Questions & Mysteries Mihawk’s Past

[Garp the Fist]

I find this way more interesting than Mihawk’s bounty.

Actively hunting Marines is a pretty big deal. Zoro was a pirate hunter to avoid paying the bills. Roger would fight Marines if they went in his way, but not hunt them. WB avoided them if he could. Kaido was just a battle junkie.

Why would Mihawk specifically go out of his way to hunt Marines? That’s rare. There’s really not much benefit to it, it just puts a huge target on your head. Is it linked to him “not trusting anyone”, which seems to get a reaction from him? Did a Marine betray him and he was out looking for revenge? Certainly means that the younger Mihawk had a lot more going on than just floating around occasionally fighting Shanks.

 

[nik87]

I find this way more interesting than Mihawk’s bounty.

Actively hunting Marines is a pretty big deal. Zoro was a pirate hunter to avoid paying the bills. Roger would fight Marines if they went in his way, but not hunt them. WB avoided them if he could. Kaido was just a battle junkie.

Why would Mihawk specifically go out of his way to hunt Marines? That’s rare. There’s really not much benefit to it, it just puts a huge target on your head. Is it linked to him “not trusting anyone”, which seems to get a reaction from him? Did a Marine betray him and he was out looking for revenge? Certainly means that the younger Mihawk had a lot more going on than just floating around occasionally fighting Shanks.

Maybe Imu is really a relative and he betrayed him or something.
That's why he hunted his forces but stopping due to Warlord benefits makes that theory weird and unlikely.
On the other hand, it is weird either way if Marines or someone associated with them betrayed Mihawk.

 

[Patryipe]

Pirate Hunter v Marine Hunter to decide who's the apex predator

Knowing Oda we'll find out more about Mihawk's past in some future novel.....

 

[wordy]

He saw what they did to Roger, and probably saw the effect on Shanks.
When Roger died and everybody and their dog decided to become a pirate and go get the OP, Mihawk might have faced a lot of scrubs. Going after Marines would mean that he'd be guaranteed a stronger opponent. I think eventually they ended up paying him a salary to leave them alone, and he was supposed to be the guard dog of Paradise. In the end, he just did whatever he wanted and no one could say anything (until SSG)

 

[HA001]

This sbs has got me really intrigued of mihawks past now.
Has a grudge against the Marines
Suffered a great betrayal
Is getting tired of life

Some points that show this character has well and truly gone through the mire. And the mihawk we see now is a shell of who he was.

The interesting thing is trying to piece a timeline.

@Garp the Fist points out a lot of his story is zoros inverse

Pirate Hunter
Marine Hunter

So for kid - early teen mihawk
The Inverse would be maybe


Zoro trained vigorously
Mihawk natural talent

Let's say he had a best friend also

Maybe mihawk was essentially what kuina was to his friend ie the superior one

When zoro was saved from the marines by the person he would go on to trust the most in the world
Maybe mihawks friend betrayed him to the marines.

The interesting thing is all this needs to have happened before rogers death

As mihawk is confirmed to be a famous name when he went there (anime shows him with yoru)

Then the shanks fights start multiple duels.
Before shanks gives up his arm.

We also know they met up at least one time pre luffys story starting as mihawk already knew about luffy.

We know post shanks arm loss and finding no other worthy opponents mihawk grew tired of life and bored.

This is where his vc says he joins the warlords to sail for fun as he just wants a peaceful life.

Because the thing that he wants (a swordsman stronger than shanks) doesn't exists and is just a dream for him.

I also think he became bitter about shanks losing his arm and didn't understand why until he met luffy and zoro

He even makes a nod to shanks when zoro asks him to train him when he talks of people like him only do that for the sake of others with a smile.

I expect mihawk real personality to come out when he fights zoro and gets pushed for the first time in decades.

 

[Blother Fertitta]

Buggy Shadow > Mihawks Clout?

that’s my canon takeaway

 

[Salah WG]

I think Mihawk's Story of Betrayal isn't just created to make him Someone with Trust Issues
He Lost something & it's his Dream to Recover it

Since He & Zoro seem to be Opposites in Everything
Knight vs Samurai
Western Swordsman vs Eastern Swordsman
Hawk-Eyes vs Ronin (Who's Bad with Directions)
Double-Layered Eyes vs One-Eyed
Marine Hunter vs Pirate Hunter
Probably Talent vs Hardwork
... etc

I believe Mihawk also just like Zoro couldn't go back to his Home
Zoro became "Pirate Hunter" because He got Lost & couldn't go back to his Home
So Mihawk turning into "Marine Hunter" was probably also because of Losing his Ticket Home

However, Mihawk is Hawk-Eyes, He is supposed to be Clairvoyant-Like Character
So instead of Him being Lost, it's his Home that was Lost

In other words, Mihawk suffered Great Betrayal that led to his Home Island "Disappearing"
And Mihawk since then has been Depressed & Dreams of having a Place He can call "Home" or find his OG One
That's why Oda made him Team-Up with Crocodile who have Similar Goals

The real question is, what is Mihawk's "Lost Island"
And if it's gonna be Opposite of Zoro's Home, then it must be an Island Populated by People who left Land of Knights
That is obviously Mary Geoise, and this explains why Mihawk looks like a Knight & Inherited Eyes similar to Imu's

Mihawk is probably from an Island of Rogue Knights, just like Zoro's Home was Created by Rogue Samurai
And remember how Kuina's Grandfather said that He doesn't want Marines to know He is there
It's possible that a Marine Betrayed Mihawk (Whom He Befriended) & informed WG about this Island

This is why Mihawk was both Hunted by Marines (Due to his Origin) & He Hunted them for some time (Because of Great Betrayal)
But He couldn't enjoy Life anymore simply because He doesn't have a "Home"

And this is proven by the fact that after He became Warlord, He didn't go back to his own Island, He lived Alone
Which shows that Mihawk is Homeless, just like Robin

 

[Sir Yasheen]

After the recent SBS I’m starting to think that like Doffy, the marines put a spy in Mihawks original crew.

Would definitely create a good reason to hunt marines if he was actively looking for the spy (mirroring Zoro hunting for Mihawk and hunting pirates while looking for him) and it would explain Mihawks fascination with Zoros loyalty to Luffy.

Also it could mean that whoever this (probably now dead) individual was it may explain how Mihawk became the WSS

 

[Malick the last Light]

Maybe Imu is really a relative and he betrayed him or something.
That's why he hunted his forces but stopping due to Warlord benefits makes that theory weird and unlikely.
On the other hand, it is weird either way if Marines or someone associated with them betrayed Mihawk.

I think Mihawk will not have been betrayed by Imu as the primary betrayal but directly by the Marines because otherwise Oda would just have had given Mihawk a title like "god hunter" and have had him kill a couple Celestial Dragons or something to get back at Imu.

Whatever betrayal he experienced must have come directly from the Marines for him to hunt them. What I could see having happend is that if Mihawk is Imus actual son with the Princess from Kuraigana? Imu (for whatever reason) orders a buster call/genocide on the island and the Marines carry it out. When Mihawk finds out, he hunts down every Marine involved in the attack starting his Marine Hunter days.