We’ve seen madam Shyarly predict the future, very accurately and vividly. At first we may had thought that it was just an inherent ability and she was just something skin to a fortune teller, like it’s believed she is by the fishmen. But what is Shyarly’s ability is an extreme execution of foresight? Much like Aisa had a huge kenbunshoku range since birth, so could Shyarly have had an extreme level of foresight and the crystal she uses may be something she simply uses to help picture the future and not the reason she’s able to see it:
Last, but definitely not least, we have the leading haki expert in the One Piece world, Shanks. The fact that Shanks can use haki and even something as advanced as foresight is pretty much a done deal for many fans and it certainly should come at no surprise. However, just how strong do you think his kenbunshoku is? Most people believe his is a monster in regards to haoshoku haki, and I completely agree with them. But I also think that his kenbunshoku is just as monstrous.
Shanks may not have had as much panel / screen time as other characters, but his every appearance has been veeeeery impactful. Maybe it’s just me but he gives you the impression that he sees way into the future and his every action carries a certain weight and purpose behind it, much like Uchiha Itachi. But unlike Itachi, Shanks may actually be able to see into the future, and extremely far at that. This is what he said to Koby during the Marine fold war after saving him from Akainu:
He’s able to see fate (the future) and how it changes with every ripple caused by actions like Koby’s. I think he sees extremely far into the future and sees it as branches of a tree, while also being sensitive to which branch the future leans to after every deciding action that changes it. Shanks’ kenbunshoku is presumably the pinnacle of foresight and certain actions like him giving Luffy Roger’s straw hat and visiting the Gorosei during the Reverie may also be influenced by it.
Those examples go to show that what we’re classifying now as “foresight” is another school of kenbunshoku, like mantra, that focuses on increasing the potency of kenbunshoku, allowing one to see further into the future and more vividly at that, and getting as much information as is possible within its range ABOUT THE FUTURE. Katakuri may not have Aisa’s or Van Augur’s kenbunshoku range but he sees considerably further into the future than them. Fighters who specialize in this type of haki have increased potency but also suffer from a smaller range, making this skill something akin to a “single-target” skill.
There is a single question that remains. Can someone have both types? Certainly they can, it’s just hard to do so since you’d need to train to expand both the range and the potency. Much like many fighters decide to focus on either busoshoku or kenbunshoku to avoid being a jack of all trades and master of none ( or more like even less than a jack of all trades without even being able to develop either type of haki properly), kenbunshoku users have one more similar choice to make, or so it seems. It’s like Rayleigh said, one should see what they’re good at and train in that:
Much like when building a house, it’s up to you to decide its dimensions. Similarly, it’s up to the fighter to develop the type of kenbunshoku that suits them most (or develop both if they’re a genius).
*Theory by Yuuzume
