I'm at the top of One Piece

Following the direction of the slash.

Moses stared in surprise as he looked at the deep trench carved into the sea a few hundred meters away.

"Uncle, are you a great swordsman?"

A hint of pride flashed in Bogart's eyes as he chuckled and said, "Pretty much, pretty much."

Bogart sheathed his longsword and returned it to his waist. He rubbed his hands together, his face flushed, and stared at Messer with a lecherous look. "Messer, can I take a look at your short sword too? Let me see if it's also a top-quality, excellent sword."

He now knew that Mercer had been teasing him, that the sword was exceptionally well-forged, and that it was among the finest of all the good swords.

Seeing his appearance, Mercer's lips twitched, and he threw the knife over, which Bogart quickly caught.

A moment later, he let out a "hehehe" laugh. Seeing this, Mercer quietly moved a little further away from him.

"By the way, uncle, have my grandfather and the others finished their mission? I haven't seen him for days."

Bogart thought for a moment and said:

"They've finished. That great pirate named Hafnazar has agreed to become a Shichibukai. They're just waiting for the final appointment letter. Once he signs it, it's all set."

Is a signature even useful?

Moses asked, speechless.

Bogart gave an awkward laugh: "Should, maybe, perhaps, it's useless, but that's how the process is."

"Oh. So where do we go next?" Mercer asked curiously. "Where are the other two? I couldn't sense their presence on the warship."

"Oh, you mean them? I heard that Gecko Moria and the new Shichibukai Hanaf got into a fight on the other side of the island. They went over there to watch the show."

"Then why didn't you go?" Moses asked. "Did you stay here to watch the ship?"

Upon hearing this, Bogart gave Messer a resentful look, "Well, it's because my knife is with you. I don't feel at ease without it in my hand."

"Oh, so you're the kind of weak swordsman who loses half your strength without a sword in hand, isn't that right?"

"Who told you that?" Bogart's face darkened. "Just talking nonsense? It does have some impact, but not as serious as you say. Do you know why a swordsman is called a swordsman?"

Before Messer could speak, Bogart continued, "Physical strength, domineering aura, and swordsmanship—only those who meet all three basic requirements can be called a swordsman; none can be lacking."

Even without a sword, one still possesses physique and imposing presence; even with just a wooden stick, with a little practice, one remains a powerful swordsman.

"What is the 'Breath of All Things' that is passed down among swordsmen? And what is the meaning of 'to cut' or 'not to cut'?"

Messer seized the opportunity, hoping to get the truth from a true swordsman about whether "Breath of All Things" and "To Cut or Not to Cut" were what he was thinking.

Bogart paused, looking at Mercer with surprise, unsure where Mercer had found out. "That kind of thing is still a bit too early for you right now."

But since you want to know, I'll tell you. First of all, "the breathing of all things" is actually a special kind of perception.

As Messer listened to Bogart's unique explanation, he gained a completely new understanding of the so-called swordsman's breath of all things, and the question of whether to cut or not.

To summarize simply:

According to Moses, the so-called "swordsman's" understanding of the breath of all things is similar to a spiritual state of oneness with nature.

Breaking through one's own limits in the face of life and death, sublimating one's spirit and will in the face of imminent death, perceiving all things in nature, the individual develops a sense of closeness to all things in nature and forms an emotional connection with them.

Therefore, it is able to perceive the fluctuations of all things, the breathing frequency of all things.

Therefore, "the breathing of all things" is a state of mind.

At the same time, an improvement in one's state of mind and a transformation in one's perception are often accompanied by the awakening of one's innate Observation Haki.

The decision of whether a swordsman to cut or not is a manifestation of the power of Armament Haki.

Because a swordsman who can comprehend the "breath of all things" has often undergone arduous training, and his physique and mental will have been thoroughly tempered, thus meeting the prerequisite conditions for activating this domineering aura that is closely related to his physique.

The trials of life and death often ignite an innate domineering aura. After activating this aura, they mistakenly believe that the defensive and offensive characteristics of Armament Haki are something that can be used to cut or not, leading them to believe that this is the breath of all things, the realm of a swordsman capable of cutting through iron.

"So generally speaking, even without mastering the Breath of All Things, one can still be called a swordsman, as long as one awakens Observation Haki and Armament Haki and can unleash a flying slash?"

Messer summarized it this way for Bogart.

Bogart laughed and said, "That's right. The breath of all things is not so easy to comprehend. On the contrary, the domineering aura, once the basic physical and mental foundations are met, can be activated as long as the method is mastered."

"With immense force, even steel can be easily cut."

"So? Don't you feel that swordsmen suddenly aren't so high and mighty anymore?" Bogart asked with a smile.

Moses didn't answer the question, but asked curiously, "Then have you grasped it? The breath of all things?"

Bogart smiled proudly: "Of course, I'm not one of those fake swordsmen out there."

"What's the use of the breathing of all things? Can it be demonstrated in battle?" Mercer asked curiously. "After all, if being able to sense the breathing frequency of all things in nature doesn't have any use, wouldn't that be quite awkward?"

Bogart suddenly smiled mysteriously and said to Moses with a smug look, "Want to know? Beg me! If you beg me, I'll tell you?"

We finally got a chance, so we had to let him put on a good show.

"Okay, if your knife gets broken in the future, don't come looking for me."

Bogart's eye twitched.

Moses looked at him calmly and continued, "I will definitely forge Great Grade Swords and Supreme Grade Swords in the future. Do you want to touch them?"

Bogart put his hand to his forehead, looking helpless. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so smug. I apologize. I'll show you right now."

Able to bend and stretch.

Drawing his short sword from his waist, Bogart enveloped it in Armament Haki, took a deep breath, and a dazzling flame suddenly erupted from the now-black blade.

"One-Sword Style: Flaming Slash".

With a swing of his arm, flames billowed forth, and a fiery slash shot out from in front of Moses.

Watching the sea surface being split open in the distance, with large amounts of steam appearing.

With a flick of the blade, the flames dissipated.

Bogart looked at Mercer smugly, a slight smirk playing on his lips: "How about it? Cool, right? Flame Slash, huh?"

Mercer opened his eyes slightly, and Bogart, upon seeing this, couldn't help but smile, his lips parting slightly as if he was about to speak.

At this moment, Moses touched his lips with his right index finger, his eyes showing understanding, and spoke first:

"Armament Haki? There are also some breathing frequency fluctuations related to flames in it."

These days, Mercer spends every day around the fireplace, and he's quite impressed by the fluctuating breathing frequency of the flames.

"I understand. Armament Haki is an extraordinary power that embodies spiritual will, which is manifested by the continuous vitality and life force within the body after the stimulation of strong willpower and fighting spirit."

Everything has its own unique breathing frequency fluctuation. Just now, you simulated the breathing frequency fluctuation of flames in nature through "Breathing of All Things," thereby using Armament Haki as fuel to transform the intangible into the tangible and unleash a fiery slash.

"Am I right?" Mercer looked at Bogart's dumbfounded expression. Seeing his silly look, Mercer understood. "It seems I guessed right after all."

At this time,

Bogart suddenly looked suspicious, staring intently at Moses, and began to use his Observation Haki to sense his surroundings.

"You're right. That feeling, that feeling that belongs only to swordsmen, that's for sure. You've definitely grasped the essence of the breath of all things. Otherwise, you couldn't possibly have this insight."

At this point, Bogart looked utterly shocked, staring at Mercer as if he were a monster. A few seconds later, Bogart was speechless.

"Could you tell me how you came to this realization? When did you realize it?"

At this moment, Mercer looked at him calmly and said, "Uncle, your gaze is quite rude. I don't really want to talk about this."

Oh, by the way, I'd like to have a friendly match with you. I know I'm no match for you right now, but I'd love to give it a try.

Having said that, Moses drew his short sword from his back waist with his right hand, took a slight step back, and gave Bogart a small bow.

Please advise.

After speaking, he looked quietly at Bogart.

He took a deep breath.

Upon hearing this, Bogart's eyes lit up with amusement, and he nodded. "Sure, I'm bored anyway, so this is a good way to kill some time. Go ahead and go for it."

next moment.

Mercer shifted his pace, quickly approaching Bogart, and then decisively swung his right arm, still damp with cold dew, at the last moment.

A cold glint appeared from Bogart's waist, rising upwards.

clang!

Bogart lowered his right arm, his blade precisely blocking Mercer's slash.

With a smirk, he used his right arm to deflect Moses's short sword aside, leaving Moses wide open.

With a flick of his wrist, he thrust the knife towards Moses' chest.

Seeing this, Mercer's eyes remained unchanged. With a flick of his right wrist, he threw the short sword toward the lower left.

At the same time, his left hand moved horizontally in a grasping motion, precisely catching the hilt of the thrown sword.

His left hand gripped the sword and swung it upwards, clashing once again with Bogart's short sword.

A crisp clang rang out.

A tremendous force struck the sword, and Mercer was forced to slide backward.

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PS: The relationship between the Breath of All Things, the act of cutting or not cutting, and Armed Haki is a secondary interpretation, but it is fairly reasonable. Please refrain from criticism if you disagree. Thank you!

Chapter 54 The Intersection of Spirit and Body!

"Not bad, Moses."

Bogart smiled and nodded, offering his comments.

Mercer took the dew from his left hand with his right.

I shook my left hand vigorously to relieve the slight discomfort.

With his leg muscles taut, Mercer charged toward Bogart again, arriving in front of him. In coordination with his steps, he used his Frost Dew to thrust, slash, lift, and pull.

Ding ding dang dang

Bogart parried, parried, parried, and parried again with his short sword, easily blocking every attack from Mercer.