User blog comment:Blackendedsoul/Swordsmen, Mihawk and others./@comment-3097081-20110218075432

I think, only people who devote their lives to the sword and follow the path of the sword, like Zoro and Mihawk, are truly swordsmen, and therefore Mihawk is the world's greatest swordsman. True, I believe Shanks and Rayleigh can beat Mihawk, but if they duel as swordsmen, Mihawk would win.

Anyway, as for the Gorosei, I'm open to the possibility that they're strong, but we have no evidence for it, so it's only speculation. Therefore, I don't include them in the list. SO, I think the list of the world's top sword users, out of all the characters that have been revealed so far, in my opinion would go something like this:

1. Mihawk

2. Shanks

3. Rayleigh

4. Shiliew

5. Vista

6. Zoro

7. Squardo, Doma, Momonga, other Vice-Admirals and New World captains

8. Law, Hawkins, Drake

I ranked them in order of strength with a sword, not overall strength, but I did take into account things like superhuman strength, superhuman speed and haki, which is why even though Shiliew is more of a swordsman that Shanks and Rayleigh, he would lose to the former Pirate King's right hand and current Yonkou.