The title of Ch 51 is ロロノア・ゾロ海に散る.
which is “Roronoa Zoro into the sea” + the verb 散る.
散る (chiru) can mean several things:
Stephen Paul translated it as “Roronoa Zoro Falls Into the Sea.”
BirdieBirdy, (who is my Mihawk hero and who runs mihawk-in-japanese.fandom.com) translated it as “Roronoa Zoro Scattered in the Sea.”
It works both ways, especially because when Mihawk says:
he actually doesn’t say “Die.” He says “散れ!!!” (Chire!!!), which fits definition 5 above, but Mihawk is also “dispersing” or “scattering” Zoro in the sense that he’s just shaken up the younger fighter’s entire worldview and sense of self. What Zoro thought he knew was proven wrong– he learned just how much further he had to go in order to compete with Mihawk.
It's similar to when Mihawk told Zoro that he was going to "sink" him with Yoru
The title of Ch 51 is ロロノア・ゾロ海に散る.
which is “Roronoa Zoro into the sea” + the verb 散る.
散る (chiru) can mean several things:
Stephen Paul translated it as “Roronoa Zoro Falls Into the Sea.”
BirdieBirdy, (who is my Mihawk hero and who runs mihawk-in-japanese.fandom.com) translated it as “Roronoa Zoro Scattered in the Sea.”
It works both ways, especially because when Mihawk says:
he actually doesn’t say “Die.” He says “散れ!!!” (Chire!!!), which fits definition 5 above, but Mihawk is also “dispersing” or “scattering” Zoro in the sense that he’s just shaken up the younger fighter’s entire worldview and sense of self. What Zoro thought he knew was proven wrong– he learned just how much further he had to go in order to compete with Mihawk.
It's similar to when Mihawk told Zoro that he was going to "sink" him with Yoru
The first panel of Ch 51 definitely sets the tone with body language. Mihawk, with his back to us, arms crossed, Yoru still sheathed, vs Zoro with his swords ready against an unpredictable foe.
Mihawk doesn’t feel the need to get into battle stance until Zoro comes at him. He stays relaxed but alert until the moment of action. He can turn his violence off and on like a switch, just like he did when he calmly sat there in his boat after trashing Krieg’s galleon.
The differences in their approaches to the situation is even more apparent in the next panel. Mihawk's arms are still crossed while Zoro has already got his game face on.
Z: こんなに早く会えるとは正直考えてなかったぜ…
I honestly didn’t think I would meet you so early. M: 無益
Unnecessary/futile/pointless/useless
It’s not, “It is useless” or “This is pointless;” it’s literally just the adjective with no verb or ending at all. 無益 (mueki) can also be "pointless" in the sense of pointless harm or needless harm done to someone else, i.e., "It would be a pointless/a waste for me to kill you now."
We get some reaction shots from the crowd:
And then for some reason, Viz decided to sin against Mihawk:
Krieg's line is:
あの男一体何をしやがったこの船に。。。！！
Which is like “What the heck/what in the world did that man do to this boat?!”
He doesn’t call him a dandy; Viz just added that for some reason. Neither line is in the anime.
I’m sure that if Krieg had called Mihawk a dandy, he would have meant it as an insult, but in the end it doesn’t matter because this insult literally doesn’t exist in canon. Viz just felt like calling Miho names, I guess. And who the fuck is KRIEG to call someone out for being fancy? He's just jealous of Mihawk's superior talent and ability to get by without a crew, since his own has been giving him so much trouble. Or could it be that Mihawk's haters have a habit of insulting his masculinity when they don't have cogent arguments and are unable to answer or challenge his feats? Thereby exposing their own fears and insecurities??? But that's a post for another day...
Next, Mihawk the manly man very manly-like pulls out a very manly man weapon. Or it's implied that he did. Because the first panel on the page is Zoro saying WTF is that thing, and the kogatana is revealed without explanation in the next.
Mihawk says:
おれはうさぎを狩るのに全力を出すバカなケモノとは違う
I’m not a stupid beast/brute who hunts a rabbit with full power.
And then he tries to tell Zoro (again), that he's overestimating his own strength.
He's already told Zoro:
if you're competent, (implying that Zoro isn't), you should be able to tell the difference in power between us without crossing swords (and I have already determined the difference is very great, because I'm competent.)
it's useless for you to meet me
you're a weakling
Plus, from the way Zoro reacts to Mihawk splitting the galleon and deflecting the bullets, Mihawk knows that he's inexperienced in the wide world. So he tries again, this time actually trying to explain the world to Zoro.
多少名を上げた剣士がいたところで
You may have gained a little fame as a swordsman
ここは “赤い土の大陸” と”偉大なる航路” により 四つに区分される海の中でも最弱の海 『イースト・ブルー』
Something like: “The “Red Line” and “Grand Line” create four divisions, of which the weakest is “East Blue.”” (<– my crappy translation, sorry. It’s kind of a weird sentence in Japanese, too. Corrections are welcome.)
Stephen Paul had:
You may fancy yourself a renowned bladesman,
But of the four seas divided by the Red Line and Grand Line,
East Blue is the WEAKEST of them all.
Viz just added the “still just a bunny” part. Honestly, would Mihawk even use the word BUNNY? He’s more likely to describe Zoro as a helpless newborn rabbit, blind and furless, etc., etc.– not a “bunny.”
But anyway, this is the first time we really see a good map of the world in OP. So far, Mihawk has been depicted as inhumanly powerful, surprisingly small, confusing, terrifying, and blasé, but now we see he also has experience and info not known to our protagonists.
It also implies that he’s been to all four seas and is experienced enough to accurately judge which is the weakest. Mihawk is not just a badass weirdo with a butter knife; he’s a badass weirdo with a butter knife who knows what he’s talking about.
Zoro really wants a fight, though, even though Mihawk has explained all of the reasons he's not up to Mihawk's level. So when Mihawk taunts him further, Zoro charges.
Q: What’s that tiny knife for? A: Metaphor about hunting rabbits + geography lesson + insult Zoro: Screw it, I’m just gonna kill him
M: あいにくこれ以下の刃物は持ちあわせていないのだ
Sorry, but this is the smallest blade/knife/edged tool that I have on hand. Z: 人をバカにすんのも たいがいにしろ…!!
Don’t get carried away with insults! / You can only make fun of a person so much!
死んで後悔すんじゃねェぞ!!!
Don’t regret it when you die! / Don’t be sorry when you die!
(I'll cover the frog stuff next time)
Mihawk’s insult is so wonderfully catty. It’s along the lines of “Sorry, but we’re all out of sippy cups,” or “Sir, the Duplo aisle is that way.” He’s saying, “Though I won’t fight you without a weapon (because then how could I call myself a swordfighter?), I will make it as easy for you as I can. Then when I defeat you, you’ll understand the difference in power between us.”
He’s also saying, “Hey, kid, you suck.”
Mihawk could have easily cut him down with Yoru with just a flick of his wrist, but he didn’t. He didn’t even have to get out of his boat! But Mihawk has taken an interest in Zoro. The Krieg pirates were yelling at him, asking questions, shooting at him – but Mihawk hardly reacted to them, other than to answer that he was killing time.
But something about Zoro made Mihawk get out of his boat, ask questions, and (in his own Mihawk way) give encouragement to Zoro.
It’s both an insult and a compliment: You suck and don’t know it, but I believe in you. I’m sparing your life, as well as handicapping myself for this fight so you’ll feel foolish for challenging me.
Mihawk sees something in Zoro. And at this point, the battle is still 3 swords vs. kogatana. When Mihawk dispatched with Zoro here:
he might have wondered if the battle was finished. He knocked the kid down, and now he could be on his way…
But Zoro stood back up! During the rest of the fight, Mihawk asked him questions and got to know him. He found Zoro intriguing. He was curious. And several times, he was smiling.
Those fights back to back would be amazing! But why would they turn on Shanks and Mihawk? Do you think Shanks is evil or maybe it would be a friendly fight like a Davy Back fight? To have all 4 of them go all out, they'd need a very good reason.
Those fights back to back would be amazing! But why would they turn on Shanks and Mihawk? Do you think Shanks is evil or maybe it would be a friendly fight like a Davy Back fight? To have all 4 of them go all out, they'd need a very good reason.
HE CHOPS! HE DICES! HE MAKES JULIENNE FRIES! I still feel like it might be bitter melon, lol. He would be the type to eat healthy food like that. I made a poll, and it's still open! https://forms.gle/D5JYiwbCM1NXgUc87
Cup Noodle commercial? You mean when we saw the BLESSED KNEEHAWK?
Mihawk is the president of the Kendo club in those! He has to relax with his Candy Crush on the way home from school.
HE CHOPS! HE DICES! HE MAKES JULIENNE FRIES! I still feel like it might be bitter melon, lol. He would be the type to eat healthy food like that. I made a poll, and it's still open! https://forms.gle/D5JYiwbCM1NXgUc87
One thing I don't like about this episode is that they changed his grip on the kogatana:
Toei changed it to:
which is dumb bc his 2-finger pinching grip shows just how little force he was using. He looks really casual and nonchalant using the grip in the manga, but it's just a regular hand in the anime.
They fixed it in the Episode of East Blue.
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Stephen Paul translated it as “Roronoa Zoro Falls Into the Sea.”
he actually doesn’t say “Die.” He says “散れ!!!” (Chire!!!), which fits definition 5 above, but Mihawk is also “dispersing” or “scattering” Zoro in the sense that he’s just shaken up the younger fighter’s entire worldview and sense of self. What Zoro thought he knew was proven wrong– he learned just how much further he had to go in order to compete with Mihawk.
He would be the type to eat healthy food like that. I made a poll, and it's still open!
