"Rosinante-nii, aside from the Devil Fruits, there are also many famous swords and firearms here—seven Grade Blades, three Good Grade Blades, and even one Great Grade Blade. But unfortunately, there's no Supreme Grade among them," Robin said as she pointed toward the weapons.
"Oh? A Great Grade Blade, you say?" Rosinante raised his brows in mild surprise.
Great Grade Blades were not something easily obtained.
In the world of One Piece, Supreme Grade Blades had only ever numbered twelve throughout history—and most of them had long since disappeared without a trace.
As for Great Grade Blades, just a tier below the Supreme Grade, there were only twenty-one known in the entire world, typically found in the hands of kings and warriors at the pinnacle of strength.
Out on the seas, pirates often fought fiercely over even a single Good Grade Blade.
Rosinante had been sailing for years and had never come across a Great Grade weapon—until now.
"This is the Great Grade Blade—Ziming," Robin said as she handed over a long purple-hued sword.
Rosinante took the sword and drew it from its sheath.
"What a fine blade," he murmured, instantly drawn to it.
It was a straight-edged sword, forged from an unknown ore. Its blade shimmered with interwoven black and purple patterns—the purple gave it a regal, noble air, while the black exuded a sense of bloodlust and death.
Rosinante wasn't a stranger to swords. Though his style leaned more toward stealth and assassination, and his swordsmanship was entirely self-taught with no formal training—barely qualifying him as a swordsman, let alone a swordmaster—something about this blade spoke to him.
"I'm keeping this one," Rosinante declared.
No one in the room voiced any objections.
After all, as captain, Rosinante should have a blade to call his own.
"Later, after each division returns to base, list all the outstanding performers in the recent battle and submit the names to Bins. These treasures, famous swords, and firearms will be used to reward them. Once we've identified what powers these Devil Fruits possess, Bins will pick the top five candidates, and they'll each be allowed to choose one fruit," Rosinante instructed.
"Yes, sir!" the crowd responded, visibly delighted.
"There's one more matter," Rosinante suddenly said, his expression turning serious.
Everyone turned toward him attentively.
"You all know why we fought this battle. Sky Island's development has basically reached its limit. Our next step—will be returning to the Blue Sea," he announced.
"Yes! Finally! I've been waiting for this day!" Jack shouted excitedly.
"Exactly! Sky Island is nice and all, but it always felt like something was missing," Bartley said with a laugh.
"I've been itching to fight down in the Blue Sea again!" Hemmie added with a grin.
"But if we all return to the Blue Sea… what about Sky Island? If no one's left behind to guard it, it won't behave obediently," Burs pointed out.
He wasn't wrong. Over the past two years, the Grey Kingdom had nearly conquered all of Sky Island. While most of the other islands submitted to the Grey Kingdom's overwhelming military force and acknowledged its dominance, that didn't mean rebellion wasn't brewing.
In fact, even though Rosinante had implemented benevolent policies and improved living standards through resource integration, rebellions still erupted across the islands.
The truth was, thanks to the division members' familiarity with Sky Island and their strength, it hadn't taken long to conquer the region.
What had consumed the bulk of their time and manpower was suppressing constant uprisings.
"Burs is right. Sky Island is now our base of operations—it cannot be compromised. That's why I've decided to pull a group of fighters from the current five main divisions and form the Sixth and Seventh Divisions. Klee and Bessen will command them respectively. In addition, one of the five divisions will remain stationed here on a rotating basis. The other four will return with me to the Blue Sea," Rosinante announced.
Klee and Bessen were currently deputy breachers of the Bloodsworn Guard. In times when Ryan and Winter were incapacitated, the two of them took over breach operations. Most of the time, though, they focused on training the Guard's reserves.
Hearing Rosinante's decision, the five division commanders exchanged glances, looking slightly conflicted.
They had no issue with forming new divisions. But pulling men from their ranks, especially after just losing many in battle? That was hard to swallow.
Some of them couldn't help but wonder: Is the captain trying to curb our influence because we've grown too strong?
Rosinante noticed their hesitation and smirked. "What's the matter? Are you treating your men like your own children now? Can't even spare a few when I ask?"
"O-of course not! We five divisions are all under the captain's command! If you want men, we wouldn't dare say no!" Burs quickly blurted out.
"That's right! I fully support the captain's decision. You can take as many as you want—I won't even bat an eye!" Raelmann chimed in.
"Oh? So you don't dare say no… but in your hearts, you're still unwilling? What a bunch of short-sighted fools. You think you can't recruit more down in the Blue Sea? Just wipe out a few pirate crews and you'll have more men than you can count," Rosinante snapped.
He leaned forward. "All we need is someone to guard the Sky Islands. Do you know how many Sky Shells we can harvest here every year? You've seen their effects, haven't you? Maybe they're nothing special to you, but to the average soldier, Sky Shells are powerful tools. With proper training, even a regular person can become a formidable warrior."
At that, every division commander's eyes lit up. They nodded vigorously.
"Captain, it's just our lack of vision. Please don't take offense!" Burs said with a grin.
"Captain, the First Division is willing to offer up one-third of our members to form the Sixth and Seventh Divisions. Just let me return to the Blue Sea—and if you can spare more Sky Shells like Slash Shells, Impact Shells, and Repel Shells, I won't be picky!" Jack said.
"Hah! Jack, you make it sound good, but one-third of your unit is just a few hundred people at best. You lost a ton of men in the last fight. Might as well stay behind and regroup here on Sky Island. I'll offer a thousand of my own men. In return, Captain, how about equipping us with some more Sky Shells? Especially those Repel Cannons—can you spare a few for the Second Division?" Raelmann said.
The few Repel Cannons currently in use by the Second Division had only been temporarily loaned. They were rare and usually reserved for elite Bloodsworn Guards.
Raelmann had heard from Bins how a few of those cannons had helped pin down several Vice Admirals. Naturally, he had his eye on them now.
"Captain, I've gotta say, those Repel Cannons are impressive. Don't play favorites—give us a few too!" Hemmie added.
He hadn't seen the Repel Cannons in action personally, but judging from the power of the standard Impact Cannons, he could imagine what the enhanced versions were capable of.
And if someone like Raelmann was drooling over them? There was no way Hemmie was going to let that opportunity slip by.