Shrugging, Bill didn't know either, but he also found it strange that about twenty caravels and brigs with identical sails were docked here. Each of them bore the symbol of some kind of card.
Finding this suspicious, Bill instructed Fia to stay alert and leave the port if something seemed off. Fortunately, as a Human Cannon, Fia wasn't too worried about much; otherwise, Bill would have left Rans or Sasha on the ship with her.
Lowering a fifteen-foot boat into the water, six members of their small team landed ashore and discovered that the gears formed a sort of ramp leading onto the island.
Looking up, Bill saw that the ramp rose so high it disappeared into the clouds.
"Let's go!" said Bill to Yoko, crouching so she could climb onto his back. Then, turning to their doctor, he added, "Miyagi, we'll run fast, let us know if we need to slow down."
"We need your help," said one of the engineers.
"Nonsense! All Mink are fierce warriors without exception! I'll be with you!" exclaimed Miyagi.
Smiling in response, Bill ensured Ricky, Sasha, and Rans were ready, and the five of them sprinted forward.
For Bill and his childhood friends, this ascent was reminiscent of the trials his father set for them after Bill ate the Forest Devil Fruit.
Perhaps because of this, when the floor turned into spikes, everyone managed to avoid them, and Sasha even had time to pull Miyagi up.
Miyagi hadn't lied when he said he could keep up with them, but when flames started shooting out of the walls and boulders rolled down the ramp, it was easier if he held onto Sasha.
"Do they know they're attacking the Marines?""Watch out!" shouted Ricky, barely dodging the huge scissors that snapped shut in front of him.
"They might just be automatic defense systems!" suggested Rans, ducking to avoid a comical boxing glove that dropped from the ramp's ceiling.
While they were dodging obstacles, Yoko was over the moon with happiness. Naturally, sitting on Bill's broad back, nothing threatened her, except perhaps accidentally biting her tongue.
It took them a little over an hour to reach the top. Bill and Rans could have gotten there faster using Moon Step, but it wouldn't have been right to leave Sasha, Ricky, and Miyagi behind.
Finally, reaching the summit, they found themselves in a city where every building resembled some kind of tower or windmill shaped like gears.
Most of the buildings were slowly rotating, leading Bill to think that these houses served another purpose besides living spaces.
"Wow! Cool!" exclaimed Yoko, climbing down from Bill's back. She adjusted her marine hat and began running back and forth.
Seeing her behave this way, Bill was grateful that the girl could still have gloomy moments but was increasingly acting like the child she was supposed to be. Ironically, it was Sasha who had helped her with this, as Yoko had exchanged the Cloak of Justice for a long wooden sword.
"See?" said Rans, pointing to the center of the island.
In the center of the island stood a large fortress adorned with symbols of hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. It reminded Bill of something out of "Alice in Wonderland."
Clearing his mind of these thoughts, Bill nodded and said, "Yes..." "There are several ships up there, how strange. Let's take a look around first and see if anyone really attacked us or not. This time, let's stick together. Clock Island shouldn't be a kingdom, but there are too many signs that someone is in charge here."
Having said this, the small group moved forward, attracting all sorts of glances from the locals.
They passed by several clothing shops and restaurants but only stopped when they came to a store selling intricate trinkets.
Upon entering, Bill and the others marveled at the small music boxes, clocks, and other works of art.
One of the things that especially caught Bill's attention was a fully mechanical hand. He couldn't comprehend how it could connect to nerves and be operated by the brain, but it was a true work of art.
"Uh... Can we help you?" they heard a voice.
Turning around, Bill saw a man and a woman in lab coats watching him and the others from a platform. They looked absolutely stunned to see them.
Seeing their surprise, Bill smiled and said, "Oh, no, thank you, we're just in town looking for the engineers who created the Diamond Clock. But I must say, these things are simply incredible."
Upon hearing this, the couple exchanged a glance, and the woman replied, "We're the ones who built that clock! But... "Aren't you here to rescue us?"
Then, before Bill could ask anything, the man interjected, "Please, Marine! Take this prosthetic hand as our gift! But please, free our island!"
Hearing this, Bill glanced at the others, and Yoko started jumping and shouting, "Leave it to us!"
Placing his large hand on her head, Bill looked at the couple and asked, "What do you mean by freeing your island? It didn't seem like there was any trouble when we arrived, and we recently left the Marine Base in Logue Town, and there were no reports of piracy in the area."