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Many complain that Mihawk's execution is awful because he never does anything. He never fights anyone strong. He just wastes away, harasses fodder, doesn't take people seriously, never gets involved in relevant events.

That's all true.

But that's also the character's entire essence. And Oda is brilliantly conveying it by showing, not just telling.

We know that Mihawk is a powerscaling-obsessed swordsman who killed his way to top 2. He was tied with Shanks, who to this date is his greatest rival. Before he could overcome Shanks through an epic duel, while they were still tied, Shanks gave up his arm, thus ruining Mihawk's ambitions.

At this point, Mihawk just declared himself WSS and wasted away for 12 years, unsatisfied with his journey.

In Mihawk's vivre card, he is described as a man whose years of "honing the depths of 'the cut'" have "long since caused the existence of 'the strong' to vanish from before him"; so he "joined the Seven Warlords" and "wanders the vast ocean as an aloof and solitary pirate without a crew, spending his days seeking to amuse himself with 'killing time'":

https://preview.redd.it/7f6an25z1ejh1.png?width=862&format=png&auto=webp&s=69baf50b5754534a87837e739bd67a78a3966ce1

Now what would happen if Mihawk was executed as someone that is always fighting other top tiers, getting involved with politics, interested in the One Piece and in the WG?

It would be out of character. It would be contradictory. His backstory is that of a depressed man that only kills time, but in practice he is a motivated top tier just like any other?

Oda is a genius. He is executing Mihawk the exact way his backstory describes him. He told us about Mihawk's nature through extra material, but the manga also shows him exactly the way he is described.

However. Only a low IQ Mihawk hater concludes, from this, that Mihawk is a fraud.

The truth is that Mihawk is the antagonist to Zoro's story. And as Zoro is a main character, Mihawk is also a main antagonist. Mihawk is going through a very unique character arc, one through which he heals from his depression and finds deeper meaning in life.

Sparing Zoro's life in Baratie and motivating him was the very first step for Mihawk's healing. Getting out of his chair to understand more about Luffy (in Marineford) was another important step. Taking care of Zoro and Perona did a lot for him. Joining Cross Guild is evidence that he has already healed a lot, but there are still ways to go. It is likely that his character arc will only be finished once Zoro defeats him.

https://preview.redd.it/o0dnwrwe3ejh1.png?width=736&format=png&auto=webp&s=9097b65abc97acca33265a240f5204d29b2922e6

Even then, despite being depressed, everything about Mihawk's backstory remains true. He is still the strongest swordsman in name and actuality. And defeating him is what crowns Zoro as the WSSOAT.

In conclusion, I love Mihawk's character arc, and I appreciate the fact he never does anything, because there is nothing more Mihawk than not doing anything for 1000 chapters.

Let's start with the obvious: People that lump all titles together are terrible at powerscaling and their takes should be immediately disregarded. After all, not all titles are created equal.

Some titles have non-existent powerscaling value. Others are relevant, but can be discarded in face of better evidence. Other titles are absolute and must be taken at face value.

Last not least, when it comes to the title's accuracy, it must be emphasized that the World's Strongest must never lose in a 1v1 against opponents that fall within the title's scope. Never. This was established in Baratie, back when Zoro confronted Mihawk and tried to defeat him to earn the title. Mihawk and Zoro showed that World's Strongest titles are earned through duels to the death, except in the rare occasion the winner chooses to spare the loser, in which case it was still a duel to a conclusive result, even if the loser did not die.

https://preview.redd.it/yoel0sjwo1gh1.png?width=942&format=png&auto=webp&s=19dc1185ab3d1b2ea14a3e821de2e018bdc9d152

Similarly, if you tie with someone, you are not the World's Strongest. Why? Because Mihawk wasn't WSS until he settled the stalemate with Shanks. After Shanks lost his arm, Mihawk simply declared himself WSS, being 100% sure that he wouldn't lose against Shanks. This is a very interesting event because it also shows you don't need to actually defeat everyone else to have a title, but you do need to be the strongest in reality.

https://preview.redd.it/n4cqw9u6p1gh1.png?width=728&format=png&auto=webp&s=66f494b6648607ca12a85289b035ea922348e694

With that out of the way, in order to better evaluate titles, I came up with three criteria:

1. Is the title confirmed by the narrator (title box), or is it a rumor/epithet?
2. Is the title demonstrably false in reality?
3. Is the title's accuracy necessary for the narrative Oda built over 1000+ chapters to make sense?

Let's quickly evaluate these.

Criteria 1: Is there a titlebox?

Enough said:

https://preview.redd.it/28sw99ilm1gh1.jpg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4bb21ec985791de32f36ba439858c62e143901ad

WSC: No, it's not a real title.

WSM: Yes

WSS: Yes

Criteria 2: Is the title demonstrably false in reality?

Again, keep in mind that the title's veracity involves the holder being unambiguously stronger than everyone else.

WSC: No, if anything because Imu exists.

WSM: No, Whitebeard tied with Roger and, by extension, Garp (who was always Roger's equal).

WSS: Yes.*

*Before everyone brings up Imu, it is still unclear whether Mihawk is weaker than Elbaph Imu or not; and whether Elbaph Imu is Imu's ultimate form, or if his great strength derives from the eldritch deity form depicted in the mural, a form that doesn't fight with swords. For now it is too early to say that Imu breaks the WSS title, although it is valid to make that bet.

Criteria 3: Is the title's accuracy necessary for the narrative Oda built over 1000+ chapters to make sense?

WSC: No. This "title" is completely irrelevant to the narrative, it only served to hype a midgame antagonist.

WSM: No. This title also only served to hype Whitebeard. In Marineford, he acknowledges that he isn't the strongest anymore (because of old age and illness). But then Oda proceeded to make Primebeard tie with Roger. This reinforces that Oda never needed WSM to be literally accurate.

WSS: Yes. Zoro promised to Kuina that one of them would become the strongest swordsman. He wasn't talking about titles, but about being the strongest in reality. Over 1000+ chapters, Zoro has reaffirmed that Mihawk is the man whose defeat can realize his dream and crown him as the strongest swordsman in reality. Therefore, it is essential for Mihawk's WSS title to be accurate to reality, otherwise Zoro's entire narrative was a waste of time.

Conclusion

"Titlescaling" is a misleading term, since titles are not equal.

A high caliber powerscaler scales each title with the respect it deserves.

WSC deserves no respect whatsoever. Anyone using it when powerscaling has certified 80 IQ at max (possibly lower).

WSM is a respectable title with powerscaling value, but it must not be taken literally. You can't apply it to Oldbeard, since Oldbeard explicitly admits the title is not accurate anymore. And even with Primebeard it must be taken with a grain of salt as he had at least two equals. Anyone using it in these circumstances has 115 IQ at max, which is above average, but not that high.

WSS is 100% true to reality and guaranteed from Zoro's narrative to be true until EoS. You can blindly trust this one (at least for now). Those who defend it unconditionally are geniuses whose contributions are invaluable to humanity.