Dracule Mihawk has been the Strongest Swordsman in the World of One Piece for decades and yet fans are under the impression he’s a fraud after all this time.

SUMMARY

One Piece fans constantly call Mihawk a fraud and even believe Luffy might be able to defeat him in Gear 5 form.
The Marineford Arc showed us only one side of his powers and even then, Mihawk wasn’t really trying hard to fight.
Luffy vs Mihawk might be a thrilling fight and it’s not clear who would win between the two but Zoro vs Mihawk’s rematch is destined to happen.

One Piece fans might be the experts in making theories and predictions, but some of these opinions can be ridiculous and often contradict the canon. There’s one character who gets the brunt of this due to his lack of screen time and action in the universe.

Dracule Mihawk, the Strongest Swordsman in the World of One Piece, gets accused of being a fraud and weak. Several fans are convinced he would easily defeat Luffy in his Gear 5 form. However, these fans are forgetting how long Mihawk has been defending the title and what that implies for his actual level of strength.

Dracule Mihawk from One Piece. [Credit: Toei Animation]

The swordsman hasn’t earned the title by doing nothing. Before the present timeline of One Piece, he was the “Marine Hunter” and was the famed rival of Red-Haired Shanks until the latter lost one arm. Now he sails the seas alone in search of a new purpose and meets Roronoa Zoro, whom he hopes will surpass him.

The lack of screen time we share with Mihawk does paint a bad picture but what we’ve seen of him is nothing less than powerful. He’s not to be messed with and we can see why he’s earned that title.

Dracule Mihawk is the Strongest Swordsman in the World for a reason

Mihawk slices an iceberg in half in One Piece. [Credit: Toei Animation]

Before the present timeline and Roger’s execution, Mihawk was rising in the world of pirates for defeating stronger and stronger foes each time. His rivalry with Shanks, another great swordsman, only furthered his level of strength with the amount of duels they’d have until Shanks lost his arm and Mihawk lost interest.

Since Mihawk had already surpassed so many swordsmen, the lone pirate had lost interest in general. Not even Roronoa Zoro, who had challenged him so boldly, piqued it until he recognized the determination in him. Even with three swords and his physical prowess, the green-haired pirate couldn’t defeat him against his smallest knife.

If destroying Don Kreig’s massive fleet single-handedly wasn’t a hint at his superior swordsmanship, Marineford gave us an even bigger glimpse at it. Mihawk was easily cutting down pirates left and right, cutting through an iceberg with precision, and all the while, nobody got a scratch on him.

More than that, we got to see his Observation Haki in the works. His “Hawk Eyes” aren’t just for show and looks, he could actually predict and see Luffy’s high-speed movements in his Gear 2 form.

We don’t know the true extent of it or if he canonically doesn’t have Conqueror’s Haki, but he’s definitely the master of Armament Haki, considering Yoru turned into a permanent Black Blade.

Luffy won’t be able to defeat Mihawk, at least not easily

Mihawk slashes at Luffy in One Piece. [Credit: Toei Animation]

Mihawk had many close shots at Luffy in Marineford which the boy only avoided thanks to the super-speed Gear 2 grants him and the many allies defending him. If Mihawk faces against the chaos of Gear 5, the duel might be even more difficult. However, was Mihawk even trying to fight during the Summit War?

As a Warlord, he was required to show up or lose his position and protection under the World Government. Beyond that, the swordsman probably didn’t feel any obligation to actually fight for the Marines, only did enough to seem convincing.

Gear 5 Luffy vs Mihawk may never happen due to the trajectory of One Piece. If the swordsman actually tries to fight, Luffy might lose. However, it’s Zoro vs Mihawk’s rematch we all need to look out for and whether his training under the Strongest Swordsman actually paid off.