Until their recent dissolution, the Seven Warlords of the Sea represented one of the most formidable political forces in One Piece. Its ranks comprised notorious pirates who lent their services to the World Government in exchange for having their bounties frozen. There have been a total of 11 known pirates to hold the title, and the first to be introduced was Dracule Mihawk.

Mihawk, also known by the epithet "Hawk Eyes", is famous for being the strongest swordsman in the world of One Piece. He is one of the few pirates in the series who prefers to operate alone, and has no crew. This hasn't proved to be much of a handicap, however. Mihawk was introduced as the man who single-handedly decimated the entire fleet of the notorious East Blue pirate Don Krieg. Mihawk later revealed that he attacked Krieg's fleet in the Grand Line and pursued them back to the East Blue merely to "kill time", and managed to easily defeat Zoro and cut Krieg's flagship in half before leaving of his own volition.

RELATED: One Piece: Kaido's Drunk Modes, Explained

Mihawk's Abilities

5-Zoro-vs-Mihawk

Mihawk's weapon of choice in battle is the giant black sword Yoru, which is taller than Mihawk himself. He tends to wield it with two hands. Mihawk's immaculate swordplay is the result of a few factors. Mihawk possesses immense superhuman strength and speed, as well as incredible reflexes. He also possesses excellent vision, able to precisely aim slashes at Luffy from across an active battlefield.

When using Yoru in battle, Mihawk is capable of slashing through massive ships or mountains of ice with ease. The compressed air released as a result of these slashes can travel massive distances. Mihawk is also capable of incredibly precise blade work. He can alter the trajectory of bullets or cut multiple moving cannonballs in half. Mihawk regularly coats Yoru with Armament Haki to make it even stronger, a technique he eventually taught to Zoro.

The source of Mihawk's power is unknown, though it is implied that he has achieved his strength as a result of natural talent, and not through the power of a Devil Fruit. Mihawk is also known for his intelligence and is especially good at spotting potential in people. He was among the first to identify Luffy's charisma as his greatest asset.

How Strong is Mihawk?

Buggy dodges mihawk

Despite being seen fighting multiple times, gauging Mihawk's strength is difficult because he nearly always has the upper hand against those he fights, and is one of the few characters to have never taken damage at any point in the series. Of course, this fact in and of itself speaks to Mihawk's frightening ability.

Mihawk is probably the strongest member of the Seven Warlords. The best indication of Mihawk's strength is that he was a longtime rival of the Yonko Shanks, a fellow swordsman, before the latter lost an arm. As a Yonko, Shanks is one of the most powerful pirates in the world, and has a bounty of over 4 billion berry. The fact that Mihawk was once Shanks' rival means that he rivals the Yonko in power, a rare quality among the Seven Warlords.

RELATED: One Piece: Who Will Be Sanji's Final Opponent?

Among their past and present ranks only Blackbeard, who has since become a Yonko himself, and Trafalgar Law, who defeated Big Mom alongside Eustass Kid, can claim to be the same. In truth, Mihawk's lack of status as a Yonko is likely only due to his lack of a crew and solitary lifestyle. Two other Warlords, Jinbe and Donquixote Doflamino, were canonically subordinate to Big Mom and Kaido respectively.

The dissolution of the Seven Warlords system means that the five remaining members, Mihawk included, are once again wanted criminals, and Mihawk was last seen fleeing from a fleet of Marine ships. Given his sheer power, it's highly unlikely that he was caught, and there's a reasonable chance he will appear again later on in the series. This is due to the fact that defeating him is Zoro's goal in life, and his absence would leave that dream unresolved.

MORE: One Piece: How Strong is Rob Lucci?