One Piece Finally Settles the Huge Debate Over Shanks vs Mihawk

Like most shonen manga, One Piece has its fair share of hotly debated versus battles within the community. There are some truly iconic matchups that are constantly talked about such as Whitebeard and Roger or Zoro and Sanji, and especially Mihawk versus Shanks. One Piece’s new chapter, however, seems to put this one debate to bed entirely.

In chapter 1058 of One Piece, the short history behind the new organization, Cross Guild, is explored. On the surface, the Marine-hunting organization is headed by the notorious Buggy the Clown, a pirate who seems to find himself constantly failing upwards. As the chapter illustrates, Buggy leading this organization is the furthest thing from the truth. In reality, the two former Shichibukai, “Sir” Crocodile and “Hawk-Eyes” Mihawk decided to band together and form the Cross Guild themselves while Buggy was made out to be the leader thanks to his devoted followers giving him top billing. While the Marines discuss just how they’re going to prioritize this new threat, the topic of Mihawk’s bounty comes up, and one line illuminates just how a battle between Shanks and Mihawk would go.

Fans have wondered which character would win in a fight ever since it was revealed that Mihawk and Shanks used to spar evenly, back in both of their early pirate days. Since then, Mihawk has refused to duel Shanks because of his lost arm, leading many fans to believe that Mihawk now considers Shanks an unworthy opponent. Others have argued that Shanks would still win in a battle with Mihawk thanks to his unique abilities with Advanced Conquerors Haki. Chapter 1058 of One Piece answers the question definitively when Mihawk’s bounty is revealed. It is stated explicitly that Mihawk’s skill as a swordsman surpasses Shanks’ abilities.

Because of his exceptional power and skill within the world of One Piece, Mihawk is given an incredible bounty of 3.59 billion berries. This bounty is so high that it exceeds Buggy’s bounty of 3.189 billion, even after Buggy was just given the title of “Yonko,” which only refers to the most powerful pirates in the world. Since Mihawk currently holds the title of “World’s Strongest Swordsman” it could be assumed relatively easily that he would in fact beat any character in a sword duel. This has been all but confirmed as the World Government hesitates to give either newly crowned Yonko a bounty higher than Mihawk due to the sheer danger he poses. Because of this, it could also be assumed that Mihawk possesses some form of Conqueror’s Haki as well, given that he would have to be able to fight Shanks on at least equal footing in terms of Haki so as not to pass out instantly.

The series settling one of One Piece’s biggest debates comes as a massive and welcome surprise as the Wano Arc comes to a close. Despite the seeming finality of the statement, as both Shanks and Mihawk continue to grow stronger, it remains to be seen if the two legendary opponents will ever clash again.

One Piece chapter 1058 is available now on Viz.