No, that’s not what I’m saying.
Dealing with the first part, the breath of all things is not something “that works exactly like advanced haki”.
This idea is based on two different things, a mistranslation on the part of JB and a mischaracterization of the breath of all things.
In their translation, JB says this:
“It is transferred to the sword from the user’s body so that when we want to cut something our sword will cut even the thickest of steel and when we do not want to cut something, our sword will not cut through the thinnest of paper!”
The operative phrase here, the most important part of the sentence, is the words “so that”. In their translation, JB implies that that two thoughts are linked by saying “so that”, as if the transfer of haki from the body to the sword is what allows to swordsman to cut something or nothing. We know this to be false for something I’ll demonstrate later. With that said, Viz’s translation is different. Viz says:
“in Wano too, there is an invisible power that stems from the body and can be infused with the blade.”
And then that’s it. The sentence stops, as does the thought. And then he begins the new thought:
“A good katana will cut through steel when you want it to. And it will not break a sheet of paper if you wish it so. It is all according to the desire of the swordsman.”
Viz shows Hyou stopping a thought and starting a new one, which better demonstrates that his second thought was a reinforcement to the first thought.
Regarding the technique itself; this thread is predicated on the basis that what Zoro did in Alabasta, the breath of all things, is either CoA or advanced CoA. However, Zoro himself in Alabasta contradicts this statement entirely based on his own words as he’s trying to attempt to cut steel. Ironically, the op actually states this information but skips right over the meaning of it in favor to highlight the part about cutting anything or cutting nothing in an attempt to say that Zoro was using advanced CoA all the way back in Alabasta.
As he’s trying to learn to cut steel, Zoro goes through various sensations and states the following thngs:
“My sword is under that rock. I know it.”
“The falling rocks...I could feel something, something alive in them.”
“The rocks breathing. Trees with heartbeats of their own. The earth itself breathing.”
Notice how all of these things are sensory indicators. Being able to hear the breath of the rocks to avoid them, to feel his sword and know exactly where it is, to feel the breath of the trees and the earth.
And then, immediately after being able to sense these things, he thinks back again to his old master saying “listen Zoro. There are swordsman in this world who are able to not cut anything.”
And right after that, Zoro think “To not cut anything. Is that like hearing the breathing? Is this the power to cut steel?”
This is confirmation on the part of Zoro that the breath of all things is in part based off of those sensory details. Being able to hear and feel the breath of the objects around him.
The very next thing he says is that “I can hear it...the breathing of his steel.”
Again, more sensory details.
And the he says this before he doesn’t cut a tree and cuts a rock:
“My sword understands my will.”
Followed by “All that’s left is for me to find out whether I have the power to cut through steel.”
This is the last part of the breath of all things, having the sword understand what you want to do, and then of course doing it. In this, “it all according to the desire of the swordsman,” as Hyou says when he talks about the breath of all things.
So based upon everything that we know of the breath of all things, we can for certain say that it is comprised of three elements:
1.) understanding the existence of the objects around you, that which you want to cut and that which you don’t, by being able to feel and hear the presence of those objects.
2.) making the sword understand what you want to do.
3.) making the sword do what you want to do.
Again, I go back to the premise of the thread, that what Zoro did in Alabasta was either CoA or advanced CoA. However, based on everything that we know of CoA, none of these three things are in any way, shape, or form of any resemblance to CoA. In Zoro’s dialogue, there was nothing about the transfer of an invisible power to the blade from his body. And even more importantly, and more reflective of this point, is the very first point. At no point in time has CoA ever been about sensing objects like Zoro’s blade, or hearing and feeling the breathing of objects around you, like the breathing of the rocks, the heartbeat of the trees, the breathing of the earth, or the breathing of Daz’s steel.
CoA has never once been about sensory details.
This proves that JB, when the added the “so that” to their translation of Hyou’s statement, were wrong, because the transfer of the invisible power was never a part of the breath of all things. In contrast, Viz separates these two statements, and portrays them as two different thoughts.
If you consider this, then Hyou, who has already seen Luffy struggle and fail at creating the barrier, is essentially using the breath of all things to help Luffy understand that for it to work, he must know what he wants to do with his haki and will it to be so, which is why he says that “it all according to the desire of the swordsman.” He was just using it to demonstrate to Luffy that, like swordsman who direct their swords what to cut and what not to cut based on their will, he must get his haki to act according to his will. Following this, Hyou begins to teach him the specifics of creating the barrier after introducing the concept.
What this also proves is that what Zoro did on Alabasta was not CoA, nor advanced CoA, (again because of the fact that CoA has never once been shown to have anything to do with sensory details of the objects around you, which is actually in line with CoO to begin with, rather CoA is all about creating armor around your own body) and that Zoro did not have haki before the timeskip. What Zoro did was a swordsmanship technique, which is why Kyoshiro calls it “the pinnacle of swordsmanship,” and describes that “a blade that injures all that it touches isn’t really a sword.”
It’s a technique of swordsmanship. Not CoA.
Dealing with the first part, the breath of all things is not something “that works exactly like advanced haki”.
This idea is based on two different things, a mistranslation on the part of JB and a mischaracterization of the breath of all things.
In their translation, JB says this:
“It is transferred to the sword from the user’s body so that when we want to cut something our sword will cut even the thickest of steel and when we do not want to cut something, our sword will not cut through the thinnest of paper!”
The operative phrase here, the most important part of the sentence, is the words “so that”. In their translation, JB implies that that two thoughts are linked by saying “so that”, as if the transfer of haki from the body to the sword is what allows to swordsman to cut something or nothing. We know this to be false for something I’ll demonstrate later. With that said, Viz’s translation is different. Viz says:
“in Wano too, there is an invisible power that stems from the body and can be infused with the blade.”
And then that’s it. The sentence stops, as does the thought. And then he begins the new thought:
“A good katana will cut through steel when you want it to. And it will not break a sheet of paper if you wish it so. It is all according to the desire of the swordsman.”
Viz shows Hyou stopping a thought and starting a new one, which better demonstrates that his second thought was a reinforcement to the first thought.
Regarding the technique itself; this thread is predicated on the basis that what Zoro did in Alabasta, the breath of all things, is either CoA or advanced CoA. However, Zoro himself in Alabasta contradicts this statement entirely based on his own words as he’s trying to attempt to cut steel. Ironically, the op actually states this information but skips right over the meaning of it in favor to highlight the part about cutting anything or cutting nothing in an attempt to say that Zoro was using advanced CoA all the way back in Alabasta.
As he’s trying to learn to cut steel, Zoro goes through various sensations and states the following thngs:
“My sword is under that rock. I know it.”
“The falling rocks...I could feel something, something alive in them.”
“The rocks breathing. Trees with heartbeats of their own. The earth itself breathing.”
Notice how all of these things are sensory indicators. Being able to hear the breath of the rocks to avoid them, to feel his sword and know exactly where it is, to feel the breath of the trees and the earth.
And then, immediately after being able to sense these things, he thinks back again to his old master saying “listen Zoro. There are swordsman in this world who are able to not cut anything.”
And right after that, Zoro think “To not cut anything. Is that like hearing the breathing? Is this the power to cut steel?”
This is confirmation on the part of Zoro that the breath of all things is in part based off of those sensory details. Being able to hear and feel the breath of the objects around him.
The very next thing he says is that “I can hear it...the breathing of his steel.”
Again, more sensory details.
And the he says this before he doesn’t cut a tree and cuts a rock:
“My sword understands my will.”
Followed by “All that’s left is for me to find out whether I have the power to cut through steel.”
This is the last part of the breath of all things, having the sword understand what you want to do, and then of course doing it. In this, “it all according to the desire of the swordsman,” as Hyou says when he talks about the breath of all things.
So based upon everything that we know of the breath of all things, we can for certain say that it is comprised of three elements:
1.) understanding the existence of the objects around you, that which you want to cut and that which you don’t, by being able to feel and hear the presence of those objects.
2.) making the sword understand what you want to do.
3.) making the sword do what you want to do.
Again, I go back to the premise of the thread, that what Zoro did in Alabasta was either CoA or advanced CoA. However, based on everything that we know of CoA, none of these three things are in any way, shape, or form of any resemblance to CoA. In Zoro’s dialogue, there was nothing about the transfer of an invisible power to the blade from his body. And even more importantly, and more reflective of this point, is the very first point. At no point in time has CoA ever been about sensing objects like Zoro’s blade, or hearing and feeling the breathing of objects around you, like the breathing of the rocks, the heartbeat of the trees, the breathing of the earth, or the breathing of Daz’s steel.
CoA has never once been about sensory details.
This proves that JB, when the added the “so that” to their translation of Hyou’s statement, were wrong, because the transfer of the invisible power was never a part of the breath of all things. In contrast, Viz separates these two statements, and portrays them as two different thoughts.
If you consider this, then Hyou, who has already seen Luffy struggle and fail at creating the barrier, is essentially using the breath of all things to help Luffy understand that for it to work, he must know what he wants to do with his haki and will it to be so, which is why he says that “it all according to the desire of the swordsman.” He was just using it to demonstrate to Luffy that, like swordsman who direct their swords what to cut and what not to cut based on their will, he must get his haki to act according to his will. Following this, Hyou begins to teach him the specifics of creating the barrier after introducing the concept.
What this also proves is that what Zoro did on Alabasta was not CoA, nor advanced CoA, (again because of the fact that CoA has never once been shown to have anything to do with sensory details of the objects around you, which is actually in line with CoO to begin with, rather CoA is all about creating armor around your own body) and that Zoro did not have haki before the timeskip. What Zoro did was a swordsmanship technique, which is why Kyoshiro calls it “the pinnacle of swordsmanship,” and describes that “a blade that injures all that it touches isn’t really a sword.”
It’s a technique of swordsmanship. Not CoA.
