"But that island is extremely dangerous; it's not a place for ordinary people to go. Almost no one who goes to that island to mine metal ever comes back alive!"
This has led to the island becoming a secret within our circle of swordsmiths. If you weren't so skilled and a swordsmith, I wouldn't have told you about it.
I haven't told my apprentices anything; I don't want them to lose their lives at such a young age. But you're different. With your strength, you'll definitely be able to obtain those rare metals and forge Supreme Great Grade Sword!
After swallowing the strong liquor, Allen spoke seriously to Vic, explaining that this was a secret he had kept for nearly forty years, which he had originally thought he would tell his apprentice before he died, but Vic, this oddball, had appeared.
This place seems to have been created just to wait for Vic's arrival. The island is extremely dangerous, but also extremely precious. It is the source of materials that countless master swordsmiths yearn to use to forge an Supreme Great Grade Sword!
To others, it was just some mineral deposits, but to master swordsmiths, it was a sacred place where they could pass down their legacy. So, within the swordsmith community, the island was a secret, a sacred place that they wouldn't tell outsiders, and they also forbade outsiders to destroy it.
"Oh! There's such a place? I had such a hard time collecting even a few pieces of rare metals before, and now there's an island made entirely of rare metals? Has this been confirmed?"
Vic was somewhat surprised. The two swords in his hands hadn't become Supreme Great Grade Sword because of a lack of materials. If he had known about such an island earlier, he would have definitely gone there.
He was even more curious about how these islands were formed—were they natural or man-made? And how could they happen to contain all the rare metals by such a coincidence?
When Allen spoke, Vic even speculated that the island had been modified by an Awakening Paramecia- type metal Devil Fruit User, making its natural formation highly improbable.
"Of course it's been confirmed! My master's master's master went to that island to mine, but he was able to return safely only because he was protected by a master swordsman!"
Later, he forged an Supreme Great Grade Sword and gifted it to that master swordsman. This secret was passed down from generation to generation, and finally it came to me!
Few people know the secret of that island now. Even those who aren't blacksmiths probably wouldn't notice the rare metal mines there, let alone the few who actually survive. So it's normal you haven't heard of it, but that island truly exists!
Allen spoke slowly, his eyes filled with memories, unmoved by Vic's doubts. Such a place was indeed too rare for a blacksmith.
That is a treasure trove, a place where a swordsmith's ultimate dream can be fulfilled. It's comparable to Sanji's attitude towards All Blue, who is a chef. Many chefs don't believe that place exists, leaving it only in legends. It's not surprising that an island possessing all rare metals is questioned.
"Is it alright for you to tell me your sect's secrets like this? Actually, I don't necessarily need Supreme Great Grade Sword. I've been imbuing Allen and Blood Wither with Haki, and they'll become Black Blade sooner or later. I think the effect of Black Blade shouldn't be worse than that of Supreme Great Grade Sword."
Vic isn't as obsessed with the Supreme Great Grade Sword anymore. It might be because the materials are hard to find, or it might be because he's put a lot of effort into Allen and Blood Wither, so giving up would definitely be something he'd rather not do.
"They're different. Although both Great Grade Sword and Supreme Great Grade Sword can be forged into Black Blade, Supreme Great Grade Sword Haki are more approachable. Their combination with Sword Qi energy and other powers is smoother, saving time and energy in techniques."
You haven't used Supreme Great Grade Sword, so you don't know. This is the conclusion given by the swordsman who was given the Supreme Great Grade Sword after using it.
Fighting someone weaker than you will yield little result regardless of the weapon you use, but when fighting someone of the same or even stronger level, you'll truly appreciate the advantages of Supreme Great Grade Sword. The reduced time and accumulated energy may be the key to victory or defeat!
Allen took a sip of his drink and explained that his school had produced a swordsmith who forged the Supreme Great Grade Sword Supreme Great Grade Sword, and thus had a deeper understanding of them.
Although Kozaburo was also a master swordsmith, capable of forging Supreme Great Grade Sword, he did not tell Vic about these characteristics of Supreme Great Grade Sword.
Wano Country renowned for its exceptional sword-forging skills and boasts numerous master swordsmiths. However, Wano Country has long been closed off from the world, limiting its access to rare metals. It's understandable that people might not be aware of this. Historically, there may have been master swordsmiths who forged the Supreme Great Grade Sword, but perhaps their skills have been lost to time due to the passage of time.
As a blacksmith and swordsman, Vic naturally understood what Allen meant: saving time meant reducing the wind-up animation time when using a powerful attack, commonly known as "charging up" the ultimate move.
Energy is easy to understand; it's a general term for intangible yet tangible forces that can produce tremendous destructive effects, such as Haki, Sword Qi, and Mind Power.
At a deeper level, the material of the Supreme Great Grade Sword has minimal obstruction to the transmission of these energies, and its utilization rate of these energies is extremely high, without any useless consumption during use.
Just like the high-voltage power lines we use to transmit electrical energy, different lengths, sizes, and materials result in different amounts of electrical energy consumed during transmission. Furthermore, some superconducting materials consume almost no electrical energy when transmitting power.
The Supreme Great Grade Sword, when using various types of energy, function similarly to superconducting materials, without generating useless consumption, thus saving some energy during combat.
In terms of short-term combat effectiveness, there's little difference. However, the effects become apparent over time. This is why Allen said it's ineffective against those who aren't strong enough. Who cares about the extra Sword Qi or Haki consumed by someone who can be easily manipulated?
"I always thought that the Supreme Great Grade Sword were just as hard as the Black Blade and incomparably sharp. I didn't expect them to have this other advantage. For us swordsmen, it's definitely worth the risk. Where is that island? Let's go check it out on the way!"
Although Vic obtained the Golden Lion's Kogarashi and Oto, both Supreme Great Grade Sword, these were double-edged broadswords. Vic handed them over to Wendy and Barnett without even testing them, so he was unaware of the characteristics of Supreme Grade to Grade Swords.
Another point he believes is that although the Supreme Great Grade Sword have the same hardness as the Black Blade, they can still be damaged by Devil Fruit abilities, such as the Rust-Rust Fruit, which can corrode them.
However, the Black Blade is different. The Devil Fruit's power is useless because the Black Blade is forged from Armament Haki, which is the nemesis of Devil Fruit abilities. Therefore, Vic intends to forge Blood Wither and Allen into Black Blade and use them as his side swords. The Dragon Slayer Shimotsuki Ryuma did the same, and he was never inferior to anyone throughout his life.