One Piece: Who Is Dracule Mihawk, The Strongest Swordsman In The World?
Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu Maeda) wants to be the best swordsman in the world ... but he isn't the best. No, in Netflix's live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda's "Once Piece" franchise, that title belongs to Dracule Mihawk (Steven John Ward). Known by many names, such as "Hawk Eyes" and "Marine Hunter," to many people, Mihawk is a world-famous pirate. He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, in fact — this is a group of pirates so absurdly powerful that the World Government and the Marines preferred to ally themselves with the Seven, rather than dare to face them on the fields of battle.
The Mihawk that Zoro encounters in Season 1, Episode 5, "Eat at the Baratie," is so confident in his abilities to defeat any and every foe that the Warlord opts to fight Zoro with Kogatana, a small cross-shaped dagger, rather than with Yoru, his mighty cross-shaped sword. Of course, he still wins; there's a reason that he's known as the "Strongest Swordsman in the World." But how did he gain his incredible strength? How did he, a normal human, become a warrior able to keep in lockstep with Haki masters and Devil Fruit users? And how did he become a swordsman so powerful that compressed air from a single stroke of his blade could defeat a battleship? Fans of Oda's decades-long manga will already know but, for the rest, here's the truncated tale of the great pirate Mihawk.
Dracule Mihawk is mysterious pirate in search of a worthy rival
Much like the Marines hunt pirates across the four Blues, Mihawk once hunted Marines, thus earning himself the nickname "Marine Hunter." It was this moniker that first garnered the young pirate publicity, but it was his determination to conquer ever-stronger opponents that led to his becoming a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. All of this occurs long before he encounters Roronoa Zoro or Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy). It's here where we have to acknowledge that "One Piece" never really goes back in time to unveil Mihawk's full origin story. The guy lives mostly in a shroud of mystery, so his exact path to leadership is unknown. That said, by the time Netflix showcases him shredding an entire fleet of enemies with an almost bored gloom in his eyes, he's already mastered two Hakis and there are only a handful of people alive who can defeat him.
One of those few folks is "Red-Haired" Shanks (Peter Gadiot), Luffy's role model, captain of the Red Hair Pirates, and one of the four great pirate Emperors. By the time the Netflix series begins, the two are no longer close but Mihawk can always find him if necessary, as he does in the Season 1 finale of "One Piece." The reason they're not close comes down to personality. Mihawk can be condescending but that stems from a lack of legitimate challenge in life, not from smugness. The Warlord considers himself a serious, grounded pirate, and that's why he comes to odds with Shanks, whose attitude becomes more lackadaisical after he loses his arm. Without Shanks' drive, Mihawk no longer considers him a worthy friend, or adversary. And that infuriates him.
Dracule Mihawk becomes Roronoa Zoro's mentor
In Netflix's "One Piece," Dracule Mihawk refuses to kill Roronoa Zoro. He brutally wounds him with a slash from Yoru that would easily kill a lesser man, sure, but he leaves him with a chance to rise again. That's because Mihawk, however begrudgingly, admires Zoro. He sees the young swordsman's potential, and he sees his dedication to a serious battle. After nearly killing him, Mihawk tells Zoro, "Roronoa Zoro, it's too soon for you to die. Grow strong and come find me. I'll be waiting." In the manga, he also says, "Strive with your whole heart and mind to best this blade, fierce one! Strive to surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!"
This scene sets the stage for something that will occur far later in the series, should Netflix get more seasons. In Eiichiro Oda's story, Mihawk eventually agrees to train Zoro. It's both self-serving and self-destructive because Zoro wants to kill him and Mihawk just wants to spice things up, but the two work well together when they take the time to do so.
Mihawk's journey doesn't end as a teacher, although it does become a semi-permanent aspect of his character. He's still a legendary pirate and a trained killer. Mihawk just now happens to enjoy mentoring the man who desperately wants to take his title as the "Strongest Swordsman in the World." Which, honestly, is pretty solid logic for "One Piece."