Hint 1
First of all, Gyukima says the Black Blade is forged through Battle. Not Haki. Although, Haki does have a role, Haki doesn’t explicitly have anything to do with why Blades turn Black.
This may be difficult to entertain and rightly so… because Armament Haki (Hardening) appearing Black leads people to conclude Haki actually tuns Black which I believed as well. Though it’s stated by Rayleigh to be Invisible. Furthermore, what also leads me to believe Haki is Invisible despite being shown as Black when Hardening is incorporated is this:
Luffy uses Hardened Armament against Surume; the crew see his Elephant Gun knocking out the Kraken. They acknowledge he’s become Powerful, but don’t acknowledge that his fist is suddenly Black which implies it’s not viewed as Black. What makes this clearer that they never noticed a Black giant fist is the fact that in the next arc, Franky is suddenly surprised that Luffy is grabbing a Logia; if Franky didn’t know Luffy was using Haki against Surume despite being in the presence of a conspicuous Big Black fist, it means it was never viewed as Black meaning Haki is invisible and the Black just indicates the level of Haki above the normal Armament.
- Why is this relevant? because I think there’s this idea that Haki sort of dyes the Blade because Haki is perceived to the reader as being literally Black.
- Another is the essence of the Haki remains within the Sword, but if this were true, shouldn’t Shusui have killed Monet despite the fact Zoro wasn’t using Haki if the Blade retains the Haki?
- Also, if Haki was the sole reason for a Blade becoming Black,shouldn’t Shanks who is a Swordsman with easily the strongest Haki in the series have a Black Blade too? Or even Vista?
These are just the questions I ask when trying to see how Haki is the sole reason for the Black Blade. While I don’t believe Haki is the exclusive reason for Black Blades, I do believe it has a role in a different sense as I’ll explain short.
Hint 2
This is where we actually get told how a Black Blade is forged. If we read this in context to what Gyukimaru said, he said many battles is what creates the Black Blade. To be more specific, it’s how all those many battles that one engages in that will result in a Black Blade.
Mihawk actually states what must be done in these battles for this transformation to occur. One must win these battles and leave with their Blades completely intact… not a scratch and not a nick.
In other words, the Sword should be able to go through all battles and conclude or win said battle with the blades in the same condition they went in. Absolutely pristine.
This is where Haki comes into play. It has nothing to do with the essence of Haki or the Colour, but rather, the Hardness that Haki gives to objects which makes things hard, and therefore, more durable. A twig wouldn’t break if Imbued with Haki, and more so, a Sword with Haki. The stronger the Haki and the greater the skill of the Swordsman, the less likely the Blade will get nicked or damaged at all.
Hint 3: Ryuma and Mihawk
As Gyukimaru said, many battles. How is this related to Ryuma and Mihawk? We’re told that Ryuma went through countless battles. Similarly, Mihawk is only a Shichibukai because he’s been through so many battles and can no longer find worthy opponents. Ryuma and Mihawk share their countless battles in common and both their blades are unscathed and in pristine condition. Another thing they share in common? A lack of rivals, Ryuma said he hadn’t been excited in battle in a long time much like Mihawk; it serves to point out that they’d gone through many many battles.
On another note, Mihawk’s Vivre-card states he’s proud of the durability of his Black Blade. It could imply he’s simply proud that his Blade became this durable or he believes he’s got the Hardest Black Blade around. It might imply even within the limited number of Black Blades around, there stands one that is peerless or simply the best. It could imply that the battle that finally takes place between Zoro and Mihawk might be between 2 Black Blade owners.
Transformation
The transformation seems to remind me of the Going Merry. The love and care it was showered with led to its personification. Perhaps, this is the same thing with the Black Blade. Love is shown through keeping it pristine through many battles and this is what ultimately transforms the blade. Perhaps, the closest thing to a Zanpaktou and Bankai ?.
Conclusion
A Blade becomes Black after going through many battles whilst keeping the Blade pristine. Haki increases the durability of things it’s imbued on, and thus aids in keeping the Blade in mint condition. If there were other methods other than Haki that’d keep a Blade flawless, the resulting Black Blade would likely still occur which is why I don’t think Haki is explicitly the reason a Blade becomes Black, but it is important as it’s the only thing that protects Blades.
This is just my opinion and personal take on it. For now, this explanation seems reasonable enough until new information arises that contradicts it. If an explanation works perfectly, I take it, but it still doesn’t mean Oda doesn’t have other ways in which he can choose to achieve the Black Blade without contradictions.
*Theory by HPsyche
