Chapter – 22 The ‘Breath of All Things’ & the Beginning of Kuina's Downward Spiral

A few months later, Isshin Dojo, Shimotsuki Village, East Blue

Thwack 

Once more, the resonant sound of a Shinai striking flesh reverberated as Kuina tumbled to the earth, with a resounding thud marking her fall. 

Once again, it was Rio who declared the outcome, proclaiming, "The victor is Ryuma!" 

Ryuma hoisted the Shinai onto his shoulder, a smirk gracing his lips, "Heh, chalk up another triumph for me…" 

Kuina remained silent in the face of Ryuma's declaration, merely rising to her feet, brushing off her attire, retrieving her Shinai, and pivoting to depart, muttering, "Next time… next time I'll unquestionably defeat you!" 

Ryuma's retort dripped with sarcasm, "We've crossed blades nearly a hundred times, yet you've failed to make even a solitary strike against me Kuina. Although the notion of being defeated appears fanciful, I doubt it's happening; I still await the day you can even manage to graze me." 

Humph, huffing in frustration, Kuina let out a derisive snort before vanishing from sight. Ryuma shook his head, subsequently pivoting and making his way toward the Smithy.

…

Smithy, Isshin Dojo

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of hammering against the metal resonated as Ryuma, covered in sweat, worked the metal on the anvil.

Smack!

Just as Ryuma was about to deliver another blow to the metal, Kozaburo, who had been observing from the side, smacked his head. "Boy… don't just violently hit the metal…!"

"Eh…? But you told me to continue hammering until I learn to sense it!" Ryuma asked with a frown.

"Sigh, don't be ridiculous, boy! You have to feel it while hammering the metal; don't just go around hammering it like a brute… You are training to be a Swordsmith, for god's sake!" Kozaburo chided and continued, "Close your eyes and focus… sense the breath of the hammer, sense the breath of the metal you are hammering. Eyes can only take you so far; therefore, you must learn to sense the breath of the tools you are using and the breath of the metal you are shaping! You have to learn to sense the Breath of All Things! Everything has a breath, and that's what you need to feel." 

"Breath of All Things, huh?" muttered Ryuma with a thoughtful expression. When he started learning Swordsmithing, never once did he imagine that to become a true Swordsmith, to reach a level where he could work on Grade Swords, Great Grade Swords, and Supreme Grade Swords, one of the most important requirements is to be able to sense the Breath of All Things.

So, what exactly is the Breath of All Things? Based on Kozaburo's explanation, and Ryuma's personal conclusion after hearing the explanation, 'Breath of All Things' is an advanced form of Observation Haki that works in tandem with Armament Haki.

To better understand the 'Breath of All Things,' it is essential to understand how Observation Haki works. Observation Haki is something like a sixth sense that allows a person to hear the sounds of other life forces or sense intent, and that's the key. Basic Observation Haki functions by sensing 'intent.'

But not everything in this world has an intent. Just think about it, would a paper fluttering in the air because of heavy winds have any intent? Would a pair of leaves dancing in the wind have any intent? Would a random boulder lying by the riverbank have any intent?

"If they have no intent, how do you sense these things? In general, how do you sense things that have no intent? During the Dressrosa Arc, while destroying the fighting arena, Sabo stated that everything has a core. But how do you figure out where that core is if you can't see it? Do you sense it with Observation Haki? And how do you sense the core with Observation Haki, especially if that thing doesn't have any intent?

How does Admiral Fujitora sense inanimate objects? There are two possibilities. One is that he is able to sense those inanimate objects using a Gravitational Field and Gravitational waves emitted by the inanimate objects because of his Devil Fruit power. Another possibility is that he senses those inanimate objects using only Observation Haki. Of course, there is a possibility that he uses a combination of both, but for argument's sake, let's assume that he only uses Observation Haki. Then the same question arises: how does he sense something that doesn't have an intent?

The answer to all these questions is quite simple… you sense those things, those inanimate objects with no intent, by sensing their breath."

As Zoro once said, 'Everything in this world has a breath.' Even if a flutter of paper has no intent, even if the leaves dancing in the wind have no intent, even if a random boulder lying by the riverbank has no intent, they still have a breath because they exist. Anything that exists in this world has a breath, and for someone who can hear the Breath of All Things, it becomes possible to sense inanimate things that have no intent. Only by sensing their breath does it become possible to identify and position their core.

So, being able to hear the Breath of All Things is important to sense things that have no intent. But how does it come into the picture for Swordsmithing? There is a very popular saying that a true Swordsman can cut anything he wants, yet he cannot cut anything he does not want. A Swordsman becomes a true swordsman only after he is able to comprehend this saying. It is understandable that being able to hear the Breath of All Things is crucial for a swordsman but for a Swordsmith?

Of course, it is important. In fact, for a Swordsmith, being able to hear the Breath of All Things is much more crucial. Only after a Swordsmith is capable of hearing the Breath of All Things can he be called a true Swordsmith! If a person can learn to hear the Breath of All Things, then he can also learn to convey his intent to all things. This is where the Breath of All Things works in tandem with Armament Haki, where 'Observation Haki' is used to 'hear,' while 'Armament Haki' is used to 'convey.'

The Great Grade Sword 'Enma' can absorb its user's Armament Haki, but how did it gain that ability? The Supreme Grade Sword 'Majin no Gekko' can drive its user insane, but how did it gain that ability? Kitetsu Swords are considered cursed Swords, but why? Sure, the fact that people feared them because their former users died had a part in earning them their fame as Cursed Swords. However, why did their former users die?

It is said that a good sword always chooses its own master, deciding whether a user is worthy enough to wield it. We accept this fact naturally; after all, why would a named blade choose someone unworthy? But there is a very important question: why does it test its user's worthiness? It's all because of its crafter! No true swordsmith would want the blade they crafted to be wielded by an unworthy person; therefore, they imbue their intent on the blade at the time of crafting it.

And how do they achieve this? By communicating with the blade! 

That's where the second aspect of the Breath of All Things comes into the picture: being able to imbue intent into something. There is always a question of why a true Swordsman can cut anything he wants yet cannot cut anything he doesn't want. It's because they communicate with their blades and imbue their intention into them! There is communication between the swordsmen and the sword, and only those who can sense the breath of all things can communicate with their blade. Similarly, true Swordsmiths can imbue their intention into the blade they are crafting!"

"Of course, there are many other minor roles that a Swordsmith's ability to hear the Breath of All Things plays, such as understanding the position of the core to hammer the right spot with the right intensity, and much more. However, those are secondary; the primary aspect is to be able to imbue their intention upon their craft. This is what brought Ryuma into practicing so that he can hear the Breath of All Things.

Comprehending a technique as high and complicated as the Breath of All Things is not easy. Someone like Zoro learned to be able to hear the Breath of All Things when he was close to death in a fight against Mr. 1. This is not to say that a person cannot learn to be able to hear the Breath of All Things through training; they can, and that's what Ryuma is doing at the moment.

To comprehend the Breath of All Things, a user has to be in a state of focus, and that's exactly what Kozaburo wants Ryuma to do while hammering the metal. 

"I understand!" nodded Ryuma as he activated his Observation Haki and closed his eyes. From now on until he learns to be able to hear the Breath of All Things, he will only be using Observation Haki for everything. Sure, it would be highly draining; however, this is important, and therefore, he must do it."

And while Ryuma was busy learning to sense the Breath of All Things, Kuina was in w downward spiral.

…

"Why?! Why?! Why?! Why can't I even touch him?!" Such a question lingered in Kuina's mind as she took out her frustration on the wooden stake. Her movements were no longer as elegant and fluid as they used to be, nor was her form proper. Her mind was too preoccupied with frustration to notice or care about such a thing.

It wasn't just her form; even her appearance and aura had changed. While her overall strength may have increased because of continuous training, physically she has started to grow weaker from exhausting herself again and again. This is visible from her haggard appearance and the dark circles under her eyes.

She was no longer the confident and proud girl she used to be; she had become hyper-sensitive and would be triggered easily. Anyone who talks poorly about her would be beaten blue and black until they beg for mercy. Sometimes she wouldn't stop even when they beg for mercy. One can say that this is her way of coping with the despair that she has started to fall into with each subsequent defeat.

But how long can Kuina continue like this? Lately, the words of her Otou-sama have started to echo in her mind again and again, 'A man and a woman are different; in most cases, a woman can never be as strong as a man.' Even if she wants to deny this, Kuina can't help but feel that perhaps this is indeed the case. Despite starting to have doubts for a while, Kuina still doesn't want to accept this reality and continues to train herself to the point of collapsing.

…

Watching his daughter from afar, Koushirou couldn't help but sigh, 'Perhaps this was all a mistake.'

Of course, he has noticed all the changes in Kuina's physical and mental state, and he knows that he is partly to blame for it. Sometimes Koushirou even wonders why he bothered to introduce Swordsmanship to his daughter. If she hadn't picked up a Shinai, she wouldn't have dreamt of becoming the strongest swordsman in the world. 

"Hopefully, this will all end in a few days," muttered Koushirou as he left his daughter to her own devices.

…

"Damn it, Kuina, where are you?" This was Zoro; he had been trying to find Kuina for a while now.

The changes in Kuina... Koushirou is not the only one to have noticed it. Zoro has also sensed that lately, something is wrong with Kuina. On several occasions, he tried to investigate the reasons by following her; however, each time he failed because he kept getting lost.

Whether he will be able to find the reason behind Kuina's downward spiral or not is something to look forward to in the future.

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Author's Note: Been a while since I wrote anything 'One Piece,' so, I felt like writing it, and here's the new chapter.

Gimme Powerstones, comments, and reviews, keeps me motivated to write more!