One Piece fans blow a rediscovered Luffy vs. Mihawk moment out of proportion for a key reason

Modified May 15, 2024 00:30 GMT

One Piece fans blow a rediscovered Luffy vs. Mihawk moment out of proportion for a key reason (Image via Toei Animation)

As author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga series goes on another break week, fans are understandably searching through previous issues following the latest major reveal. This reveal, of course, is that Joy Boy and Sun God Nika are two separate people, with the former being identified as the world’s first pirate and the latter as a key figure in Elbafian culture.

However, in the process of looking for additional information on and the set up for these reveals, One Piece fans have also rediscovered an iconic Luffy vs. Mihawk moment from earlier in the series. More specifically, the scene is of the two’s brief confrontation in the Marineford arc during which Luffy first wanted to attack Mihawk, but decided against it.

Unsurprisingly, “Agenda Piece” has taken over the resurfacing of this scene once more, with certain One Piece fans twisting this brief Luffy vs. Mihawk skirmish to fit their own ideals. However, this has led to the scene being blown somewhat out of proportion for a key reason, especially considering who fans are asserting Mihawk as a more dangerous threat than.

One Piece’s Luffy vs. Mihawk skirmish puts the former Shichibukai above Kaido and others according to fans

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Before going into why this feat is being blown out of proportion, it’s worth establishing that Dracule Mihawk is one of the strongest fighters and largest threats in One Piece. His ongoing title as the World’s Strongest Swordsman, former role as a Shichibukai, and being the embodiment of Roronoa Zoro’s dream cement this as a fact.

Likewise, the brief Marineford skirmish between him and Luffy is a feat worth commending; Mihawk is so strong he even made an emotional and inexperienced Luffy think twice before attacking him unnecessarily. Luffy even picked up on this warning signal seemingly via Mihawk’s aura alone, with a simple glance being all the convincing Luffy needed to abandon his attack.

However, the scene is being blown out of proportion by certain One Piece fans using it to assert Mihawk as stronger than Kaido or even Gorosei member Saint Topman Warcury. This assertion is being made on the grounds that Luffy never hesitated to attack Kaido during the Wano arc and Warcury during the ongoing Egghead arc.

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Yet this interpretation leaves out key context for Luffy’s opposition against all three men and what his goals were/are at the time of fighting each of the three. During the Wano arc, Kaido was directly in the way of Luffy’s goals for the arc, which were to claim the former Yonko’s Road Poneglyph and liberate Wano from his and Kurozumi Orochi’s control.

The ongoing Egghead arc, meanwhile, is seeing Luffy and his allies trying to escape the arc’s titular island while being pursued by the Gorosei and others. With Warcury pursuing Luffy specifically, it makes sense why the latter would continue attacking the former without any hesitation. If he’s able to slow down the Gorosei member to even the slightest degree, the chances of a successful escape are increased higher than they otherwise would be.

Yet during One Piece’s Marineford arc, Luffy’s goal was simply to rescue his brother Ace. Furthermore, even Whitebeard himself ordered his allies to protect Luffy as he made his way towards Ace. In other words, fighting Mihawk was not needed for Luffy to achieve his goals at the time, even if he was directly in his way for a brief moment. Likewise, while Luffy will certainly take an opportunity to fight as it comes, Mihawk isn’t someone he necessarily had to fight.

However, Kaido and Warcury both give Luffy legitimate and tangible reasons to fight them since each stand directly in the way of his goals during their respective fights. In other words, it’s not that Mihawk is stronger than Kaido or Warcury, but that Luffy had no reason to fight him specifically. Likewise, upon realizing how dangerous fighting him would be, it makes sense that Luffy would decide otherwise and continue achieving his goal of rescuing Ace.