinion, and when Ricky said, "Probably the Kingdom of Torino," he knew their guess was correct.
The Kingdom of Torino was known for its medicinal flora and the giant birds that called it home, but it wasn't remarkable for much else. However, there was a base of Sailors nearby, which pleased Bill.
Looking at the distant pirate ship, Bill began speaking to his crew: "That flag looks like it belongs to the Big Fork pirates. If it's them, the crew is estimated to be around forty people, with a total bounty of 7 million Beli... I suppose we can add another 3 million for the ship if it's in good condition."
Glancing at the sky and seeing that it was barely noon, he turned to the others and said, "Alright, time to move."
As he said this, everyone took their positions. Ricky seemed excited, and even Sasha looked thrilled, as this was their first encounter with pirates.
Rans and Fia remained calmer, having previous experience with such affairs.
Rans took his place on the deck next to Bill, while Fia quickly cleared away the plates they had eaten from.
A couple of minutes later, Fia was at the helm with Ricky watching over her. Sasha stood at the bow, ready to give orders, while Rans and Bill stood on the deck, preparing for the attack.
"Have you learned Moon Step?" asked Bill.
"Not well enough to use it. I'll jump as best I can, and you help me."
Nodding in response, Bill added, "The Big Fork pirates are just sea dogs, but don't be too lenient with them. I want the ship in working condition, but I'm not trading you for it."
Rans said nothing but looked determined as Bill pulled a hammer from his belt.
The hammer was large compared to typical ones, but in Bill's gigantic hands, it seemed just right.
The Border Breaker quickly caught up to the pirate brig, and the pirates realized this, firing the first cannon volley.
Six cannonballs fell into the water far in front of their ship, but seeing this, Bill decided not to give these pirates a chance to surrender peacefully.
If the crew surrendered when he boarded their ship, he would, of course, treat them according to his beliefs, but seeing them preparing another volley, he understood that they'd have to learn the hard way.
After three more volleys, the pirate ship was just two hundred yards away from the Breaker, and Bill asked, "Can you manage from this distance?"
Checking his pistols in the holster, Rans nodded, and Bill ordered him to go.
Bill made sure to jump first to cover Rans if needed, but perhaps he was too cautious, as there were no pirates with muskets on the ship.
Instead, all the pirates on deck were holding something like tridents, and some of their weapons just looked like enormous forks.
Rans jumped far, but seeing he wouldn't make it to the end, Bill grabbed him and launched him further.
Landing right behind him, Rans and Bill unleashed a series of crushing blows simultaneously, and within seconds, they cleared the pirate ship's main deck.
In this kind of skirmish, Bill saw no need for special techniques, swinging his hammer with wide and intimidating blows, while Rans cleaned up where Bill missed.
After they cleared the main deck, Bill and Rans headed to the upper deck, where they encountered a small group of pirates.
Believing there were about twenty people left on the ship, Bill directed his hammer towards the stunned captain, whose name was Forker—a grim-faced man with a sinister appearance.
Almost at the same moment that Bill stunned the captain, Rans took down the first mate. The man had a peculiar three-spike hairstyle and a bounty of 2 million Beli. His name was Forky.
Clearing the deck in a minute, Bill looked around at the remaining twenty-plus pirates. They were all breathing but were either unconscious or groaning in pain.
"Tie them up and gather them on the main deck. I'll bring out the rest."
With these words, Bill nodded his head and descended the ship's stairs.
Bending slightly, he shouted, "You are surrounded by the Marines! You are under arrest! Don't resist, and you'll be given a fair trial!"
He repeated, "Don't resist," until, after checking the second floor, he descended to the gun deck.
The stairs to the gun deck led to a corridor with doors on both sides.
Bill heard a noise and, still slightly stooped, repeated his call not to resist, taking three long strides to the first door.
Entering the door, he found himself face to face with a cannon pointed directly at him, and five pirates standing nearby.
Instantly grasping the situation, he exclaimed, "No..."
Before he could dodge, being so close, a loud...
BOOM!
Seeing the cannonball flying in slow motion, Bill tried to dodge, but was too close to avoid being hit. He used Iron Body and Life Return to their full power and took the impact directly with his fortified stomach.
The force of the blow threw him back, breaking through the doorframe and the wall behind him.