Pulling back the jumbled thoughts in his mind.
After sorting things out, Will had no intention of lingering any longer in this ugly rat-infested room.
He folded the confidential documents neatly and slipped them into his pocket.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Will suddenly paused mid-step, as if something had occurred to him.
So, he picked up the blueprint of the Marine branch base from the table again, unfolding it for a quick look.
After locating the position he needed,
Will tossed the map aside without a second thought, turned around, and smashed the door with a single punch, heading downstairs and back along the path he came from.
The moment he stepped out of the building,
Will caught sight of the townsfolk standing amidst a sea of fallen Marine soldiers, their faces filled with terror.
But at this point, he had no patience left for further explanations. He strode over, his expression cold, and barked a stern command:
"Go to the docks by the shore and find a ship big enough to hold all of you.
"Then sail in that direction and wait for me near the other ship over there."
As he spoke, he pointed toward where his own ship was docked.
The townsfolk were instantly overwhelmed by the sheer force of Will's presence. After hearing his words, they nodded frantically, their expressions a mix of fear and compliance.
Whoosh—!
Seeing their reaction, Will didn't bother saying more. He turned and vanished from the spot in an instant.
The crowd, witnessing this, was struck with even greater fear, too rattled to even think straight.
Many of those who knew how to sail immediately bolted toward the shore, scrambling to find a suitable ship.
The rest snapped out of their daze and hurriedly followed suit.
Everyone moved with lightning speed, terrified that even a moment's delay might leave them sharing the same fate as the Marines sprawled on the ground.
A few seconds later,
Will's figure reappeared in front of a massive warehouse within the Marine branch.
Gazing at the enormous structure before him—only slightly shorter than the building housing Colonel Mouse's office—
Will muttered to himself under his breath, "So this is the Marine branch's armory, huh? Bigger than I expected."
Then he stepped forward toward the warehouse doors.
Ignoring the rotating wheel mechanism designed to open them,
Will simply stretched out both hands and effortlessly pushed apart the two metal doors, each over a dozen meters wide.
The heavy doors scraped against the ground with a shrill, grating screech.
Once the doors were open, Will strode inside.
But when he got a clear look at what was stored within, a flicker of surprise flashed across his eyes.
The armory was packed to the brim with all manner of guns and ammunition.
Beyond that, there were mountains of explosive barrels stacked high.
It was safe to say that more than two-thirds of the warehouse's space was dominated by those barrels of gunpowder.
Snapping out of his brief shock, Will's mind instinctively pieced it together:
"No wonder that Colonel Mouse seemed so confident."
"It wasn't just because of his Marine status—it's because he had this kind of firepower at his disposal."
The sheer volume of explosives in this warehouse alone was enough to level an ordinary town.
Even if Arlong and his fish-man crew came knocking, they'd likely meet a dead end.
Sure, this wasn't yet the era where bombs reigned supreme,
but with this quantity, it was more than enough to cause a qualitative shift—wiping out small fry would be no trouble at all.
Staring at the heaps of gunpowder barrels, a brilliant idea sparked in Will's mind.
No sooner thought than done.
He stepped forward, grabbing one barrel in each hand, and began hauling them all out, arranging them around the open space in front of the warehouse.
After quickly setting everything up,
Will looked at the mass of explosive barrels now surrounding the area. Far from feeling tired, he mused to himself:
"Everything is for the sake of art."
Wasting no more time, he darted off in a flash, disappearing from the spot, only to return to the townsfolk a few seconds later.
By now, the townsfolk had followed his orders and secured a cargo ship meant for transporting supplies.
Though Will had told them to set sail and head in the direction he'd specified,
they didn't have the guts to actually leave on their own.
So, they'd gathered together again, waiting quietly in an open area.
Whoosh—!
Seeing Will suddenly appear before them,
the townsfolk tensed up instantly, a faint glimmer of "loyalty" flickering in their eyes without them even realizing it.
Will paid no mind to their reactions.
He first glanced at the ship docked not far off by the shore.
Then he roughly scanned the crowd in front of him, estimating there were about a hundred people or so.
Satisfied, Will nodded and said, "Good. You've done well!"
"Now, keep following my orders. Take every single Marine you saw lying on the ground after you got here,
and haul them all over to that spot with the piles of wooden barrels—every last one of them."
With that, he raised a hand and pointed in a general direction.
The townsfolk froze for a moment at his words, many of them instinctively glancing at the unconscious Marines scattered across the ground nearby.
Though those Marines had long lost the ability to fight back,
the memories of their usual oppression and beatings still stirred a flicker of fear in the townsfolk's hearts.
But faced with this terrifying man who'd taken down so many ruthless Marines single-handedly,
not a soul present dared defy his commands. They all fell into line with remarkable obedience.
Even the wariness they'd clung to back in the underground prison had completely vanished by now.
In their simple minds, the townsfolk figured that failing to follow Will's orders would land them in the same heap as the Marines on the ground.
Snapping to their senses, they hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Will frowned, unsure if they'd actually understood.
So, with a hint of impatience, he stepped forward, grabbed two townsfolk like they were chicks, and dragged them over to a corner.
Lifting the trembling pair high with both hands, he pointed more precisely toward the armory's general direction.
"See it clearly now? That's where the barrels are stacked."
Seeing the two nod dumbly, he lowered them back down and loomed over them, saying:
"Alright, go lead the others there properly. Don't mess up the location."
"Yes, sir!"
The two townsfolk stiffened, instinctively raising their hands in a salute as they shouted their response.
Will blinked, caught off guard, but quickly brushed it off, too lazy to dwell on it. He turned and left.
He didn't want to waste any more time here.
There were still plenty of Marines scattered unconscious around the island, and he needed to haul them back himself.
A short while later,
as the townsfolk worked tirelessly to transport the Marines to the armory,
Will finished rounding up every last Marine from the rest of the island and brought them back.
Looking at the towering pile of bodies now stacked in the open space in front of the armory,
Will nodded with satisfaction before issuing another command to the townsfolk nearby:
"Alright, you're done here."
"Now, everyone head to the shore, board the ship, and sail to the spot I told you earlier!"
"Yes, sir!"
By now, the townsfolk seemed almost accustomed to Will's orders, instinctively saluting and shouting their reply in unison.
Watching the group scurry toward the ship at the shore,
Will stood still, silently observing.
Thinking back to the preparations he'd just made, a glint of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
—
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