It is interesting that all the human swordsmen for whom we know the animal theme are land animal:
-Zoro = Bengal tiger
-Law = Snow Leopard
-Shanks = Lion
-Fujitora = Tiger
-Killer = Weasel
-Drake = Allosaurus
-Hawkins = Horse
-Kaku = Giraffe
But Mihawk is a Hawk
(I did not include King here because we do not know his race yet).
Mihawk is one of the supreme animal in the air, Shanks is one of the supreme animal on the land and, if we add Zoro second animal theme which is the shark, Zoro is one of the supreme animal in the sea
Note that the Horse, the Weasel and the Giraffe fell prey to the Tiger or the Shark in real life
Zoro will most likely never an all out fight against any of his fellow feline swordsmen
Is Oda telling us something here?
Will King be the first bird Zoro beat before Mihawk?