^^just because he didn't fight doesn't make him weak.

@Seekerbro What is illogical is to say that a guy who doesn't fight Shanks since over a decade is stronger than him. Or are you gonna tell me Shanks is weaker now just because Mihawk believes that?

Not only does Mihawk believe it, Oda does too. Mihawk's title is in name AND ACTUALITY

Also the logic of "they haven't fought in a decade thus Shanks should be stronger" is so flawed.

If your premise behind this is that Shanks got stronger, who's to say Mihawk didn't also get stronger? If anything the evidence points out to Shanks being weaker than before since he's lost an arm, and Mihawk is starting to want to find an opponent better than Shanks which implies he's gotten weaker since he lost his arm and that he's been stated to "have once had the power to stand shoulder to shoulder with the WSS"

**Raw Japanese Kanji-**

**First Sentence, Bottom Left Paragraph in Box:**

シャンクスはかって、世界一の剣豪と肩を並べたほどの実力を持つ。

**Translated-**

**First Sentence, Bottom Left Paragraph in Box:**

Shanks once had the power to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's greatest swordsman (Databook Red).

But if your premise is that we can't say who's stronger since Shanks and Mihawk haven't fought in a decade then literally Oda's whole narrative for Mihawk is enough to say who's stronger between the two

And in case you're one of those people who think Shanks isn't a swordsman (literally the dumbest logic I've seen in the history of powerscaling) There's this:

本来左ききであるシャンクスはかつて、右の腰に長剣を携えていた。ミホークとライバルだった過去からみても、その剣の実力は世界でもトップクラスだったのだろう。

Shanks, who is left-handed by nature, used to carry a long sword on his right hip. He is one of the best swordsmen in the world, given that he and Mihawk were rivals in the past.

**Raw Japanese Kanji-**

**Top Left Caption next to Panel:**

剣士勢揃い!! 斬れると痛ェぞ~!?

**Translated-**

**Top Left Caption next to Panel:**

Gathering of swordsmen!! If you get cut, it will hurt~!? (Usopp's Pirate Gallery, Vol 101).

**Raw Japanese Kanji-**

**Largest Paragraph in White Text: **

"新世界"に君躍する大海賊、"四島"の一角。世界最強の剣豪・ミホークと互角の戦いをしたほどの剣の進人。また、その凄まじい"町覇王色の覇気" は屈強な白ひげ海賊団の船員違を、次々と気絶させたほど。

**Translated-**

**Largest Paragraph in White Text: **

A great pirate who stands out in the "New World," one of the "Four Emperors." A swordsman of great skill, having engaged in a duel with the world's strongest swordsman, Mihawk. Moreover, his formidable "Conqueror's Haki" is so powerful that it made even the sturdy members of the Whitebeard Pirates crew faint one after another (V Jump, September 2022).

So yeah, Mihawk > Shanks is painfully obvious

Well, you might be right cause after all the strongest character is whoever the author wants to be the strongest and powerscaling is nonsense, but that would be narratively illogical.

Shanks on the last 12 years: Stopped Tot Musica, defeated Loki, became a Yonko, clashed with Whitebeard, stopped Kaido's attempt to attack Whitebeard and was thought by Kaido himself to be capable of defeating him (which Mihawk wasn't), intimidated Aramaki, defeated Kid OHKO...

Mihawk on the last 12 years: Sailed across the world on a boat and defeated weak enemies.

Who have grown more? I wonder...

Databooks are a good source, but the manga is a better one. Kaidou included Shanks on those capable of defeating him, but didn't include Mihawk.

Kaidou's list doesn't mean those are the only ones capable of defeating him. Prime Garp, Sengoku, and other chars who are very much capable of defeating Kaidou weren't there. So Mihawk not being there doesn't mean anything at all.

Shanks never stopped Tot Musica on his own. He defeated Loki sure, but we don't know how strong Loki is just yet so we can't tell how much of a feat this is. Mihawk is disinterested in the title of Yonko, he could've had it if he wanted to (this can be supported by the fact that Mihawk has a higher bounty than the Yonko he serves). That clash with WB was just a matter of Conqueror's, not having Conq Haki isn't an anti-feat. Ofc Shanks could stop Kaidou, he was in the 5 listed by Kaidou himself and with Mihawk being above Shanks as Mihawk verbatim being stated by Oda to be the WSS in actuality and that it's not "just" a title means Mihawk > Kaidou too. Aramaki wasn't intimidated by him, he was already just already fighting the Akazaya, Yamato, and Momonosuke and so ofc he wouldn't want to add a whole other Yonko and his crew to that fight, it would be too much already. Another thing to support this is that Ryokugyu states that he's not gonna fight the RH's YET

Now for the Kid OHKO, Kid was was taken by surprise and mid attack, he couldn't defend himself at all so ofc he'd be OHKO'd

Not saying that these feats aren't impressive but what I'm saying is that these aren't enough to say Shanks > Mihawk

Meanwhile Mihawk is out here with Oda constantly portraying Mihawk above Shanks with the direct author statements that i showed earlier.

Also having no feats is not something that would downscale a character by any means. If having more feats means stronger then Koby would be stronger than Nika since Koby has feats and Nika doesn't. Same would be the case for Zoro and Prime Ryuma, If we ignore narrative and portrayal completely then Zoro is slamming Prime Ryuma due to a lack of feats in Ryuma's side. So this scaling is invalid, portrayal puts Mihawk above Shanks so even with Shanks having more feats, Mihawk is still stronger.

Wait, so you're telling me that Mihawk > Shanks cause Mihawk has the title of World Strongest Swordsman, but Kaido's title of World Strongest Creature means nothing? Oh, I see.

C'mon, bro. Just say something like "Mihawk slams the verse" and it's okay. Ain't judging you.

Kaidou's title was never stated to he in actuality like Mihawk's, it's only ever been stated as a rumor (its always is said, is known, but never in name and actuality like Mihawk and arguably WB)

The most disturbing thing is that Mihawk clashed with Vista and said something alone the lines of "this is tiring, let's just stop fighting" why didn't he end the fight with one shot If he is so strong? Vista is weaker than Whitebeard and Whitebeard is equal to Shanks (they clashed and split the skies in our first introduction of Whitebeard) But Mihawk couldn't defeat Vista and instead opted to ask for some sort of truce.

He was also clashing with other Whitebeard victims seemingly evenly. This includes Croco-boy, Duffy, Vista (an honourable mention MIGHT be GEAR TWO luffy) Even if he was holding back (which I doubt since he was wining so much about them standing in his way) there is no way he is equal to Shanks.

(I definetly might be bullshitting. I'm just saying this for the sport of argument)

Kaidou is said via rumor to be worlds strongest beast.

Mihawk is said by the author himself to be the strongest swordsman.

Mihawk only retreated due to Sengoku's order to retreat from the ice bay since the encircling walls were about to rise and the bay would be destroyed

So idk where you got the Implication that Mihawk was tired from fighting Vista but he only retreated due to Sengoku's order.

Now as for why Mihawk didn't just one shot Vista, there's two things to say abt that.

1. Vista is known to be one of the strongest swordsmen in the world and is also stated to have relative sword skills to Mihawk

2. Mihawk was completely casual throughout the entire war and didn't use a single named move at all.

So all in all this isn't an anti-feat by any means.

Again with clashing with others, he was being casual, he wasn't going all out at all. Although one may argue that Mihawk wasn't holding back due to this statement

There are two thing to say about that arg:

1. Holding back isn't the same as going all out. An example of Mihawk holding back was during the east blue against Zoro. Here during the war he just wasn't holding back, but that doesn't mean he was actually trying either.

2. Mihawk specifically said "this power knows no restraint" which was in reference to Yoru. This can be argued since we know that swords have their own personalities. So this is, in fact, very plausible.

So yeah, everything you just argued as being an anti-feat is now out the window @Mk Fri13