Dracule Mihawk, also known as Hawkeyes Mihawk, is the World's Strongest Swordsman in One Piece and a legendary figure with great importance. Introduced early in the series as Zoro's goal, he served as a member of the Seven Warlord of the Sea, or the Shichibukai, until recently, however, now that the system has been dissolved, he's no longer a part of the group.
Mihawk is, without a doubt, one of the most fearsome people in the One Piece world and while his importance to the series, especially Zoro's story, is paramount, very little information is actually known about him.
10 He First Appeared In Baratie
Dracule Mihawk made his debut quite early in the series and that is rare for a character as strong as him. Mihawk is the person that Roronoa Zoro wants to defeat to fulfill his promise to Kuina, however, defeating him certainly isn't an easy task.
He appeared first in Chapter 49 of One Piece manga and Episode 23 of the anime. It's safe to say that Mihawk left a lasting impression on every fan of the story.
9 He Wiped Out A Fleet Alone
Dracule Mihawk's power knows no bounds and that was proven to us by Don Krieg and Gin during the Baratie arc. According to them, Mihawk wiped out their entire pirate fleet which was known to be the largest in East Blue effortlessly, and that included their Flagship, the Dreadnaught Saber.
Apparently, Mihawk destroyed all 50 of their ships just for fun because he had nothing better to do. This just goes to show how powerful he truly is.
8 He Is The First Shichibukai To Be Introduced
Dracule Mihawk made his appearance in the story as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. With that, he became the first Shichibukai to be introduced to the fans in the series.
After him, Johnny and Yosaku mentioned another Shichibukai named Jinbe, shortly prior to the Arlong Park arc. Crocodile followed the two and was the third one of the group to be mentioned.
7 He Is Older Than Shanks
Mihawk is one of the most prominent figures in the Great Pirate Era. He was present during Roger's execution and was at Logue Town the day when the whole world turned upside down.
With him, other pirates from his generation, such as Crocodile, Shanks, Buggy, and Moria were also there. Mihawk has a very interesting relationship with Shanks in particular and out of the two, Mihawk is the older one. Currently, Shanks is 39 years old while Mihawk is 44.
6 He Was Famous Before The Great Pirate Era
Dracule Mihawk isn't a name that popped up at some point during the Great Pirate Era. His ambition to reach the top of the ladder seems to have started well before that. Mihawk is known to have been famous across the world long before the Great Pirate Era, which is rather impressive.
It is believed that Mihawk challenged the most powerful swordsmen and defeated them all until he climbed to the throne of the World's Greatest Swordsman.
5 Mihawk's Last Fight With Shanks Was Long Ago
Mihawk and Shanks are known to have been great rivals and according to Whitebeard, their battles echoed across the Grand Line back in the day. However, the two haven't fought in a long time.
Ever since Shanks lost his arm 12 years ago, Mihawk has stopped seeking him out for battle. In the meantime, Shanks has continued to grow stronger and became a Yonko of the Sea six years after that.
4 He Has Many Epithets
Mihawk is a man of many titles. Most people in the One Piece world know him as either Hawk Eyes or the World's Greatest Swordsman. However, there is another epithet that Oda intended for him, and that's "Clairvoyant."
Although Oda didn't go with this one in the official story, it has huge significance as a clairvoyant is someone who can foresee everything, even the future, meaning Mihawk could potentially be a user of Future Sight Observation Haki.
3 Mihawk's Bounty Is Unknown
Mihawk is one of the very few strong people in the One Piece world with unknown bounties. As he was a Shichibukai, he had a bounty that was frozen because of his status.
After losing the Shichibukai position, Mihawk's bounty is now getting re-evaluated, just like all the other members of the former Shichibukai. It goes without saying that his bounty is going to be an incredibly high number, possibly around the same bracket as the likes of Blackbeard.
2 Mihawk Is A Lone Pirate
Dracule Mihawk is a pirate, however, he doesn't have a crew. This makes him one of the only 9 pirates in the story right now who don't have a crew of their own. From the former Shichibukai who were active until recently, Mihawk is one of the two people who don't have a crew, the other being Edward Weevil, the last addition to their ranks before the group was finally disbanded.
Mihawk was last seen at Kuraigana Island, preparing to face-off against the Navy forces of the World Government.
1 He Wields A Black Blade
Mihawk is currently the only person in One Piece to wield a black blade. He is in possession of one of the 12 Saijo o Wazamono grade swords, the Kokuto: Yoru. This blade was blackened due to the constant imbuement of Armament Haki, however, whether it was Mihawk who did it or if it was blackened before he received it remains to be seen.
Zoro is the only other person who possessed a black blade, called Shusui, in the story, however, he returned it to Wano Country and took Enma as its replacement.