He needed to find a place to hide, but these trees were too young to provide shelter on the ground or allow him to climb their branches.
Now his lack of breath made itself known, and as he focused on his breathing, he lost control over his wounds.
Through a blurred vision, Bill, bleeding, reached a strange place. He didn't think he had traveled a great distance, but he found himself in a grove where a willow tree hung over half of a small pond. Reaching the tree, Bill leaned against it with a reddened hand and, with effort, rested his back against it, slowly sliding down. Stretching out his long legs in front of him, he summoned his remaining willpower and tried to deal with the wound on his chest. It was deep and had damaged the bone. Moreover, there were no muscles nearby that could contract and expel the bullet. Bill smelled blood, and his head felt heavy. He knew he couldn't fall asleep now.
On the brink between life and death, he felt a strange calm. He recalled what he had known before. He always trained his muscles using the Life Return technique. It seemed logical since muscles moved and grew stronger. But then... Hadn't he used his hair several times in battle...?
His head was growing heavier, but the light in his eyes was getting brighter. In this moment of enlightenment, Bill was too weak to notice how, through sheer willpower, he was controlling his blood, wrapping it around the deformed bullet. As his consciousness began to fade, a swirl of changes started within his body. Besides the scar above his eye left by a Fishman pirate many years ago, his wounds and old scars began to retract into themselves. The cavities quickly began to fill, and the bullet fell out of his chest without causing a drop of blood.
Taking a breath for the first time in a long while, Bill lost consciousness.
Was he dreaming? The man could not answer. Perhaps he was. Perhaps he was still in a dream. Maybe it was something else... the man pondered. He felt comfortable where he was. He thought he felt more complete. Delving deeper was more pleasant. But it was dark all around... if only he could open his eyes...
And then the man opened them. As he opened his eyes, he saw a pair of eyes looking at him.
?: %( %!#*
SUUHHHHAAAH!?: "AAAAAH!!!!"
Suddenly waking up, Bill sat up with force. His mind was confused, and he saw a small child run out of the room.
"A bedroom...?"
At that moment, everything seemed new and therefore everything was confusing. Sitting for a few moments, he began to think a little.
"How... is this...?"
Before he could finish his thought, a man entered the room.
When Bill looked at the man, a wave of emotions washed over him, and without thinking, he whispered, "D...D...Dad?"
Staring at the man with chestnut hair and a square jaw, Bill forgot where he was. But before he could gather himself, the man raised his palms and gently said, "It's alright, son, you're safe. You did well, you did well. "Everything is alright now."
Listening to the man, Bill was confused, and tears welled up in his eyes. It was hard to hold them back, so he simply lowered his gaze.
Perhaps that's why the man took a chair from beside the bed and slowly sat down.
As he sat and began speaking, his voice gained more strength, though he still spoke gently: "I'm glad to see you awake. Everyone will be glad." Then, with a slight smile, he continued, "You really gave them a fight, son. You saved a lot of people."
Seeing this man's face and hearing his voice was difficult, but Bill had to raise his eyes again. When he looked at the man, a long time passed.
Bill couldn't speak because he couldn't find the words. Whoever this man was, he looked and sounded exactly like his father on Earth.
Of course, in this life, Bill had accepted his rebirth and his new parents. He did it honestly, but facing this man, his old life resurfaced from long-held memories.
After a long silence, Bill hesitantly asked, "W... what is your name?"
He asked this question without even inquiring where he was or what had happened with the pirates.
In response to his question, the man smiled and said, "My name is Ryudo, I am the Captain of the Marines living on this little island"
Then, without further ceremony, he stood and saluted.
"And I thank you for protecting my home!"
Bill wanted to respond; he wanted to say something, anything... but he knew he couldn't hold back his emotions, so he just nodded.
After the Captain saluted the junior officer, he sat down again and began to speak.
A day had passed since Bill was found. Apparently, after Captain Hina landed on the island, a hunt for him began.
Using her Devil Fruit and Shave technique, Captain Hina quickly dealt with the pirates in the harbor.
The criminals, bored and drunk on their ships, were in no state to fight.
As Captain Ryudo recounted the events of the previous day to Bill, he noticed a child out of the corner of his eye.
Looking toward the door, the Captain followed his gaze and with a smirk called out, "Yoko, come in here!"
The child, who was evidently hiding by the door, entered the room with a curious expression on her face.
She looked like her father, and Bill thought that if he had sisters in his previous life, they would have looked like her.
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