This article contains spoilers for One Piece’s Elbaf arc.
When it comes to powerful swordsmen of the One Piece world, everyone knows that Mihawk stands out quite a lot. Introduced early in One Piece, Mihawk is known to be the World’s Greatest Swordsman at the moment, and he’s held this title for a while now.
He’s clearly a very powerful individual that Oda himself has highlighted to be a monster in combat. Despite that, Mihawk isn’t unbeatable. In fact, there are numerous One Piece characters that far surpass him in strength, and fans know very well that eventually, even Zoro will surpass him. Recently, Oda also introduced yet another character who is actually stronger than Mihawk.
Mihawk Is The Current Strongest Swordsman In The World
- Mihawk Debuted In Baratie
- His Strength Is Incredible
Dracule Mihawk has been Zoro’s goal for a very long time in One Piece, and fans know very well that he’s a monster above most swordsmen in the story. He was introduced first in Baratie, where he went on to fight Zoro and absolutely humiliate him. Despite that, Mihawk was actually impressed by Zoro’s tenacious nature and challenged him to get stronger to eventually surpass him.
Rocks’s swordsmanship was like cannonfire or a hit from a hammer. It blew away and destroyed everything in its path instantly. — Narrator on Rocks D. Xebec
Fans got a few glimpses of Mihawk’s power in Marineford, but not much about him has been shown since. Eventually, Oda will go all out when it comes to Mihawk, especially when Zoro surpasses him.
When I was a kid, I thought to myself: man I would love to draw a manga with the most hyped final stage! I wonder if I’m up to it! Now, we have only a tiny bit of Wano arc left, the preparations are almost done. Took me 25 years lol. That said, it’s fine if you start reading from this point on. Because from this point on…it’ll be… The ONE PIECE!! The mysteries of this world, I’ll be drawing all of them! It’ll be super interesting! Fasten your seatbelt! And please stay with me for a bit longer! — Eiichiro Oda, Author of One Piece, 2022
Rocks D. Xebec Could’ve Easily Beaten Mihawk
Rocks Was A Monster Far Stronger Than Mihawk
Recently, Oda elaborated upon the character of Rocks D. Xebec in One Piece, and it goes without saying that he didn’t disappoint. While fans knew that Rocks would be absolutely monstrous in power, he actually went on to surpass all expectations of the readers. Rocks was so strong that even killing an Admiral came easily to him.
Even though legendary monsters sailed the seas, it wouldn’t be a lie to call this era the ‘Era of Rocks’ — Eiichiro Oda on Rocks D. Xebec
He wielded a blade, but his skill was such that his attacks didn’t really cut. Rocks blew away everything in his surroundings indiscriminately, and shockingly enough, his attacks never cut. Instead, they hit like a hammer. Rocks wasn’t a traditional swordsman, but that matters little. He was far stronger than Mihawk and would’ve dealt with him as easily as he did with an Admiral.
Mihawk Will Be Surpassed By Zoro
Right now, Mihawk is only looking forward to one battle, and that is against Zoro. Slowly but steadily, Zoro is catching up to Mihawk and making sure that he is good enough to become the strongest swordsman in the world.
One Piece is already in the Final Saga, which only means that it is a matter of time before Zoro and Mihawk collide, and when they do, the hawkeyed swordsman will be bested by yet another character, but at the very least, his character arc will finally be complete. Fans only need to sit back patiently and wait for Zoro to reach the level, which should be after the events of Elbaf, most likely.
One Piece Chapter 1161 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on September 28. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1161 is September 28, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
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