When she nodded, he directed her gaze to the water below and pressed a button.
As soon as he did so, the light gathered around the crystal lens for a split second before releasing a laser that instantly boiled the water below.
There was no huge explosion with fire, but steam rose from the water so that even the strong island wind could not disperse it before it reached the two people above.
- Wow!?
Seeing her reaction, Bill laughed at first, but then became serious.
- As I said, it's a secret. Don't tell anyone and use it only as a last resort.
Looking first at the water and then at him, Yoko reached for the medallion around her neck and asked,
- Does this one also have such a laser?!
"Yes," he replied, and continued, "And it's powerful. When I tested it, it even injured me."
It wasn't an exaggeration; Bill had tested it on himself and suffered a second-degree burn. While he could heal that quickly, he knew that most other people would have been incinerated.
- Bill, I didn't know you could do things like that! How much more are you hiding?!
Hearing this, he laughed even louder and replied:
- I'd like to say I made it myself, but I actually had it made by Dr. Vegapunk. Just remember, keep it a secret and remember you only get one shot.
Having said this, he showed her the medallion in his hands, which had been destroyed and turned into silver fragments.
The truth was that, despite the fact that these things were disposable, Bill saw great potential in them. However, despite his best efforts, he was unable to arrange a meeting with the Doctor.
Sentomaru claimed that Vegapunk made a breakthrough with Bartofolomei Kuma and that even with his companions, no one knew when Vegapunk would leave the lab.
It took Bill a lot of effort to convince Sentomaru to talk to Vegapunk about the gift idea, but in the end, Vegapunk lived up to expectations and the gift turned out to be better than Bill could have imagined.
Now he couldn't help but become interested in lasers, but with funds rapidly running out, Bill couldn't afford to spend another year on research and development.
Looking at him with a wide smile, the thirteen year old girl thanked him, and Bill replied, "Well, you only turn thirteen once, I wanted to give you something special."
She nodded, suddenly becoming embarrassed, as if she wanted to ask for something but didn't dare after receiving her gift.
Bill knew what she wanted; she had been talking about it since he met her almost five years ago.
"Look," he said to her and took a small book out of his back pocket.
"I know you've been dreaming of learning the Moon Step, but take my word for it - it's the best thing you can learn right now."
The girl held out her hands, took the manuscript and read its title.
— "Iron body?"
Interrupting her before she could continue, he added:
"You're doing great with the Meditation Push-Ups, and I'm sure you could beat most of the Marines here with your hammer. But this technique is something the others are learning, and you can practice with them under Masterson's supervision when I'm not around. If you master this technique by the time you're sixteen, I promise I'll teach you the Moon Step... Okay?" he finished, hoping the girl wouldn't lose her fighting spirit.
Yoko was driven, and in her pursuit she was no less ambitious than Rance or Sasha - perhaps even more so when she thought about her father.
But unlike them, Yoko had a more or less normal physique.
Sure, she was incredibly strong for a thirteen-year-old girl by Earth standards, but she lacked what would allow her to become a natural superhuman personality in this world.
It didn't predetermine her future, but it made achieving it that much more difficult, and Bill worried that learning the Moon Step might undermine her confidence—even if she never showed it outwardly.
"This gift is from me, but also from Grandfather Aramacca. When you see it, you'll have to thank him. He and my mother keep asking when they can meet you.
With these words, Bill put his large hand on her shoulder.
Standing there, looking into the distance, he heard her sob softly and waited until she said:
- Thank you, Bill.
- Please, happy birthday, girl.
After that, they stood in silence for a while, and then talked a little more about the Iron Body and the day ahead.
Yoko said she was going to "hang out" with other kids soon, and Bill was surprised when the eight-year-old girl he knew was old enough to "hang out."
It was just life, he sighed, and thought he knew that better than most people.
After the girl ran away to her friends, he returned to his office.
There was still much to do today; Nelson would try walking on his own for the first time, Masterson would give a status report on himself and the Marines who had trained under him, two Royal Guns had to be set up overlooking the harbor, and finally he waited for Rance or Ricky to return with a report on their missions.
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