Chapter 36: The Gray Kingdom

"You're right, it's about time we gave our pirate crew a name," Rosinante said as he looked up at the sky.

To be honest, Rosinante had never been all that eager to be a pirate. Not because of the reputation for pillaging and bloodshed—he didn't care about that—but because life at sea was just plain boring. And after being hunted for so many years, he was tired of constantly running. That was why he needed to build his own power.

Now that the Kingdom of Jolomia was gone, he had to establish a pirate crew. Otherwise, this newly united force would quickly fall apart.

And the name of a pirate crew wasn't just a label—it was a symbol of unity and identity.

"But who says I can't still be a king? If the Navy won't let me rule comfortably on land, then I'll build a pirate empire instead. From this day on, our pirate crew is officially formed, and its name will be... the Gray Kingdom," Rosinante declared.

"And as your captain, I will also be the King of the Gray Kingdom. Let us build a pirate dynasty!" he continued.

"The Gray Kingdom!" Railman and the others shouted with excitement.

"Not black, not white... a kingdom of gray, huh? Hah! That means we're challenging not just the Navy, but the entire World Government. I like it," Jack said with a wide grin.

"Should we gather everyone and make this announcement official?" Bins asked.

"Good idea. Summon all the crew," Rosinante ordered.

His fleet currently consisted of six large pirate ships. The largest were Jack's Mammoth and Raelmann the Detonator.

All six ships were now suspended in midair by Rosinante's silent gravitational power, floating effortlessly above the sea.

At his command, the crews from all six ships gathered near the Mammoth, which was at the center of the formation.

Once everyone assembled, they realized just how massive the force had become—over a thousand pirates were present.

Most of them had come from the former Jack Pirates, the Burs Pirates, the Bloodsword Pirates, and the Lone Wolf Pirates. Just those four groups alone made up nearly a thousand men. The rest were the original crew members who had followed Bins from the beginning.

"Your Majesty!" "Your Majesty!" the crowd shouted.

"I've gathered you all here today to announce something important," Rosinante said.

Everyone exchanged puzzled glances. What could he be announcing?

"From this day forward, our pirate crew is officially founded. Its name is the Gray Kingdom. Remember this name. Be proud of it. One day, it will shake the entire world," Rosinante declared.

A moment of stunned silence, then the entire crowd burst into cheers.

"The Gray Kingdom!"

"The Gray Kingdom!"

Though they had come from different backgrounds, after surviving that battle against Garp the Marine Hero, they had developed a shared bond. After all, they'd gone toe-to-toe with a legend and lived to tell the tale.

"As captain of the Gray Kingdom Pirates, I hereby appoint Jack as the Commander of the First Division. He will organize and lead the First Division. Sol is assigned as his vice-captain, in charge of discipline and training," Rosinante continued.

"Understood!" Jack responded.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Sol said, stepping forward with excitement.

"I appoint Raelmann as Commander of the Second Division, with Beadle as vice-captain. He'll also handle discipline and training," Rosinante went on.

"Aye, Captain!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Raelmann and Beadle said with wide grins.

"Burs will lead the Third Division, with Banning as vice-captain. Same responsibilities—structure, discipline, and training."

"Yes, Captain!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Burs and Banning replied eagerly.

"Bartley is to lead the Fourth Division, with Blake as vice-captain," Rosinante continued.

"Yes!" Bartley and Blake answered in unison.

"Hemmie will lead the Fifth Division, with Abban as his second-in-command. Get that division shaped up and ready."

"Yes!" Hemmie and Abban stepped forward immediately.

"I appoint Bins as Commander of the Bloodsworn Royal Guard, our elite enforcement unit. Ryan will be his vice-commander, responsible for internal discipline and training," Rosinante announced.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Bins and Ryan said.

Ryan had once been a pirate captain, just like Bins and Burs, and had also participated in the hunt for Rosinante and Jack. Though his bounty was only ninety million, his strength was not far behind Bins.

"The Bloodsworn Royal Guard will be my personal unit and the Gray Kingdom's internal enforcement squad. They will hunt down any traitor to our cause. Only pirates with bounties over one hundred million—or those with great potential—can qualify. Bins, Ryan, you must train and manage them well. If you think you're not up for the task, step down now. The success or failure of the Bloodsworn doesn't just affect my safety—it determines whether the Gray Kingdom will thrive or rot from within. This is crucial," Rosinante said seriously.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty—we will not betray your trust," Bins and Ryan answered.

"Winter, Clee, Bason—you three did well in helping us 'repel' the Marine Hero. You're not quite ready to lead your own divisions, but putting you in the Royal Guard would waste your talents. For now, train hard with the Guard. When you're ready, I'll give you command of your own units," Rosinante told them.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The three stepped forward joyfully, clearly excited by the opportunity.

"Finally, I appoint Katakuri as Vice-Captain of the Gray Kingdom," Rosinante said.

Everyone burst out laughing at this.

After all, the so-called Vice-Captain Katakuri was still unconscious on the ship.

Once they'd escaped, Rosinante had removed part of the suppressions placed on everyone's injuries so they wouldn't be overwhelmed by lingering damage.

For most, the pain was manageable, even though they looked like mummies wrapped head to toe. They could still eat and drink.

But Katakuri had passed out the moment his injuries were unsealed. Not because he was weak—but because Rosinante intended for him to fall unconscious. This created the illusion that Katakuri had betrayed Big Mom's crew, cutting off any path back. Now, his only choice would be to join the Gray Kingdom.

"Your Majesty, where are we headed next?" Raelmann asked later as they returned to the cabins. "We need somewhere to settle, right? Floating aimlessly won't work, and if we don't resupply soon, we'll run out of food and water. Feeding this many mouths is no joke."

"We can't make a public appearance now. A fleet this size will get spotted no matter where we try to dock. The World Government's spies would catch wind of us in no time. But... there is one place we can go safely," Rosinante replied.

"Where?" everyone asked.

"Sky Island," Rosinante said.

"Sky Island? That place actually exists?" Raelmann gasped.

Burs was equally surprised. Despite once being the Eleventh Division Commander of the Flying Pirates, even he had never seen a real Sky Island—just floating islands lifted by Shiki's Float-Float Fruit.

"If stories of Sky Islands have spread across the world, it means they must exist," Rosinante said.

"But the world is vast. Even if they're real, how would we ever find one?"

"I don't know where all the Sky Islands are, but I do know where one of them is," Rosinante replied.

"Where?" everyone asked.

"Ten thousand meters above Jaya Island—the legendary Golden City, Shandora," Rosinante declared.

"Shandora? Isn't that just a fairy tale from the story of Mont Blanc Noland? Are you saying the Golden City actually exists?" they asked skeptically.

"Reality often defies expectation. Who would've thought that a legendary city of gold could be blasted ten thousand meters into the sky by an undersea current?" Rosinante said with a smile.

"If it's really there, we'll be rich beyond imagination," Railman said, full of anticipation.

"Then our next destination is ten thousand meters above Jaya Island. Tell everyone to pick up the pace," Rosinante ordered.

"Understood!" the crew shouted.

Though Rosinante had managed to lift the entire fleet into the sky, they were only about three thousand meters up. They still had a long way to go before reaching Sky Island.

And this was already Rosinante's limit. Even after twice removing the self-imposed limits on his Devil Fruit power, holding six ships aloft was the most he could manage. After all, he didn't have the Float-Float Fruit.

To go higher, they needed manpower.

So, one by one, pirate crew members grabbed thick ropes, stepped onto the air itself, and began dragging the ships upward—running into the skies like a parade of flying ants.

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